Boston has played itself, and occasionally other places, in dozens of films and series. Here is where to find the benches, bars, and bank fronts on screen, and the tours that connect them.
Boston hosted Good Will Hunting, The Departed, The Town, Spotlight, Cheers, and many more productions. Key sites include the Public Garden bench, L Street Tavern, Fenway Park, and the Cheers bar at 84 Beacon Street. Most locations are free and public, reachable on foot downtown, and a Movie Mile walking tour covers the core sites in one outing.
Boston is one of the most filmed cities on the American East Coast. Its compact, walkable core of Beacon Hill, the North End, and the waterfront gives productions an instantly recognizable backdrop, and at least two dozen features and series have shot here since The Thomas Crown Affair in 1968.
The city's screen identity runs from gritty crime dramas set in South Boston and Charlestown to comedies built around Fenway Park. Many of the real locations remain standing, open to visitors, and close enough together to see in a single day of walking.
Major productions filmed in Boston include Good Will Hunting (1997), The Departed (2006), The Town (2010), Spotlight (2015), Shutter Island (2010), Fever Pitch (2005), Gone Baby Gone (2007), The Social Network (2010), Mystic River (2003), The Holdovers (2023), Little Women (2019), Free Guy (2021), Moneyball (2011), Ted (2012), Patriots Day (2016), Blown Away (1994), Glory (1989), and the TV series Cheers (1982-1993).
| Title | Year | Type | What was filmed here |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Departed | 2006 | Film | Multiple locations including Erich Lindemann Mental Health Center as SIU headquarters, Long Wharf waterfront scenes, Suffolk University Law School |
| Good Will Hunting | 1997 | Film | Boston Public Garden bench scene, L Street Tavern in South Boston, South Boston District Municipal Court |
| The Town | 2010 | Film | Cambridge Savings Bank robbery, Neptune Oyster in North End, Charlestown Bridge chase |
| Spotlight | 2015 | Film | South End Buttery interview scene, Union Park, Boston Public Library |
| Shutter Island | 2010 | Film | Peddocks Island in Boston Harbor as mental institution |
| Fever Pitch | 2005 | Film | Fenway Park extensively, Sonsie on Newbury Street, Charles River Esplanade |
| Cheers | 1982-1993 | TV | Exterior of Bull & Finch Pub on Beacon Street |
| Gone Baby Gone | 2007 | Film | Murphy’s Law bar in South Boston, Moakley Park, 21 Pond St in Dorchester |
| The Social Network | 2010 | Film | Harvard University campus and Charles River rowing scenes |
| Knives Out | 2019 | Film | Various Boston locations including exteriors |
| Mystic River | 2003 | Film | Multiple South Boston and Dorchester spots |
| The Holdovers | 2023 | Film | Boston area locations |
| Little Women | 2019 | Film | Boston and Cambridge sites |
| Free Guy | 2021 | Film | Boston locations |
| Moneyball | 2011 | Film | Fenway Park |
| The Fighter | 2010 | Film | Boston area |
| Blown Away | 1994 | Film | Joy and Beacon Street crash scene near Boston Common |
| The Thomas Crown Affair | 1968 | Film | 85 Mt. Vernon Street in Beacon Hill |
| Glory | 1989 | Film | Boston locations |
| Patriots Day | 2016 | Film | Boston Marathon finish line |
| Ted | 2012 | Film | Fenway Park |
| The Equalizer | 2014 | Film | Boston locations |
| Captain Phillips | 2013 | Film | Boston area |
| The Judge | 2014 | Film | Boston locations |
12 locations. The map loads when it scrolls into view.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
Massachusetts, Boston Free to see
Filmed here: Iconic therapy session bench scene with Robin Williams and Matt Damon
The setting for the therapy sessions between Robin Williams and Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting. The park is free to enter and the bench is unmarked, but it can be identified by surrounding landmarks. It is one of the most photographed film sites in the city.
Massachusetts, Boston Ticketed
Filmed here: Extensive use in Fever Pitch; cameos in others
Used extensively in Fever Pitch, with appearances in The Town, Ted, and Moneyball. The ballpark offers tours and game tickets, so access depends on the schedule. It sits in the Fenway neighborhood and doubles as one of Boston's premier attractions independent of its film credits.
Massachusetts, Boston Free to see
Filmed here: Bar scenes with Will and friends in Southie
The South Boston bar where Will and his friends drink in Good Will Hunting. It remains an active neighborhood tavern and visitors are welcome during opening hours. Fans typically stop for a drink and a photo, then move on to other Southie sites nearby.
Massachusetts, Boston Outside only
Filmed here: SIU headquarters scenes
This building stood in for the SIU headquarters in The Departed. It is an active facility, so viewing is limited to the exterior from the street. It sits close to the Massachusetts State House area, making it an easy add-on to a downtown walking route.
