More than a means of transportation, the Staten Island Ferry is an attraction in itself.
Without paying anything, you can enjoy a 25-minute river ride from Lower Manhattan to Staten Island.
You’ll see the Statue of Liberty and remarkable views of New York Harbor or the Manhattan skyline.
The Staten Island Ferry operates 24 hours a day and serves beer until midnight 😉
Boarding the Staten Island ferry
Before boarding the ferry, you can wait in the waiting room, which has toilets and free WiFi access.
There are 104 ferries making the crossing each day, so the wait is usually short. No papers are required to board but security is provided around the ships and at the terminal.
If you were worried about waiting too long, the Staten Island Ferry is huge and can take a lot of passengers.
There are 80,000 people who board each day and during peak hours, the number of shuttles is doubled from 06:00 to 09:30 and from 15:30 to 20:00, there is a ferry every 15 to 20 minutes and the rest of the time one every 30 to 60 minutes.
It leaves visitors at the St George Ferry Terminal, close to the Staten Island Museum and the St George Theatre, a few bus stops from the Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden.
The latter is an educational and entertainment space (a former retirement home for seafarers) encompassing many institutions whose different offerings should appeal to all age groups.
These include the Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art, the Noble Maritime Collection and the Staten Island Children’s Museum.
A short walk from the ferry terminal is the Richmond County Bank Ballpark, home of the minor league baseball team, the Staten Island Yankees (they play from June through early September).
See a game at this intimate stadium with great views of the waterfront from the bleachers.
