Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MIT is in Cambridge, Massachusetts, directly across the Charles River from Boston. Its main entrance is at 77 Massachusetts Avenue, and the Red Line stops at Kendall/MIT on the east side of campus. Visitors can follow MIT's self-guided walking route past landmarks like the Great Dome, the Stata Center and the MIT Museum, or ride a Boston Sightseeing guided tour that drives through campus on the way to Harvard Square. This page covers where MIT is, what to see, and how to tour MIT from Boston, on your own or with us.
Location
MIT sits in Cambridge, not Boston, on the north bank of the Charles River. The campus runs about a mile along the water, and the riverfront looks across to the Boston skyline. The mailing address is 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139.
The Harvard Bridge links the two sides. It carries Massachusetts Avenue across the river between Back Bay and MIT, and at 2,164.8 feet it is the longest bridge over the Charles. Painted marks along the sidewalk count the crossing in smoots, a joke unit based on MIT student Oliver Smoot, whom his fraternity brothers used as a measuring stick in 1958. The total comes to 364.4 smoots plus one ear.
By train, take the Red Line to Kendall/MIT. The station sits at the east end of campus, next to the MIT Museum.
History Of Ingenuity
Massachusetts governor John Albion Andrew signed MIT's charter on April 10, 1861. William Barton Rogers had proposed the school to speed up American industrialization through scientific knowledge. The first classes met in 1865 in the Mercantile Building in Boston, and the school's first permanent home, the Rogers Building, was completed in 1866 near Copley Square on Boylston Street. That building was demolished in 1939.
MIT crossed the river to Cambridge in 1916, once the first academic buildings on the new campus were ready. Its motto, Mens et Manus, means "Mind and Hand" and points to the school's focus on learning by doing.
What To See On Campus
Most of the MIT attractions below are a short walk from one another. MIT's self-guided walking tour, linked on its visit page, makes a good template for your own walk.
Great Dome And Killian Court
The Great Dome tops Building 10, whose front has a row of ten Ionic columns. It looks out over Killian Court, an open lawn that faces the river and the Boston skyline and hosts MIT's Commencement. The Barker Engineering Library is inside the dome.
The Infinite Corridor
This hallway is about 823 feet long and links Buildings 7, 3, 10, 4 and 8, starting at Lobby 7. On a few days around mid-November and late January, the Sun lines up with its full length. Walkers traditionally keep to the right.
Kresge Auditorium And MIT Chapel
Eero Saarinen designed both buildings, and both date to the mid-1950s. Kresge Auditorium was dedicated in 1955 and has a domed roof that is exactly one-eighth of a sphere. The chapel is a brick cylinder ringed by a shallow moat, with a metal sculpture by Harry Bertoia hanging above the altar. Our guide to the MIT Chapel covers it in more detail.
Stata Center
Frank Gehry designed the Ray and Maria Stata Center (Building 32), which was completed in 2004 and houses CSAIL and LIDS. The MIT Museum lists an exhibition of MIT hacks, the elaborate student pranks the school is known for, in the building's Student Street area. Ask at the Information Center whether it is open to visitors.
Public Art
Alexander Calder's La Grande Voile, known as The Big Sail, has stood in McDermott Court since 1965. Mark di Suvero's Aesop's Fables, II (2005) is in Hockfield Court. The List Visual Arts Center maintains MIT's permanent art collection, which has more than 4,000 artworks, including over 60 public sculptures.
MIT Museum
The museum is at 314 Main Street in Kendall Square, next to the Kendall/MIT station. It is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with last entry 30 minutes before closing, and it closes on a handful of holidays. Admission is $18 for adults, $15 for seniors 65 and older, and $10 for youth 18 and under and for college students with ID. Children 5 and under get in free. Galleries include Essential MIT, which looks at the university's culture of innovation, along with rotating exhibits. Prices and hours were checked in October 2026, so confirm them on the museum's website before you go.
Visiting MIT: Tours, Getting There, And Practical Tips
MIT is a working university, so access depends on the building. The sections below cover how to tour the public parts of campus and how to reach them from downtown Boston.
Self-Guided And Student-Led Tours
The MIT Information Center is in Room 7-121, just inside the main entrance at 77 Massachusetts Avenue. It is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except on holidays. MIT publishes a self-guided walking tour online, and it says campus tours are open to the general public and led by current students. Tour times change by semester, so check MIT's visit page first. MIT also lists several spaces that are open to visitors, including Killian Court, the List Visual Arts Center, the Hart Nautical Gallery, the Koch Institute Public Galleries and the MIT Coop.
Getting There From Boston
The Red Line to Kendall/MIT is the simplest ride from downtown Boston. If you are staying in Back Bay, you can also walk across the Harvard Bridge, which is a little over 0.4 miles long. Parking is the harder option. MIT says parking in Cambridge and Boston is expensive and hard to find, and it recommends transit, a taxi or a rideshare.
How Long To Allow
Private walking tours of the main buildings are typically listed at 90 to 120 minutes, so plan on about two hours for the campus. Add time if you want to go inside the MIT Museum.
Nearby Attractions
Once you have seen the campus, the rest of Cambridge is close by. Things to do near MIT start with Kendall Square, the innovation district in the eastern part of Cambridge, just over the Longfellow Bridge from Boston. Technology and biotech companies have offices there, and the MIT Museum is in the square too.
Harvard Square is farther along Massachusetts Avenue. You can read about Harvard University and the Harvard Square area before you go. On the Boston side, the Charles River Esplanade is a park on the river's south bank in Back Bay, and it makes an easy walk after you cross the Harvard Bridge.
Frequently Asked Questions
What city is MIT in?
