Getting Here

The ferry is half the holiday.

A 22 to 30-minute glide past the Opera House and under the gaze of the Harbour Bridge, or 20 minutes on the Fast Ferry if you're in a hurry. Either way it's Sydney's most underrated experience, and on Fridays, weekends and public holidays the Opal cap keeps a return trip to $9.65.

At a glance

Manly ferry times, wharves and the last boat

F1 ferry: 22–30 min; Circular Quay Wharf 3 to Manly Wharf, run by Sydney Ferries. Most sailings take 22 minutes; the hourly Freshwater takes 30.
Manly Fast Ferry: 20 min; Wharf 2 at both ends. Same Opal fare and caps as the F1. The last boat leaves the Quay at 8.20pm.
Last ferry to Manly: 11.50pm; The last F1 from Circular Quay, Sunday to Thursday and on public holidays. Fridays and Saturdays 12.20am.
Last ferry from Manly: 12.20am; The last F1 to Circular Quay, Sunday to Thursday and on public holidays. Fridays and Saturdays 12.50am. The last Fast Ferry leaves at 8.50pm on weekdays, 9.10pm on weekends and public holidays.

Pay with Opal or a contactless card: tap on at the wharf and tap off when you land. Fares, frequency and which boat to take

Live departures F1 timetable (PDF) Fast Ferry timetable

Times checked 1 November 2026. Timetables change, so confirm live times before a late crossing.

The route

From Circular Quay to Manly Wharf

Ferries have been crossing this stretch of harbour to Manly since the 1850s. Two services do the trip today: the public F1, run by Sydney Ferries for Transport for NSW, and the privately run Manly Fast Ferry, owned by the NRMA. Both leave from Circular Quay. Both drop you straight into the heart of Manly.

As you leave the Quay the Opera House sails go by on your right, and the Harbour Bridge rises up behind you. After that it's open water, sandstone cliffs, and if the harbour's feeling generous, a pod of bottlenose dolphins surfing the wake. Tap on with an Opal card or a contactless card or phone and find yourself a spot up top.

Pick your boat

Slow and iconic, or fast and frisky?

Two very different services run the Manly route. They both leave from Circular Quay, both drop you at Manly Wharf, and both charge the same Opal fare. Here's how to choose.

The classic

F1 Manly ferry

Sydney Ferries · Wharf 3, Circular Quay

The public route runs two kinds of boat. Three Emerald-class catamarans (Fairlight, Balmoral and Clontarf, 400 passengers each) do most sailings in about 22 minutes. Once an hour during the day you get one of the big green-and-gold Freshwater-class double-enders, built for this run in the 1980s: 1,100 passengers, steadier in the swell at the Heads, and a 30-minute crossing. Queenscliff and Narrabeen are the ones running now; Collaroy retired in 2023, and Freshwater itself left in August 2026 for a refit.

Crossing 22 min (Freshwater 30)
Fare AUD $9.20 adult
Frequency four an hour 9.30am–7.30pm, otherwise every 20–30 min
Bikes & prams yes, free

F1 timetable

The express

Manly Fast Ferry

Operated by NRMA · Departs Wharf 2, Circular Quay

Blue, white and yellow catamarans that punch across from Wharf 2 to Wharf 2 in 20 minutes. An enclosed cabin, open deck space up top, and a licensed bar selling beer, wine, soft drinks and snacks (cards only). The pick if you're racing the sunset or just don't fancy waiting around, but it finishes early: the last boat leaves the Quay at 8.20pm.

Crossing 20 minutes
Fare AUD $9.20, same as the F1
Frequency every 10–20 min weekdays, 20 min weekends
On board licensed bar, cards only

Fast Ferry timetable

Our take

Catch a Freshwater on the way over (they leave the Quay at 50 past the hour, 9.50am to 6.50pm) so the Opera House and Bridge slide past slowly, and take the Fast Ferry home if you're tired and it's before 8.50pm (9.10pm on weekends). If you only do this once, do it slow. Sit upper deck, starboard side, with an ice cream in hand. That's the postcard.

Timetable at a glance

First ferry, last ferry, and how often in between

Indicative times for departures from Circular Quay. Schedules drift a little with public holidays, weather and special events — always double-check the live timetable on the day you sail.

F1 Manly (Wharf 3)

Public ferry · Opal

Day	First	Last	Frequency
Mon–Fri	5:30am	11:50pm	every 20 min to 9.30am, four an hour to 7.30pm, then every 30
Sat	6:10am	12:20am	four an hour 9.30am–7.30pm, otherwise every 30
Sun & public hols	6:40am	11:50pm	four an hour 9.30am–7.30pm, otherwise every 30
Late night	Fri & Sat continue past midnight		12:20am

Crossing 22 min, or 30 min on the hourly Freshwater (marked FW in the timetable; from the Quay at 50 past, 9.50am–6.50pm). Adult Opal $9.20 — ferries get no off-peak discount, so the fare is the same all day.

