Ferries from Block Island Ferry, New Shoreham, RI

Old Harbor on Block Island is where the ferries from the Rhode Island mainland land, a short walk from the island's hotels, restaurants and bike-hire shops. Block Island itself sits about 12 miles off the coast, and the ferry is the only scheduled way to reach it apart from a small airstrip.

Ferries to Block Island

Services are run by Interstate Navigation Company, trading as the Block Island Ferry, and come in two forms. The traditional ferry from Point Judith in Narragansett carries vehicles as well as passengers and takes about 55 minutes. The high-speed ferry is passenger-only and runs both from Point Judith and, seasonally, from Newport (Perrotti Park).

In the summer timetable there are around a dozen sailings a day in each direction on the Point Judith route, with first departures from the island at about 08:15 and the last back to the mainland at 20:30.

Fares

Passenger fares are modest: $12.30 one way for an adult, $22.60 for a same-day return and $24.60 if you come back on a different day. Seniors over 65 pay $11.80 one way and children aged 5 to 11 pay $5.15. A bicycle is $3.50 each way, an electric bicycle $9.15, and a surfboard $4.45 — though surfboard tickets cannot be bought online and must be purchased on the day of travel.

Vehicles are a different matter. A standard car costs $39.60 one way and a full-size pickup, van or SUV $48.70, with oversize vehicles charged by the foot. Vehicle fares include a fuel surcharge that changes on the 16th of each month, so a quote you saw last month may not hold.

Before you travel

Two rules catch people out. Vehicle reservations are compulsory and must be made by phone — and the vehicle ticket does not include the driver's passenger ticket, which is bought separately at the vehicle window on the day. Mopeds and motorcycles cannot be reserved at all; those tickets are sold day-of at the car window, so arrive early in peak season.

Check-in is earlier than most short crossings: with a vehicle reservation you must be at the terminal one hour before sailing, and foot passengers are advised to allow 45 minutes to an hour. Pets travel on the traditional ferry provided they stay leashed or in a carrier. On the high-speed boats, bicycles are stowed in the open on the bow.