Ferries from Long Wharf (North) - Gate 5B

Long Wharf (North) Gate 5B is the boarding point for the MBTA's East Boston Ferry, the shortest crossing in Boston Harbor's public-boat network. The wharf juts into the harbor beside Christopher Columbus Park and the Marriott Long Wharf hotel in downtown Boston, a two-minute walk from the Aquarium stop on the Blue Line. Gate 5B is the specific berth on the north side of the wharf; travellers should not confuse it with Long Wharf (South), on the far side of the hotel, where the year-round Charlestown Navy Yard ferry (route F4) loads.

From Gate 5B, boats run straight across the inner harbor to Lewis Mall Wharf at 65 Lewis Street in East Boston, a crossing of roughly ten minutes that replaces a slow, indirect trip through the Sumner Tunnel or a couple of transfers on the T. Departures run about every half hour through the day, with service concentrated on weekday commuting hours, and the East Boston line is seasonal, typically operating from spring into late autumn rather than year-round.

Fares are the ferry system's cheapest. The East Boston Ferry is priced as a Zone 1A trip at $2.40 one-way, with a reduced fare of $1.10, and it accepts CharlieCards and CharlieTickets, mTicket mobile passes and Commuter Rail Zone 1A passes, so a regular commuter's existing pass usually covers the boat. Payment is validated onboard rather than through a fare gate.

Boarding is first-come, first-served, and the East Boston run has drawn heavy ridership in recent seasons, so lines at Gate 5B can build at peak times. Because dock height shifts with the tide and vessels vary, the gangway can be steep; riders needing step-free access should check conditions before travelling. For a harbor-front hotel district that also feeds the Hingham, Hull, Lynn and Logan Airport boats from adjacent berths, Gate 5B is the compact, low-cost link to the East Boston shore.