Martha's Vineyard sits about 100 miles south of Boston and 7 miles off the southern tip of Cape Cod. That's close enough to do in a day if you plan the ferry properly, and out of reach if you don’t. You can see the white-painted captain's houses of Edgartown, the Victorian gingerbread cottages of Oak Bluffs and the red clay cliffs of Aquinnah, and eat a lobster roll at a picnic table by the water, without taking a long weekend.
It does take planning. There is no direct ferry from Boston to the island, and which boat you take, when it runs, and how much you can see in 6–8 hours on the island all depend on where you start. This covers the 2026 ferries and their published prices, the practical routes from Boston and from Cape Cod, getting around once you land, a one-day itinerary, and who to call if you want to finish the day on a boat.
Is a day trip to Martha's Vineyard actually worth it?
Yes, if you plan it.
There is no bridge, so the only way on or off is by ferry or plane, and from Boston the bus to the ferry terminal alone takes nearly two hours each way. Add 45 minutes on the ferry in each direction and a round trip is 5-plus hours of travel. That leaves somewhere between 6 and 8 hours on the island, depending on which ferry you take and how early you start.
Six to eight hours is enough to see the main sights, eat well and get out on the water once, as long as you have the plan before you board. Without one, you'll spend the day working out buses, second-guessing what to skip, and running back to the dock with half a lobster roll.
Two things buy you more time. Make it a long day (first morning ferry out, last evening ferry back), or, better, start from Cape Cod instead of Boston, which gives you considerably more time on the island.
How to get from Boston to Martha's Vineyard
There is currently no direct ferry service from Boston to Martha's Vineyard, which surprises a lot of people. From Boston it always takes at least two legs: get to a Cape Cod ferry terminal, then make the crossing.
Option 1: Bus to Woods Hole + Steamship Authority ferry (most popular)
This is the standard route for Boston day-trippers and the most reliable one. One way takes roughly 2.5 to 3 hours, depending on traffic and timing.
Two bus companies run direct service from South Station (and Logan Airport) to Woods Hole year-round: Peter Pan Bus Lines daily, and Plymouth & Brockton (P&B) on express routes. The ride is about 1.5 to 2 hours, depending on traffic. Cape Cod traffic in summer is hard to predict, and a Friday afternoon can add a lot to that.
From Woods Hole, the Steamship Authority ferry crosses in 45 minutes to Vineyard Haven (year-round) or Oak Bluffs (seasonal, mid-May through mid-October). On foot you don't need a reservation; buy your ticket at the terminal on the day you sail. 2026 fares: $11 one-way, $22 round-trip per adult; children 5–12 are $5.75 one-way. Bicycles are $5.25 each way. In season the boats run all day, every day, from roughly 6 AM to 10:30 PM.
The Steamship Authority is the only ferry that carries cars. Leave yours at home: car reservations for summer dates sell out months in advance, and you won't need one for a day trip (see getting around, below).
On summer weekends there is also the CapeFLYER train (seasonal, weekends only). From Memorial Day through Labor Day it runs from Boston South Station to the Bourne station on Cape Cod, and the Steamship Authority runs a free shuttle from Bourne to the Woods Hole ferry terminal. Saturday and Sunday trains leave around 9 AM, and the shuttle meets ferries departing around 10:30 AM. You skip the traffic, though the schedule is less flexible than the bus.
Option 2: Guided day trip with hotel pickup (easiest)
New England Trips Inc. has run a guided Martha's Vineyard day trip from Boston since 2011, daily from April through October. They pick you up at most major Boston hotels (the Marriott Long Wharf, Four Seasons, Fairmont Copley Plaza, Liberty Hotel, and 30+ others), drive you to the ferry in an air-conditioned mini-coach, and include round-trip ferry tickets. A 3-hour narrated island tour after you land in Oak Bluffs is an optional add-on. It's the least work of any option: no buses to figure out and no tickets to buy separately.
For most of the season the tours use the Island Queen ferry from Falmouth (a 35-minute crossing), so you spend slightly less time in transit than on the Woods Hole route.
Option 3: Fly
Cape Air flies daily, year-round, from Boston Logan (BOS) to Martha's Vineyard Airport (MVY), and the flight is about 30 minutes. It costs a lot more than the ferry: expect $150–$250+ per person one-way if you book ahead, and more at the last minute. JetBlue adds seasonal direct flights from Logan to MVY in summer. For a day trip, flying makes sense if you're very short on time, or on a tight summer schedule where traffic could make you miss a ferry connection.
