Govenors Island National Monument - Plan Your Visit

Monday - Tuesday: Governors Island is closed.

Wednesday – Friday:

.  On these days access to Governors Island is by free guided tour only.
.  National Park Rangers and Volunteers lead guided walking tours of Governors Island starting with the ferry departure from Manhattan at 10    AM and 1 PM.
.  Tours are limited to 60 individuals on a first come first served basis.
.  Free tickets for the tour will be distributed at the ferry terminal at 9 AM for the 10 AM tour and 12 PM for the 1 PM tour. If you      are  on the 10 AM tour, you will take the 12 PM ferry back to Manhattan. If you are on the 1 PM tour, you will return to Manhattan on the 3 PM ferry.
.  Groups of 10 or more will require reservations and is based on staff availability. Please contact the park at 212-825-3045 for more information..

Safety:

.  Walking tours will last about 1.5 hours and will cover 1.5 miles.
.  Tour route may be strenuous.
.  Services and facilities are extremely limited. Since there is no food or drinking water on the island, we recommend that you carry two quarts (about 2 Liters) of water and a salty snack. If you have concerns, please contact the park at 212-825-3045

Saturdays and Sundays:

.  Governors Island is open to public access. The Ferry will leave from Manhattan every hour on the hour from 10 AM to 3 PM.
.  The Ferry will return to Manhattan every hour on the half-hour from 11:30 AM to 4:30 PM. Last returning ferry is at 5 PM.
.  Free Park Ranger and Volunteer programs, lectures and short introductory tours are offered throughout the day. Free self-guided walking tour     sheets are also available.

If you have any questions, please call the park at 212-825-3045.

Local Partners & Information Resources

Governors Island Preservation & Education Corporation

Events and Activities at Governors Island

Getting There

Plane
Getting to Manhattan

Airports in the region include Kennedy International (JFK), LaGuardia (LGA) in New York City, Newark Liberty (EWR) in Newark, New Jersey. More distant are MacArthur (ISP) at Islip, New York and Westchester County (HPN) at White Plans, New York.

Rental cars and taxis are available at all airports, but rates maybe high. Other ground transportation options (rail, bus, subway) are available from each airport, inquire with your travel agent ahead of time.

For the 2006 season, the Governors Island ferry will depart from the Battery Maritime Building Slip 7 located at 10 South Street, between Whitehall and Broad Streets and next door to the Staten Island ferry terminal.

Car
Automobiles are not permitted on Governors Island.

Access to Lower Manhattan in the area of the Battery Maritime Building: From the East Side is take the FDR Drive south to Exit 1, the Battery Park/Staten Island ferry exit. From the West Side, take the West Side Highway/West Street to the FDR Drive and exit at South Street as you emerge from the Battery Park Tunnel.

Parking

In lower Manhattan, on-street parking is at a premium and metered only at one-hour intervals. Parking regulations are vigorously enforced and parking tickets are very costly.

Commercial parking lots and parking garages are available - mostly along South Street, near the South Street Seaport. More distant parking is available off the West Side Highway and at Battery Park City.

Bus
Interstate Buses

The Port Authority Bus Terminal is the interstate bus terminal closest to Governors Island. The R, W, and 1 subways are available at Times Square, a few blocks east on 42nd Street.

New York City Transit Buses

For the 2006 season: Bus service to Lower Manhattan in the area of the Battery Maritime Building include the M1, M6 and M15 buses.

Public Transportation
New York City Transit Subways

Lower Manhattan in the area of Governors Island ferry departure points is served by the 4 and 5 subway lines four blocks away at Bowling Green . The W and R subway lines one block away at Whitehall/South Ferry and the 1 train one block away at South Ferry . The W subway line does not run on weekends. Construction on the new South Ferry subway station may disrupt weekend service on the 4/5/R subway lines.

Commercial Ferry Service

The closest commercial ferry service to the Battery Maritime Building is Pier 11 at South Street and Wall Street on the East River. Pier 11 is served by ferries from the East and Hudson Rivers, New Jersey and the proposed shuttle ferry service from LaGuardia Airport(LGA).

The Battery Maritime Building is a about 3 blocks southwest on South Street, or about a 7 minute walk from Pier 11.

Getting Around

There are no areas open to bicycle riding on Governors Island, but cyclists can bring their bikes over on the ferry and park them on the island.

There is no public transportation system on Governors Island. Once you get there, all travel by foot.