Ask me anything -Boston, Massachusetts (Gillette Stadium, Foxborough Massachusetts) travel/local area info

[Nigeyy]

1 hour ago, Stubedo said:

Nice offer to help with local knowledge ... much appreciated.

I know Gillette's location from following NFL and I'm expecting that at 2330hrs after the stadium pours out it'll be bedlam.

I've got digs reserved in Pawtucket and I was hoping to grab a taxi/Uber from Gillette to Mansfield train station to catch the last scheduled train towards Providence c.0020hrs

I'm aware that there will be specials running in/out of Boston ... not sure about Providence though?

Is Pawtucket OK to stay for a night?

Where is the best place at the stadium to get the taxi/Uber to Mansfield?

All insights welcome 👍

OK, being honest, Pawtucket has a reputation as not being the nicest most picturesque or safest area. It's pretty depressed financially.  Honestly, not a place I'd want to stay at.  But that's me -and my subjective opinion and you could be completely fine. I used to go to the Pawtucket Red Sox baseball games (they aren't played their anymore) and was fine, but that was with a crowd and I'm not sure with some of the streets we walked on I'd want to be walking there at night without a crowd.

Pickup at the stadium?  If you are able to walk, definitely do not make it the place to be picked up as it would be a nightmare and I'm guessing some taxi cabs wouldn't even want to or Uber drivers may not do so.  Best places?  At a guess walk towards South Walpole (~25-30mins https://maps.app.goo.gl/QV1AQGvVVYxZGGbo8 and head towards South Walpole as route 1 will be very congested,  South Walpole -and in fact any town close to Foxboro -is very safe) or at the very least get on the southbound side of route 1 as far south of the stadium as you can if you are heading towards Pawtucket.  Huge caveat here:  I've never been picked up from the stadium so I really don't know and they are my best guesses.  I usually drive but see the New England Revolution so crowd sizes are tiny in comparison. I've been to a couple of New England Patriot games with other people driving and capacity crowds and it's been a zoo to get out.

I suppose one other alternative could be to delay until the crowd thins out or catch an Indian meal at the Curry Leaf (https://maps.app.goo.gl/rMWNFF5Le23wLPDx6), but that's no use if it's later at night.

[Nigeyy]

1 hour ago, NE TA in the weeg said:

@Nigeyy - how late does The T run, and are there plans to have late trains during the WC?

I've got accommodation in Malden, MA, and was wondering if I'd be able to get back using the Orange Line after the 9pm game at Foxboro? 

I posted a comment about public transportation.  If the game starts at 9:00pm, I'd say it's just unlikely you'll be back in time for the Orange line.  You might be ok, but worst case scenario, worry about getting back to Boston first and you can always catch a cab or an Uber.   If you are thinking about somehow getting to the Orange line via Forest Hills (see my post on public transportation) or stops before the centre of Boston, I'd personally recommend against that, particularly later at night.  Catching it from the centre of Boston should be fine though.

I don't know of any plans yet to run trains later.  I would be highly surprized if they don't do the commuter rail stop at the stadium on game day or even extra commuter rail trains, but I'm not sure they'd lay on any extra or later "T" subway trains.  I'm also hoping they may lay on coach service from the stadium back to Boston, but I haven't heard anything about that either, and they didn't do that for the last World Cup in Boston back in 1994 though the World Cup is now far better known over here now, so that's hopeful.

[NE TA in the weeg]

@Nigeyy - thanks, that's useful to know.

[Nigeyy]

30 minutes ago, ScottFindlay22 said:

Hi Nigel,

 

what do you think about staying in revere 

Honestly, the problem with Revere is that it is on the north side of Boston, and Foxboro is to the south.  However, so long as you can get access to a "T" subway stop, it's doable as you can get to the centre of Boston and possibly to South Station to get a commuter train out to the stadium or potentially any bus or coach service laid on.  There may also be public bus lines but I'm not familiar with those. An alternative is to hire a car, but driving through Boston is.... an experience and an exercise in patience, and I don't recommend it.  It's definitely doable and relatively safe.