Private air charters fly year-round too, for groups who want to set their own times.
From Cape Cod: the better option for day-trippers
From Cape Cod it's considerably quicker, and you have more boats to choose from. Several ferries leave straight from Cape Cod ports, so you can be on the island by 9 AM without getting up at 5.
Island Queen: Falmouth to Oak Bluffs (fastest crossing)
The Island Queen is the quickest and simplest ferry if you're coming from the lower Cape: about 35 minutes from Falmouth Harbor to Oak Bluffs. It's seasonal and passengers only (no cars), running from late May through mid-October.
2026 fares: $20 one-way, $30 round-trip per adult; children 4 and under ride free. Bicycles are $4 each way. Parking at the Falmouth dock is first-come, first-served at $20 per calendar day, cash only, so get there early in peak summer. The Island Queen is reservation-based; book online at islandqueen.com. In July and August, plan to arrive at least 30 minutes before departure.
The first boat leaves Falmouth at 9 AM, then 10:30 AM, noon, and on through the day. The 9 AM gets you to Oak Bluffs by 9:35 AM, a good start for a full day.
Hy-Line Cruises: Hyannis to Oak Bluffs (mid-Cape option)
If you're staying around Hyannis or mid-Cape, Hy-Line's high-speed ferry takes about one hour. It's seasonal (roughly May through October), with 4–6 departures a day in the peak summer months.
2026 fares: $41 one-way, $78 round-trip from Hyannis to Oak Bluffs, including a $2 fuel surcharge added in May. Children 5–12 are $25 one-way, $47 round-trip. Bicycles are $8.50 each way. It's walk-on only, no cars. There's a snack bar on board with food, beer, wine and spirits, parking near the Hyannis Harbor terminal, and a free Hy-Line shuttle from the Hyannis train station to the dock.
Falmouth-Edgartown Ferry (“Pied Piper”)
This is the only ferry that sails straight into Edgartown Harbor. It's seasonal, so check its schedule before you plan around it. The crossing takes about 45 minutes, from Falmouth Harbor to Memorial Wharf. Fares: $35 one-way Monday to Wednesday and $45 Thursday to Sunday; $70–$90 round-trip. Children are $15–$25 one-way; bicycles are $10. If Edgartown is the town you most want to see, this one lands you right in it and skips Oak Bluffs entirely.
Steamship Authority from Woods Hole
Woods Hole is just off the highway at Falmouth. 2026 fares: $11 one-way, $22 round-trip adult; children $5.75 one-way. It runs year-round and all day, and it's the most reliable crossing whatever the season or weather. Walk-on passengers never need reservations.
Getting around the island without a car
The island is bigger than most day-trippers expect: about 100 square miles, roughly 20 miles end to end. The main towns, Oak Bluffs, Vineyard Haven and Edgartown, are all in the eastern, “Down Island” half. West Tisbury, Chilmark and Aquinnah are more rural and make up the western, “Up Island” half, where the Aquinnah Cliffs are.
If you're staying Down Island, you don't need a car. If you want Aquinnah too, get a car (or an Uber).
VTA bus: the island's public transit
The Martha's Vineyard Transit Authority (VTA) runs buses to all six island towns. The Route 13 bus loops between Oak Bluffs, Vineyard Haven and Edgartown, the three towns most day-trippers come for, every 15 minutes at peak times and every 30 minutes otherwise. At the time of writing every VTA route is free to ride. It's a temporary program, so check vineyardtransit.com before you travel. The VTA's own guide suggests at least 8 hours on the island if you want to see everything by bus without rushing.
Biking
Paved bike paths connect most of the Down Island towns, and they're well kept. Oak Bluffs to Edgartown is about 5 miles, flat, on a lane of its own away from traffic. All-Star Bike Rentals is steps from the ferry terminals in both Oak Bluffs and Vineyard Haven and delivers anywhere on the island for free. For seeing Down Island at your own pace, a bike is the most fun and the quickest way to do it.
Rental cars
Several rental companies have offices near the ferry terminals. If you're short on time, a car is the most practical way to get to Aquinnah. Book ahead; summer availability is tight.
