Getting Here

Where Martha's Vineyard is, with our own maps: an island in Dukes County, Massachusetts, under four miles across Vineyard Sound from Woods Hole on Cape Cod, 75 miles from Boston and 70 from Providence by road. How big it is, the six towns, up-island and down-island, every way to get there and where the name comes from.

The twelve things that catch first-timers on Martha's Vineyard, from car reservations and the two ferry terminals to resident-only beaches, the last bus from Aquinnah and cash for the Chappy Ferry, each with an easy fix, plus the fall and winter dates.

Parking for the Woods Hole ferry: there is none at the terminal, so here are the three Steamship Authority lots (Palmer Avenue, Thomas B. Landers, Cataumet), the 2026 rates ($25 a day April to October, $20 otherwise), the free shuttle timed to every sailing, when to arrive, the annual and off-season permits, the drop-off rule and the cheaper Island Queen lot in Falmouth Harbor.

How to get a Steamship Authority car reservation to Martha's Vineyard: the February opening and its virtual waiting room, the residents' head start, the five-reservation limit, the wait list that works, the 2026 fares ($127 midweek, $168 summer weekends), the free first change and the 14-day refund rule, no standby, and why most visitors should leave the car in Falmouth.

Providence and Rhode Island to Martha's Vineyard without crossing Cape Cod: the Seastreak from New Bedford (50 minutes, $84 round trip, 30 minutes from Providence) and the Vineyard Fast Ferry from Quonset Point (95 to 105 minutes, from $115, dogs ride free), both with $15 parking at the dock, plus Amtrak's connecting bus for a car-free trip. Which boat, when, and what it costs.

The Hy-Line ferry from Hyannis to Oak Bluffs: about an hour, $42 each way with the fuel surcharge, children and bike fares, the 2026 season, the Ocean Street terminal and its $10 to $30 lots and shuttle, the CapeFLYER and bus connections from Boston, and an honest comparison with the cheaper Island Queen and Steamship boats.

The Island Queen ferry from Falmouth to Oak Bluffs: 35 minutes, $30 round trip, its own $20 lot 200 yards from the dock, seven sailings a day in summer, the 2026 season (May 22 to October 12) and fall timetable, fares for children and bikes, why it beats the Steamship for Cape day trips, and its honest limits (no cars, no dogs).

New York to Martha's Vineyard without a car, all four ways: fly from JFK, LaGuardia or White Plains in about an hour; Seastreak's summer weekend boat from East 35th Street (about five hours, $250 round trip); Amtrak to Providence plus the connecting bus to the New Bedford ferry; or the Peter Pan bus to Woods Hole and the $11 Steamship. Times, costs and which to pick.

The cheapest way to get to Martha's Vineyard: walk onto the Steamship Authority at Woods Hole for $22 round trip, every other boat ranked by fare (Island Queen $30, Seastreak $55 same-day, Hy-Line $80), what Woods Hole parking and the Boston bus cost, the car question in dollars and the cheapest route from Boston, the Cape, Rhode Island and New York.

Flying to Martha's Vineyard in 2026: which airlines serve MVY and from where (Cape Air year-round; JetBlue, Delta and American in season; Tradewind from private terminals), what parking costs, and how to get from the terminal to any town by free bus, taxi or rental car.

Thinking about a September or October visit? Good call. A friendly heads-up on what shifts after Labor Day 2026: the ferry switch to Vineyard Haven, each boat's last day, what stays open through Columbus Day, and how far room rates fall.

You can bring a rental truck to the Vineyard, but only on the Steamship Authority boat, and the booking works differently than it does for a car. What the trucks really measure, what the ferry charges in 2026, and how to reserve space.