Staten Island Ferry: Free Ride, Schedule and Statue Views

How the free ferry works

NYC's Department of Transportation runs the ferry as a commuter service, and its schedule page is plain about the two things visitors ask first: "It is free to ride the ferry", and the trip between St. George and Whitehall takes "approximately 25 minutes" in either direction. There is no ticket to buy or tap. DOT says it carries about 22 million passengers a year, which is why boats are big and frequent.

You board through the upper-level doors. DOT's boarding rules make the upper level the default, with lower-level boarding for people using a wheelchair or walker, people holding a lower-level access letter, or anyone crew or signs direct there.

Staten Island Ferry schedule

The timetable on DOT's schedule page lists departures from both terminals at every hour of the day and night (checked 19 October 2026):

Holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, Independence Day and Memorial Day run on the weekend timetable. DOT adds that "all schedules are subject to change without notice", and its timetable PDF (dated 11/2021) says schedules may be adjusted in poor visibility or heavy weather.

Getting to Whitehall Terminal

NYC Tourism, the city's official tourism organisation, gives Whitehall Terminal's address as 4 South Street. From the subway, NYC Tourism lists the 1, N or R to South Ferry and the 4 or 5 to Bowling Green. St. George Terminal is at 1 Bay Street on Staten Island and connects with the Staten Island Railway and local buses.

Which side for the Statue of Liberty?

Neither DOT nor NYC Tourism tells you where to stand, so this is geography rather than an official rule. Liberty Island sits on the New Jersey side of the harbour, between Lower Manhattan and Jersey City; its own ferries leave from The Battery and from Liberty State Park in New Jersey. That puts it west of the Staten Island Ferry's line across Upper New York Bay. Heading out from Whitehall to Staten Island, that puts the statue on your right as you face the direction of travel; on the way back to Manhattan, it is on your left. Go by the direction the boat is moving, not by the door you came in through.

Find a spot by a window or an outside rail on that side before the boat leaves. On the return leg, the Lower Manhattan skyline is ahead of you.

Do you have to get off at St. George?

Expect to. DOT's ferry rules say that no one may remain on a ferry or in a terminal other than for transit or another purpose DOT authorises, so the boat is not a sightseeing loop. Walk off at St. George, go back into the terminal and board the next departure to Manhattan. Two 25-minute crossings plus a wait of up to 30 minutes, or 15 to 20 at weekday peaks, make the round trip about 60 to 90 minutes.

Free ferry or a paid Statue of Liberty cruise?

The free ferry gives you the statue at a distance and the skyline. It does not land anywhere near the statue. To set foot on Liberty Island or Ellis Island you need a ticket from Statue City Cruises, the only ferry operator the National Park Service authorises; the NPS fees page lists $26 for adults, $23 for seniors 62+ and $17 for ages 4 to 12 (checked 19 October 2026).