“moving over 60,000 people a day”
The Staten Island Ferry provides 20 million people a year (60,000 passengers a day not including weekend days) with ferry service between St. George on Staten Island and Whitehall Street in lower Manhattan. The ferry is the only non-vehicular mode of transportation between Staten Island and Manhattan. NYC DOT operates and maintains the nine vessel fleet as well as the St. George Ferry Terminal on Staten Island, Whitehall Ferry Terminal in Manhattan, the City Island and Hart Island Facilities, The Battery Maritime Building and all floating dock building equipment. The Staten Island Ferry is run by the City of New York for one pragmatic reason: To transport Staten Islanders to and from Manhattan. Yet, the 5 mile, 25 minute ride also provides a majestic view of New York Harbor and a no-hassle, even romantic, boat ride, for free! One guide book calls it "One of the world's greatest (and shortest) water voyages." From the deck of the ferry you will have a perfect view of The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. You'll see the skyscrapers and bridges of Lower Manhattan receding as you pull away and coming into focus again as you return. A typical weekday schedule involves the use of five boats to transport approximately 60,000 passengers daily (109 daily trips). During the day, between rush hours, boats are regularly fueled and maintenance work is performed. Terminals are cleaned around the clock and routine terminal maintenance is performed on the day shift. On weekends, three boats are used (75 trips each Saturday and 68 trips each Sunday). Over 35,000 trips are made annually.
The best view of the skyline in the city and the best part is it's free. Takes about an hour and a half including the wait and the ride.
You must not miss taking the ferry! There is no need to pay any fees for taking the tour and the views you get while being there are glorious.
First of all, you get to see the Statue of Liberty. This landmark is a must to see when in New York. Also, you get to see Brooklyn Bridge which looks like its floating above the sea.
The ferry was busy but we all enjoyed meeting new people from all around the world and watch the magnificent sunset together.
I've been on the ferry many times and it's a great view of everything New York. Plus the little kid in me just loves being on the deck of a big boat watching the statue of liberty and different sailboats.
I took the Staten Island Ferry once with a group of friends because we were too cheap to pay to go to Ellis Island but still wanted to see the Statue of Liberty. The Ferry is a fascinating look at the skyline of Manhattan as well as a great way to see the Statue up close and for free, and at the end of the line gives you insight into a borough that not too many tourists to NYC get to see (Staten Island is the only place in the world I've ever been where a stranger said 'no' when I asked him to take a picture of my friends and me).
Take the subway to the ferry terminals in Lower Manhattan or Staten Island. Keep an eye on your kids since it can get pretty crowded. One-way trips are between 20 and 30 minutes. The view is hard to beat: Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, the Brooklyn Bridge, etc.
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Staten Island Ferry Whitehall Terminal
Hours
- Sun - Sat: 12:00 am - 11:59 pm
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