Out of all the things to do in Cambridge, MA, visiting Harvard University was my top priority. This year 40 000 people applied to Harvard. A little under 2000 were accepted. I happened to explore Cambridge during the week when freshmen arrived in the end of summer. I watched those kids drag their suitcases across Harvard Yard and pull mattresses out of cars parked in Harvard Square.
Never do I envy people’s money (because I am rich with loooooooove), fame (I’ll get there, you’ll see) or looks (unless I come across pictures of Adriana Lima of course… but who wouldn’t?), but how I envied those kids! They are going to study in Harvard! And if not in Harvard, then MIT!
Whenever I walk the streets of Cambridge I can’t help but think that everyone I meet on the way is a genius, because who else studies at Harvard and MIT? And if they are not students, they are probably professors which makes them even bigger geniuses.
Also, I can’t help but think about Good Will Hunting. “How do you like THEM apples?” I repeat over and over in my head.
I realize I will never study here, but it’s nice to know that I am walking in the same streets as FDR once did, sitting on the steps of the library where JFK borrowed books, and looking at the building where Mark Zuckerberg invented Facebook. Wanna follow my steps? Here are the best things to do in Cambridge MA in one day (and some of the most delicious foods too)!
Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links which means if you buy something by clicking the link I will earn a small commission at absolutely no extra cost to you.
Boston’s Tatte bakery was praised by Oprah Magazine, the New York Times, the Boston Globe and even made the list of 25 bakeries one must visit around the world according to BuzzFeed. A breakfast here is without a doubt one of the best things to do in Cambridge MA.
Tatte was opened by a self-taught chef Tzurit Or who grew up in Israel and worked as a film producer for 12 years before moving to USA and starting her baking business. Nut and fruit boxes are one of their specialties, but pretty much any pastry you choose is bound to leave you speechless. Apart from delicious baked goods, they serve decadent breakfast items like shakshuka and croque monsieur. It doesn’t hurt that the space is incredibly pretty, too.
Tatte has several locations in Boston and Cambridge. The one in Harvard Square will make a perfect starting point for the day.
Tatte — 1288 Massachusetts Ave
Alternative: If you are not scared of an early wakeup call and a little morning walk, you can also check out Sofra for breakfast. It’s a little Turkish café located about 30 minutes away on foot from Harvard Square (or a short Uber ride). They have delicious breakfast options, insanely good baklava, and Turkish coffee.
Tip: If you choose to have breakfast at Sofra, Mount Auburn Cemetery is only a few minutes away and is worth exploring.
A 5-minute walk away from Tatte Bakery
After breakfast at Tatte Bakery, walk around Harvard Square and explore its many shops, boutiques, and art galleries. One of my favorites is Harvard Book Store. They have a big selection of cheap used books in the basement.
Starbucks in the heart of Harvard Square is worth a visit not for the sake of coffee — Tatte’s coffee is way better and the lines here are insanely long — but just because the space is really cool. Take the staircase to the second floor and get a table next to the window with a view of the Square. That is if you are lucky enough, most of the times all the tables are occupied by students and tourists alike.
UPDATE: the iconic Starbucks location in Harvard Square has unfortunately closed down. A new one opened near by, but it’s not quite the same.
Harvard Bookstore — 1256 Massachusetts Ave
A 3-minute walk away from Harvard Square
No list of the best things to do in Cambridge MA is complete without visiting the Harvard University which, at first glance, was confusing to me. What I expected was a big building that clearly looks like a university and has a big sign that says “Harvard”. What I found was many red brick buildings all around, none of which I could identify. Is this where students study? Is this where they live? Where do I take a picture of myself pointing at the sign and smiling like a maniac?
As it turned out, there’s not a single sign in Harvard that says it’s Harvard. Neither will you find the main building, except maybe for the library that looks bigger than everything else. If you come here without a plan, you are bound to wander around for 15 minutes and leave without learning a single thing.
This is why you should take a guided tour. To explore on your own, download a free self-guided tour here. It’s very clear and informative. But I would highly recommend to do a tour with a local guide. On my tour, I learned in which building Mark Zuckerberg invented Facebook, why Harvard students never walk out of the main gate, and why you shouldn’t touch the statue of John Harvard. This student-led tour takes place several times daily and lasts 70 minutes.
A 3-minute walk away from Harvard University
Or at least one of them. The Harvard Art Museums include the Fogg Museum, Busch-Reisinger Museum, and Arthur M. Sackler Museum. The collections include approximately 250 000 art objects from Europe, North America, Africa, Southeast Asia, and Middle East, including works of Gustav Klimt, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, and Vincent Van Gogh. Visiting the museums was one of my personal favorite things to do in Cambridge MA.
Harvard Art Museums — 32 Quincy St, Cambridge
Good to know: the museums are closed on Mondays.
Tip: Be aware that both Harvard Art Museums and MIT (that I included at the end of this guide) close at 5 pm. Make sure you have enough time and energy to cover both since they require a lot of walking.
A 6-minute walk away from the Harvard Art Museums
A day in Cambridge wouldn’t be complete without oysters, a good old chowder, and a lobster roll! The Hourly Oyster House is located just outside of Harvard University, on Dunster Street.
Dunster Street used to serve as the Cambridge meeting point for the horse-drawn wagons called “hourlies” that departed each day – on the hour – for Boston. The building itself used to be home of the Second Cambridge Savings Bank. You can still find a vault inside the restaurant that serves as waiters’ station.
