King's Chapel — Attraction in Boston

Worth more than we paid. Hands down.

I could rave about the Extended Tour of Kings Chapel forever. Emily was our tour guide back in August 2023. While we didn't book a private tour, we were the only group in our tour and we elected for the last tour of the day. That didn't matter though. Emily had so much passion for the history of the area hat it would be difficult NOT to be excited to learn in one of her tours.

Throughout the tour, Emily told fascinating stories about different individuals who had visited the church, of Bostons history, and of the sites history. She was very kind and courteous. You can tell she works with the public because she was able to read our body language and could tell we were excited about the tour encouraging her excitement to tell the chapels story.

The Extended Tour takes you down into the crypt and up into the bell tower. I touched the last bell that Paul Revere ever worked on. I seen pictures from inside Strangers Tomb when they opened it decades ago. I even thought I saw a ghost while we were underground, but alas it was just a massive city rat moving at lightning speed.

Quick facts: • The Extended Tour is not suitable for anyone that has difficulties walking as there are a lot of stairs involved and even a ladder at one point. • The crypt is outside and underground therefore it's dark down there so anyone with vision trouble should be aware of this. It's also outside so critters can appear and no it's not a ghost. • This building is nearly 300 years old, please be respectful of the site. • The Guides will not force you to do any portion of the tour that you don't want to. The entire building is very small and the tour is about 45 minutes long (I think) so it is very easy to hang back in the main chapel hall if you don't want to go into the crypt or up to the Bell Tower.

If you are visiting Downtown Boston- you need to do this tour. It was one of the best parts of my trip and it was never on my radar from all of my pre-trip research. The only reason I discovered it was because I was walking by the building and seen the doors open so I went inside.

Seriously, visit the chapel....

King's Chapel on Tremont Street is a national historic landmark and a particularly interesting attraction to see along the Freedom Trail in Boston. Entry into the church is free however donations are accepted at the front entrance.

Historically, King's Chapel was founded as the first Anglican Church of the colony of New England in 1688 under rule of King James II. The present church building was constructed between 1749-1754 in Georgian architectural style, making it a unique building to see in this part of the world.

Interestingly, many of the original King's Chapel congregation, loyal to Crown, fled to Canada during the outset of the American Revolution. Another interesting historical notation is that Paul Revere, while not a member of this church, is credited with having cast the church bell in 1816.

We enjoyed seeing the interior of King's Chapel, finding the occasion signage and information helpful and easy to read. The pew boxes seen within King's Chapel are like those seen at several other historic churches in Boston. It was neat learning about families procuring and decorating the boxes during centuries past.

Just outside the church, you can visit the small King's Chapel burial ground, which includes the markers of historical figures such as first Massachusett's governor John Winthrop as well as Mary Chilton, the first European female to disembark the Mayflower and set foot in the New England colony.

In the end, we quite enjoyed visiting King's Chapel and found it one of the more memorable attractions on the Freedom Trail. This is one of the places we would be eager to return to during future...

Wanted to update my review as the history tours are now running again! The building itself is filled with history and its well worth walking around the main chapel area and looking at the memorials and information boards- there is a small charge to enter but it's well worth it! Now onto the tours! So, the Bell & Bones (Bell Tower and crypt) tour is running again alongside a standalone crypt tour and one of the galleries (the seating areas overlooking the chapel area- great views!). They do cost extra but are well worth it! At the moment, there aren't any fixed times so either you'll join a tour which has just started or they'll start one for you (could be a wait in case anyone else joins). I'd expect this to change once the tours pick up! Just as an example on my tour, the tour started with just me and another couple joined about 5 minutes however I think the day before was busy!

My guide was great, very engaging and friendly and definitely up to the previous high standard!

Just a note about the Bell tour, there are quite narrow steps to get up and they do cover several floors so worth bearing in mind if this might...