MIT is in Cambridge, Massachusetts, directly across the Charles River from Boston. The address is 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139. Cambridge is part of the Greater Boston area, and the Red Line connects the two cities.
Is MIT in Boston?
Not technically. MIT is in Cambridge, which is a separate city from Boston. The school did start out in Boston, in what is now the Back Bay area, and it moved to Cambridge in 1916.
Can you tour the MIT campus?
Yes. You can follow MIT's self-guided walking tour, and MIT says student-led campus tours are open to the general public. The Information Center at 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Room 7-121, has maps and is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.
What are the best things to see at MIT?
Start with the Great Dome and Killian Court, the Infinite Corridor, Kresge Auditorium and the MIT Chapel, the Stata Center and the MIT Museum. Calder's The Big Sail in McDermott Court is one of the outdoor artworks on campus.
How much does the MIT Museum cost?
Adults pay $18, seniors 65 and older pay $15, and youth 18 and under and college students with ID pay $10. Children 5 and under are free. The museum is at 314 Main Street and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (prices checked October 2026).
How do I get from Boston to MIT?
Take the Red Line to Kendall/MIT, or walk across the Harvard Bridge from Back Bay. You can also ride the Boston & Cambridge City Tour, which drives through MIT's campus.
Does the Boston Sightseeing bus go to MIT?
Our hop-on hop-off double-decker routes stay in Boston and Charlestown. The Boston & Cambridge City Tour is the Boston Sightseeing option that passes through MIT's campus, with adult tickets at $63.
Does the Harvard Bridge go to Harvard?
No. The Harvard Bridge links Back Bay with MIT. Harvard University is farther along Massachusetts Avenue, in Harvard Square.
Plan Your Boston Tour with Boston Sightseeing
MIT is in Cambridge, so it sits outside the Boston and Charlestown routes of our hop-on hop-off double-decker buses (Stops 1 to 15). The Boston Sightseeing option that reaches MIT is the Boston & Cambridge City Tour, a guided shuttle tour of about 3.5 hours with a live local guide.
The tour leaves from 8 Park Plaza, and its page recommends the 10 a.m. session for morning light or the 3 p.m. session for golden-hour waterfront views. The route includes Copley Square, Fenway Park, Beacon Hill, the North End and Faneuil Hall, with a 45-minute lunch break at Long Wharf and Quincy Market. In Cambridge, the shuttle crosses the Charles River on the Massachusetts Avenue Bridge, rolls through MIT's campus, continues to Harvard Square, and returns over the Longfellow Bridge.
The tour page does not list a set amount of time at MIT, so think of it as a guided look at the campus and Harvard Square, not a full campus visit. If you want to walk the grounds or go inside the museum, set aside separate time using the sections above. Adult tickets are $63 and child tickets are $50.65 (checked October 2026). You can compare every option on our tour packages page, or Boston Sightseeing can help you plan the rest of your Boston days.
Our Tour Packages
Single Ride Pass
$33.25
Explore Boston in 90 Minutes
Ride above the crowd and enjoy the panoramic view of Boston
- Boston City Tour Single Ride Pass
- Stop-1 to Stop-8
- Blue Route Tour
- Double-Decker Bus Tour
- 90 Minutes Tour
- 1 Day Validity
- Hop-on Hop-off Tour
- Charlestown Sightseeing Tour
Hop-On Hop-Off All Day
$41.55
Boston City Sightseeing Tour
Experience historic Boston with unlimited hop-on hop-off at your own pace.
- Stop-1 to Stop-8
- Hop-on Hop-off Boston Tour
- Blue Route Tour
- Double-Decker Bus Tour
- 90 Minutes tour
- 1 Day Validity
- Shuttle Bus Service
- Charlestown Tour
Hop-on Hop-off Boston & Charlestown Tour
$48.65
Boston & Charlestown Tour
Experience the charm of Boston & Charlestown with Boston Sightseeing at your own pace.
- Hop-on Hop-off Boston Tour
- Stop-1 to Stop-11
- Hop-on Hop-off Charlestown Tour
- Blue & Orange Route Tour
- Double-Decker Bus Tour
- Shuttle Bus Tour
- 120 Minutes Tour
- 1 Day Validity
2 Days Boston & Charlestown Hop-On Hop-Off Tour
$70.40
2 Days Boston & Charlestown Tour
Explore Boston & Charlestown with Boston's first double-decker bus at your own pace.
- Hop-on Hop-off Boston Tour
- Stop-1 to Stop-11
- Hop-on Hop-off Charlestown Tour
- Blue & Orange Route Tour
- Double-Decker Bus Tour
- Shuttle Bus Tour
- 120 Minutes Tour
- 2 Days Validity
Cruise Terminal Hop-On Hop-Off Tour
$52.00
200 Minutes Hop-on Hop-off
Get onboard from Boston Cruise terminal and explore the historic beantown with Boston Sightseeing double-decker bus.
- Hop-on Hop-off Boston Tour
- Stop 1-8, 12-15
- Blue & Purple Route Tour
- Double-Decker Bus Tour
- Shuttle Bus Tour
- 200 Minutes Tour
- 1 Day Validity
- Charlestown Tour
Boston & Cambridge City Tour
$63.00
Guided Photo & City Tour
A 3.5-hour guided shuttle tour featuring Boston’s most iconic neighborhoods, Cambridge highlights, waterfront views, and curated photo opportunities.
- Guided Boston & Cambridge sightseeing tour
- Approximately 3.5 hours
- Curated stops and photo opportunities
- Climate-controlled shuttle bus transportation
- Live local tour guide
- 45-minutes Quincy Market lunch break
- Same-day tour experience
- Double-Decker Bus Service
- Hop-on, hop-off service
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