Caribbean Ferries & Inter-Island Routes
The Caribbean does not have one continuous ferry network. Some island groups have excellent daily connections, while other neighbouring islands have no regular passenger ferry at all. The most practical way to plan an island-hopping trip is to think in regional ferry corridors rather than assume that every island can be reached by boat.
Best Caribbean Ferry Corridors
Anguilla ↔ Saint Martin
Regular service. The main public ferry links Blowing Point in Anguilla with Marigot on the French side of Saint Martin. It is one of the simplest international ferry crossings in the northern Caribbean.
Antigua ↔ Barbuda
Regular year-round service. Barbuda Express operates between St. John's Harbour and Barbuda and advertises service seven days a week. Reservations are strongly recommended even when not mandatory.
The Bahamas
Extensive domestic network. Bahamas Ferries serves Nassau and several major island groups including Grand Bahama, Eleuthera, Exuma, Abaco and the Berry Islands. Water taxis and local mailboats add many shorter links.
Providenciales ↔ North Caicos
Frequent domestic service. Passenger ferries connect Heaving Down Rock on Providenciales with Bellefield Landing on North Caicos. North and Middle Caicos are linked by road, making this a practical day trip or multi-day island combination.
Puerto Rico ↔ Vieques & Culebra
Regular domestic service. Ferries depart from Ceiba on the east coast of Puerto Rico for Vieques and Culebra. Older travel guides that direct passengers to Fajardo are outdated.
Dominican Republic ↔ Puerto Rico
International passenger and vehicle ferry. Ferries del Caribe connects Santo Domingo with San Juan. This is a genuine international crossing, so passport, check-in and customs requirements are more substantial than on a domestic island ferry.
Guadeloupe ↔ Dominica ↔ Martinique ↔ Saint Lucia
One of the Caribbean's best island-hopping corridors. FRS Express des Îles links the French Antilles with Dominica and Saint Lucia. The network also includes Marie-Galante and Les Saintes.
Sint Maarten ↔ Saba ↔ Statia ↔ St. Kitts
Regional Makana service. Makana provides scheduled connections among Sint Maarten, Saba, Sint Eustatius and St. Kitts. Schedules are subject to change, and some individual departures may be suspended.
St. Kitts ↔ Nevis
Frequent daily service. Passenger ferries connect Basseterre and Charlestown. Car ferries and water taxis provide additional options between other docks on both islands.
St. Vincent ↔ Bequia
Frequent service. Bequia Fast Ferries operates several daily crossings between St. Vincent and Bequia, including passenger, vehicle and cargo transport.
St. Vincent ↔ Canouan ↔ Mayreau ↔ Union Island
Southern Grenadines service. Jaden Sun Fast Ferry operates between Kingstown and the southern Grenadines. As of August 2026, its Bequia stops are suspended until further notice, so Bequia should be planned separately.
Grenada ↔ Carriacou ↔ Petite Martinique
Regular Osprey service. Osprey Lines connects Grenada with Carriacou and Carriacou with Petite Martinique. The fast ferry between Grenada and Carriacou takes about ninety minutes under normal conditions.
Trinidad ↔ Tobago
Government inter-island service. Passenger and vehicle ferries operate between Port of Spain and Scarborough. Vessels and sailing times change frequently enough that a fixed timetable should not be copied onto a travel website.
St. Thomas ↔ St. John
Very frequent service. Passenger ferries connect Red Hook on St. Thomas with Cruz Bay on St. John throughout the day. Additional seasonal or limited services operate from other St. Thomas docks, and vehicle barges also connect the islands.
Other Useful Connections
| Providenciales ↔ South Caicos | Passenger ferry service exists, but operators and schedules have changed. Check the current Turks & Caicos domestic ferry information before planning around it. |
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| Grand Turk ↔ Salt Cay | A small community passenger ferry operates on selected days each week. It is useful for local travel but should always be reconfirmed before a flight connection. |
| USVI ↔ BVI | International ferry services operate on selected routes between St. Thomas/St. John and Tortola, Virgin Gorda and Jost Van Dyke. Services are less frequent than the domestic St. Thomas–St. John route and require customs and immigration clearance. |
| Within Guadeloupe | Regular ferries connect the Guadeloupe mainland with Marie-Galante and Les Saintes, making these among the easiest smaller Caribbean islands to combine by sea. |
| Montserrat ↔ Antigua | No regular passenger ferry at present. Montserrat's official booking portal currently states that ferry service is suspended until further notice. Do not rely on older timetables. |
| Barbados | Barbados is not currently part of a dependable scheduled inter-island passenger ferry corridor. Plan regional connections by air unless a new operator is formally announced. |
Routes That Look Easy on a Map but Often Are Not
Short distance does not guarantee a ferry. The Caribbean is divided among many countries and territories, and international passenger services require customs, immigration, suitable ports, commercial demand and vessels capable of operating in open sea. This is why some islands only twenty or thirty kilometres apart can be harder to combine than islands separated by a much greater distance.
The ABC islands are a good example: Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao look ideal for ferry hopping, but travellers should not assume there is a regular public passenger ferry linking all three. Air travel remains the normal way to combine them.
Best Ferry Trips for Independent Travellers
| French Antilles route | Guadeloupe → Dominica → Martinique → Saint Lucia. This remains one of the most useful international ferry corridors for travellers who want to combine genuinely different Caribbean cultures without flying between every island. |
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| Grenadines route | St. Vincent → Bequia and, separately, St. Vincent → Canouan → Mayreau → Union Island. Continue toward Carriacou and Grenada only when a current cross-border boat connection is confirmed; do not assume an old route still operates. |
| Northern Leewards route | Sint Maarten → Saba or Statia → St. Kitts, using Makana, can create an unusual multi-island itinerary. St. Kitts then connects easily to Nevis. |
| Virgin Islands | St. Thomas and St. John are exceptionally easy to combine by ferry. BVI extensions are possible but should be treated as international travel with more limited schedules and formal border procedures. |
Planning Tips
Do not build a same-day international flight connection around a ferry. Weather, mechanical issues and immigration processing can cause delays or cancellations. Overnight near the departure airport when a missed flight would be costly.
Check the actual port. A route may move terminals over time. Puerto Rico's Vieques and Culebra ferries, for example, now use Ceiba rather than the old Fajardo passenger terminal.
Vehicle travel is a separate question. Many passenger ferries do not carry cars. Even where car ferries exist, rental-car contracts may prohibit taking a vehicle to another island or jurisdiction.
International ferry trips need documents. Carry your passport when crossing between different countries or territories, even when the islands appear very close together. Entry forms, taxes and immigration checks can apply at both ends.
Buy tickets early around holidays. Easter, Carnival, Christmas, New Year and major island festivals can produce very heavy demand and special timetables.
24 August 2026. Ferry schedules are unusually changeable; always confirm the current operator, port and sailing time before travelling.