Travel advisoryStorm Warning on the ferry waters until Sun 10 AM · Steamship Authority travel advisory · High Wind Warning for Martha's Vineyard until Sun 8 AM · Coastal Flood Warning for Martha's Vineyard until Sun 8 PMThe Steamship Authority is continuing to monitor the forecast for the upcoming nor'easter that is expected to have significant effects for Cape Cod and the Islands through Sunday. We are waiving change and cancellation fees for travel scheduled for through Sunday, September 27.Steamship Authority · checked 1:00 PM ET
Vineyard Haven · the harbor mouthPhoto by MV Vacation
A boat cutting a wake into the Vineyard Haven harbor on a summer morning, the moorings and the town beyond. From Rhode Island the island is an hour or two of water, not a day of Cape traffic.
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.
From Providence, Newport or anywhere in Rhode Island, Martha’s Vineyard is closer than the Cape Cod traffic makes it feel, because you do not have to cross the Cape at all. Two passenger boats leave from your side of the bridges: the Seastreak from New Bedford, half an hour down I-195 from Providence, which crosses Buzzards Bay in 50 minutes for $84 round trip, and the Vineyard Fast Ferry from Quonset Point in North Kingstown, twenty minutes south of the city, which takes about an hour and three-quarters straight across Rhode Island Sound for $115 and up. Both land in Oak Bluffs, both park at the dock, and neither needs a car reservation made in February. Add Amtrak’s connecting bus from Providence station to the New Bedford terminal and the trip works without a car of your own. Here are the two boats side by side, the drive to each, and which one to take.
The catamaran from 49 State Pier in New Bedford to Oak Bluffs, April 16 to October 12, with six or seven sailings a day in peak summer and two in the shoulder months. A same-day round trip is $55, children 3 to 12 are $29 one way, bikes $9. New Bedford is about 30 minutes from Providence on I-195.
The Rhode Island boat from 1347 Roger Williams Way in North Kingstown to 10 Circuit Avenue Extension in Oak Bluffs, May to October: four sailings a day in May and October, six from June to September. Off-peak adults $75 and $115, peak up to $85 one way; children 3 to 11 $58 and $89; bikes $10 and $20. Pets ride free on a leash.
Quonset Point has a dockside lot at $15 a calendar day, ticket office and dock in one place. New Bedford’s Whale’s Tooth lot is about $15 a day plus a $5 shuttle, valet at the pier $30 ($40 on holidays), and a third lot at 180 MacArthur Drive has a free shuttle.
Amtrak’s connecting DATTCO bus runs from Providence station to the Seastreak terminal in New Bedford, with a stop in Fall River, morning, afternoon and evening, booked on the same Amtrak ticket. From the New York side it is the route we recommend; from Providence it is a bus ride.
If you must bring the car, the Steamship Authority from Woods Hole is the only boat that carries one: $127 to $168 each way in summer, reservations opening in February and selling out within hours, and the Cape traffic you were avoiding. Almost nobody from Rhode Island needs it.
New Bedford. Thirty minutes down I-195, a 50-minute crossing, $84 round trip, and up to seven boats a day in summer. Cheaper and faster than the Rhode Island boat on almost every count; the cheapest-way guide says the same.
FROM SOUTH COUNTY, NEWPORT OR CONNECTICUT
Quonset Point, if the longer crossing does not bother you. It is on the way for anyone coming up Route 1 or across the Newport bridges, the lot is at the dock, the dog rides free, and the June to September timetable runs from 8:30 in the morning to a 9:15 PM boat home.
A DAY TRIP
New Bedford’s $55 same-day round trip: the 8:20 boat out on a summer weekday (7:50 on Fridays and Saturdays, with a $5 surcharge) and the 5:00 or 7:45 back give nearly eight hours on the island. Our day-trip guide has a plan for the hours.
A DOG
The Vineyard Fast Ferry carries leashed or caged pets at no charge. Seastreak carries no dogs, and neither does the Island Queen; the Steamship carries them free.
IN APRIL OR OCTOBER
Seastreak starts April 16 and finishes October 12; the Rhode Island boat runs May to October. In spring Seastreak docks at Vineyard Haven until mid-May and at Oak Bluffs after; the after-Labor-Day guide covers the autumn switch.
Oak Bluffs · the harborPhoto by MV Vacation
The Oak Bluffs harbor docks in summer. Both Rhode Island-side boats tie up in this harbor, and Circuit Avenue, the carousel and the bus are a few minutes on foot.
The New Bedford boat, in practice
Seastreak’s New Bedford terminal is at 49 State Pier on the waterfront, with the parking lots signed from the highway. In peak summer, June 26 to September 6 in 2026, there were six departures on weekdays and seven from Friday to Sunday, the earliest at 7:50 AM on the weekend days and 8:20 midweek, the last at 6:30 PM, with extra sailings on holiday weekends; in the shoulder months, two round trips at 8:45 AM and 2:00 PM. Adults pay $49 one way and $84 round trip, the same-day round trip is $55, a ten-trip pass is $370, and the Friday and Saturday morning boats carry a $5 surcharge in summer. The crossing runs through the protected water of Buzzards Bay and is one of the smoothest in the Northeast. Our Seastreak guide has the full timetable and both of the company’s routes.
