Governors Island National Monument in
New York (NY)

Governors island is beautiful, a hidden treasure that I wish I visited earlier. During fall, it feels like you’re dropped into New England with the houses (turned museums) and being able to bike around. I loved the various places to stop for coffee, food and drinks too. If you start early, it’s easily a full day activity to stop and see everything the island has to offer, and transportation via ferry is a very reasonable $5. We had no issues buying ferry tickets (or getting Citibikes) without advance planning. Highly recommended.

A great place to have a picnic, go walking and/or jogging. NYCRUNS holds several 5 and 10k races here throughout the year. There a are a few restrooms located throughout the island that have always been clean, and some overpriced snacks either at the couple of foodstands or in vending machines. You're better off bringing food with you. There are many artists-in-residence with studios here, so check on the website when there are open houses to see some fantastic work.

Great place to. Spend the day. Especially if weather is nice Took a fide on four person bicycle tram. Was fun. .

It's well worth a visit, a little different than what I expected, it's a shame more properties didn't have access to them! The only reason for dropping a star was because the cost to hire a bike was extortionate, you definitely don't need one, the island is smaller than expected

They have really upped their game - great place to run around as it’s the perfect 2 mile loop with water views. The paths and trails are nice too.

I love this place — where history meets modern touches, where you can enjoy nature and take in stunning views of Manhattan. This island truly has it all

I came to this place without expectations but it was a beautiful trip! I booked the trip in advance for no cost in Saturday Morning. I recommend people to go there as early as possible for a fresh air and to have experience of the whole island for your own. This is a good place to rest and find tranquility.

Great place to find a nice spot and chill on the grass. Good for a nice trip out of the city in the middle of the city. Highly recommend.

This is a great place to spend a few hours. We were surprised how few people were on the island…although I think every day camp was there…lol. There are 2 forts to wander around, lots of art exhibits to find, hammocks and sheep. There are a row of food trucks for lunch, and are licensed to sell alcohol. Ferries are only $5 rounds trip and leave every 30 min. Highly recommended.

Interesting place to visit, escaping the crowds on Manhattan. We hired a surrey bike and did, with some effort, manage to pedal round the island in 30 minutes! Great views as you go round, and a fascinating history. There’s so much potential for development of some of the abandoned buildings around the island.

A beautiful place to relax from the city traffic. It was an adventure. We missed the last NY ferry due to a lack of information at the ferry station. We left via Manhattan.

I love New York’s history so much and read about it all the time for my walking tours, so I’ll start at the end: the trip to Governor’s Island and back is like a trip through time. If you are a history geek like me, or just like beautiful public spaces, place Governor’s Island somewhere on the top 5 ‘must see’ list when visiting New York City, especially if it’s summer time. Music, art, history are all there in a surprising setting of an abandoned military base with architecture taken out of a colonial era film. Can totally understand why the Dutch governor wanted the island entirely for themselves. Bonus: If you have an NYC ID, you can get a ticket to the ferry for free.

My family and I went here a few days ago and had a great time. They have a great bike place that you could go to and rent bikes. It was so nice getting to ride bikes all around the island and seeing the stunning views of the city and skyline.

Nice little ferry ride from downtown Manhattan to this cozy gem of a nook. Great for a little daytime or evening afternoon trip. There's a really great spa on the island as well. Perfect for a date night.

A great underrated island to visit. The ferry here is free with a reservation and very worth it. You can see all bridges from here, the city skyline, and the Statue of Liberty. When here walk up the outlook hill place on the northern part of the island to get the best views. You can also rent bikes if you’d like. Castle Williams is also a nice historical castle here. Restrooms available next to the ferry landing area. There are also small gift shops and food areas on the island. A very beautiful place to visit and relax in.

It was a beautiful day and the weather cooperated. My daughter, grandsons and I rented bikes and enjoyed the scenery. We were also able to see my daughters exhibition as part of the Harlem Art Crawl.

