Here’s Where You Can Find the Nearest Public Restroom in Boston

As part of the Age-Friendly Boston program, the city launched an interactive map with information on the closest bathrooms in each neighborhood.


An interactive map of public restrooms

Screenshot via boston.gov

You know you have to go. The problem is, where?

Whether you’re strolling along the Esplanade or window shopping on Newbury, you don’t want to reroute your whole day just because you have to go to the bathroom. Luckily, the city of Boston is here to help.

As part of the Age-Friendly Boston initiative, which aims to make life better for the Hub’s elderly residents, the city launched an interactive map of every public restroom in town on Monday. You can filter by day of the week, feature, and location to find the nearest bathroom that suits your needs. And though the project was designed with older Bostonians in mind, it will surely be a boon for tourists and locals alike who are out and about this summer.

“The restrooms map is an important initiative in our Age-Friendly Boston Action Plan, and it responds directly to feedback we heard from older Bostonians,” Mayor Marty Walsh said in a statement to the Boston Globe. “Everyone benefits from making our city more age-friendly, and this is an example of how we are making available resources more accessible to all our residents.”

The map also includes a list of public restrooms sorted by neighborhood and information on the size, hours, and handicap accessibility of every location. Among the bathroom options are branches of the Boston Fire and Police Departments, the public library, and free-standing city toilets.

By 2030, Boston is expected to be home to 130,000 senior citizens, according to a government report released in 2014, and City Hall is taking steps to ensure the Hub remains accessible as people get older. In addition to the new interactive map, the Age-Friendly Boston Commission launched an intergenerational home-share pilot in September and graduated the first class of seniors from its civic academy in May.