The NYC Ferry Is the Best Cheap View in the City
A harbor cruise for the price of a ferry ticket. Which NYC Ferry routes have the best views, what a ride costs, and the one boat that's free.
There’s a boat by the Battery running a touristy harbor tour at cruise prices. A ten-minute walk away, a different boat does a better version of the same route for $4.50, and you can crack a beer on the top deck.
Nobody tells you this. So here.
The basics
NYC Ferry runs routes connecting all five boroughs. A one-way ride is $4.50, a little more than the subway, and a ticket stays valid for 120 minutes, so you can transfer to a different route for free. Every boat has an open-air top deck. No reservations, no cruise narration, no guy with a microphone telling you a fact about the Brooklyn Bridge you already knew.
Buy tickets in the NYC Ferry app or at the kiosk on the dock. Board, walk upstairs, done.
Yes, you can have a beer on it
Most boats have a concession counter that sells beer, and you carry it up to the top deck and watch the skyline slide past. It is one of the best cheap moments in the city. They pour one per ID at a time, two a person, and you finish it before you step off.
People bring their own. Officially they are not supposed to, and nobody has ever made a scene about a quiet can on the top deck, so read the room and don’t be the reason that changes.
Be normal about it. A beer on a boat with the skyline going past is a good thing that exists because people haven’t ruined it, and the way it keeps existing is by nobody ruining it.
Best NYC Ferry routes for views
Rockaway-Soundview (Wall St / Pier 11 → Rockaway). The marquee ride. You leave the harbor, pass under the Verrazzano, hit genuinely open water, and watch the skyline shrink behind you. About an hour, and it does not feel like an hour. When you land, you’re at the best beach in the city, which is the argument in NYC beaches are underrated.
South Brooklyn (Pier 11 through DUMBO, Red Hook and Sunset Park). The Brooklyn Bridge from underneath, Governors Island off the starboard side, and the Statue of Liberty small and green in the distance. Best value per minute on the system.
East River (Pier 11 → DUMBO → Williamsburg → Greenpoint → Long Island City → E 34th). Technically a commuter route. Functionally a skyline tour that happens to also take people to work.
St. George (Midtown West → Battery Park City → Staten Island). Runs down the Hudson past the west side. Underrated at sunset.
And the free one
The Staten Island Ferry is a completely separate boat, and it is free. Always. It runs 24 hours a day, every day, forever.
It gives you the best straight-on view of the Statue of Liberty in the city. Ride out, walk through the St. George terminal, ride back. Total cost: nothing. There is no better deal in New York, and it’s been free since 1997. Nobody near it needs to sell you anything, so walk past the ticket sellers on the way in. Here’s how the Staten Island Ferry scam works.
Tips that actually matter
- Top deck. Always. Going inside defeats the entire purpose.
- Heading south from Pier 11, the right side gets you the Statue.
- Sunset sailings are the best ride on the system, and they cost exactly the same as every other sailing.
- It’s a boat. Weather delays and cancellations happen. Check the app before you walk down there.
- Bring a layer. It’s noticeably colder on the water, and the wind on the top deck is real.
- Weekday middays are nearly empty. On summer weekend afternoons, you’ll be standing.
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