To summarize:  relatively close to Boston but far away from the stadium. In my opinion it's reasonably safe -though I'd advise don't get off at Chelsea late at night as that's not the best of areas.

 

[Toepoke]

Thanks for your comprehensive information Nigeyy. This is when the TAMB comes into its own 🙂

We are going to be staying in Allston, what's that part of Boston like? The Airbnb reviews were good anyway 😬

 

[Nigeyy]

1 hour ago, DOUBLE A said:

Nigeyy, seen a few folk staying in providence.

Do you know if there will be trains running to and from there to the stadium even though it later kick offs ?

I don't know but would suspect they may have later or possibly even extra trains on.  I haven't heard anything about this.  Providence has a commuter rail line from Providence to Boston (Providence/Stoughton line), but THERE IS NO DIRECT LINE to the stadium from Providence.  You can catch the train from Providence to Mansfield (see https://www.mbta.com/schedules/CR-Providence/timetable) but you still then have to get to the stadium.  You could possibly catch the train into Boston and then catch the Franklin Forge Park Local outbound but that's a huge aggravation and not recommended.

Let's hope there are buses/coaches laid on from Providence but I haven't heard anything about that either.

[Nigeyy]

2 minutes ago, Toepoke said:

Thanks for your comprehensive information Nigeyy. This is when the TAMB comes into its own 🙂

We are going to be staying in Allston, what's that part of Boston like? The Airbnb reviews were good anyway 😬

 

Allston is known as a student area for Boston University/Boston College, etc along with Brighton.  It's a good area which is safe and served by the "T" using trolleys on the green line.  As it's more student oriented there will be more bars and restaurants, particularly around Brighton Avenue and Commonwealth Avenue (aka "Comm Ave").  Just make sure you are walkable distance to a T stop on the green line (or I think they opened up a new commuter rail station at Boston Landing, but I'm not familiar with that).  The green line trolleys run frequently (but not as frequently as you might think and you can wait 10 minutes or more for one) but do take a time to get into the centre of Boston as there are quite a few stops (https://mbtagifts.com/products/mbta-green-line-route-map-dec-2022).  As a whole, I'd say the green line is the slowest part of the "T" subway system.

Be aware that in terms of getting to the stadium (~20 miles south west of Boston), it's not really easy but doable.  If you want to take the commuter rail you'd have to go to South Station or Back Bay station.  As I've said in other posts, I'm hoping they will lay on some coaches or buses from the centre of Boston but I've not heard anything about that yet and I'm not sure it will happen.  I recommend against hiring a car because of the way people drive in Boston, the traffic jams, finding your way, and finding parking or paying for it (depending on where you are in Allston may make it hard to find a convenient parking place).

Summary: good relatively safe area close to Boston with green line trolley services. Far away from the stadium but doable but just be aware of this and plan accordingly.

 

[Nigeyy]

1 hour ago, DesiScotsman said:

Welcome aboard.

One of my mates is booked in a Holiday Inn Express in Randolph. What is that area like? Will it be easy enough to get to Gillette before & after the game? Also is it a safe area too? He's got free cancellation on the hotel so if it is gonna prove very difficult to get to the stadium & back and also unsafe in the area too, he'll probably just cancel and make the trip to Miami instead from UK after the two games in Boston

Yeah, let's just say I'm not a huge fan of Randolph, but most people say it's ok safety wise.  The biggest problem is accessibility, it's just difficult unless you have a car.  There are no direct rail lines, though (I think) you can catch a bus to the Red Line MBTA "T"  Ashmont station.  I would imagine that's a bit of a hassle.  And I'm far from convinced having driven through Randolph quite a few times that there are that many places to go to (sorry Randolph residents, just my opinion!!!).

Summary: you'll need a car.  And depending on where the hotel is, there may be very few walkable options for a drink or something to eat. Personally would recommend else where for somewhere nicer, more convenient and with amenities.  Having said that, if it's an absolute bargain and they are going to have a car and aren't planning on going into Boston, it's doable and may save money.... but as you can tell I don't think it's worth it. 

