The Boston Public Garden is one portion of a large park located in the heart Boston, Massachusetts. Boston Common is the other portion.

Together, these two parks form the northern terminus of the Emerald Necklace, a long string of parks designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. While the Common is primarily unstructured open space, the Public Garden contains a lake and a large series of formal plantings that are maintained by the city and others and vary from season to season.

During the warmer seasons, the lake is usually the home of one or more swans and is always the site of the Swan Boats, a famous Boston tourist attraction. For a small fee, tourists can sit on a boat styled like a large swan. The boat is then pedalled around the lake by a young (and strong) tour guide.

The Public Garden is roughly rectangular in shape and is bounded on the west by Boylston Street, on the south by Arlington street, and on the east by Beacon Street where it faces Beacon Hill. On its north side, Charles Street divides the Public Garden from the Common. The greenway connecting the Public Garden with the rest of the Emerald necklace is the strip of park that runs south down the center of Commonwealth Avenue towards the Back Bay Fens and the Muddy River.

The Public Garden is easily accessible from the Green Line subway's Arlington Station . Public parking underlies Charles Street.