Block Island vs Martha's Vineyard: Which Island Fits Your Trip? (2026)

Block Island and Martha’s Vineyard get compared by people standing in Rhode Island with a free weekend, and they are different sizes of the same idea. Both are glacial islands with clay cliffs, no chain stores in their harbors, beaches that cost nothing and a ferry between you and the mainland. But Block Island is a tenth the size, with one village, 1,400 year-round residents and a $12 boat from Point Judith; the Vineyard is about 90 square miles, six towns that look nothing alike, 21,000 residents and an $11 boat from Woods Hole that lands you somewhere with a free bus to everywhere else. Block Island suits a day trip or a bike weekend; the Vineyard suits a week. We also compared the island with the Hamptons.

Getting there

For a day trip, Block Island has the easier ferry. The traditional boat from Point Judith in Narragansett runs every day of the year, takes about an hour, and a same-day round trip is $22.60; a car is $39.60 each way with a reservation, which is a third of the Vineyard’s summer car fare. In summer there are also seasonal boats from Newport, New London, Montauk and Orient. The Vineyard’s Steamship Authority is cheaper per person at $11 each way and runs year-round from Woods Hole, but the summer car reservations open in February and are gone within hours, car travel is reservation-only (the Steamship board voted on October 20, 2026 not to bring standby back), and Woods Hole has no parking at the terminal. From Rhode Island the Vineyard is reached without touching Cape Cod: the Seastreak from New Bedford and the Vineyard Fast Ferry from Quonset Point both land in Oak Bluffs in summer; our Rhode Island guide compares them, and the cheapest-way guide prices every boat. For a day, Block Island; for a week, the Vineyard, and either way the car is easier left on the mainland.

What each island is for

Which one fits your trip

If you have a day, or a weekend and a bicycle, and you are in Rhode Island, Block Island is the easy choice: the boat is cheap and daily, the bluffs are worth the climb down, and the whole island fits between breakfast and the last ferry. If you have three days or more, want a choice of towns and beaches, or are bringing children or a group, the Vineyard is the fuller trip, and from Rhode Island it is a 50-minute boat from New Bedford. People who love one usually love the other; they are the same landscape at two scales. Our Vineyard vs Nantucket and Vineyard vs Cape Cod comparisons cover the other two questions people ask in the same breath, and is the Vineyard worth it weighs the trip on its own.

Plan the whole trip, one step at a time

Step 1 · WhenMonth PickerTwelve months compared on NOAA numbers, crowds, prices and what is open. Step 2 · DaysDay-by-Day Trip PlannerMorning, afternoon and evening sketched for every day, events dropped in, emailed to you. Step 3 · CostTrip Cost CalculatorFerry, beds with the rooms tax, meals, getting around and activities in one price range.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, Block Island or Martha’s Vineyard?

For a day trip or a bike weekend from Rhode Island, Block Island: a $22.60 same-day round trip from Point Judith, one village, free beaches and the Mohegan Bluffs. For three days or more, a family or a group, the Vineyard: six towns, twenty beaches, a fare-free bus and a full calendar.

How big is Block Island compared with Martha’s Vineyard?

Block Island has about 9 square miles of land and had 1,410 year-round residents at the 2020 census; Martha’s Vineyard has about 90 square miles and roughly 21,000. The Vineyard is ten times the land and has six towns; Block Island has one.

Which ferry is cheaper?

Per person they are close: $12.30 one way to Block Island from Point Judith on the traditional boat, $11 to the Vineyard from Woods Hole. For a car, Block Island is far cheaper, $39.60 each way against $127 to $168 to the Vineyard in summer, and the Vineyard’s car slots sell out months ahead.

Can you visit both in one trip?

Yes, from Rhode Island: Block Island from Point Judith, then the Vineyard from New Bedford or Quonset Point. There is no direct boat between the two islands.

Is Block Island cheaper to stay on?

Not reliably. It has far fewer beds and sells out on summer weekends; the Vineyard is expensive on average but has a hostel bunk in season, condo-hotels with kitchens and thousands of rentals, and September rates that usually come down from August.

How we checked this

Block Island ferry fares are from the Block Island Ferry’s 2026 schedule and fare sheet; its area, population, harbors, lighthouses and conservation share are census and public figures; the Mohegan Bluffs staircase count is the state’s. Vineyard figures are the Steamship Authority’s 2026 fares and our own stay, beach and cost research, checked September 2026. We have not priced every Block Island inn, so the lodging comparison is about range and availability, not a room-by-room table.