Martha's Vineyard island has three principal settlements:

Vineyard Haven
The commercial center and port of the town of West Tisbury, this is where many of the mainland ferries dock. It's the least "pretty" and most industrial and commercial of the island's settlements. More...

Oak Bluffs
A 19th-century church camp meeting resort community of ornate Victorian gingerbread houses, Oak Bluffs has a marina, and several grand old wooden hotels. More...

Edgartown
The county seat and main tourist attraction—clearly the prettiest town on the island, you should certainly visit Edgartown. More...

Chappaquiddick Island
A few minutes on the Chappy Ferry from Edgartown brings you to this less-developed island-within-an-island good for bike riding, fishing, swimming, walking and bird-watching. More...

Up Island
The more rural, less populated regions of Martha's Vineyard are referred to as Up Island. These are the smaller settlements in the southwestern third of the island. More...

In high season—July and August—you need reservations for everything: space for your car on the ferry, or for a rental car on the island, or for a hotel room, or for a weekend mainland-to-island flight.

You can't reserve passenger space on the Steamship Authority ferry, so the thing to do is get to the Woods Hole docks 15 or 20 minutes early, buy your ticket, and get in line. If the ferry's passenger capacity is reached, the remaining passengers in the line will have to wait for the next boat.

If you don't have a room reservation in an island hotel, there's a direct-line hotel reservations telephone in the Steamship Authority ticket office in Woods Hole for island hotels.

On weekends in July and August, chances of finding a room are not good. On weekdays you may find a room for a few nights because of a cancellation, or a gap between reservations.

If all else fails, plan to visit the island for the day, and return to Cape Cod in the evening.

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Summer Rentals

Getting to Martha's Vineyard

What to See & Do on Martha's Vineyard

Vineyard Haven

Oak Bluffs

Edgartown

Chappaquiddick

Up Island

Martha's Vineyard Transportation

Martha's Vineyard Tourist Information

Woods Hole

Cape Cod

Nantucket