Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket from Boston
 

My DH and I will be visiting Boston for the first time this July and want to take the opportunity to take a frey (is that what you do?) to Martha's Vineyard and Nuntucket. Where should we stay in Boston? What else is there to do in that area? We will be there 4 days and 3 nights and are interested in getting to know the area, culture, food/wine, a little shopping and sightseeing/ Can some locals chime in and help me?

Sorry, I meant that we would like to take a fery to the islands.

I'd start here:
http://www.fodors.com/world/north-am...usetts/boston/

4 days is probably perfect for exploring Boston alone. Here's even a 4-day itinerary for Boston:
http://www.fodors.com/world/north-am...ure_30004.html

Adding in MV OR Nantucket will cut short your sightseeing time in Boston.

You can't visit both MV and Nantucket on the same day.

Actually, from June 13 to September 12, it IS possible to visit both island via ferry from Hyannis on the same day.

See

http://www.hy-linecruises.com/docume...sbrochures.pdf

Hi djkbooks, thanks for the link. I didn't know that.

However, logistically, it will be rather difficult and pricey for someone to visit both on the same day, and won't have much time for either island, even though it's possible on the ferries. [Plus traveling between Boston and Hyannis.]

I think all the ferries run from the Cape: Hyannis, Woods Hole or Falmouth. You can get a bus from South Station area, but that will involve a lengthy ride, especially if you are doing it any where near a weekend or holiday. If you rent a car you have the same ride in traffic. There is a ferry from Boston to Provincetown on the cape but that is a bit of a ride in traffic from the ferry sites. If you haven't been there it might give you a taste of the area and a ride on the ocean if that interests you.

You can visit both Nantucket and the Vineyard in one day on the ferry, but it is a miserable old flatbottomed scow that rolls and pitches in the smoothest seas.

It is about 2 1/2 hours by bus from South Station in Boston to either Hyannis, for the Nantucket ferry, and Woods Hole, for the Vineyard ferry. In Hyannis, a shuttle from the Steamship will take you to the ferry.

For a couple, it will probably be just about as cheap to rent a car for 24 hours as to take the bus. Traffic is not bad during the week.

It takes about an hour to either island, by fast ferry to Nantucket and auto ferry to the Vineyard. The Vineyard is closer and easier to get to, but the attractions are much more spread out, and the ferry does not land in the most attractive of the towns. The ferry to Nantucket lands right in the heart of things.

When I was living in Boston and looking for a house on Nantucket, I made frequent one day trips, and that was before the fast ferry. You can arrange your time to have 5-7 hours on the island, and you can see a lot in that time. But you won't have any trouble sleeping that night!

Thanks everyone. We're still trying to decide what to do. We live in Central Florida and will be needing a break from the rain, heat and hummidity in July/August. I love New England, but have never been to Nantucket or Martha's Vineyard. No option is off the table.

that is a pretty short stay to try to include one of the islands but doable if you don't mind a long travelling day. i spent one day on martha's and it was nice. took the first ferry out and did a bus tour in the morning for a couple of hours to get an over view and then used public transportion to go back to a few spots. if you like to bike, renting a bike is a good way to get around too.
if you find that including the drive to and from boston just is too much, you could consider seeing the islands on another visit and instead, do a day trip via ferry to provincetown - although, i will say i didn't think provincetown held a candle to martha's vineyard - but your limited time may dictate.
when i arrived in boston, i took one of their duck tours. i found it helpful in giving me an overview and a realistic knowledge of how far things were from each other - after that tour, i realized there were many, many things within walking distance of each other.