Lobster roll is a must-try here. The restaurant has a 250 lb tank for lobsters in-house which means you are getting the freshest meat. Chowder, oysters, and crab cakes are also a great choice.
The Hourly Oyster House — 15 Dunster St.
A 25-minute walk (or a short Uber ride) away from the Hourly Oyser House
Head to MIT campus after lunch and stop by this narrow alley in Central Square on the way. Modica Way is a public walkway connecting City Parking Lot 5 to Massachusetts Avenue that serves as an open-air art gallery. One side of the alley is covered with a black and white photo collage installed by the city. The opposite side is used by street artists to express themselves.
Modica Way — Between 567 and 565 Mass Ave
*This guide to the best things to do in Cambridge, MA, is quite busy. Intentionally so. If you feel that you have enough time to make a short stop here, do it. If it’s too tight, skip it. Keep in mind that MIT (the next stop on this guide) closes at 5 pm.
A 15-minute walk away from Modica Way
We made it to the University that boasts 87 Nobel laureates among its graduates, the alma mater of Buzz Aldrin who received his degree in astronautics here, and the place where Will Hunting worked as a janitor (while proving impossible theorems in the middle of the night).
The best way to explore MIT is by following a self-guided tour of the campus. You can stop by the visitor center located in the main building and get a printed version of the map.
Some of the sites that are not to be missed at MIT: the main building at 77, Massachusetts Avenue; the view of the Great Dome from Killian Court; Barker Library (4th floor of the main building), Ray and Maria Stata Center (on the pictures above). There are many art objects located all around the campus. You can find a map of public art and an audio guide here.
Tip: there’s a student-led tour of MIT, but you would have to rearrange this guide if you want to take it since the tours take place in the first half of the day.
Tip: try to see all the indoor sights first. MIT closes at 5 pm, but you can wonder around the premises after.
MIT — 77 Massachusetts Ave
A 5-minute walk away from the main MIT building
Just like Tatte, flour Bakery is a Boston staple, beloved by locals. It was opened by Joanne Chang, 2016 James Beard Foundation Award winner for Outstanding Baker. Try their sticky bun that even Bobby Flay couldn’t beat. Boston cream pie is ridiculously good too!
flour bakery — 190 Massachusetts Ave
An 8-minute walk from flour Bakery
Walk to the middle of Harvard Bridge and enjoy the views of Boston across Charles River. While you are walking look out for a painted sign that will tell you how long the bridge is – exactly 364.4 smoots + 1 ear. The story behind this unusual measurement is one of the best stories about fraternity initiations I’ve ever heard.
Although the bridge is named after Harvard, its history is intertwined with MIT. In 1958, when an MIT student Oliver Smoot decided to join a fraternity, one of the tasks he received was to measure Harvard bridge with his own body. You can find the full story and pictures here:
“On a crisp Thursday night in October, seven freshmen set to work. They planned to calibrate the bridge with a few actual Smoot lengths-having Smoot lie down and marking off the distance with chalk-and then use a string to measure the rest of the bridge. But a sophomore LCA brother happened by. He was so amused that he stayed to watch, so they had to abandon the idea of using the string altogether.
They painted marks every 10 Smoots; by the end of the bridge, Smoot was so exhausted he had to be carried along. But they finished the job. According to their calculations, the bridge was 364.4 Smoots, plus or minus an ear.”
And if you think that smoot is some kind of joke, try googling “smoots into miles”. The measurement of smoot is recognized by Google calculator!
Unfortunately, the restaurant I recommended when I first wrote this guide (Café ArtScience that was a wonderful mix of delicious food, robots, and art installations) closed down. But here are a few places that I would consider instead!
Little Donkey (a 15-minute walk away from the Harvard Bridge) serves food from all over the world: from white fish ceviche to Turkish manti to cacio e pepe made with Ramen noodles. It is owned and operated chef Ken Oringer, a James Beard Award winner.
Little Donkey — 505 Massachusetts Ave
Oleana (a 25-minute walk or a short Uber ride away) serves Turkish and Middle-Eastern dishes. They source meat and fish locally, grow their own produce, and offer artisanal wines.
Oleana — 134 Hampshire Street
Pammy’s (a 25-minute walk or a short Uber ride away) is a bit on the fancier side (there’s a working fireplace!) but feels relaxed enough to have a dinner after a long day exploring all the best things to do in Cambridge, MA. They have a set tasting menu as well as a la carte menu.
Pammy’s — 928 Massachusetts Ave
Another option is to cross the Harvard Bridge and have dinner in Boston!
Cambridge is a special place. A place where I witnessed a man show his three-year old daughter around an art museum: “This is Picasso, Julie! 1901, his second trip to France… And this is Van Gogh, Julie, see?” A place where the host at a restaurant mentioned that he studies at Harvard and invented shoes for running on water. A place where a robot brought me a cocktail meant for inhaling rather than drinking. And all of the above happened so casually like robots, running on water, and 3-year-olds learning about art are completely normal. I swear, by the end of the day you’ll feel like your own IQ has gone a few points up.
P.S. After exploring Cambridge, head to Boston. Here’s my 48 hours in Boston guide for the best things to do and the most delicious foods to try in the city.
I write stories about food, travel, and my life as a mom of two boys. Home is Russia, but somehow also Sri Lanka and Hamburg, Germany. Go figure.
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