Illustrious Schools: Group Tour of MIT And Harvard | 3 hours 30 minutes

45 Reviews | Cambridge
Select Date and Travelers
You can select up to 15 travelers in total.
Adult (18-99) Minimum: 1, Maximum: 15
2
Youth (13-17) Minimum: 0, Maximum: 15
0
Child (3-12) Minimum: 0, Maximum: 15
0
Free Cancellation For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Illustrious Schools: Group Tour of MIT And Harvard
2 Adults x $49.99
$99.98
Approx Total
$99.98

Inclusions / Exclusions

  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English
  • Tour Guide Services
  • Subway ticket from MIT to Harvard
  • Gratuities

Overview

The tour starts on the MIT campus, where you will follow your guide to learn about the school's history, famous pranks, inventions, and much more! Your tour guide will show you buildings designed by world-famous architects, dormitories home to hilarious MIT "hacks", and stunning views of Boston from across the river! After MIT, your tour guide will take you to Harvard using the subway system. Your subway fare is included in the cost of the tour. Learn the history Harvard University, the oldest college in the country. See the "Statue of the Three Lies", deceiving visitors for almost 150 years. Learn about Harvard's academic legacy, as well as some rather whimsical traditions practiced by the students! See the house where George Washington stayed during his visit to Boston during the American Revolution and Harvard's part in the war. The tour will show you the academic, residential, and hidden parts of one of the world's most prestigious universities!

Meeting points

Your tour guide will meet you in front of the Ripple Cafe on Main Street in Cambridge. The cafe is next to the Kendall Station subway stop on the Red Line. Your guide will be wearing a Boston Hidden Gems t-shirt and name tag.

End point

Open in Google Maps

Tour will end in Harvard Square, next to the Red Line subway stop with the same name.

Itinerary

  • N/A

    See the MIT Media Lab, home to some of the most innovative cross-discipline creations stemming from MIT.

    15 minutes

  • N/A

    See the Green Building, designed by I.M.Pei. Learn about the famous "Tetris" student prank.

    10 minutes

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

    See the iconic MIT Dome and learn about the police car placed on top of the dome to protest parking tickets.

    15 minutes

  • Harvard Bridge

    See the Smoot markers on the Harvard Bridge, connecting Cambridge and Boston. Take a picture of the Boston skyline.

    10 minutes

  • N/A

    Learn about the hilarious story behind the Banana Lounge.

    15 minutes

  • Stata Center

    See the quirky State Center, both an architectural marvel and a design nightmare.

    10 minutes

  • N/A

    Take the Red Line subway two stops to the Harvard University Area. Cost of the subway ride is included in the tour. Your tour guide will direct you on using the subway.

    20 minutes

  • N/A

    Enter Harvard Yard through the main entrance - Johnson Gate.

    10 minutes

  • John Harvard Statue

    Learn why the famous Harvard Yard statue is called the "Statue of the Three Lies".

    15 minutes

  • N/A

    Learn about the various dormitories located around the historical Harvard Yard and who lived there while at Harvard.

    10 minutes

  • N/A

    See Memorial Hall, a multifunctional building inside an old church.

    15 minutes

  • Harvard Memorial Church

    See the Memorial Church, standing in the middle of Harvard Yard.

    10 minutes

  • N/A

    See the main library of Harvard University and hear the tragic story behind it.

    10 minutes

  • N/A

    See one of the oldest buildings in Harvard Yard, where George Washington stayed during the American Revolution.

    10 minutes

  • N/A

    See a few of the Upper Classmen housing of Harvard University and learn about the tradition of "Housing Day".

    20 minutes

  • Harvard Square

    End the tour at the bustling Harvard Square. Your tour guide can suggest places for souvenir shopping and/or lunch.

    10 minutes

Sample Menu

Additional Info

  • Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
  • Service animals allowed
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
  • Please note that the tour does not go inside any buildings in MIT or Harvard. We tour the outside portion of the campuses only. This tour focuses on history, architecture, and stories about the two universities. If you are looking for a tour for perspective future students, please contact the admissions department of the university.
  • Parking is very difficult to find near the tour starting point. We strongly advise against driving and recommend taking public transit or taxi/Uber. The closest garage next to the tour start point is the Green Garage at Kendall and costs $38 for 3+ hours. Very limited metered street parking is available around the starting area of the tour, we advise arriving at least 30 minutes ahead of the tour start time to look for metered parking.
  • Public transport is the easiest way to get to the tour start point. Take the MBTA (subway) to the Kendall/MIT station on the Red Line, the tour start point is next to the main entrance to the subway station.
  • Tour starts exactly on time. If you are running late, you can catch up with the tour group by following the tour stops listed on the itinerary. First tour stop is MIT Media Lab, second stop is the Green Building, and so on. Your tour guide will not be able to answer any phone calls to direct you after the tour starts.

Free Cancellation

June 18100% refund
June 19No refund

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

  • For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
  • If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
  • Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
  • Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
  • This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
Reviews

4.8

45 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews
  • 5 stars
    41
  • 4 stars
    3
  • 3 stars
    0
  • 2 stars
    0
  • 1 star
    1

Reviews by TravelOne travelers

Showing 1-5 of 41 reviews with 5 stars

An excellent insight tour to all things MIT & Harvard

Published on Jan, 2025

Alex was a fabulous guide, source of information and energetic host. You’d have thought she had lived the MIT and Harvard student lifestyle. Highly recommended to anyone looking to learn more about the Cambridge educational establishments.

Wonderful tour

Published on Jan, 2025

My son and I enjoyed the tour. Guide was very informative and pleasant. Thank you for running the tour during winter and even with just 4 in the party.

Learned a lot and had fun doing it!

Published on Dec, 2024

This was a fantastic tour, and Alex was a very skilled and personable guide. I originally balked at the length of the tour (3.5 hours), but it ended up being perfect (even on a wintery Boston day!). The tour was thoughtfully planned, packed with fun and interesting sites and information, reasonable priced, and the tour guide was professional, personable, knowledgeable, and enjoyable to interact with. This is our second Viator tour and both have been homeruns! We love to learn when we travel and Viator tours really seems to fit the bill.

Great tour of remarkable colleges!

Published on Nov, 2024

I went solo on a tour of Harvard and MIT with Riley of Hidden Gems. Our group was small - just 7 people. The other tour groups I saw on these campuses were huge! This is one of the few tours I saw that takes you to both campuses, which I thought made it special. The campuses are different and a great comparison. Riley’s stories about student pranks (or hacks as they call them) were super fun at MIT. The stories and history she gave at Harvard were very interesting and provided so much more history and color to this remarkable institution. Both campuses are pretty but Hard is spectacular. The town of Cambridge was super cute as well although packed with tourists. Everyone in our group was thankful for the small group we had with a great tour guide!

Good time and worthy

Published on Oct, 2024

Really enjoyable. Lots of background knowledge and nice sidestories. We were led by Alexandria. Really nice and if you are not native english speaking, easy to follow.

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