[Nigeyy]

1 hour ago, biffer said:

Thanks for doing this, appreciate it. 

We've got an AirBnB booked in Everett. Looks nice enough on streetview, houses in good condition and decent cars parked on the street. 15 minutes in an uber to downtown or about 40-45 minutes via a bus to the MBTA station on the Orange line. 

Will we survive? 😄

Of course you will! When you say downtown, do you mean Boston?  Just be careful because with traffic that might be a bit optimistic. I'm going to say the same as I've said with other posts -Everett is to the north of Boston and the stadium is to the south.  Getting to the stadium isn't going to be easy, and will take a long time.  I'll be honest, I'm not familiar with Everett and have actually never been there, so I'm not sure I can provide much insight here.  I haven't heard terribly bad things about it though in terms of safety (not sure if that is luke warm praise or not!).

[Toepoke]

17 minutes ago, Nigeyy said:

Allston is known as a student area for Boston University/Boston College, etc along with Brighton.  It's a good area which is safe and served by the "T" using trolleys on the green line.  As it's more student oriented there will be more bars and restaurants, particularly around Brighton Avenue and Commonwealth Avenue (aka "Comm Ave").  Just make sure you are walkable distance to a T stop on the green line (or I think they opened up a new commuter rail station at Boston Landing, but I'm not familiar with that).  The green line trolleys run frequently (but not as frequently as you might think and you can wait 10 minutes or more for one) but do take a time to get into the centre of Boston as there are quite a few stops (https://mbtagifts.com/products/mbta-green-line-route-map-dec-2022).  As a whole, I'd say the green line is the slowest part of the "T" subway system.

Be aware that in terms of getting to the stadium (~20 miles south west of Boston), it's not really easy but doable.  If you want to take the commuter rail you'd have to go to South Station or Back Bay station.  As I've said in other posts, I'm hoping they will lay on some coaches or buses from the centre of Boston but I've not heard anything about that yet and I'm not sure it will happen.  I recommend against hiring a car because of the way people drive in Boston, the traffic jams, finding your way, and finding parking or paying for it (depending on where you are in Allston may make it hard to find a convenient parking place).

Summary: good relatively safe area close to Boston with green line trolley services. Far away from the stadium but doable but just be aware of this and plan accordingly.

 

Fantastic info cheers pal 👍

I think Boston Landing is only a 5 minute walk from where we are.

I'm hoping that there will be additional transportation to the stadium made available. There's going to be a lot more tourists attending than you'd get at an NFL game.

Failing that it could be a case of bumming a lift off family or friends. Absolute worse case, hire a car!

 

[Nigeyy]

14 minutes ago, Nigeyy said:

Yeah, let's just say I'm not a huge fan of Randolph, but most people say it's ok safety wise.  The biggest problem is accessibility, it's just difficult unless you have a car.  There are no direct rail lines, though (I think) you can catch a bus to the Red Line MBTA "T"  Ashmont station.  I would imagine that's a bit of a hassle.  And I'm far from convinced having driven through Randolph quite a few times that there are that many places to go to (sorry Randolph residents, just my opinion!!!).

Summary: you'll need a car.  And depending on where the hotel is, there may be very few walkable options for a drink or something to eat. Personally would recommend else where for somewhere nicer, more convenient and with amenities.  Having said that, if it's an absolute bargain and they are going to have a car and aren't planning on going into Boston, it's doable and may save money.... but as you can tell I don't think it's worth it. 

Edit: just looked up where the Holiday Inn Express is, I know where it is as I've driven by it. I think it should be reasonably safe and it's a typical (sorry but I'll say very unattractive to me) USA mini office/mall development with a generic chain grill and steakhouse restaurant within walking distance. I just think there have to be nicer and more convenient places if you have use of a car!

