Getting to Governors Island From the Financial District: A Full Day, Door to Door
By 17John ·
Quick answer
To get to Governors Island from the Financial District, walk to the Battery Maritime Building at 10 South Street, next door to the Staten Island Ferry terminal. From John Street that's about a 15-minute walk south, or two stops on the 4 or 5 from Fulton Street to Bowling Green and five minutes on foot. The crossing takes under ten minutes and lands you at Soissons Landing. The island is car-free, so plan on walking or renting a bike: Fort Jay and Castle Williams sit at the top of the hill, the food vendors and lawns are in the middle, and the harbor views of the Statue of Liberty are at the south end. Check govisland.org for the day's ferry schedule and fares before you leave, because both change with the season.
Governors Island is the easiest big day out you can have from the Financial District, and most visitors never think of it. It's 172 acres of car-free harbor, ten minutes offshore, with old brick officers' houses, two forts, a set of man-made hills you can climb for a straight-on view of the Statue of Liberty, and lawns where people sit for hours doing very little.
The Manhattan ferry leaves from the Battery Maritime Building at 10 South Street, the green cast-iron building right next to the Staten Island Ferry terminal. From John Street it's about a 15-minute walk south, mostly straight down Water Street or along the East River. If you'd rather ride, take the 4 or 5 from Fulton Street two stops to Bowling Green and walk five minutes east.
One thing to sort out before you go: ferry times and fares shift with the season, and busy summer weekends sell out in advance. Check govisland.org the night before and buy tickets there rather than turning up and hoping. Everything below assumes you're on a mid-morning boat and back for dinner.
One day on the island, out and back from John Street
9:30am
Walk down to the Battery Maritime Building, 10 South Street
Give yourself 20 minutes rather than 15. Head south on Water Street and you'll pass the back of the Seaport and the old counting houses, then the harbor opens up at the bottom of the island. The Battery Maritime Building is the ornate green one to the left of the Staten Island Ferry terminal, easy to miss because everyone's looking at the orange boats. Coffee and something to eat before you board is a good call; the island has food but the lines are longest right after each ferry arrives.
10:00am
The crossing to Soissons Landing
Under ten minutes, and worth standing outside for. You get the Brooklyn Bridge over one shoulder and the Statue of Liberty ahead, which is the same view people queue an hour for on a harbor cruise. The boat docks at Soissons Landing on the island's north end, where the historic district starts immediately.
10:20am
Nolan Park and Colonels Row
Start here while you've still got the legs for the hills later. These are the yellow and white officers' houses from the island's army days, sitting under enormous old trees on open lawns. In warm months many of the houses are handed over to artists and small museums for free open studios and exhibitions, so wander in where the doors are propped open. It feels less like New York than anywhere else in the five boroughs.
11:15am
Fort Jay and Castle Williams
Two forts, ten minutes apart, both run by the National Park Service and both free to walk up to. Fort Jay is the star-shaped earthwork at the high point of the north end, with a dry moat you look down into. Castle Williams is the round red sandstone tower on the water, built to guard the harbor and later used as a military prison. The circular yard inside is one of the strangest spaces in the city. Park rangers are usually around and are worth a question or two.
12:30pm
Lunch around Liggett Terrace
The middle of the island is where the food is: a cluster of seasonal vendors and food trucks around Liggett Terrace, with picnic tables and lawn space. It's casual and it's outdoors, which is the whole point. If you'd rather not queue, this is where packing a lunch from your kitchen pays off, and there are plenty of benches with a skyline view to eat it on.
1:30pm
Hammock Grove and The Hills
Hammock Grove is exactly what it sounds like: young trees with hammocks strung between them, and on a weekday you'll usually find a free one. Then climb The Hills at the south end. Outlook Hill is the tall one, about 70 feet up, and the reward at the top is an unobstructed view of the Statue of Liberty with nothing in the way. Slide Hill has long metal slides built into the slope, which is the fastest way to make a seven-year-old forgive you for the fort tour.
3:00pm
Picnic Point and the loop road
The southern tip looks straight out at the harbor, the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge in the distance and container ships moving past. The paved loop road that rings the island is roughly two and a half miles and flat, which is why renting a bike near the landing is a good idea if you're doing the whole thing. Walking the loop is fine too; just budget an hour.
4:30pm
Ferry back, then dinner in FiDi
Check the return times when you arrive, not when you're ready to leave, because the last boats fill up. You'll land back at 10 South Street with the whole Financial District uphill from you. Stone Street is a ten-minute walk north and is the easiest place down here to get a table outside after a day in the sun. From there it's a few blocks back to John Street.
