Brooklyn is getting year-round ferry service to Governors Island

By Brooklyn Magazine Staff

A trip to an inaccessible island sounds nice in the winter—and now that’s possible with a new NYC Ferry route.

The caveat is that we’re talking Governors Island, so the weather is still frigid. But, it’s a lot easier to get there from Brooklyn year-round now, thanks to newly-established ferry service beginning Monday that links Brooklyn and the island. Ferry service to and from Manhattan will also continue.

NYC Ferry’s South Brooklyn route will stop at Governors Island in between Sunset Park/Brooklyn Army Terminal and Red Hook/Atlantic Basin stops. The ferry service runs between 7 a.m. and about 6 p.m. daily with fewer stops on the weekend, according to the schedule.

Starting Monday, January 24th, year-round NYC Ferry service to-and-from Governors Island will begin on the South Brooklyn route! For updated SB route schedules & information about @Gov_Island’s hours, visit https://t.co/pglORYXMch pic.twitter.com/Xa9cIr7vwL

— NYC Ferry (@NYCferry) January 20, 2022

During the high season summer weekends, the Trust will also continue to run its shuttle from Brooklyn Bridge Park-Pier 6 and Red Hook.

NYC Ferry’s Coney Island route will also launch in late 2022, at which point the South Brooklyn route will terminate at Governors Island. Bay Ridge will be absorbed into the new Coney Island Route, which will “provide direct faster access to Pier 11 in Lower Manhattan and Sunset Park will continue to have express service to Pier 11 on the Rockaway route,” the ferry service said. Sunset Park will continue to have express service to Pier 11 on the Rockaway route.

“Having daily, year-round ferry service will not only expand access to Governors Island for residents and visitors alike, it will open the door for more Brooklynites to enjoy this fantastic New York treasure,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso in a press release. He called it a “win-win for all New Yorkers.”

There’s actually plenty of things to do on Governors Island in the winter that will brighten up your dreary Instagram account, including an ice skating rink, fire pits and food trucks. Also, visitors can bring their doggos on Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. for the first time. Those very good boys and girls ride free on the ferry.