Nantucket
Travel and Transportation

Sea - Air - Car

Nantucket may be an offshore island, but it's not hard to get here. You may reach it by regularly scheduled air service, aircraft charters, private aircraft, ferry, or private boat.

Many visitors love to fly in because the aerial views are spectacular and the speedy flights give you added time to enjoy the island. Bear in mind, however, that it costs roughly two-thirds more to fly to Nantucket than to take the ferry.

If you're flying in, you'll arrive at Nantucket Memorial Airport.

Nantucket By Sea

Journeying to the island by water, you get a feel for what Gosnold saw and felt upon that May day in 1602 when he first made his discovery. Yet, for a singular treat, make the journey after nightfall and watch as Nobska Light of Woods Hole, West Chop Lighthouse of Vineyard Haven, and East Chop Lighthouse of Oak Bluffs beam across the waves to one another like a triangle of lovers.
Once you've decided that you're going to travel to the island via water, you then have to decide how. Here are your options.

Ferries

Freedom Cruise Lines

Saquatucket Harbor, Mass. Rt. 28, Harwichport
(508) 432-8999
www.capecod.net/freedom

Sailing from Saquatucket Harbor in Harwich-port, this line is a real boon to Lower Cape-based residents and visitors. It provides seasonal (mid-May through mid-October) passenger-only service to Nantucket and offers private charters too. Travel time is 90 minutes. The 66-foot boat has a bar and snack bar. The round-trip cost is $39 for adults and $34 for children 12 and younger.

Hy-Line

Ocean Street Dock, Hyannis
(508) 778-2600
Straight Wharf, Nantucket
(508) 228-3949
www.hy-linecruises.com

Hy-Line offers seasonal (May through October) passenger-only ferry service between Nantucket and Hyannis from May to October. Reservations are not required, and the trip takes about two hours. The cost is $12 one way and $24 round trip for adults, and $6 one way, $12 round trip, for children ages 5 to 12 (children 4 and younger ride free). First-class tickets cost $21 each way. The number of daily departures ranges from six in season to one in late spring and fall. Hy-Line also offers seasonal ferry service between Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. Hy-Line also operates a luxurious high-speed catamaran that makes trips to Nantucket all year round. The Grey Lady II, launched in November 1997 as a successor to the original Grey Lady that began the service in 1995, seats 70 and makes six round trips daily to Nantucket. Travel time is now less than one hour. One-way for adults is $31 ($55 round trip), and tickets for children 12 and younger are $25 ($40 round trip). Children younger than 1 ride for free. Reservations are strongly advised for the Grey Lady II because of its limited seating capacity; call (508) 778-0404. You can bring your bicycle on any of Hy-Line's boats for an additional charge of $5 one way or $10 round trip.

The Steamship Authority

S. Dock St. Hyannis
(508) 477-8600 reservations,(508) 540-1394 TDD
www.islandferry.com

The Steamship Authority provides year-round transportation to Nantucket from Hyannis for passengers, vehicles, bicycles, and pets. Reservations are required for vehicles but not for passengers. With indoor and outdoor seating, the ferries can accommodate about 1,000 passengers. Each vessel has a full concession stand and a bar that serves beer and wine. If you decide to leave your car behind, parking costs $7.50 per day. The trip takes about two hours and one-quarter hours. The fare is $12.50 one way, $25 round trip, for adults; and $6.25 one way or $12.50 round trip for children ages 5 to 12. Children younger than 5 ride free. Bring your bicycle along for an additional $5 each way. In season the ferries make six daily departures from Hyannis (three in the off-season), with additional ferries scheduled at major holidays, when the island draws larger than normal crowds for such events as the Christmas Stroll and Daffodil Festival. (See our Annual Events section in this chapter.) Reservations for an automobile cost $115 one way, or $230 round trip, from May 15 to October 14. The fare is reduced in winter. If you are bringing a car, you must make your reservations several months in advance. The Steamship Authority recommends that you (1) have several alternatives for departure dates, and (2) arrive at least 30 minutes before departure to avoid having your space released. Be aware that the penalty for canceling an auto reservation can be as high as the full-ticket price. Refunds will be given only if the reservation is cancelled at least 14 days in advance; after that it is possible to reschedule without a refund. The Steamship Authority also operates a year-round high-speed catamaran, whose travel time between Hyannis and Nantucket is just one hour. Fares are $23 one way, or $42 round trip, for adults; and $17.25 one way, or $31.50 round trip for children ages 5 to 12; children younger than 5 ride free.

