10 Best Ferry & Boat Rides in New York City (Costs & Tips, 2026)

Completely free, always has been since 1997, and the 25-minute crossing passes within camera range of the Statue of Liberty and the Lower Manhattan skyline — a view Statue Cruises charges $25+ for from the other direction. Sit on the right side heading toward Staten Island for the best angle.

This is the only ferry actually allowed to land on Liberty Island — every other boat just circles it from the water. $30 covers round-trip transport plus the Statue of Liberty Museum and Ellis Island's immigration museum; book the Pedestal or Crown add-on weeks ahead if you want to climb, since those sell out fast.

Three hours, a full loop around Manhattan, and a running commentary that actually points out what you're looking at — the Little Red Lighthouse under the George Washington Bridge, Yankee Stadium, the Brooklyn Navy Yard, all in one trip. Pricing moves with demand, generally $45-55, so a Wednesday-in-February sail costs less than a Saturday in July.

A genuinely car-free island with its own hills, hammocks, and a fort sits five minutes from Lower Manhattan by ferry — five dollars round trip from the Battery Maritime Building, or entirely free if you catch a weekend departure before 11am. Rent a bike once you're there instead of walking; the island is bigger than it looks from the ferry.

$4.50 flat fare — the same price as a single subway ride — for a boat that runs the length of the East River past the UN building, both bridges, and Roosevelt Island, ending in Astoria's waterfront. Nobody advertises this as a sightseeing cruise, which is exactly why it's not full of tourists.

The longest of NYC Ferry's routes, out past the Verrazzano Bridge and along the open water to the actual ocean beach at Rockaway — still just the standard $4.50 fare, no premium for the extra distance. An hour each way, so it's a real half-day trip, not a quick loop.

Unlike a fixed-route cruise, this one lets you actually get off at each stop — Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge Park, World Trade Center — and back on again whenever you're ready, all on the same ticket. One $20 pass covers the whole day, genuinely useful as point-to-point transport rather than a loop back to where you started.

An hour out of Manhattan by ferry lands you on a genuine ocean beach with dune trails and a lighthouse, at $60 round trip. Tickets are digital-only and must be booked ahead; there's no walking up to the pier and paying cash.

From Bay Ridge up through Sunset Park and Red Hook, this route covers a stretch of the Brooklyn harbor most visitors — and plenty of longtime residents — never actually see from the water. Same $4.50 flat fare as every other NYC Ferry route.

Not scenic, not narrated, not calm — this is a 70-foot jet boat hitting 45mph down the Hudson with music blasting and everyone getting soaked on purpose, closer to a theme-park ride than a harbor cruise. $34 for thirty minutes, including a close pass by the Statue of Liberty at full speed.