Many people fly from Boston to Nantucket, but if you are looking for a more economical means of transportation, you will want to take a bus and a ferry. Before figuring out where to go to catch your ride, it is important to get online and check the schedules for both the bus to Hyannis and the ferry to Nantucket. You can check the bus schedule through the Plymouth and Brockton Street Railway Company at http://www.p-b.com.
Boston has its own bus terminal, South Station, where you can purchase tickets and catch your ride. You want to ride the bus that takes you to Hyannis. It takes about an hour and forty-five minutes to arrive at the Cape, and the bus will make a few stops along the way. You want to get out at the last stop, which will be Hyannis. At the bus terminal in Hyannis there is a free phone where you can call a shuttle from the Steamship Authority to come and take you to the ferry docks. It is just about a half mile walk down to the end of Pleasant Street if you would like to see a little bit of the Cape before boarding the ferry.
The schedule for the ferry can be found at www.SteamshipAuthority.com. You will see that there are two different types of ferries you can take through the Steamship Authority from Cape Cod to Nantucket. There is a fast ferry, which will get you to the island in about an hour. A one-way adult ticket on this ferry is $32.50 per person. There is also the traditional ferry that takes about two hours. The traditional ferry is about half the price, with an adult ticket only costing $16.50 each way. We took the traditional ferry wanting to save some travel money.
Travel Tips and Info:
- The bus station at South Station Transportation Center in Boston can be reached on foot or from the Red T Line.
- You can load your baggage onto a small cart before getting on the ferry. Be sure to tell someone working for the Steamship Authority which ferry you are riding and they will direct you to the right cart to load your bags. You bags will be driven off the ferry very shortly after you arrive on Nantucket.
- The Steamship Authority has free WiFi throughout the whole trip. It works best if you go to the upper level of the ferry.
- Depending on traffic in and out of Boston, the bus ride may take longer than an hour and forty-five minutes.
- Bring a jacket or something warm to layer in because the buses are very air conditioned and can get cold.
Important Links:
- South Station Transportation Center location/map
- Steamship Authority Dock (at the end of Pleasant Street) in Hyannis
- Plymouth and Brockton Street Railway Company
- Steamship Authority-Nantucket
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