Private Boat

The boating crowd will find superb facilities within Nantucket harbor, which has moorings, tie-ups, fuel, and food service. Most of the island's restaurants, accommodations, and attractions are within easy walking distance.
Town Pier at (508) 228-7260
Nantucket Boat Basin at (508) 228-1333 or (800) NAN-BOAT
Nantucket Moorings at (508) 228-4472.

Marine supplies

Island Marine Service, (508) 228-9095
Madaket Marine, (508) 228-9086
Nantucket Ship Chandlery, (508) 228-2300, at the harbor.

Back to top -->

Nantucket By Air

Nantucket Memorial Airport

30 Macy Ln., Nantucket
(508) 325-5300

Off Old South Road, Nantucket Memorial Airport is the second most active commercial airport in Massachusetts. Shuttle service is available from Logan Airport in Boston, Hyannis, Martha's Vineyard, and New Bedford, all in Massachusetts, as well as from Green Airport in Providence, Rhode Island, La Guardia in New York City, and Newark International Airport in New Jersey. The facility is open year-round.
Surprisingly, for a small island, the airport terminal is quite accommodating with an information desk, a restaurant, ATM machine, gift shop, and car rental agencies. Taxi service is available, but if you call ahead to make arrangements, most of the resorts offer a shuttle service. The Nantucket Regional Transit Authority shuttle service runs from June 1 to September 30 and goes from one end of the island to the other.
Nantucket Memorial Airport accommodates anything from twin-engine Cessnas to 19-seat Beechwoods and jets. For private planes, the airport offers servicing and repair facilities; fuel is available 24 hours a day.
The following charter and commercial airlines are at Nantucket Memorial Airport.

Cape Air

(508) 771-6944, (800) 352-0714
www.flycapeair.com

Cape Air offers hourly flights, with year-round shuttle service between Hyannis and Nantucket, and regular service from New Bedford, Boston, and Martha's Vineyard. In the peak season the company offers more than seven flights daily from Boston. Flights from Hyannis leave every hour on the half-hour; these are approximately 15-minute flights that cost $74 round trip. Flights from Boston leave at hour intervals at fifteen minutes past the hour. These approximately 50-minute flights cost $237 (for a round trip). Round-trip fare from New Bedford is $229; this flight takes approximately 25 minutes. Charter service is also available.

Continental Airlines Express

(800) 272-5488
www.continental.com

This carrier offers non-jet, regular, year-round service from Newark, New Jersey to Nantucket with fares starting at $187 for a weekday flight booked 14 days advance; you must stay over a Saturday.

Island Airlines

(508) 228-7575, (800) 248-7779
www.islandairlines.com

Island Airlines, a Nantucket-owned business, offers over 21 scheduled flights daily year-round between Hyannis and Nantucket. Flights leave every 40 minutes throughout the day and round-trip fare is $74.

Nantucket Airlines

(508) 228-6234, (800) 635-8787
www.nantucketairlines.com

Nantucket Airlines, affiliated with Cape Air, flies between Nantucket and Hyannis. Flights leave from Hyannis on the half-hour and Nantucket on the hour every day. The 12 to 15 minute flights cost $74 round trip.

Ocean Wings Air Charter

(800) 253-5039
www.oceanwings.com

Since 1990, Ocean Wings has been the only Nantucket-based air-charter service. It offers 24-hour year-round service to any New England, U.S., or Canadian destination. This company has a private hangar and offers flight instruction. Ocean Wings also has winter service based in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.

USAir Express

(800) 428-4322

This carrier provides five daily flights in season to Boston, with connecting flights to La Guardia and also to Martha's Vineyard. A flight from New York's La Guardia Airport to Nantucket will range from $158 to $716, depending upon arrangements; from Boston's Logan Airport it costs between $158 and $342.

