Burlington, Vermont, United States: Self-Guided Walking Tour

Looking for things to do in Burlington, Vermont? The city brings together historic churches and civic buildings, the University of Vermont, museums, performing arts, Jewish heritage and distinctive Lake Champlain landscapes. A free Neywo audio guide for Burlington, Vermont narrates 17 places in 11 languages as you explore.

Burlington is in Vermont, on the eastern shore of Lake Champlain. Its compact centre makes it well suited to exploring on foot, while places such as Lone Rock Point extend the experience beyond the downtown streets.

What to see in Burlington, Vermont

The city’s most important sights range from nineteenth-century religious buildings to university institutions, cultural venues and waterfront landmarks.

Burlington Breakwater

The Burlington Breakwater shelters Burlington Harbor from the open waters of Lake Champlain. Built in several stages between 1836 and 1890, it is a rare surviving example of a nineteenth-century timber-cribbed stone breakwater. Its construction combines timber and stone in a practical piece of waterfront engineering. The breakwater was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

Flynn Center for the Performing Arts

The Flynn Center for the Performing Arts occupies a refurbished Art Deco movie palace. Originally built as a movie theatre, it was transformed into a performing arts centre, retaining the atmosphere of its earlier cinema while serving as a contemporary arts venue.

Ethan Allen Engine Company No. 4

At 135 Church Street, Ethan Allen Engine Company No. 4 is a former fire and police station now used as commercial space. Built in 1887 for a private fire company, it continued to serve Burlington’s public services until the 1960s. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971 and contributes to the City Hall Park Historic District.

First Baptist Church

Built in 1864 and designed by Boston architect John Stevens, Burlington’s First Baptist Church is a notable example of early Italianate ecclesiastical architecture in Vermont. Its importance was recognised with inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.

Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception

The site at 20 Pine Street tells the story of Burlington’s former Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. The original parish began as Saint Mary’s in 1830, and a first cathedral was built between 1862 and 1867. That building was destroyed by arson in 1972.

A new cathedral was designed by New York architect Edward Larrabee Barnes, with grounds planned by landscape architect Dan Kiley. The project was completed in 1977, but the building was no longer used as a Catholic church after 2018 and was demolished between June and September 2025. It is therefore a place to understand the city’s religious history rather than a surviving cathedral to enter.

First Methodist Church of Burlington

At 21 Buell Street, First Methodist Church of Burlington stands at the corner of South Winooski Avenue. Designed by Alexander R. Esty and built in 1869, it is Burlington’s only example of ecclesiastical Romanesque Revival architecture. The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

Unitarian Church

The Unitarian Universalist Meeting House, commonly called the Unitarian Church, stands at the northern side of the intersection of Pearl Street and Church Street Marketplace. Built in 1816, it is the oldest remaining place of worship established by European settlers in Burlington.

The building was formerly known as the Brick Meeting House and forms part of the Head of Church Street Historic District. The district also includes the Masonic Temple and the Richardson Building.

Cathedral Church of St. Paul

The Cathedral Church of St. Paul, also known as Saint Pauls Cathedral Episcopal Church, is the seat of the Diocese of Vermont. Its presence adds another important religious landmark to Burlington’s collection of historic downtown churches.

Cathedral of Saint Joseph

The Cathedral of Saint Joseph became the cathedral church of the Catholic Diocese of Burlington in 2018. Its origins reach back to the Saint Joseph parish, founded in 1850 as the first French Canadian parish in the United States.

The present church was designed in 1883 by Joseph Michaud, a self-taught architect from Montreal, Quebec. Built for Burlington’s growing French-speaking Canadian population, it could accommodate more than twelve hundred worshippers. The foundation stone was laid on July 4, 1884, and the church was dedicated on June 24, 1887.

Fleming Museum of Art

At the University of Vermont, the Fleming Museum of Art combines art and anthropology. Its collection contains around 24,000 objects from a wide variety of eras and places, offering a broad cultural counterpoint to Burlington’s architectural sights.

University of Vermont

The University of Vermont, commonly known as UVM, has been part of Burlington since 1791. It is the oldest university in Vermont and is also described as the fifth-oldest university in New England.

Today, UVM brings together ten colleges and schools, including the Robert Larner College of Medicine. It offers more than one hundred undergraduate majors as well as graduate and professional programmes, and its campus includes the primary facility of the University of Vermont Medical Center.

Ohavi Zedek and Old Ohavi Zedek Synagogue

Ohavi Zedek, at 188 North Prospect Street, is a Conservative synagogue and congregation that reflects the presence of Burlington’s Jewish community.

The Old Ohavi Zedek Synagogue, at Archibald and Hyde Streets, was built in 1885 for Ohavi Zedek, Vermont’s oldest Jewish congregation. The name means “Lovers of Justice” in Hebrew. The building is a vernacular interpretation of Gothic Revival architecture and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

Lone Rock Point

North of Burlington, Lone Rock Point is a publicly accessible promontory on the eastern shore of Lake Champlain, crossed by a network of trails. It is also an important geological site.

The exposed rock shows a thrust contact in which Cambrian-aged Dunham Dolomite was pushed over Middle-Ordovician Iberville Shale. This feature forms part of the Champlain Thrust, created during the Taconic Orogeny.

Howard Mortuary Chapel

Howard Mortuary Chapel stands within Lakeview Cemetery. Built in 1882 and designed by Alfred Benjamin Fisher, it is a High Victorian Gothic chapel set within cemetery grounds laid out by E. C. Ryer in 1871.

Hannah Louisa Howard gave the chapel to the City of Burlington. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.

Explore Burlington with a free audio guide

Neywo offers a Burlington, Vermont audio guide with 17 narrated places, organised into two walking tours and one bus route. The stories play as you reach each place, at your own pace, with no group and no schedule.

The available routes are:

• Steeples and Stages: Downtown Burlington on Lake Champlain: a 4.07 km walk lasting 112 minutes, with 9 narrated stops.
• Campus Green to Synagogues: UVM and the Hill: a 2.84 km walk lasting 66 minutes, with 5 narrated stops.
• Green Line: Pine Street, Church Street and the Hill: a 4.5 km bus route lasting 19 minutes, with 4 narrated stops.

Download Neywo to explore Burlington independently and hear the story of each place when you arrive. After Burlington, continue discovering Montpelier or Stowe, and explore more of the United States.