The MBTA's alert is short: "Seasonal weekend service on the F8 Winthrop/Quincy Ferry Route will end on Sunday, October 11." It was last updated October 7, 2026 on the MBTA ferry alerts page. Starting Monday, the boat at Winthrop Landing runs on weekdays only. On weekdays it goes to Logan and downtown, and on weekends it went to the Seaport by way of Quincy.
The MBTA timetable shows weekday trips through Wednesday, November 25. It shows no trips on Thanksgiving or on any day after it through the start of December. The MBTA hasn't published a formal end date. Going by the schedule it has published, Winthrop has about six weeks of ferry left in 2026, and they're the weeks that run up to the busiest travel days of the year.
Two different boats share one dock
People say "the Winthrop Ferry" as if it's one route. It's two, and they have different numbers. On weekdays the F6 runs from Winthrop Landing to the Logan Airport Ferry Terminal, then Central Wharf by the Aquarium, then Seaport at Fan Pier, and comes back through Logan. On weekends the F8 adds Quincy's Squantum Point and runs the loop in a different order.
Saturday's schedule shows how long the weekend loop is. The 8:45 AM boat leaves Winthrop, reaches Squantum Point at 9:10, Fan Pier at 9:35 and Central Wharf at 9:45, and doesn't reach Logan until 9:55. The weekday boat goes to the airport first.
That makes the weekday F6 the faster boat for most of what Winthrop riders want: the airport, the waterfront by the Aquarium, and Seaport offices. Both schedules took effect August 17, 2026, replacing the spring versions dated April 27 for weekdays and May 23 for weekends.
The weekday schedule, and its midday gap
Here are the F6's Winthrop Landing times from the current timetable.
| Leaves Winthrop Landing | Returns to Winthrop Landing |
|---|---|
| 6:40 AM | 7:50 AM |
| 7:55 AM | 9:05 AM |
| 9:10 AM | 10:20 AM |
| 10:25 AM | 11:40 AM |
| 11:45 AM | 2:40 PM |
| 2:45 PM | 3:55 PM |
| 4:00 PM | 5:10 PM |
| 5:15 PM | 6:25 PM |
| 6:30 PM | 7:40 PM |
| 7:50 PM | 9:00 PM |
No boat leaves Winthrop between 11:45 AM and 2:45 PM. The 11:45 AM loop doesn't get back until 2:40 PM. For a midday Aquarium visit or lunch on the waterfront, the return trip decides your day more than the trip out does. The last boat home reaches Winthrop at 9:00 PM.
Monday, October 12 is Columbus Day, and the MBTA says every ferry route will run a normal weekday schedule that day. That gives the weekday boat a holiday Monday to start its weekday-only stretch.
Thanksgiving week runs into the parking rule
The F6 runs until the day before Thanksgiving, and its first stop is the Logan Airport Ferry Terminal. On a normal weekday, the 6:40 AM boat gets a Winthrop traveler to the airport by water. Wednesday, November 25 is the last day the timetable shows that run.
The parking lot is where airport trips get complicated. The lot at Winthrop Landing, 705 Shirley Street, has 112 spaces, six of them accessible. It's free for daily parking and run by the Town of Winthrop, and overnight parking isn't allowed. That's fine for a commute or a day downtown. Someone flying out Wednesday and coming back Sunday would need a ride to the dock instead of leaving the car there. They'd also be coming home after the season ends, so the trip back has to be by land. The town lists 617-207-9092 for questions about the lot.
What you pay, and the card that doesn't work
Fares to Winthrop are set by zone. A one-way trip between Winthrop Landing and the inner-harbor stops is $6.50, or $3.25 with a reduced-fare card. A monthly pass is $214.
Payment is where regular T riders get tripped up. According to the MBTA ferry fares page, the boat accepts:
- The mTicket app
- Paper ferry tickets
- Zone-specific CharlieTickets
- Contactless payment
- Cash
CharlieCards aren't accepted on the ferry. Contactless payment started on every MBTA ferry route this season, part of the changes State Senator Lydia Edwards highlighted before the spring launch. It matters more this fall. Since September 1, 2026, a fare pilot has allowed unlimited transfers among subway, bus and ferry within a two-hour window, as long as you pay the same way each time. Riders 65 and older may qualify for the MBTA's reduced fare.
Why the boat stops for winter
The ferry used to be a town operation. The MBTA took it over on July 1, 2023, under a lease the Winthrop Transcript reported as two years with three one-year extension options. Boston Harbor City Cruises runs MBTA ferry service under a five-year, eight-month contract it won in 2025. The route now has its own boat, the MBTA's Harbor Gem. Senator Edwards's office says moving operations to the MBTA saves Winthrop more than $100,000 a year.
That deal moved the decision about winter service out of Town Hall. In the MBTA's winter 2026 service notice, as reported by the Transcript, the Hingham/Hull ferry ran on weekdays all year and the Charlestown ferry ran every day all year. The Lynn, Winthrop and Quincy routes stopped weekday service after November 26, 2025 and had no winter weekend service. Winthrop is grouped with the seasonal North and South Shore routes, not the year-round inner-harbor ones.
The Town Council has asked for year-round, seven-day service, a direct boat that doesn't share a route with Quincy, and more frequent trips. In February 2025 the Transcript reported the council was still waiting for an answer. Some of that request has been met. The 2025 expansion doubled weekday trips and added the direct Winthrop-to-Boston weekday service the F6 runs now. The year-round part hasn't happened yet. Edwards's spring update says she is "continuing to advocate for year-round service and fare equity."
That question now sits with the state. The MBTA's Water Transportation Study lists weekend service and year-round service among the things it is evaluating. Its posted timeline ran from summer 2025 to summer 2026, and its March 2026 update scheduled a draft plan and a final plan for summer 2026. The project page still says "In progress," and no final report has been released. For Winthrop, that study is what could put a winter boat on the schedule.
Closer to home after the last boat
Once the ferry stops, the fall calendar around Winthrop Center keeps going. The Winthrop Chamber of Commerce lists these dates:
- Bike Winthrop's Halloween Bike Parade, Sunday, October 25 at 10 a.m.
- Halloween Haunt at French Square, Thursday, October 29, 4 to 6 p.m.
- Victorian Nights & Holiday Lights at French Square, Friday, November 27, 3 to 7 p.m.
Victorian Nights falls two days after the last scheduled weekday boat. Sip & Savor Winthrop, set for October 8 at Cottage Park Yacht Club, was postponed. The Chamber says ticket holders will get refunds and a new date is coming. Today, Parks & Recreation's Fall Fair and Craft Show runs at Ingleside Park from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
How close a house is to Winthrop Landing matters differently in October than in January. If you'd like to talk through how seasonal transit fits into a move in Winthrop, Nikki Palladino is glad to go over the details with you. Let's Connect.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