Great open space and fabulous views of Manhattan. The bike rentals are expensive, it is best to rent a bike for all day $36. Citibikes are also available on the island if needed. There is plenty of food on the island, but it is not cheap for a family of four. I spent a total of $136 dollars. Also, make sure you get the right boat home. Got on at the Atlantic Ave park. Retuning got on a boat and was dropped off in Red Hook. Cons of the trip, the signage for the different areas of the island is poor.

Governor's Island is a fairly quiet place, clean, large, there is plenty of shade, picnic areas, hammocks, chairs with views to contemplate all the water that surrounds the island, there is a spectacular view of the Statue of Liberty. There are few areas for children to play, but they have fun running and enjoying the countryside. The museum is small but interesting. I liked the place and I recommend going any day, the ferry costs only 5 dollars round trip and there are also sales of snacks and lunches.

After visiting New York more than 20 times and even spending 7 weeks working there, it took me until August 23 to finally visit Governors Island. It was so easy to do, the tickets are free and you get them online. We turned up in plenty of time for the ferry, which was great as you can stand on top and enjoy the fantastic view. We went at the weekend so that we could visit the forts, which have very limited opening hours. This was well worth doing. There is a lot of history here. There is also a small gift shop with very helpful staff. The island itself is lovely. Its worth walking down to outlook hill as the views from the top are amazing. Everything from Statue of Liberty to the Jersey City, Manhattan and Brooklyn skylines. You need about 3 hours if you are doing a quick visit, but could easily spend all day here. Really glad I finally made it and would definitely recommend a visit.

Fun place to visit with kids and family. Perfect for a day trip, very quiet, great Manhattan view, You can rent a bike and enjoy a ride around the island. Free entrance.

If you want a quiet place for brunch-ing and picnics, somewhere with a bit of history, a place to detach from the city but not too far. Enjoy the day and bike along the island, or seat and enjoy margarittas as the sunsets or just a peaceful neighborhood to hang out in....this is your spot. Bike rental can be pricey...so if you have your own bike, you can take it along the ferry going to the island.

Excellent place to release the stress of NYC life. They have food vendors, bikes, hammocks, slides, zip lining, wall climbing, 2 Historical Forts, many activities for children. There is the hill with an amazing view of Liberty island, New Jersey and New York skylines. They have free bikes Monday to Friday for all the people that get there before noon. They have books exposition every weekend and free kayaking every saturday.

Cool little island to visit if you want to visit for outdoor activities. It is like a very big park. The food trucks stationed are nothing amazing but not ridiculously overpriced either. Personally I would prefer bringing food for a picnic or barbeque setting. You can also bring your bikes and scooters which is pretty cool. Bring water and drinks as it is easy to get dehydrated. The weather was sunny and around 80F degrees but it was still very hot after walking around. The ferry that leaves in the morning is free otherwise it's a small fee of 3$ for a roundtrip (the ferry back to Manhattan is free). The place is very clean with interesting historic buildings and plenty of space for outdoor activities with your friends and family.

Just a short ferry ride and you're away from the hustle of NYC. The view are amazing. Great for picnics and other recreational activities. Bikes are available for rent of all designs. 2 person and 4 person bikes as well. It is easily walkable and has an amazing view of new York city's lower Manhattan skyline. The statue of liberty is also within a close viewing proximity.

If you haven't been I highly recommend you visit at least once. There are fantastic views of NYC, the Statue of liberty and it's right next to the Staten island ferry. There are many places to explore and you can't rent bikes. It's only a 5 min. ferry ride from the city and very inexpensive!

Such a lovely place to visit especially in the morning where bikes are available for free for up to one hour between 10am and 12pm. Ferry only costs $2 return, crazy golf is pay by donation and there are great places to eat. That's not to mention all the great views.

The most amazing place. A must to visit a completely tranquil environment just a short ferry ride from Manhattan. Just a shame that they don't have more historic value...in my opinion some of the buildings should be open and set up to recreate what life would have been like to live on the island. The grounds, views and picnic areas are stunning