Touring Cambridge, the country's original college town

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Touring CambridgeLeavitt & PeirceThe Charles RiverBiking through Harvard SquareHarvard SquareJohn Harvard statueMt. Auburn Street as it leads to the steeple of Lowell HouseMemorial HallDrew Gilpin Faust, Harvard's current presidentHarvard Museum of Natural HistoryA Van Gogh self-portrait inside Harvard Art Museum's Sackler buildingA George Washington painting by Gilbert StuartWashington TowerMr. Bartley's Gourmet BurgersBikers on MIT's campusKillian CourtFrank Gehry's Stata CenterMIT MuseumA class at MIT

<b>4. You can do Harvard for free, with or without snark. </b><br>
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Founded in 1636, Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the U.S. The sticker price for undergrads is about $49,000 a year for tuition, room, board and incidentals, and the alumni list includes seven presidents. You'll hear more along these lines on the official student-led Harvard tour. It's free, lasts about an hour, and I liked mine. But there's competition.<br>
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Since 2006, Unofficial Tours has been offering unofficial "Hahvahd" tours, also led by students, who dish out more attitude and less reverence. (It was an Unofficial guide who reminded me that the Unabomber studied here.) Unofficial tours are nominally free, but guides suggest a tip of $10 per person.

Harvard Square

( Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles / November 2, 2012 )

4. You can do Harvard for free, with or without snark.

Founded in 1636, Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the U.S. The sticker price for undergrads is about $49,000 a year for tuition, room, board and incidentals, and the alumni list includes seven presidents. You'll hear more along these lines on the official student-led Harvard tour. It's free, lasts about an hour, and I liked mine. But there's competition.

Since 2006, Unofficial Tours has been offering unofficial "Hahvahd" tours, also led by students, who dish out more attitude and less reverence. (It was an Unofficial guide who reminded me that the Unabomber studied here.) Unofficial tours are nominally free, but guides suggest a tip of $10 per person.

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Touring Cambridge, the country's original college town

Harvard Square