TRAVELING TO NANTUCKET
Flights from Boston to Nantucket
Cape Air and JetBlue offer direct flights to and from Boston and Nantucket. This is the most reliable air route to get to Nantucket Island. Cape Air provides year-round flights, while JetBlue typically is only a seasonal service.
Non-stop flights fly into Nantucket Memorial Airport (ACK) from New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Charlotte, and Washington DC through various airlines, including Jet Blue, American Airlines, Delta Airlines, and other regional airlines.
Driving from Boston to Nantucket
Many New Englanders love to visit Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket. Driving from Boston to one of the various Cape towns is almost a rite of passage. The Sagamore Bridge (and Bourne Bridge) are the Cape’s gateways. If you want to bring your car to Nantucket, putting a car on the car ferry is a more expensive option than the fast ferry. Booking your car’s spot ahead of time is strongly recommended, as places fill up quickly. 2025 bookings on Steamship Authority, which is the only vehicle ferry we have, will not be available until MARCH 2025. The Steamship vehicle ferry takes 2hr 15min vs. the fast ferry, which is 1 hour. If you want to drive your car to Hyannis, leave it on the mainland and take the fast ferry over. Hyline and Steamship both have on-site parking options available.
Nantucket Ferries
There are plenty of ferry options to get to Nantucket. You don’t have to be on Cape Cod to get here. You can get to Nantucket via traditional or high-speed ferry services from Hyannis Hy-Line Cruises and Steamship Authority, Harwich port (Freedom Cruise Line), Martha’s Vineyard (Hy-line Ferry), New Bedford (Seastreak High-Speed Ferry) New York City, and New Jersey (also Seastreak High-Speed Ferry).
The high-speed ferry is the most popular option for people wanting to get from the mainland to Nantucket. Typically, the travel time from dock to dock on this service is one hour. This year-round service typically has 5-6 scheduled between the two docks but adds more during the summer.
Hy-Line Cruises and Steamship Authority from Hyannis have round-trip adult prices starting at $90.
Train from Boston to Nantucket
The train is an excellent option for visiting Nantucket from Boston. While only a seasonal offering (Memorial Day to Labor Day), the CapeFLYER, which the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority operates, offers an excellent weekend passenger service from Boston to Hyannis.
The train departs from South Station in Boston and ends in Hyannis Harbor near the ferry dock! It also stops in Braintree, Brockton, Middleborough/Lakeville, Wareham Village, and Buzzards Bay.
Round-trip adult prices start at $40 from South Station to the end of the line in Hyannis.
Bus from Boston to Nantucket
Finally, catching a bus from Boston to the Cape and then taking the boat to Nantucket is your most reliable and affordable option. Busses run multiple times daily during the peak season, and numerous companies exist. What’s great about the bus option is that you can get one directly from Logan Airport to the Hyannis Transportation Center.
Plymouth & Brockton and Peter Pan are the two most popular bus companies that will get you out of the smelly parking lot and breathe fresh Cape Cod air in around 2 hours of travel time. Purchasing your tickets beforehand from each of the company’s websites or at a kiosk near baggage claim at Logan Airport is recommended.
The coaches are well-appointed, clean, and comfy. So relax and have a nap before the ferry ride to Nantucket!
Adult tickets (return) start at $29, and kids pay $24.
