The state capital and largest city in Idaho, Boise has plenty of great places to see and things to do. But what if you’re on a tight schedule and only have 48 hours to explore the City of Trees? Fortunately, with planning, you’ll be able to enjoy many, if not all, of the best attractions in the city. Furthermore, you can also dine at some of the best restaurants.
Here’s a practical guide to transportation, lodging, dining, and attractions to make your planning that much easier.
What to See and Do in Boise, Idaho
How To Get Around Boise
As a leading bike-friendly city, one of the best ways to get around is on a bicycle. This includes bike rentals, bike tours, e-scooters, and the popular bicycle-sharing system Boise Green Bike, with bike hubs scattered all over central Boise. Visitors can download the Boise Green Bike app to locate, reserve, and purchase a Green Bike.
E-Scooters
Three different e-scooter companies also operate in Boise and are dock-free. In other words, these rental bikes do not share a docking station. In detail, these are Bird, Lime, and Spin, with additional information available from each respective website.
Bus Service
Boise also has a public bus system, Valley Regional Transit (VRT), with fixed route service throughout Greater Boise and downtown. Routes that serve the downtown area include routes 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. In addition, there are routes 9, 10, 11, 17, and 29. Regular fare onboard a VRT bus is $1, and day passes are $2. Students, older adults 65 and over, and people living with a disability pay a single fare of 50 cents and $1 for a day pass. Children 5 and under ride free.
Taxi/Rideshare
Taxi companies like Boise Taxi Company and ride-share services like Uber and Lyft are also readily available. For travelers who prefer to get around with a car rental, eight car rental companies operate out of Boise Airport. For instance, there are Budget, Enterprise, Hertz, and Thrifty.
Where To Stay
Boise offers a wide range of hotel accommodations and several leading vacation rental companies, such as Airbnb, Vacasa, and Vrbo.
Suggested Hotels
Hampton Inn & Suites Boise Downtown
Holiday Inn Express Boise University Area
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Boise Airport
Hotel 43 *
Hyatt Place Boise Downtown
Inn At 500 Capitol *
Oxford Suites Boise
Residence Inn Boise Downtown City Center
The Grove Hotel *
The Riverside Hotel
Asterisk * denotes a top choice
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Bars & Nightlife
Boise Brewing
CenturyLink Arena *
Egyptian Theatre *
Fatty’s Bar
Humpin’ Hannah’s *
Payette Brewing
Pengilly’s Saloon
Press & Pony *
The Balcony Club *
The Shed
Asterisk * denotes a top choice
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Boise Dining
Barbacoa
Basque Market *
Bittercreek Alehouse
Chandlers *
Cottonwood Grille
Fork *
Goodwill Barbecue Company
Juniper *
Lucky Fins
Richard’s *
Asterisk * denotes a top choice
Day 1 – Things to Do in Boise, Idaho
There’s nothing better to start the first day than dining at one of the many excellent spots for breakfast in downtown Boise. The suggested spots include Flying M Coffee, Goldy’s Breakfast Bistro, and Waffle Me Up. Afterward, visitors can walk, bike, or rideshare to the Idaho State Museum.
Julia Davis Park
Located on the northwestern edge of Julia Davis Park, the Idaho State Museum is the largest and most visited museum in the Gem State. Its permanent collection includes more than 250,000 objects. The Museum dates back to 1950 but recently underwent a multi-million dollar redesign. It is open daily except on most holidays.
Boise Art Musem
Depending upon the time, visitors can opt for lunch or head to the Boise Art Museum (BAM), just footsteps away from the Idaho State Museum. Opened as the Boise Gallery of Art in 1937, BAM is also in Julia Davis Park and is a non-profit, educational, and charitable organization and the only AAM (American Alliance of Museums) accredited museum in Idaho that collects fine art.
Lunch Recommendation
For lunch, the top recommendation is Madre Boutique Taqueria, near Boise State University. About a half-mile walk from BAM, Madre is known for its outstanding service, affordability, and delicious tacos while crossing the Boise River. Led by James Beard-nominated chef John Cuevas and his wife Julie, Madre is open all day for lunch and dinner and has an all-day menu with gourmet tacos like the Chicken Tinga and Pineapple Al Pastor, along with a fabulous pop-up Wine Dinner menu.
