Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard & Nantucket Ferry Schedules, Island Car Rentals and Airport Information
Courtesy of Steamship Authority
MARTHA'S VINEYARD AND NANTUCKET FERRY SCHEDULES, ISLAND CAR RENTALS, AND NANTUCKET AND MARTHA'S VINEYARD AIRPORT INFORMATION:
CAPE COD
By Plane:
Cape Air (800-352-0714) services Hyannis and Provincetown from Providence, New Bedford and Boston year-round.
U.S. Airways Express (800-428-4322) offers a limited year-round schedule of flights from Newark, New York and Boston to Hyannis.
Linear Air (877-2-LINEAR) provides regularly scheduled weekend flights to Hyannis from Hanscom Field in Bedford, MA.
By Car:
From Boston, take Route 3 (Southeast Expressway) South to the Sagamore Bridge and Route 6 (the Mid-Cape Highway). (60 miles.) From New York, take I-95 North to Providence; then take I-195 East and follow signs to Cape Cod and the Bourne Bridge. (220 miles.) From the Bourne Rotary, take Route 28 south to Falmouth and Woods Hole, or follow signs to Route 6 (the Mid-Cape Highway).
By Bus:
Service from Boston and from Boston’s Logan Airport to Hyannis is provided by Plymouth & Brockton’s Logan Direct (508-746-0378). (2 hrs. 10 mins.) Service from Hyannis to Provincetown is also available.
Bonanza Bus Lines (800-556-3815) provides service from Boston and Logan Airport to Bourne, Falmouth and the Steamship Authority terminal in Woods Hole. (2 hrs.) Service from Providence and T.F. Green Airport as well as connecting service to New York and Connecticut may also be arranged.
By Ferry:
Both regular and high-speed catamaran passenger service between Boston and Provincetown is provided from Memorial Day Weekend -Columbus Day Weekend by Bay State Cruise Company (Boston: 617-457-1428; Provincetown: 508-487-9284).
The New England Fast Ferry Company (866-453-6800) operates between Boston and Provincetown through September; Boston Harbor Cruises (617-227-4321) travels to Provincetown through mid-October.
MARTHA’S VINEYARD*
By Plane:
Cape Air (800-352-0714) provides direct flights to the island from Providence, New Bedford, Boston (33 mins.) and Hyannis (20 mins.) year-round and has ticketing/baggage agreements with most major carriers.
U.S. Airways Express (800-428-4322) offers seasonal service from Providence, New Bedford, Boston and Hyannis to Martha's Vineyard.
Linear Air (877-2-LINEAR) offers seasonal “shared charter” flights on weekends from Hanscom Field, Bedford, MA.
By Ferry:
The Steamship Authority (508-477-8600) provides passenger and limited vehicle service year-round from Woods Hole to Vineyard Haven (45 mins.) Passenger reservations are not required; advance auto reservations, however, are mandatory on weekends through mid-September.
From Falmouth, passenger-only service to Edgartown (1 hr.) is available from Falmouth Ferry Service (508-548-9400) through mid-October, on weekends only after 9/10.
Passenger service to Oak Bluffs (35 mins.) is provided from May through October on the Island Queen (508-548-4800).
From Hyannis, high-speed passenger service to Oak Bluffs is offered by Hy-Line Cruises (508-778-2600) year-round.
The New England Fast Ferry Company (866-453-6800) provides year-round service from New Bedford to Martha’s Vineyard (1 hr. 30 mins.).
Vineyard Fast Ferry (401-295-4040) operates between Quonset, RI and Oak Bluffs through mid-October.
NANTUCKET*
By Plane:
Direct flights from Providence, New Bedford, Boston (40 mins.), Hyannis and Nantucket are offered year-round by Cape Air (800-352-0714).
Seasonal service from La Guardia in New York is provided by U.S. Airways Express (800-428-4322. Non-stop flights from Hyannis (12 mins.) may also be booked with Nantucket Air (800-635-8787) and Island Air (800-698-1109).
Linear Air (877-2-LINEAR) services Nantucket with “shared charter” flights on summer weekends.
Taxis lie in wait at the airport, and rental cars can be picked up right at the airport from Windmill Auto Rentals (800-228-1227) or national franchises.
By Ferry:
Service to the island for passengers and a limited number of autos is provided year-round by the Steamship Authority (508-477-8600) out of Hyannis. (2 hrs. 15 mins.) Passenger service requires no reservation, but advance automobile reservations are required. Passenger-only service is available on the Steamship Authority's Fast Ferry (508-495-3278).
High-speed catamaran service to Nantucket from Hyannis (1 hr.) is provided year-round by Hy-line Cruises (508-778-0404).
Freedom Cruise Line, Inc. offers high-speed service from Harwich Port (508-432-8999).
*Island visitors are strongly urged to leave their private automobiles at home or on the mainland. Taxis, a host of bicycle rental firms and automobile rental companies will be found close by each island’s ferry berths; auto rentals are also available at each airport.
All schedules subject to change. Travel times are approximate and may change depending upon traffic and weather.
For additional information, maps and schedules, please visit www.SmartGuide.org.
Driving Tips:
Best times to drive to the Cape:
- Sunday through Thursday
- Fridays before 2 PM or after 9 PM
- Saturdays before 8 am or after 2 PM
Best times to leave the Cape (if you must)
- Monday – Friday (except Monday holidays between 2 – 9 PM)
- Saturdays after 2 PM
- Sundays before 1 PM or after 9 PM
Arriving: Fridays 2-9 PM. Saturdays 8 am – 2 PM
Departing: Sundays or Monday holidays 1 – 9 PM
Tips from people who live here:
Approach Cape Cod by the Bourne Bridge (Routes 195 and 495) instead of the Sagamore Bridge (Route 3) especially as major construction around the bridge resumes next spring. Some 25 percent fewer cars use the Bourne Bridge in a year’s time.
Saturday mornings and afternoons are very busy on Cape Cod roads as guests check out and arrive, and residents run errands. To save time on the road, travel to the beach or go shopping early or late in the day.
On cloudy summer days, route 28 between Yarmouth and Falmouth gets busy – so consider a bus ride on the Regional Transit Authority.
Web cameras are installed at the bridge, along the scenic highway (Route 6) by the canal and by exit 2 (outbound.)
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