Car Space on the Island Ferries Goes Long Before Foot Passage

Two islands sit off the south side of Cape Cod, and getting to them is easy on foot and difficult with a car.

The Steamship Authority is the only ferry operator that carries automobiles to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. That is not a competitive detail, it is a structural one: if you want your car on either island, there is one company and one set of sailings.

The routes are these. Woods Hole to Vineyard Haven runs year-round, takes about 45 minutes, and carries vehicles and passengers. Woods Hole to Oak Bluffs runs seasonally, from roughly the third week of May to the third week of October, also about 45 minutes with vehicles. Hyannis to Nantucket runs year-round on a traditional ferry of around two and a quarter hours with vehicles, alongside a passenger-only high-speed catamaran of about an hour that operates from roughly mid-April to late December.

Vehicle reservations for summer weekends open well in advance and go early, frequently months before the sailing. Foot passage is a far softer constraint and can often be had close to the day.

For a day trip, the honest advice is to leave the car on the mainland. Parking at the Woods Hole and Hyannis terminals is handled through off-site lots with shuttles in summer, and both islands have bus networks, taxis and bicycle hire waiting at the terminal. You will spend less and wait less.

Other operators cover passengers only. Hy-Line Cruises runs additional fast ferries from Hyannis, and a seasonal passenger boat crosses to Oak Bluffs from Falmouth Harbor. Separately, seasonal fast ferries reach Provincetown from Boston in around ninety minutes and from Plymouth, which is a useful way to reach the tip of the Cape without touching the bridges at all.

Weather cancels sailings, particularly in fog, which is most common in May and June when warm air moves over cold water. Build a contingency into any plan that depends on a same-day return.

Schedules, seasons and reservation windows are set by the operators and change annually. Book and confirm directly.