[biffer]

1 minute ago, Nigeyy said:

Of course you will! When you say downtown, do you mean Boston?  Just be careful because with traffic that might be a bit optimistic. I'm going to say the same as I've said with other posts -Everett is to the north of Boston and the stadium is to the south.  Getting to the stadium isn't going to be easy, and will take a long time.  I'll be honest, I'm not familiar with Everett and have actually never been there, so I'm not sure I can provide much insight here.  I haven't heard terribly bad things about it though in terms of safety (not sure if that is luke warm praise or not!).

No problem, thanks!

We will probably have difficulty getting tickets anyway so might be in downtown Boston for the games. I think we're unlikely to be going into or out of town at peak times, so hopefully will avoid the worst of the traffic. There's a few bars and restaurants within walking distance as well, and a brewery and gin distillery, so I think we're well set!

 

 

[YesTA]

3 hours ago, Nigeyy said:

OK, you should be aware that Salem is out there up on the "North Shore".  Lovely place and worth a visit.  However, it's over 30 miles as the crow flies from there to Foxborough where Gillette stadium is.  Now that's as the crow flies, which is very misleading as it's over 50 miles by car and the highway.

It's going to be much easier to get back to Boston rather than Salem.  I'm guessing a taxi or Uber from the stadium to Salem will be extremely expensive (most likely more than an hour and fifteen minutes of driving and that's not accounting for traffic, which you can expect to encounter).

Salem is nice, but you will be paying a transportation penalty -both in cost and time.

 

Thanks for the reply. Decided to stay here as bringing my young family with me. Will have to deal with the long journey back after the game if I do manage to get a ticket. So that leads me onto my next question. Anyone you know selling 2 match day tickets? 😃

[Bristolhibby]

What's your thoughts Nigeyy on Providence Rhode Island? A gang of us are booked up for here for both games. 

 

Looks easy enough to get into Boston, also looks not too bad to get direct to the stadium. Have read that there are event day trains running. 

 

Given how many supporters appear to be staying in Providence, I presume (big assumption) that there will be trains after the game heading back to Providence. 

J

[Gordon63]

Thanks for all the local assistance - I really hope Boston (and the applicable authorities) are prepared for when Scotland (and England) fans arrive in their 1000s!! I'd very much expect that there will be many more trains on the Foxborough route on game days because unlike Patriots games there won't be so many car owners and a much heavier reliance on public transport-Ubers etc.  Appreciate if you could post anything over coming months that supports my hopes!! Cheers

[DesiScotsman]

1 hour ago, Nigeyy said:

Yeah, let's just say I'm not a huge fan of Randolph, but most people say it's ok safety wise.  The biggest problem is accessibility, it's just difficult unless you have a car.  There are no direct rail lines, though (I think) you can catch a bus to the Red Line MBTA "T"  Ashmont station.  I would imagine that's a bit of a hassle.  And I'm far from convinced having driven through Randolph quite a few times that there are that many places to go to (sorry Randolph residents, just my opinion!!!).

Summary: you'll need a car.  And depending on where the hotel is, there may be very few walkable options for a drink or something to eat. Personally would recommend else where for somewhere nicer, more convenient and with amenities.  Having said that, if it's an absolute bargain and they are going to have a car and aren't planning on going into Boston, it's doable and may save money.... but as you can tell I don't think it's worth it. 

Much appreciated. He's not really going to hire a car and if that is gonna cause a hassle without one then I'm thinking he will most likely therefore cancel the Boston trip and meet me in Miami instead to save funds. I've passed your info onto him and he will take it from there once he has seen it. Thank you very much for the information there.

Me, my dad, brother & 2 cousins are based at a hotel called Club Quarters Hotel Faneuil Hall, Boston which looks pretty central when I googled the address (161 Devonshire Street, Boston, MA 02110, United States). It's pretty expensive for the 9 nights but all 4 of us have chipped in together to spread the cost. Should be fine for transport to and from the stadium, I'd imagine.

Edited December 9, 2025 by DesiScotsman

[Gordon63]

Actually found this very useful info from a link on another thread. I'd imagine there won't be many wanting to go to the stadium if they don't have tickets so hopefully this works as well as it did last year when we went from Koblenz-Cologne by train (although that was free - Danke! with match tickets) 

 

Getting to Boston Stadium

Take an MBTA Boston Stadium Train directly to and from each World Cup match. 

