Yes. It is the best free thing in New York, full stop. You get a 25-minute boat ride past the Statue of Liberty with the entire Lower Manhattan skyline behind you, and it costs nothing.
There, settled. My husband and I have ridden it more times than I can count, with visiting friends and on our own, and it never gets old.
But “worth it” comes with a few rules, because there is a way to do this ferry that feels like magic and a way to do it that feels like a commute. Here is everything I would tell you before you go.
First, the thing nobody believes
It is free. Actually free. No ticket, no fare, no tap.
I have to lead with this because the single most common mistake people make is paying for it. There are people near the terminal who will happily sell you a “Statue of Liberty ferry ticket,” and if you have a ticket in your hand, you got scammed. You walk onto the Staten Island Ferry the way you walk into a park. Just go in.
The city has run this ferry for over a century as public transit. The fact that it sails right past Lady Liberty is, as far as your wallet is concerned, a happy accident.
What you actually get
The ferry runs between Whitehall Terminal at the southern tip of Manhattan and St. George Terminal on Staten Island. The crossing is about five miles and takes roughly 25 minutes each way.
In those 25 minutes you pass within clear view of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, you watch the Manhattan skyline shrink behind you (and then grow back on the return), and you get the harbor breeze and the gulls and the whole feeling of being on the water in New York. It is genuinely beautiful.
It is not a guided cruise. Nobody narrates. You will not dock at the statue. But for a free 50-minute round trip, the views punch absurdly above their price, which is zero.
And there is something about doing it on a working commuter boat, rather than a tourist cruise, that makes it feel more like a real piece of New York and less like a packaged experience. You are riding the same ferry that thousands of Staten Islanders take to work every day. It is the city’s actual transit, and it just happens to come with one of the best views on earth. I find that genuinely charming every time.
The boats themselves are big, sturdy, orange, and unglamorous, with both indoor seating and open outdoor decks at the front and back. Head for an outdoor deck. The whole point is the air and the view, and you do not get either through a window.
The rule that makes or breaks it, which side to stand on
This is the one piece of advice that actually matters, so I am putting it in bold.
Leaving Manhattan, stand on the RIGHT side (starboard). Coming back from Staten Island, stand on the LEFT side (port). That is the side the Statue of Liberty is on.
Get there a few minutes early, walk straight through to the correct railing, and claim your spot. On a busy boat the good side fills fast. We always head right for the rail the moment the doors open, and we have never regretted the small hustle.
If you forget everything else in this post, remember the side.
When to go
Timing changes everything here. The ferry runs 24 hours a day, every day of the year, which is wonderful, but the crowd swings wildly.
Avoid weekday rush hours, roughly 6 to 9:30am and 3:30 to 8pm, when the boats run frequently but fill up with Staten Island commuters who are not there for the view and would like you to stop standing in the doorway. The sweet spot for a relaxed ride with room at the railing is mid-morning, around 10 to 11:30am, or in the evening after 7pm.
My favorite is the sunset ferry. Catch a late-afternoon boat over, do a little something on the Staten Island side, and ride back as the skyline lights up. The return view of glittering Lower Manhattan is the best part of the whole trip, and most people never see it because they go back too early.
Should you actually get off in Staten Island?
Here is where I will be honest with you, because most guides dodge this.
You do not have to. Plenty of people ride to St. George, walk off the boat, loop around the terminal, and get right back on the next ferry. That is a completely valid way to do it, and it still gives you both directions of the view. If you are short on time, just do that.
But if you have an extra hour or two, the St. George neighborhood right by the terminal is worth a wander. A few steps from the boat you have the Staten Island Museum, the National Lighthouse Museum, the beautifully restored St. George Theatre, and Empire Outlets, the city’s only outlet mall, if you are in the mood to shop. There is also a small ballpark on the waterfront, SIUH Community Park, home to the Staten Island FerryHawks, where a summer minor-league game comes with a skyline backdrop.
It is a low-key afternoon, not a blockbuster one. But the views back toward Manhattan from the Staten Island side are gorgeous, and it turns a quick ride into a real little outing.
One small tip if you do get off. The terminal building itself has a big upper-level viewing area looking straight back at the Manhattan skyline, and it is worth pausing there for a few minutes before you wander out. It is one of the better free skyline views in the city, and almost everyone walks right past it.
How this pairs with the rest of a day
The smart way to use the ferry is to fold it into a Lower Manhattan afternoon, because it leaves from the very bottom of the island and everything good is right there.
The terminal is steps from Battery Park, where you can already see the harbor and the statue from shore. From there it is a short walk to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, the Oculus, Wall Street and the Charging Bull, and the Stone Street historic district if you want a drink afterward. My usual loop is to wander the Financial District in the late afternoon, catch the sunset ferry, and come back glowing.
So even if the ferry itself is only an hour of your day, it slots perfectly into a downtown plan you were probably going to make anyway. That is part of why it is such an easy yes.
A few practical notes
You cannot bring a car (the public ferry is foot passengers only), so do not even think about driving on. Come on foot, by subway (the 1 train ends right at Whitehall, and the R and W are a block away), or by bike.
There are bathrooms and snacks at both terminals, and a snack bar onboard, but I would just bring a coffee.
And dress for the water. It is meaningfully windier and cooler out in the harbor than it is on shore, especially at night and in the shoulder seasons. I have been caught shivering in a cute outfit more than once. Bring a layer.
Who should skip it
If it is gray, foggy, or pouring, skip it. The entire payoff is the view, and a socked-in harbor gives you nothing but a wet railing.
If you are truly down to your last hour in the city and the statue is your one goal, know that this ferry passes the statue but does not stop at it. For that you want a dedicated Statue and Ellis Island ferry, which costs money and takes most of a day.
Everyone else? Go. It is free, it is iconic, and it is the rare New York thing that completely lives up to itself.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Staten Island Ferry really free?
Yes, completely. The City of New York runs it as public transit, so there is no ticket and no fare of any kind. If anyone near the terminal tries to sell you a “ticket” for it, walk away, because that is a scam. You just walk on board.
How long does the Staten Island Ferry take?
The crossing is about 25 minutes each way, so a round trip is roughly 50 minutes plus whatever time you spend on the Staten Island side. The ferry runs 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
Which side of the ferry has the Statue of Liberty?
Leaving Manhattan, stand on the right (starboard) side. Coming back from Staten Island, switch to the left (port) side. That is the side the statue passes on, so claim a spot at that railing a few minutes before the boat leaves.
Do you have to get off in Staten Island?
No. Many people ride to St. George, loop around the terminal, and hop back on the next boat, which still gives you the full view in both directions. But if you have an hour to spare, the St. George area has museums, a historic theater, an outlet mall, and a waterfront ballpark worth a quick visit.
What is the best time to ride the Staten Island Ferry?
Aim for mid-morning, around 10 to 11:30am, or the evening after 7pm, when the boats are calmer than during weekday rush hours. A sunset ride over and a ride back after dark, when the Manhattan skyline lights up, is the best version of the trip.
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