Harvard and MIT Campus Tour with Expert Guide

What's Included

Meeting and pickup

Itinerary

• 1
  Harvard Square

  Meet your guide in the lively center of Harvard Square, surrounded by bookstores, cafés, and historic buildings. After introductions, each family shares their student’s interests so your guide can tailor the tour, and you’ll get an overview of what makes the Boston area one of the world’s great centers of learning.

  15 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 2
  Harvard Square

  Walk through the gates into the oldest part of America’s oldest university. Your guide explains how Harvard’s first-year experience works, where first-year students live, and what daily academic life is really like. There’s time for photos among the Yard’s historic red brick buildings.

  15 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 3
  John Harvard Statue

  Visit one of the most photographed statues in America and hear why it’s nicknamed the “statue of three lies.” It’s a fun story and a great photo stop for students and families.

  15 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 4
  Harvard University

  See the grand columns and steps of Harvard’s main library from outside, and hear the story behind its founding, which is connected to the Titanic. Your guide talks about how students use libraries and research resources at top universities.

  15 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 5
  Harvard University

  Walk toward the Charles River to see the residential houses where most Harvard students live after their first year. Learn how the house system shapes student life and community, and hear how student founders, including the creators of Facebook and Microsoft, got their start at Harvard.

  15 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 6
  Stata Center

  See Frank Gehry’s famous tilted, colorful building, home to MIT’s computer science and artificial intelligence lab. Your guide explains how MIT students get involved in real research as undergraduates and how that experience can shape their futures.

  15 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 7
  Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

  Walk MIT’s famous main hallway, which connects many of the campus’s central buildings, where public access allows. Learn about MIT’s hands-on “mind and hand” culture and hear about “MIThenge,” the days each year when the setting sun lines up perfectly with the corridor.

  15 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 8
  Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

  Stand beneath MIT’s iconic dome and hear the stories of the university’s legendary student pranks, called “hacks,” including the time students placed a police car on top of the dome. Your guide explains what these stories reveal about MIT’s creative, problem-solving culture.

  15 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 9
  Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

  Finish with the classic view of the Great Dome across the lawn where MIT holds its graduation ceremonies. Enjoy a dedicated question-and-answer session where families can ask anything about the college search, and leave with practical next steps. The tour ends here, a short walk from the Kendall/MIT T station and the MIT Museum.

  15 minutes • Admission ticket free

Additional info

• Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
• Service animals allowed
• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels

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