• Boston Stadium Train tickets will go on sale in spring 2026, only in our mTicket app. 
• Boston Stadium Trains will run express from the Boston area to the stadium in Foxborough, MA, and return after the match.
• You’ll need to buy a Boston Stadium Train ticket to take the train to a World Cup match. 
• You must have a ticket to a World Cup match to buy Boston Stadium Train tickets.

We’ll share more details early next year, including train schedules and train ticket pricing.

[GaryWood34]

Plenty of holiday homes keep coming up cheap if you keep looking.

 

Can only assume people don’t know World Cup is on. 

[magoo310-0]

Hi Nigeyy we are staying in Warick near the airport is there trains from there to Gillette stadium or any transport any information be appreciated 

[Goozay]

Welcome to the TAMB @Nigeyy! Thanks for your kind offer of sharing your local knowledge.

Currently holding a refundable room in a bed and breakfast just north of Fields Corner station - less than 10 minutes walk according to Google Maps. Fields Corner to South Station seems to be well served by the Red Line. 

Should I consider another neighbourhood or does this sound alright? 

 

[Nigeyy]

1 hour ago, YesTA said:

Thanks for the reply. Decided to stay here as bringing my young family with me. Will have to deal with the long journey back after the game if I do manage to get a ticket. So that leads me onto my next question. Anyone you know selling 2 match day tickets? 😃

Good luck, I like Salem (home of the Witch trials and a big place to celebrate Halloween!).  Just plan accordingly -you can get a commuter train from Salem into Boston and takes 35-40 mins (and figure in how much you might be spending if you have a family vs the potentially higher cost of staying closer or in Boston).  Also, consider taking the commuter ferry from Boston to Salem, it provides outstanding views of the Boston skyline (done it, and can recommend it, though its quite a bit more expensive than the commuter rail and runs less frequently and obviously is a lot slower).

[Nigeyy]

1 hour ago, GaryWood34 said:

Plenty of holiday homes keep coming up cheap if you keep looking.

 

Can only assume people don’t know World Cup is on. 

Honestly I think you are so right.  There are definitely people here who don't know it's going on.  If you book early you might score a real bargain (before they realize and raise the price!)

[Nigeyy]

32 minutes ago, magoo310-0 said:

Hi Nigeyy we are staying in Warick near the airport is there trains from there to Gillette stadium or any transport any information be appreciated 

I think (and I'm not familiar with the airport there) there is a station at the airport on the Providence Stoughton commuter rail line, which means you can get into Boston as well as Providence if you want to. As far as I know there is no public transport directly from Providence to Gillette stadium, but you could feasibly get off at Mansfield commuter rail station but you'll still have to get a taxi or Uber from Mansfield to the stadium.  There could also be a shuttle bus from the airport to Boston, but again, I'm not familiar with that, sorry.

 

 

[GaryWood34]

7 minutes ago, Nigeyy said:

Honestly I think you are so right.  There are definitely people here who don't know it's going on.  If you book early you might score a real bargain (before they realize and raise the price!)

Just got one for £60 per person per night.

 

Edited December 9, 2025 by GaryWood34

[Nigeyy]

36 minutes ago, Goozay said:

Welcome to the TAMB @Nigeyy! Thanks for your kind offer of sharing your local knowledge.

Currently holding a refundable room in a bed and breakfast just north of Fields Corner station - less than 10 minutes walk according to Google Maps. Fields Corner to South Station seems to be well served by the Red Line. 

Should I consider another neighbourhood or does this sound alright? 

 

I'll be honest if I don't know something I'll say it, and I don't know that much about Fields Corner.  I do know many years ago it wasn't the best place but it's changed since then.  I'd say north west or west of Fields Corner might be getting towards a less safe area though. I'll ask my wife who knows more about that area than I do (she's from Boston, I'm from the UK).