Boston Marathon 2018: How To Get There

BOSTON, MA — If you're planning to come from outside of Boston to watch the runners on Marathon Monday and you're wondering how to get there. Real talk is: Parking is going to be tricky the closer you get to the city. So police, the Boston Athletic Association and volunteers are really trying to encourage folks to take a commuter rail train in or hop on the T.

You could drive, but there are going to be tons of morning street closures and heavy traffic. Here is a list of street closures just in case you feel daring. Then the other thing you'll need to know is to avoid Brookline where Beacon Street will be closed beginning at around 8 a.m. and will stay closed til about 5:30 or 6 p.m., according to police ( See how Brookline isn't going to be much better.)

So, perhaps a better bet may be taking a commuter rail in or arriving super early and taking up shop at one of several coffee shops along the way. And if you do manage to somehow get a spot, parking is free since it's a holiday. But parking meters near the finish line? Highly unlikely on account of said road closures.

One way to keep up with everything is to subscribe to your local Patch for alerts and updates or the Boston Patch for more Marathon news. We'll be constantly updating with information and links.

You still want to try? There is a Parking Garage at 100 Clarendon

And this might be as close as you can get. It's about a block from the finish line and is positioned above the Massachusetts Turnpike and next door to Back Bay Rail Station, this full service parking facility offers flexible parking services. And as a bonus if you happen to be staying at any Boston hotel you can get discounted parking at the Garage. Visit www.100clarendon.com for more information.

And there's another garage at the Boston Commons around the corner. It's not as close as 100 Carendon, but you can reserve your space at BostonCommonGarage.com.

If you do use the MBTA there are a couple things to know.

Finish line: Get off at Arlington or Hynes if you're taking the Green Line (which is your best bet). But Copley will be closed. So don't plan for that.

Green Line: If you're coming from Newton into the finish line you can hop on the D Line and get to Hynes (note there will be a baseball game so folks will be getting on and off around Fenway that afternoon, too and that means crowded). If you're coming from Cleveland Circle or Washington Square you can hop on the C line. The bonus here is that as the train goes directly along side the Brookline stretch of the marathon route. It can be fun to check out the action that way. All Green Line Trains intersect at Kenmore Station so don't worry about changing trains. Just stay on til Hynes or Arlington and follow the crowds to the finish.

Here's a map of where you could get off on the commuter rail and Green Line to view different areas of the Marathon route.

Then there's ride share. If you use Uber there are special pick up and drop off points near the marathon to make it easier and less confusing.

• Cleveland Circle – Brookline
• Washington Square – Brookline
• Coolidge Corner – Brookline
• Commonwealth Ave – Boston
• Columbus Ave – Boston
• Copley Square – Boston (Friday, Saturday, Sunday only)

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One way to keep up with everything is to subscribe to your local Patch for alerts and updates or the Boston Patch for more Marathon news. We'll be constantly updating with information and links.
-File Photo by Jenna Fisher/Patch. Contact Reporter Jenna Fisher at Jenna.Fisher@Patch.com or follow her on Twitter @ReporterJenna.