Walking Tours

Harvard Yard Self-Guided Audio Walk: Harvard Square, John Harvard Statue, Memorial Hall and Longfellow House

Walk from Harvard Square through Harvard Yard and out along historic Brattle Street in Cambridge.
See the John Harvard statue, Widener Library, Memorial Church, Memorial Hall and Le Corbusier's only North American building.
Learn to tell real colonial age from the past Cambridge built on purpose, from a statue's three mistakes to the Washington Elm.
Finish at Longfellow House, Washington's headquarters, across the street from a memorial by the sculptor of the John Harvard statue.
10 stops over 2.2 km, about 95 minutes, with English audio you start whenever you like.

Self-guided English audio tour, 10 stops, 2.2 km, 95 minutes
Stops at John Harvard, Widener, Memorial Church
GPS map in phone browser, no app needed
Lifetime access, start anytime and replay

Live guide
Fixed start time
Museum and monument tickets
Food and drinks
Tips or gratuities

체험 시작 24시간 전까지( 24 ) 티켓을 취소하고 전액 환불받을 수 있습니다.

Cambridge has a habit of building its own past. Harvard Yard's statue of its namesake gets three facts wrong in one line, its oldest gate is made of brick designed to look Puritan, and a granite marker on the Common honors a ceremony nobody wrote about for sixty-two years. Beside them stand buildings that really are as old as they look.
This walk teaches you to tell the difference. Start in Harvard Square, pass through Johnston Gate to Massachusetts Hall of 1720 and the John Harvard statue, and cross the great lawn between Widener Library and Memorial Church. Then see Le Corbusier's concrete Carpenter Center, the striped Gothic of Memorial Hall, the Washington Elm, Christ Church and its slate burying ground, and Radcliffe Yard, before ending at Longfellow House on Brattle Street.
Ten stops, about 2.2 km (1.4 miles) and 95 minutes, in English and at your own pace. Building interiors are not included.

What to bring

Ticket code: Enter your ticket code on the Roamer redemption page from your confirmation before you set off.

Phone and earphones: Bring a fully charged phone and earphones to listen to the audio tour.

Data or Wi-Fi: Use mobile data on the walk, or open the tour on Wi-Fi before you start if you will be offline.

Accessibility

Steps on route: Expect a few short stairways inside Harvard Yard and up into Radcliffe Yard from Appian Way.

Step-free option: Use the step-free Radcliffe Yard entrance on Brattle Street instead of the Appian Way steps.

Additional information

Tour access: Start the tour from your phone browser, with GPS map and directions, and no app to download.

Activation tip: Activate your tour using the ticket code while you still have signal before you begin walking.

Best time to go: Choose a weekday morning in term time for a calm but lively Yard with fewer tour groups.

Seasonal atmosphere: Enjoy late spring or autumn for the prettiest views under Harvard Yard's trees.

Busy dates: Avoid Commencement week and Alumni Day when Harvard Yard can close to the public.

Yard closures: If Yard gates are locked, follow the fence on Massachusetts Avenue and Quincy Street to continue the route.

Gate hours: Use Loeb House Gate on Quincy Street until 7 p.m., then Sever Gate behind Sever Hall after 7 p.m.

Gate changes: Be aware that Harvard states gate opening times can change without notice.

Route layout: Note that stops 5 to 10 are outside Harvard Yard along the surrounding streets.

Construction zone: Stay on sidewalks around the Harvard Square kiosk and never enter the fenced construction area.

Building entry: Stay outside Harvard buildings, including Widener Library, Massachusetts Hall, and Radcliffe Yard offices.

Traffic caution: Cross carefully at Mason Street and Brattle Street, where there are no traffic lights.

Cyclist awareness: Watch for cyclists on the paths across Cambridge Common.

Old Burying Ground hours: Visit the Old Burying Ground only between dawn and dusk when the gate on Garden Street is open.

After dark route: After dark, remain on the public path beside the Old Burying Ground instead of entering.

Harvard Square station: Allow about ten minutes to walk back along Brattle Street to Harvard Square Red Line station from the last stop.

Longfellow House option: From 22 May to 31 October 2026, you can add a free Longfellow House ranger tour Friday to Monday.

Longfellow House booking: Reserve Longfellow House tours by phone from 9:30 a.m. the same day or try walking in.

Carpenter Center: Visit the Carpenter Center ramp and galleries for free from noon to 5 p.m., Tuesday to Sunday.

Visitor kiosk: Use the Cambridge Kiosk in Harvard Square as a free visitor information center after its May 2025 reopening.