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A Steamship Authority ferry in the Sound. On foot it is the cheapest ride to the island by a wide margin; with a car it is the single biggest line on most Vineyard budgets.
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 $78), 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.
The cheapest way to reach Martha’s Vineyard is to walk onto the Steamship Authority ferry at Woods Hole: $11 each way, $22 round trip, no reservation, 45 minutes, every day of the year. The rest is about what it costs to get yourself to that dock, and whether one of the other boats is cheaper for where you are coming from. In every case the biggest saving is leaving the car on the mainland. A car on the ferry is $127 to $168 each way in summer before anyone inside it pays a fare, and on the island the bus is free.
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Woods Hole has no parking at the terminal. The Steamship Authority’s lots in Falmouth (Palmer Avenue is the closest, then Thomas B. Landers and Cataumet) charge $25 a day from April to October and $20 a day in winter, first come, with a free shuttle to the pier; a week of parking is $175 on top of your $22 ticket. From Boston the cheaper move is the Peter Pan bus from South Station straight to the Woods Hole pier, $24 to $40 one way depending on the date and how far ahead you book, which makes the trip from the city about $35 to $51 a person each way, with zero parking. Our Boston to the Vineyard guide has the bus times and the day-trip guide the timings that give you a full day.
Routes 10 and 13 waiting at the Vineyard Haven terminal. Every VTA bus on the island is fare-free through June 30, 2027.
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Ferry fares by the day of the week, the room tax every town charges and four whole trips added up. Free with the island letter, together with our Beach, Fall and Where to Stay guides.
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Bringing a car in peak season (May 15 to September 14) costs $127 each way Monday to Thursday and $168 Friday to Sunday, so $254 to $336 round trip, plus a reservation that opens in early February and sells out for the summer weekends within hours. From September 15 every day is $127; in the winter months the car fare drops to $79 and then $73.50. The Steamship Authority ended the standby line for cars in January 2025, so there is no turning up and hoping. Leaving the car in Falmouth for a week ($175) and walking on ($44 for two) beats a midweek car crossing ($254 plus $44) by about $80, and beats a weekend crossing by more than $160; on the island the free bus, a rental bike or a rental car for one up-island day covers what the car would have done. The car-free guide is the full case.
The Steamship Authority car ferry crossing Vineyard Sound. It is the only boat that takes a car, and the car fare is where the money goes.
Know Before You Go
Peter Pan bus to Woods Hole ($24 to $40) plus the $11 walk-on: about $35 to $51 each way with no parking. Driving and parking in Falmouth is cheaper only for a group of three or more on a short trip.
If you are already on the Cape, the Island Queen from Falmouth is good value at $30 round trip, and its lot is $20 cash. From Hyannis the Hy-Line is convenient but $80 round trip, fuel surcharge included.
Drive 30 minutes to New Bedford for the Seastreak: $55 same-day round trip or $84 standard, lot $15. The North Kingstown fast ferry is closer to home but costs more, $115 to $135 round trip plus a fuel surcharge.
The cheapest route is Peter Pan’s through bus from the city to the Woods Hole pier, from about $60 booked ahead, plus the $11 walk-on: under $100 each way and about seven hours. Amtrak to Providence connects by bus to the New Bedford Seastreak; the Manhattan Seastreak runs eight summer weekends at $175 one way; flying is $260 to $600 round trip. There is no cheap same-day option, so a night at least makes sense. Our New York without a car guide compares all four, and the flying guide covers Cape Air and the summer jets.
Under 5 ride the Steamship free and 5 to 12 pay $5.75 each way, so a family of four walks on for about $67 round trip. The car is the expensive part for a family.
The Pied Piper tied up at a wooden dock: the Falmouth boat that lands in Edgartown, the one harbor the others do not reach. It costs more than the Steamship and saves a bus and an hour if Edgartown is your base.
The Steamship boats are big: elevators, open-air decks, a snack bar and free Wi-Fi, and dogs ride free. The passenger catamarans are faster and smaller. On any of them the deck coming in past West Chop or East Chop is the first thing people remember about the trip, and it costs the same $11 as a seat inside. Once you land, the budget guide takes over: a week for two in September can be done for about $1,200, and the trip cost calculator prices the ferry, the bed and the rest for your dates. For how long to stay, see how many days you need.
A ferry off East Chop at the end of the day, seen from an Oak Bluffs garden. The $11 seat has this view.
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. Our own footage from the boats.
The Steamship Authority from Woods Hole on foot: $11 each way, $22 round trip, no reservation, year-round. The Island Queen from Falmouth is next at $30 round trip in season.
$127 each way Monday to Thursday and $168 Friday to Sunday from May 15 to September 14, $127 every day from September 15, and $79 or $73.50 in the winter months, plus the passenger fares. Summer reservations open in early February and the weekend slots go within hours; the standby line for cars ended in January 2025.
Not at the terminal, which has none. The Steamship’s Falmouth lots charge $25 a day from April to October and $20 in winter, first come, with a free shuttle to the pier. Palmer Avenue is the closest.
From Boston, the Peter Pan bus and the walk-on ferry for about $70 to $100 a person all in; from New Bedford, Seastreak’s same-day round trip is $55. From New York a day trip does not work.
Not for the three ferry towns and the main beaches. The VTA buses are fare-free through June 30, 2027 and meet the boats; bike rentals are in every port town; rent a car for one up-island day if you want it.
Fares are the operators’ published 2026 rates: Steamship Authority, Island Queen, Hy-Line (including its fuel surcharge), Seastreak, Pied Piper and Vineyard Fast Ferry, checked against their own sites in August and September 2026, with Steamship parking rates from the Authority’s parking page. Bus fares are Peter Pan’s booking engine ranges. Prices move with the season; confirm with the operator before you travel.
Island tip of the day Shopping No. 31 of 86 New tip at midnight, island time
The Chappy Ferry costs $5/person round-trip and $17 for a car with driver. Cards work at the Edgartown-side kiosk; bring cash for the boat itself.
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).
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