Uber and taxis
Uber and Lyft work on the island in high season, at higher prices than on the mainland. Several visitors have reported taxi fares of over $100 from Aquinnah back to Oak Bluffs, which hurts if you weren't expecting it. Cell service in Aquinnah is spotty, so request your Uber before you leave the cliffs, while you still have signal. Taxis run island-wide all year.
A one-day itinerary for 7 hours on the island
This assumes you reach Oak Bluffs by 9–9:30 AM (the 9 AM Island Queen from Falmouth gets you there, or an early Steamship Authority crossing from Woods Hole) and leave on an evening ferry around 5–6 PM. It takes in the gingerbread cottages in Oak Bluffs, Edgartown's harbor and a boat charter, all without a rental car.
9:00–10:15 AM: Oak Bluffs
Walk off the ferry and turn right along the harbor promenade. Within 10 minutes you're in the middle of the Martha's Vineyard Camp Meeting Association: 300-plus Victorian gingerbread cottages, each painted its own mix of colors and packed close together in a grid. It began as a Methodist revival camp in 1835. The small, ornate cottages were built for the tent revival meetings, and people still live in them. The Cottage Museum at 1 Trinity Park is open seasonally, costs $4, and explains the history in depth.
Back Door Donuts on Kennebec Avenue sells an apple fritter the size of a small helmet. The back door is run separately from the main shop (Martha's Vineyard Gourmet Café) and keeps different hours. Then find the Flying Horses Carousel on Circuit Avenue, one of the oldest operating platform carousels in the country: built in 1876, and turning in Oak Bluffs since 1884. The carved horses have real horse hair, and riders still reach for the brass ring.
East Chop Lighthouse is a 20-minute walk (or a short bike ride) north along East Chop Drive. It has some of the best views of Vineyard Sound on the island, especially in the morning. The lighthouse is white-painted cast iron from 1878.
10:15 AM–Noon: bus or bike to Edgartown
Take the VTA Route 13 bus, or bike the 5-mile path south. Edgartown feels nothing like Oak Bluffs: it's quieter and more formal, and it was built on whaling money. Federal-style captains' houses line Main Street behind white picket fences, and most of the buildings date from the 1820s–1850s.
At the end of North Water Street is the Edgartown Lighthouse, a white cast-iron tower from 1939 on a small man-made island, joined to shore by a beach causeway. It turns up in a lot of wedding photos. From there you look across Edgartown Harbor at the sailboats, the Chappaquiddick ferry and the classic wooden boats. From Memorial Wharf you can watch the On Time Ferry, a tiny three-car cable ferry that shuttles back and forth across the 527-foot channel to Chappaquiddick Island for $5 round trip per passenger. Going over to Chappy and straight back is worth doing just for the ride.
Noon–2:00 PM: Lunch, then get on a boat
There's good lunch right on the harbor. The Seafood Shanty on Dock Street has outdoor seating looking over the harbor and a menu of chowder, lobster rolls and raw bar. Among the Flowers Cafe on Mayhew Lane is a local standby for breakfast through lunch; there will be a line, and it's worth the wait. Mad Martha's Homemade Ice Cream has several Edgartown shops. Don't skip it.
After lunch you're already at the dock, which is where the harbor charters leave from. This is what an island day trip has over a mainland harbor town: you can spend the afternoon on the water instead of on another street of shops.
From Dock Street, you can be on the water within the hour. Catboat Charters sails a restored 1927 catboat and Nauti Girl Excursions runs a double-decker pontoon, both private and both for up to six; Nauti Girl’s two-hour harbor cruise is $500 on their site. Plan Sea Adventure Charters also runs private trips from Edgartown, Friday to Monday, with 48 hours’ notice. Mad Max, the big catamaran that used to sell public seats here, is closed for 2026. A two-hour afternoon trip takes you past the Edgartown and Cape Pogue Lighthouses and (weather permitting) along the coastline of Chappaquiddick.
The boat is the easiest part of the day to lose if you haven’t planned for it, so call a few days ahead. The numbers are on our operator list, and nobody books through us.
2:00–4:00 PM: beaches (optional) or the Aquinnah Cliffs (car required)
If you'd rather stay Down Island, South Beach (Katama Beach) is a 4-mile bike ride from Edgartown on its own path. It's a 3-mile barrier beach on the Atlantic side, with bigger waves, wider sand and fewer people than the harbor beaches. In the other direction, Inkwell Beach in Oak Bluffs is calm and good for families, and it has been a gathering place for Black families since the late 1800s.
