If you search for a ferry in Boston you will find the Harbor Islands, Provincetown and Salem. On the day we checked, 30 October 2026, the Harbor Islands and Provincetown operators were both describing seasons that have already ended. This guide separates what runs now from what returns in season, and pairs it with the boats that run all year. Our Boston ferry page lists the water taxi and the MBTA routes in detail.
1. What is seasonal, and what is not
The Boston Harbor Islands park site says public ferries "operate from May – October", and its 2026 schedule lists a fall schedule from 10 September to 12 October, with Peddocks Island public ferry service ending for the season on 12 October 2026. That is more than two weeks before the date we checked. The page read on 30 October still lists 2025 fares, not 2026 ones, so we quote none. Departures for the islands are shown from Long Wharf North, at 66 Long Wharf, and from Hingham Shipyard.
For Provincetown, the Boston Harbor City Cruises page says the fast ferry "operates seasonally, mid-May through mid-October each year", leaves from Long Wharf in Boston and MacMillan Wharf in Provincetown, and has an average trip time of 95 minutes dock to dock. It gives no 2026 dates and says pricing varies with availability and day of week. We could not read any usable detail on the company's Salem ferry page, so we say nothing about Salem.
Boston Harbor City Cruises is the operator that the Islands park site names for island ticketing, and it is a commercial cruise company. These are operator pages, not tourism-board pages, so check each one close to your date.
2. Getting to the cruise terminal and the water
Massport runs Flynn Cruiseport Boston and publishes its own page on getting to and from the terminal, including public transport. That page refused our requests when we checked on 30 October 2026, so this guide gives no terminal address, directions or accessibility details. Read Massport's page or ask your cruise line before you travel. Our flights page can help if you are flying in.
3. The boats that run now
Boston Water Taxi is a commercial operator with its own pages. Its FAQ says it operates "year round with seasonally adjusted hours": 8AM to 8PM from 1 May to 31 October and 8AM to 5PM from 1 November to 30 April, so the shorter hours begin the day after we checked. It runs on demand, not to a timetable: you can book a time online, or call for a pick-up and give 20 to 30 minutes' notice. Once aboard, the ride is 10 to 15 minutes, and for airport trips it asks you to allow up to 45 minutes dock to terminal because of the free airport shuttle.
Its page for cruise passengers describes a service to and from Flynn Cruiseport. The operator says its pickup is about 1/3 mile from the cruise terminal, "flat and paved", that you must haul your own luggage, and that its docks are subject to tides, so the ramps "can have a very steep incline or decline". It states that if someone in your party has difficulty walking or stepping into boats, this may not be a good fit. It also offers luggage storage at Rowes Wharf. Fares as the operator's page showed on 30 October 2026: $20 one way, $10 for children 12 and under, $35 round trip; luggage storage with a one-way ticket $30. Check before you book.
The MBTA, whose ferry timetables are published as public transport, runs ferries from Hingham (Hewitts Cove) and Hull (Pemberton Point) to Rowes Wharf and to Long Wharf (North), Gate 5A, with some trips also calling at the Logan Airport ferry terminal. The timetable page showed early-morning and evening trips on the day we read it, for example 6:00 AM from Hingham to Rowes Wharf at 6:30 AM; some trips do not stop at Rowes Wharf. On 30 October 2026 the MBTA's ferry fares page listed a one-way fare of $9.75 for trips between the inner harbor and Hingham or Hull, and said that CharlieCards are not accepted on the ferry. The page's alerts tab showed a count of 3, but we could not read the text, so check the alerts before you travel. The commuter ferries are built for commuters, so a day trip needs a close look at the times.
4. Tickets, timing and the ship
Boston Water Taxi says scheduled tickets are a reservation and that on-demand pick-ups are subject to existing reservations. Its cruise page also says it can roll your ticket to the next available time if you are delayed disembarking, and, separately, that the one outbound cruise-boarding time is 11:45am and non-refundable. If you plan any harbor trip on a port call, count back from your ship's all-aboard time and add the airport or terminal margin; our guide on separate tickets and the buffer explains why.
5. Access, luggage and comfort
Boston Water Taxi says its vessels are covered and enclosed and that it operates in most weather unless the Coast Guard or the Captain deems it unsafe, that strollers must be folded, and that a taxi takes up to 40 people. The Provincetown page asks for a maximum of one piece of luggage per person because storage is limited, and says items over 45 linear inches must be surrendered to the crew at the gangway and are not accessible during the trip. We found no ferry-specific accessibility statement on the Provincetown page, nor on the MBTA ferry stop pages, which list "No parking" at the Hingham, Rowes Wharf and Long Wharf stops and say bikes are allowed on all ferry boats.
6. A plan for late autumn
In late October the realistic choices are the water taxi, the MBTA ferries, or staying on land. The island and Provincetown boats return with their seasons; read their pages in spring. Meanwhile, see the Boston ferry page for the full list.
Checked on 30 October 2026: the Boston Harbor Islands ferry-schedule page, the Boston Harbor City Cruises overview and Provincetown ferry pages, the Boston Water Taxi FAQ, how-it-works and cruise pages, and the MBTA timetable, info and fares pages. The MBTA and Salem pages were only partly readable, and the Massport Flynn Cruiseport pages refused our requests. Fares, seasons and rules change; check before you book.