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Boise State University
After lunch, visitors might want to head over to Boise State University, especially for a chance to see the famous blue football field at Albertsons Stadium and the admission-free Allen Noble Hall of Fame museum. The museum features trophies, historic photos, and other artifacts from famous athletes and coaches representing the Boise State Broncos in sports like football, baseball, gymnastics, track and field, and tennis.
Boise Train Depot
Visitors can bike or take a rideshare to historic Boise Depot if time permits before dinner, although it no longer has train service and is open only on Sundays and Mondays. Otherwise, returning to the hotel or vacation rental might be a good time to freshen up before dinner.
The first night’s recommendation for dinner is Juniper, a hip restaurant located on Eighth Street, which is likely the hottest dining hotspot in the city. Known for its superb New American cuisine with locally sourced ingredients and refined collection of beer, wine, and spirits, Juniper also offers excellent dishes like Blackened Trout, Skirt Steak Tacos, Shrimp and Grits, and Vegan Ramen, along with small plates and fresh organic salads.
Day 2 – Things to Do in Boise
Day two starts with a breakfast spot of choice and then a walk around downtown Boise. Next, take a scenic bicycle tour with Shawn Welsh, owner of Boise Bicycle Tours. Shawn offers a Best of Boise Tour, a Greenbelt Tour, a Beer Bike Tour, and private tours.
Boise’s Greenbelt
The Best of Boise tour lasts about three hours and takes guests through Boise’s Greenbelt section. It also includes several local attractions, like the Julia Davis Rose Garden and Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial, which features a sapling from the Anne Frank Tree in Amsterdam. Other suggestions are the Firefighters/9-11 Memorial, Basque Museum & Cultural Center, and Idaho State Capitol.
Boise Fry Company
After the bike tour, a good spot for lunch is back downtown at Boise Fry Company, just minutes from the State Capitol. A local chain with three locations in Boise, Boise Fry Company sells delicious burgers, salads, and French fries, with six potato types and five types, like regular, homestyle, and curly. If burgers and fries aren’t enough, one of the top breakfast recommendations, Waffle Me Up, shares the same spaces as Boise Fry Company.
Afternoon Suggestion
For an afternoon excursion, the top choices are the Old Idaho State Penitentiary and/or the Idaho Botanical Garden. Located about 2.5 miles from the State Capitol, the Old Idaho State Penitentiary is one of the top attractions in Boise and operated as a prison for 200 years from 1872 to 1973. For a small fee, visitors can explore historic cell blocks, the gallows, laundry facilities, and the women’s ward.
For the last evening, the recommendation for dining is a toss-up between the family-styled seating at Basque Market or the superb fine dining at Chandlers Steakhouse, located at the four-star Hotel 43.
Located in the historic Basque Block of Boise, Basque Market is well known for its sumptuous paella dinners on Thursdays only. It is also known for its tasty tapas (aka pintxos), such as skewered banderillas and Basque meatballs, soups, salads, and amazing desserts like Arroz con Leche, Flan, and the highly recommended Gateau Basque.
Evening Dinner Recommendation: Chandlers Steakhouse
Considered the finest steakhouse in Idaho, Chandlers is the only Boise restaurant to earn the coveted Wine Spectator Wine of Excellence, with an inventory of 7,500 bottles. Chandlers has a full menu of prime steaks, including Filet Mignon, Rib Eye, and New York Strip, specialty steaks like American Wagyu, “Bull’s Eye” Rib Eye, and the delectable, certified authentic Japanese Wagyu.
About The Author
Randy Yagi is an award-winning freelance writer who served as the National Travel Writer for CBS from 2012 to 2019. More than 900 of his stories still appear in syndication across 23 CBS websites, including CBS New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Francisco. During his peak years with CBS, Randy had a reported digital audience reach of 489 million and 5.5 million monthly visitors. Additionally, his stories have appeared in the Daily Meal, CBS News, CBS Radio, Engadget, NBC.com, NJ.com, and Radio.com. He earned a Media Fellowship from Stanford University in 2012.