Taking bicycles on ferry to Martha's Vineyard and/or Nantucket
 

Question specifically on bicycles and traveling to Martha's Vineyard and/or Nantucket. We - Mom, Dad, 2 kids 17 and 11 - will be staying in West Yarmouth the second week of July. We have already planned some biking on trails on Cape Cod. We plan to take our bicycles with us on the ferry for a day trip to Nantucket and/or MV. We would like to bike and go to beaches while there, sight-see, get a bite to eat. Only plan to window-shop. There are some options:
1)Ferry to only MV OR Nantucket.
2)"Combo ticket" - Ferry to first Nantucket, then ferry to MV, then ferry back to Hyannis - would have about 4 hours on each island for quick tour.
3)High-speed ferry is more expensive, but we would have more time to bike around islands.
4) There is a charge for bringing our bikes on the ferry too, but it is only $5 to $15 depending on which ferry and your ticket. Less than rental fees!

From reading posts here, I am leaning toward ferry from Hyannis to only MV, spend day biking around there, go to a beach, get some lunch or ice cream, back to Hyannis. Has anyone done the combo tour? Anyone brought your own bikes on the ferry? Any further information would be welcome! Thanks everyone for all your advice!

We have taken the Falmouth to Oak Bluffs ferry several times. This ferry is ideal for cyclists, since it carries no cars, and it goes to Oak Bluffs which is a better destination for bicycles than Vinyard Haven. In Oak Bluffs, you can follow the bike path to Edgartown, past some great beaches and nice scenery. The path is off the highway and quite safe, and you can just pull over and take a dip when the mood suits you.

I think Nantuckets a better choice lots to do and more compact for bikes than the vineyard.as far as the ferry goes im not sure which one youre taking?good luck ..cheriberry

I've never been to MV, but I go to Nantucket every summer, and I think trying to do both islands in a single day is a bad idea. You'll spend most of the day on the ferry, and it isn't actually that interesting of a ferry ride.

Personally, I'd suggest either the fast ferry to Nantucket or the regular ferry to MV. Anything else and you'll be spending too much time on the ferry. The regular Nantucket ferry takes too long for a reasonably day-trip, in my opinion.

I've taken bikes on the ferry many times, it is easy. Nantucket has many great bike trails and is quite beautiful but for day trip, MV might be better.