By Plane

New England Airlines, Block Island's own airline, will fly you over from Westerly State Airport (WST), Westerly RI, to Block Island State Airport (BID) on daily flights year round. You must make advance reservations.

Westerly State Airport is on Airport Road, Westerly, off RI Route 78 (map), just over 4 miles (6.5 km) southeast of the Westerly Amtrak train station.

Ferries from Port Galilee RI

Port Galilee (Point Judith), Rhode Island, is the port with the most frequent ferry service, with six to nine daily sailings in summer by the traditional Block Island Ferry (cars, passengers, bikes) and additional sailings by the Hi-Speed Ferry (passengers & bikes, no cars), in each direction from mid-June to early September. Sailing time is less than an hour, though the entire trip takes longer because of embarking and debarking.

Traditional Car Ferry

Passengers and bicycles need no reservations, but to ship a car or motorcycle you must have reservations in advance—well in advance! January, when reservations are first available, is not too early to book. By late spring, most voyages may be fully booked.

You can book your passenger and bike ticket(s) online, but if you do, you must specify a sailing time and you cannot change it. If you buy your ticket(s) at the Galilee ticket office, however, you can take any boat, anytime. Ferries rarely fill up, so this is normally possible, and preferred. Busiest times for the ferries are beginnings and ends of weekends, particularly holiday weekends.

The Galilee agent is the Block Island Ferry, Galilee State Pier, Point Judith RI 02882 (tel 866-783-7340 or 401-783-4613). Get to the Galilee dock at least 45 minutes before sailing time.

Block Island Ferry Carol Jean steams toward Old Harbor, Block Island RI.

During spring, fall, and winter the car ferry makes fewer trips: two daily in each direction in May and early June, and late September through October; in winter, there's one trip daily.

Hi-Speed Ferry

There is also high-speed ferry service by Block Island Ferry from Galilee. The high-speed catamaran ferry carries passengers and bikes only (no cars), and makes the voyage in about 30 minutes, though tickets are more expensive than on the traditional car ferry. No reservations required. Get to the Galilee dock at least 45 minutes before sailing time.

Parking in Port Galilee

Parking for all these ferries is fairly easy, with many private lots near the docks charging about $10 per calendar day, perhaps $15 on weekends. More...

Ferry from Fall River MA & Newport RI

The Block Island Ferry also operates daily summer Hi-Speed Ferry service to Block Island from Fall River MA (State Pier, 1 Water Street near Battleship Cove), and Newport RI (Perotti Park, 39 America's Cup Avenue (see the map above).

The ferry carries passengers and bicycles only, no motor vehicles. The voyage from Fall River to Newport takes an hour, then another 75 minutes from Newport to Old Harbor, Block Island.

Seating is limited, so advance reservations (click here) are recommended.

Ferry from New London CT

Block Island Express operates passenger-ferry service in summer between the New London Ferry Dock at 2 Ferry Street, New London, CT 06320 (map), within a five-minute walk of New London's Union Station for Amtrak trains, and the Greyhound Bus Station (map), meaning that you can take a train or bus from New York City, the Connecticut Shoreline, Providence or Boston to New London, then a ferry to Block Island.

You can also take the Cross Sound Ferry (cars & passengers) from Orient Point, Long Island NY, to New London, then transfer to the Block Island Express (passengers only) ferry to reach Block Island.

On Block Island, the ferry arrives at Old Harbor.

Ferry from Montauk, Long Island NY

The Viking Fleet operates high-speed passenger ferries between Montauk, Long Island NY (map) and Block Island between late May and mid-October. The voyage takes about an hour. More...

From New York City by Bus & Ferry

In summer, Adventure Northeast Transportation Service runs special non-stop buses from New York City to New London CT, Galilee RI and Newport RI timed to connect with the ferryboats to Block Island. More...

Transportation on Block Island

Because Block Island is so small—7 miles (11 km) from one end to the other—and because ferry reservations to transport a car to the island are in such demand, walking, biking, mopeds, taxis and rental cars are favorite ways to get around. More...

—by Tom Brosnahan

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