Back to top -->

Getting Around Nantucket By Car (Bike or Moped)

Nantucket Town is the main part of the 50-square-mile island, which has only a few paved roads. Madaket Road leads to the community of Madaket, about 5.5 miles from town. Hummock Road leads to Cisco Beach, about 4.5 miles away; Surfside Road leads to Surfside Beach, about 2.5 miles from town; and Siasconset is about 9 miles from town along Milestone Road. Take Polpis and then Wauwinet Road to get to Wauwinet, an area roughly 5.5 miles from town. Past Wauwinet is conservation land on Great Point. The Nantucket Memorial Airport is about 2.5 miles from town.

One important piece of advice concerning cars is politely but firmly spelled out in the Nantucket Chamber of Commerce guidebook: "We strongly recommend you leave your vehicle behind." As the guidebook states, Nantucket Town was designed in the 1700s, and its cobblestone streets and narrow lanes are not conducive to high-volume traffic. Streets become congested with traffic, especially during the summer months, and parking can be difficult, if not impossible. Simplify your stay by leaving your car behind. You really don't need a car here, particularly for daytrips; you can walk to just about anyplace in town and get out of town by bike, bus, or taxi. We actually welcome the freedom of not having a car during our stays; it seems to immerse us more completely in the far-away-from-the-world feeling that being on Nantucket brings.

If you won't part with your car, be prepared to part with your money, because it is expensive to bring a car to the island (see the Ferry Service section); consider renting a car instead.
You'll need a beach vehicle permit to drive on beaches; contact the Nantucket Police Department, (508) 228-1212. A special permit is also required for driving on property managed by the Nantucket Conservation Foundation, (508) 228-0006 (from late-May through mid-October) or (508) 228-2884.
Permits cost $75 per year (no daily rate).
There are no in-town parking lots, only street parking; it's free, but the one-hour limit is enforced. A final note: Nantucket has many one-way streets, so watch for signs.

Nantucket Car Rentals and Taxis

Once on the island, transportation is not difficult to arrange. Taxis meet incoming flights at the airport and incoming ferries downtown. Car rental agencies are at the airport and in town.

Nantucket Windmill Auto

at the airport
(508) 228-1227, (800) 228-1227

If you prefer the four-wheel-drive variety, this year-round full-service agency has a fleet of Jeeps, Wranglers, and Explorers, along with the more traditional sedans, vans, and station wagons. They also provide free pickup service at your hotel or guesthouse or at the Steamship Authority.

Affordable Rentals

6 S. Beach Street, Nantucket
(508) 228-3501

Budget Rent A Car

at the airport
(508) 228-5666 or (800) 486-5666

Hertz Car Rental

at the airport
(508) 228-9421 or (800) 654-3131

Nantucket By Shuttle Bus

A highly successful means of coping with traffic and transportation has been the use of shuttle buses, which run seasonally. It may even bring romance: a few years ago, a couple who met on the shuttle were married on Nantucket!

Nantucket Regional Transit Authority

(508) 228-7025, (508) 325-0788 TDD
www.town.nantucket.ma.us/departments/nrta

Nantucket Regional Transit Authority has expanded its seasonal shuttle service to serve the entire island, with routes to Sconset and Madaket and loops out to Surfside Road (there is no service to Surfside Beach) and Miacomet. Downtown shuttle stops are on Washington Street and Salem Street; other stops are on the routes. The South Loop bus runs every 15 minutes and costs 50 cents, as does the Miacomet Loop bus, which runs every 20 minutes. Two different routes run regularly to Sconset (one via Polpis Road and one via Old South Road/Nobadeer Farm Road) and cost $1; there is no service to the airport. Service to Madaket runs every 30 minutes and costs $1.
Three-day, weekly, monthly, and season passes are available. Senior citizens older than 65 and children 6 and younger ride free. Buses are wheelchair accessible and have bicycle racks. Service runs from June 1 to September 30, seven days a week from 7 AM to 11:30 PM.
Park-and-ride lots are at the elementary school, The Muse, The Chicken Box, The Pines Restaurant, Nobadeer Mini-Golf and Silver Street parking lot.
There is also a summer beach shuttle service to Surfside and Jetties Beaches from downtown. Fares are $1 each way to Surfside Beach and 50 cents each way to Jetties Beach.

Back to top -->

Nantucket Travel and Transportation