E?Live map
Johnston Gate at Harvard Yard
Old Fogg Museum building at Harvard
Ramps to the Red Line platforms at Harvard station, with the outbound platform above the inbound one
Harvard Square subway kiosk

Harvard

Planned for wheelchair riders

Red Line trains stop here, deep under Harvard Square. Take the elevator up to the street, then go a short way outside to Harvard Yard and the Harvard Art Museums.

Written for riders who need working elevators to reach Harvard Square.

  • Red

Station place-harsq

Elevators
2 · Street ↔ platform
Escalators
5 · Not a substitute for elevators
After the elevator
Harvard Square sidewalk

Why this stop exists

Harvard Square · Harvard Yard and museum doors

The platform is deep underground. You need the elevator until you reach the street on Massachusetts Avenue.

Get directions to station

Disability & mobility

Elevators first. Yard second.

Harvard is a deep Red Line station with elevators to Harvard Square. If they are out, the only other way up is stairs. Central and Porter stations are not easy substitutes for reaching Harvard Yard.

Harvard Yard in autumn

Yard

Harvard Yard · Johnston Gate

A short trip outside once you reach the street. Paths in the historic Yard vary, and gates and crowds can get in the way.

Accessibility page for Harvard Yard

Best for Harvard Yard · time outside on campus

Harvard Art Museums exterior

Museum

Harvard Art Museums

Same area, but indoors. The museum’s own page covers building access. The subway only gets you to Harvard Square.

Accessibility page for Harvard Art Museums

Best for the Art Museums · indoor day

At this stop, “accessible” only holds when the elevators are working. Not every path in Harvard Yard is step-free.

If the Harvard elevators are out, check our live map before you ride past Central station. Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) elevator status: mbta.com/elevators.

On the ground

What the trip actually feels like

Three steps: the elevator, Harvard Square, the place you picked.

  1. Red Line train arriving at Harvard station

    01

    Check the elevators before you board

    The platform is deep underground, and the only other way up is stairs.

  2. Historic subway kiosk in Harvard Square

    02

    Come up into Harvard Square

    At street level: tourists, curb cuts, and traffic on Massachusetts Avenue.

  3. Holworthy Gate in Harvard Yard

    03

    Harvard Yard or the museum

    Pick one place to go before you leave the elevator.

Why this stop feels like this

Named for the University — built for the tunnel

Out of Town News in the Harvard Square kiosk
  1. 1912Cambridge subway era
  2. SquareHarvard University above the station
  3. RebuildElevators become the promise
  4. TodayNo elevator, no trip

Harvard station exists for Harvard Square trips. Whether you can make one depends on the elevators.

The stop sits under Harvard Square so Red Line riders can reach Harvard Yard and the museums without a long route through Cambridge. That only works when street-to-platform elevators are running.

Before you board, decide where you’re heading (Harvard Yard or the Art Museums). If an elevator is out, change plans; don’t treat it as a small delay.

On the street

Where you'll come out

Harvard station
Harvard Square
Cambridge, Massachusetts

Harvard elevators · outside in Harvard Square

Red Line

Nearby when the elevators work: Harvard Yard, Harvard Art Museums. When they don’t: don’t assume Central station is a substitute.

Open Harvard on the live mapLive elevator status at Harvard

After the elevator

Travel time from this station

Sorted shortest first. Times are hand-set for a chair or stroller pace after you clear the elevators — not live routing.

  3. All wheelchair tripsBrowse the directory →

At the venue

What each place offers

We copied these by hand from each venue’s own pages. They may be out of date or wrong, so confirm on the venue’s page before you go.

  • Harvard Yard

    • Harvard’s online campus map shows accessible paths and building entrances in and around the Yard.
    • Johnston, Meyer, Sever, Thayer, Wadsworth, and Widener gates are open 24 hours to people on foot.

    Source: Harvard University

    Accessibility page for Harvard Yard

  • Harvard Art Museums

    • Use the Prescott Street or Broadway entrance; both have curb cuts nearby. Paratransit vans should use Broadway.
    • A limited number of free loaner wheelchairs in the lobby.
    • Accessible single-occupancy restrooms on Level 2 and Level B1.

    Source: Harvard Art Museums

    Accessibility page for Harvard Art Museums

Last look

Before you go

Four things to check before you go.

  1. Check the map

    Make sure the Harvard elevators are working before you ride the Red Line to Harvard Square.

  2. Pick where you’re going

    Harvard Yard or the museum. Same station, different time outside.

  3. Plan for crowds in Harvard Square

    Tourist crowds are part of the trip outside.

  4. Verify building access

    The museum’s website covers its elevators. Our map covers the station elevators. Check both.

About this guide. We put these guides together by hand. Travel times are our own estimates, and venue details are copied from their websites, so either can be wrong or out of date. Check the venue’s page before you go. For elevators, trust the live map and the transit agency.