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The Quonset Point boat, in practice
The Vineyard Fast Ferry leaves from Quonset Point in North Kingstown, twenty minutes south of Providence off Route 4, with the ticket office, the dock and the $15 lot in one place; arrive 45 minutes before departure at Quonset and 30 before the boat home from Oak Bluffs. The crossing is about 95 minutes by the company’s reckoning and closer to 105 on some days, across open water in Rhode Island Sound, which is longer and livelier than the Buzzards Bay run. The timetable runs four sailings a day in May and October and six from June to September; in June the first boat leaves at 8:30 AM and the last returns at 9:15 PM. Advance online reservations get the best rates and walk-ups pay a $5 fee; tickets are non-refundable unless you add the ticket assurance. It lands at 10 Circuit Avenue Extension, at the foot of the Oak Bluffs harbor.
Oak Bluffs · AugustPhoto by MV Vacation
The Oak Bluffs harbor at full August strength, moorings and slips packed. The Rhode Island boats add their passengers to this scene every summer afternoon.
Once you land
Both boats put you in Oak Bluffs, the island’s summer harbor town, with the Flying Horses carousel, Circuit Avenue, the Campground and the Inkwell beach on foot and the fare-free VTA bus to every other town from the Steamship terminal a few minutes’ walk away. Bike shops sit beside the harbor with island-wide delivery. For a night or more, our where to stay guide covers Oak Bluffs and the other five towns, and the without-a-car guide is the manual for a trip that arrived on foot, which from Rhode Island is the only sensible way to arrive.
How do I get from Providence to Martha’s Vineyard?
Drive 30 minutes to New Bedford and take the Seastreak (50 minutes, $84 round trip, April 16 to October 12), or drive 20 minutes to Quonset Point in North Kingstown for the Vineyard Fast Ferry (about 95 to 105 minutes, $115 round trip off peak, May to October). Without a car, take Amtrak’s connecting bus from Providence station to the New Bedford terminal.
Is there a ferry from Rhode Island to Martha’s Vineyard?
Yes. The Vineyard Fast Ferry sails from Quonset Point, 1347 Roger Williams Way in North Kingstown, to Oak Bluffs from May to October, four to six times a day, with a $15 dockside lot. Adults pay from $75 one way and $115 round trip, children 3 to 11 $58 and $89, and leashed pets ride free.
Which is cheaper, the New Bedford or the Rhode Island boat?
New Bedford: $84 round trip and $55 same-day against $115 and up from Quonset Point, and a 50-minute crossing against 95 to 105 minutes. From Providence it is also the shorter drive. The Rhode Island boat wins from South County, Newport and Connecticut, and for anyone traveling with a dog.
Can I bring a car from Rhode Island?
Not on either of these boats; both are passenger-only. The only car ferry is the Steamship Authority from Woods Hole on Cape Cod, which needs a reservation made in February for summer. Leave the car at the dock for $15 a day and ride the free bus on the island.
Where do I park in New Bedford?
Valet at the State Pier is $30 a day ($40 on holidays); the Whale’s Tooth lot is about $15 a day plus a $5 shuttle; a third lot at 180 MacArthur Drive has a free shuttle. The Quonset Point lot is $15 a calendar day at the dock.
How we checked this
Vineyard Fast Ferry addresses, fares, timetable pattern, parking and pet policy are from the company’s own 2026 pages, read September 2026; Seastreak fares, season and sailings are from its published 2026 schedule; the Amtrak connecting bus is from Amtrak’s service announcement; the Steamship comparison uses the Authority’s published 2026 fares. Drive times are approximate and assume no traffic. Confirm the day’s sailings before you drive to either dock; both boats are weather-dependent.
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Disclaimer: The information in this article is provided for general guidance only and was accurate at the time of writing. Beach conditions, hours, prices, lifeguard schedules, ferry fares, and business operations change frequently and without notice. Ocean swimming carries inherent risks including rip currents, undertow, and cold water shock. Always verify current conditions with official local sources before your visit. MV Vacation assumes no responsibility for any loss, injury, or inconvenience resulting from the use of this information. Swim only where lifeguards are on duty, supervise children at all times near water, and follow all posted safety signs.
Your insider guide to Martha's Vineyard: beaches, dining, events, and island living. We write down what we know about the island so your trip goes the way you hoped.
EV charging on Martha's Vineyard: about 34 public stations, nearly all Level 2, listed town by town with ports and prices (Cronig's by the ferry, the Edgartown Park and Ride, town halls, libraries, the airport, the Aquinnah cliffs), the one fast-charging site in Chilmark and what we could not verify, no Supercharger, the ferry's EV rules, and how to run an electric week on a 20-mile island.
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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.
Every public restroom we know of on Martha's Vineyard, town by town: the two ferry terminals (open year-round), Kennebec Avenue in Oak Bluffs, Church Street in Edgartown, the Stop and Shop lot in Vineyard Haven, West Tisbury Town Hall, the Menemsha beach lot and the Aquinnah cliffs, which beaches have them (not State Beach), what is seasonal, and the fallbacks that work in winter.
The Hamptons or Martha's Vineyard? A New York scene two to three hours away by Jitney or train, with ocean beaches behind a $750 season permit, against a six-town island reached by an hour's flight or a day's train and boat, where every beach is free, the bus is free and the nights are quiet. Getting there, beaches, beds, towns, nightlife, children and cost, honestly.
Newport or Martha's Vineyard? A drivable Gilded Age city with the Breakers ($32), the free 3.5-mile Cliff Walk, festival weekends at Fort Adams and a late harbor front, against a six-town island reached by an $11 ferry with twenty beaches, a free bus and quiet nights. Getting there, sights, beds, nights, children, weddings, and doing both from Rhode Island.
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