With a rental car or an Uber, Aquinnah is 45 minutes from Edgartown, and on a first visit it's worth the drive. The Gay Head Cliffs are 150-foot clay bluffs in many colors above the Atlantic and Vineyard Sound, and a National Natural Landmark. Admission is free; parking is paid in summer. Walk down to Moshup Beach below the cliffs to get a sense of how high they are. Gay Head Lighthouse (1856) sits at the cliff edge and is open seasonally for tours up the tower. Next to it, the Aquinnah Cultural Center tells the history of the Wampanoag people, who have lived here for 10,000 years.
If you do go to Aquinnah, leave no later than 2.5 hours before your ferry departure. It's 18 miles to Oak Bluffs, but the roads are rural and single-lane in places. Several day-trippers who misjudged the return have reported paying $100+ for a last-minute taxi. Cell service at the cliffs is unreliable, so request your Uber before you're out at the very tip of the island.
4:30 PM: head back to the ferry port
If you arrived in Oak Bluffs, take the bus or bike back there for the return crossing. Give yourself 30 minutes to queue: boarding starts well before the listed departure time, and the ferries don't wait. On a summer evening the early boats are a nice ride home, with the harbor lights coming on and the fishing boats coming in.
If you can take a later ferry, a sunset cruise from Edgartown or Oak Bluffs fits in before the last boat back. You watch the sun go down from the water, then catch the ferry.
Practical tips before you go
Book the ferry before you come. The Island Queen is reservation-based, and walk-on slots can fill on busy summer days. The Steamship Authority from Woods Hole doesn't require passenger reservations, but its early morning and late evening boats can get crowded on summer weekends.
Don't bring your car on a day trip. Steamship Authority car reservations for summer dates sell out months in advance, and parking on the island is expensive and limited. Between the VTA bus (free at the time of writing), rental bikes and short Uber rides, you won't need one Down Island.
Come in September if you can. It's still warm (average highs around 70°F), the crowds drop off sharply after Labor Day, shoulder-season ferry rates apply, and fishing is at its annual peak. Many operators lower their prices in September, and it's worth asking what the same trip costs midweek. The Derby starts mid-month, the Up Island hills start to change color, and the whole island slows down.
Pack for weather. The island is 7 miles out to sea: fog rolls in quickly, the wind picks up without warning, and the forecast can change in an hour. Bring a light windproof layer even in July. Most ferry companies cancel in rough conditions, and charter operators will get in touch directly if a trip needs to be rescheduled.
If you want to eat your way through the day: a lobster roll (The Seafood Shanty, or Net Result in Vineyard Haven), chowder (Nancy's in Oak Bluffs has served it from an outdoor window for decades), an apple fritter from Back Door Donuts, oysters if you can find them (try the Signature Oyster Farm Tour in Oak Bluffs), and ice cream from Mad Martha's.
Quick reference: getting to Martha's Vineyard
| Departure point | Ferry | Crossing time | 2026 adult round-trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woods Hole, Cape Cod | Steamship Authority | 45 min | $22 |
| Falmouth Harbor, Cape Cod | Island Queen | 35 min | $30 |
| Falmouth, Cape Cod | Falmouth-Edgartown Ferry | 45 min | $70–$90 |
| Hyannis, Cape Cod | Hy-Line Cruises | 60 min | $78 |
| North Kingstown, RI | Vineyard Fast Ferry | 105 min | $115 ($135 peak) |
| New Bedford, MA | Seastreak | about 1 hr | $84 |
| New York / NJ | Seastreak | 5 hrs | Contact |
No direct ferry from Boston. The closest mainland terminal is Woods Hole, 2 hrs from Boston South Station by bus.
Make time for the water
Most of a day trip happens on land, with the water as the view.
A two-hour afternoon charter from Edgartown Harbor takes you past the working lobster boats and the lighthouse and out into Nantucket Sound, with the island getting smaller behind you. You can walk streets like Edgartown's in plenty of New England harbor towns. That view of the island you only get from a boat.
The operators we have called are on the list, with their phone numbers. Call them directly for your afternoon on the water; nobody books through us, and we take nothing from the fare.