Massachusetts, Cambridge Free to see
Filmed here: Bank robbery exterior
The Harvard Square branch used for the robbery exterior in The Town. The bank operates normally and the facade can be viewed from the public sidewalk. It pairs well with the Harvard University campus, which appears in The Social Network.
Massachusetts, Boston Free to see
Filmed here: Interview scene with reporter and survivor
The cafe used for the interview scene between a reporter and a survivor in Spotlight. It is open to the public as a working cafe, so visitors can sit inside where the scene was filmed. Nearby Union Park also appears in the film.
Massachusetts, Boston Free to see
Filmed here: Exterior shots for the TV series
The real bar at 84 Beacon Street whose exterior appeared in the TV series Cheers from 1982 to 1993. Today it functions as a bar and gift shop and draws a steady stream of tourists. It is a short walk from Boston Common and the Public Garden.
Massachusetts, Boston Ticketed
Filmed here: Mental institution exteriors
One of the Boston Harbor Islands, used for the mental institution exteriors in Shutter Island. Access is by ferry in summer and requires a ticket. The island is part of the harbor park system, so a visit feels more like an excursion than a quick photo stop.
Massachusetts, Boston Free to see
Filmed here: Views and nearby scenes
This area supplied views and nearby scenes for The Departed. The grounds are public and the gold dome is visible from many points downtown, including the Common. It is an easy landmark to fold into any walking route through Beacon Hill.
Massachusetts, Boston Free to see
Filmed here: Waterfront scenes with Jack Nicholson character
The waterfront plaza where scenes featuring Jack Nicholson's character were shot in The Departed. It is a public space at the end of State Street, though construction can occasionally affect specific spots. Ferry departures from the wharf make it a practical stop.
Massachusetts, Boston Free to see
Filmed here: Charlestown planning and scenes
The Charlestown site of planning scenes in The Town. The monument and square are a historic public site with free access. Visitors often combine it with a walk across the Charlestown Bridge, which features in the film's chase sequence.
Massachusetts, Boston Free to see
Filmed here: Exterior for research scene
The McKim building's exterior was used for a research scene in Spotlight. The library in Copley Square is free to enter, so visitors can go inside and explore the same spaces used by the film's reporters. Union Park and the South End Buttery sit within reach.
Boston has no major studio backlot open to the public, but the city offers guided screen tourism through On Location Tours, which runs bus and walking tours of filming sites from Good Will Hunting and The Departed. The most visited standing location is the Cheers bar at 84 Beacon Street, where the exterior was filmed for the TV series and where visitors now find a bar and gift shop. The Massachusetts Film Office continues to promote filming across the state, and permits are required for shoots in parks and municipal buildings, which explains why so many recognizable public landmarks appear on screen.
Guided tours make sense in Boston because the best known sites cluster along a walkable strip from Beacon Hill to the waterfront. A Movie Mile walking tour covers the dense cluster of downtown locations in a single outing, while Freedom Trail tours add the Cheers bar exterior to a route built around revolutionary history. Prices are modest and departures run year round.
Boston Movie Mile Walking Tour
The same Movie Mile route with the deepest review base at 131 ratings and a 4.6 score, from $45.
Boston: Movie Mile Walking Tour
A film focused walking tour rated 4.8 from 45 reviews, covering downtown filming locations from $43.
Boston: Top 10 Freedom Trail & 'Cheers' Guided Walking Tour
A 4.9 rated guided walk that pairs the Freedom Trail with a stop at the Cheers bar at 84 Beacon Street, from $51.45.
It is in the Boston Public Garden. The park is free to enter and the bench is unmarked, but it can be identified by nearby landmarks. It remains a popular photo spot.
Yes. The Bull & Finch Pub at 84 Beacon Street provided the exterior shots for the series. It now operates as a bar and gift shop open to the public.
Fever Pitch used the ballpark extensively, and The Town, Ted, and Moneyball also filmed there. Tours and game tickets are available, so access depends on the schedule.
Yes. On Location Tours runs bus and walking tours of Boston filming locations, including sites from Good Will Hunting and The Departed. Several bookable Movie Mile walking tours are listed on this page.
Partially. Peddocks Island in Boston Harbor stood in for the mental institution exteriors. It is reachable by summer ferry with a ticket as part of the Boston Harbor Islands.
Most are. The Public Garden, Long Wharf, the Boston Public Library, Monument Square, and the South End Buttery are all free or public. Fenway Park and Peddocks Island require tickets.
Boston rewards travelers who like their sightseeing with a side of film trivia. The Public Garden bench, the Cheers bar, and the L Street Tavern cost nothing to see, Fenway Park and Peddocks Island make good ticketed excursions, and a Movie Mile walking tour ties the downtown sites together in one afternoon.
Before You Go
The tours travellers book most for Boston.
