Towns · Martha’s Vineyard
Six towns, and the places between them
Down-island is the ferry ports and the walkable centres. Up-island is farmland, hills and the road running out. Which end you are on decides the whole day.
The six towns
The old whaling port: white captains’ houses, the lighthouse, and the restaurants that fill in summer.
Gingerbread cottages, Ocean Park, the Flying Horses carousel, and most of the island’s nightlife.
The year-round ferry port. Bookshops, boatyards and the harbour that never fully empties.
Farmland, artisan studios and Alley’s General Store, trading since 1858.
Wampanoag land, the clay cliffs and the westernmost point on the island.
Districts and villages worth their own guide
A commercial fishing village at the end of the road, and the sunset the island turns out for.
Three miles of open Atlantic, the airfield, and the seasonal beach bus.
An island off the island. Remote beaches, Mytoi garden, and no bus service.
Each town shows a different side of island life. The shorthand locals use: down-island means Edgartown, Oak Bluffs and Vineyard Haven: the ferry ports, most of the restaurants and the walkable centres. Up-island is West Tisbury, Chilmark and Aquinnah, where the roads narrow, the farms start and the last few miles take longer than the map suggests.
A
B
CA: the Edgartown light at the harbour mouth; B: the Grange Hall in West Tisbury, built 1859; C: the clay cliffs at Aquinnah, the far end of the road.
Know Before You Go
How the island is laid out
Edgartown, Oak Bluffs and Vineyard Haven. The ferries land here, the bus runs frequently, and you can do a whole trip on foot.
West Tisbury, Chilmark and Aquinnah. Farms, hills and far fewer services. A car or a bike helps; the bus runs, but less often.
Chilmark and West Tisbury do not sell spirits. Restaurants there pour beer and wine or ask you to bring your own.
Chappaquiddick is reached by the On Time ferry from Edgartown, a 527-foot crossing, and no VTA service on the other side.
Keep Reading
Keep exploring
Walk each town before you choose one
Unedited walking tours, filmed at pavement pace.
Edgartown Martha's Vineyard Walking Tour
Main Street Vineyard Haven, Martha's Vineyard Walking Tour
Vineyard Haven Main Street , Martha's Vineyard Virtual Walking Tour
Circuit Avenue Oak Bluffs Walking Tour
Walking Tour Vineyard Haven Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts
Martha's Vineyard Walking Tours Hyperlapse