MIT & Harvard Campus History Tour in Cambridge
Discover the histories, architecture, and campus legends of MIT and Harvard
Duration
3 hrs 30 mins
Ideal For
1 to 30 people
Includes
Guide, subway fare, walking tour
Highlights
Explore MIT and Harvard through their history, architecture, and campus legends. This guided tour focuses on stories and traditions rather than prospective-student information.
- Trace MIT's founding through inventions, famous alumni, and campus pranks
- Discover Harvard's 1636 origins, academic legacy, and student traditions
- Explore both campuses from the outside, with no building entry
- Learn the stories behind notable architecture and long-running campus legends
- Travel between MIT and Harvard by subway
Itinerary
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10 min - MIT Sign Start the tour at the MIT Sign and map outside Ripple Cafe, where you will meet your guide and see your walking route!
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5 min - MIT Media Lab See the MIT Media Lab, home to some of the most innovative cross-discipline creations stemming from MIT.
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10 min - MIT Gray House Stop by the Gray House, one of the first buildings MIT build in Cambridge!
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10 min - Green Building See the Green Building, designed by the famous architect I.M.Pei, and learn about a famous prank that used its windows!
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15 min - Great Dome See the iconic MIT Dome and learn about some of the most famous MIT “hacks,” including the police car placed on top of the dome to protest parking tickets.
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15 min - Harvard/Mass Ave Bridge See the Smoot markers on the Harvard Bridge, connecting Cambridge and Boston. Make sure to snap a photo of the Boston skyline!
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10 min - MIT Banana Lounge Learn about the story behind the Banana Lounge - a story as unexpected as the lounge name!
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15 min - Stata Center See the quirky Stata Center, simultaneously an architectural marvel and a design nightmare.
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15 min - Break End the MIT tour and take a quick break for a snack or the bathroom before continuing to Harvard
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20 min - MBTA Subway Ride Follow your guide through the Boston subway system to start your Harvard tour!
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10 min - Harvard Student Center Stop outside the Student Center to check out a map of Harvard's sprawl and see your walking route.
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10 min - Wadsworth House See one of the oldest buildings in Harvard Yard, where George Washington stayed during the American Revolution.
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15 min - Widener Memorial Library Take a photo on the steps of the main library of Harvard University and hear the tragic story behind its founding.
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10 min - Harvard Memorial Church See Memorial Church, a multifunctional building inside an old church.
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10 min - Harvard Yard Continue the tour into Harvard Yard and learn about the various dormitories located around the historical quad the famous alumni who lived there while at Harvard.
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10 min - Johnston Gate See the main entrance to Harvard Yard: Johnson Gate.
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10 min - John Harvard Statue Learn why the famous Harvard Yard statue is called the "Statue of the Three Lies".
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15 min - Kirkland House See the buildings where upperclassmen live at Harvard University and learn about the tradition of "Housing Day".
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5 min - Harvard Square End the tour at Harvard Square, and hopefully leave a five-star review!
What's Included
- Subway fare
Important details
- Arrive at least 10 minutes before departure; the tour cannot wait for late arrivals
- Children under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian
- Requires significant, mostly flat walking
- Expect alternate routes or possible tour cancellation when Harvard Yard is closed to non-students
Cancellation Policy
Full refund when you cancel at least 7 days before your tour. 50% refund when you cancel at least 3 days before your tour. No refund within 3 days.
FAQs
No. You stay outdoors and do not go inside any buildings on either campus.
Expect significant, mostly flat walking.
Harvard Yard occasionally closes to all non-students. If that happens, your guide may take alternate routes and/or cancel the tour.
Meeting details
MIT Sign outside Ripple Cafe, 314 Main St., Cambridge, MA 02142
More about Harvard Yard
Harvard Yard sits at the historic heart of America's oldest university, a leafy, gated quadrangle in Cambridge where more than four centuries of academic tradition come alive under the canopy of towering elms. On the MIT and Harvard Walking Tour, Harvard Yard is the storied counterpart to MIT's modernist campus, offering a striking contrast between Ivy League heritage and cutting-edge innovation. Walking through the wrought-iron gates of Harvard Yard, you step onto the same brick paths trodden by eight U.S. presidents, dozens of Nobel laureates, and generations of students whose ideas have shaped the world.
Led by a current student guide, your time in Harvard Yard brings the campus to life through personal stories, campus legends, and behind-the-scenes insights you simply cannot get from a guidebook. You will see the iconic John Harvard Statue, hear the truth behind its famous "three lies," and learn why students rub its shoe for luck. Your guide will point out Massachusetts Hall, the oldest surviving building on campus, and the soaring Memorial Church, while sharing what daily life is really like inside the dorms and lecture halls that ring Harvard Yard. The crunch of gravel underfoot, the chime of bells from Memorial Hall, and the chatter of students passing between classes give Harvard Yard an atmosphere that feels both timeless and very much alive.
This walking tour is perfect for prospective students, families visiting Boston, history buffs, and anyone curious about how two of the world's most influential universities sit just a subway ride apart. Travelers who love authentic, story-driven experiences will appreciate hearing Harvard Yard's traditions told by someone who actually studies there. Whether you are dreaming of an Ivy League future, retracing the steps of literary heroes, or simply soaking up the charm of Cambridge on foot, exploring Harvard Yard alongside MIT's inventive corridors makes for an unforgettable half day in greater Boston.
