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Harvard Square lies in the heart of Cambridge, part of the Boston Metropolitan Area, in the state of Massachusetts, and acts as a central point encompassing the culture and energy of the city. Harvard University surrounds the intersection and comprises of independent business and services. It contains many students and acts as a mixing hub for the university and the local community in a busy and beautiful area of the city, as an open and colourful triangular plaza.

A key attraction for visitors to Harvard Square is to witness the famous Harvard University, whose walls line the plaza and whose student life seeps into the culture of the surrounding area, as there are also many student bars and cafes. Other nearby cultural sites include the Semitic Museum, the Museum of Natural History and the American Repertory Theatre, although the square is also a site of smaller cultural wonders, like local buskers, street performers and independent businesses. Visitors can easily find a cute or quirky cafe to relax in, or discover other student favourites like local bookshops, small theatres and artistic stores selling cheap furniture, second-hand items and old fashioned supplies. There are also food trucks that travel to Harvard Square and offer delicious food, or visitors can walk in the surrounding park nature, or shop at the nearby Garage shopping mall.

Harvard Square is served by the central transit station, which includes subway, bus and trolley connections, all of which use the area as a transfer point, making it easy for visitors to access the area from throughout the city. Public transport services use Massachusetts Avenue as a central hub and drivers can also access the avenue by car, at the end of which lies Harvard Square.

Early maps of Harvard Square show the area to be a residential district, which was once home to famous Americans, such as Anne Bradstreet, a colonial poet of the 17th century. The area changed with the development of Harvard University as what was once a shopping neighbourhood transformed into a regional meeting place and student hub. Gentrification took place, throughout the 20th century although the area retained its old, local atmosphere through maintaining second-hand stores and independent businesses, especially focusing on preserving its book selling reputation.