F1 timetable (PDF)

Manly Fast Ferry (Wharf 2)

Express · Opal fares

Service	First	Last	Frequency
Mon–Fri	6:00am	8:20pm	every 10 min at peak, otherwise 20
Sat, Sun & public hols	9:00am	8:20pm	every 20 min
Last from Manly	8:50pm weekdays, 9:10pm weekends		then F1 only

Crossing 20 min. From Manly: 6.10am–8.50pm weekdays, 9.30am–9.10pm weekends and public holidays. Same AUD $9.20 Opal fare as the F1, and Opal daily and weekly caps apply.

Fast Ferry timetable

Freshwater sailings

Want the big boat? Freshwaters leave the Quay at 50 past the hour (9.50am–6.50pm) and Manly at half past (10.30am–7.30pm), every day. They're marked FW in the timetable.

Bad weather

Big swell at the Heads can cancel the Fast Ferry and the smaller Emerald-class F1 boats. The Freshwaters cope with more, but in a really big sea even the F1 stops, so check alerts before you go.

Last boat home

The last Fast Ferry leaves Manly at 8.50pm (9.10pm on weekends). After that it's the F1: the last boat is 12.20am, or 12.50am on Friday and Saturday nights. Miss that and it's usually a taxi or rideshare over the Spit Bridge.

Tips from a regular

Sunset sailing

Time the trip back to the Quay for sunset (about 5pm in June, 8pm in December) and you sail towards the city skyline as it lights up. One of the great cheap thrills of Sydney.

Dolphins and whales

Bottlenose dolphins turn up between Bradleys Head and the Heads, and from June to October humpback whales migrate past the harbour mouth. Keep an eye on the water.

Sit upper deck, starboard

On the way over, the right-hand side of the upper deck gives you the Opera House up close, then the open-ocean swell as you cross between the Heads.

Bar on board

The Manly Fast Ferry has a small licensed bar: beer, wine, soft drinks and snacks. Cards only; staff can't take cash.

Bring a jacket

Even in summer the breeze on the upper deck has a bit of bite once the sun drops. The open water between the Heads catches the southerly.

Don't cut it fine

A Freshwater carries 1,100 people and an Emerald-class boat 400, so outside summer weekends there's rarely any need to queue early. But the gates close two minutes before departure.

When you arrive

Step off the wharf and into all of this

Manly Wharf drops you 500m from the surf and 30 seconds from a cold beer. A few easy starting points:

Walk the Corso

Five-minute pedestrian street that links Manly Cove (harbour) to Manly Beach (ocean). Surf shops, gelato, the works.

Plan your day →

Beer at 4 Pines

4 Pines began here in 2008, in the brewpub upstairs across the road from the wharf. Pacific Ale and schooners where it all started.

4 Pines Brewpub

Hit the beach

Manly, Queenscliff, Shelly, Fairy Bower, Little Manly and Fairlight: six beaches within about 20 minutes' walk of the wharf.

Beach guide →

Lunch on the wharf

Hugos for wood-fired pizza on its harbour deck, or Felons, the beer hall that took over the old Manly Wharf Hotel, for a pint and a pizza on the water.

Where to eat →

Walk to North Head

About an hour each way through bushland to the North Head lookouts, with the city skyline one way and open ocean the other. National park, free on foot, whales from June to October.

National Parks NSW

Stay the night

Don't just day-trip. The town comes into its own once the ferries thin out and the locals reclaim it.

Where to stay →

Live timetables, both services

Schedules shift between weekdays, weekends and public holidays. Always check the live timetable before you leave, especially for the last sailing back if you're staying out late.

F1 timetable (PDF)Manly Fast Ferry timetable

FAQ

Frequently asked

How long does the Manly Ferry take from Circular Quay?

Most F1 sailings take about 22 minutes from Circular Quay Wharf 3 to Manly Wharf; the hourly Freshwater ferry takes about 30. The Manly Fast Ferry from Wharf 2 takes 20 minutes; its last boats leave the Quay at 8.20pm and Manly at 8.50pm (9.10pm on weekends).

How much does the Manly Ferry cost?

Adult fare on the F1 Manly is AUD 9.20, paid with an Opal card or a contactless bank card or phone. Ferries do not get the off-peak discount, so the fare is the same all day. The privately operated Manly Fast Ferry now charges the same Opal fare, and Opal caps apply to both: AUD 19.30 a day Monday to Thursday, 9.65 on Fridays, weekends and public holidays, and 50 a week. With neither card, an Opal single trip ticket for the F1 costs AUD 11 from machines at some wharves.

Where does the Manly Ferry leave from?

The public F1 Manly Ferry leaves from Wharf 3 at Circular Quay. The Manly Fast Ferry leaves from Wharf 2.

How often does the Manly Ferry run?

The F1 Manly runs seven days a week. From Circular Quay the first boat is 5.30am on weekdays (6.10am Saturdays, 6.40am Sundays and public holidays) and the last 11.50pm, or 12.20am on Friday and Saturday nights. It runs every 20 to 30 minutes early and late, and four times an hour from 9.30am to 7.30pm.

Where is the best seat on the Manly Ferry?

Heading from Circular Quay to Manly, sit upstairs on the right (starboard) for the Opera House and the view out through the Heads. Coming back, the left side passes the Opera House as you pull into the Quay, and the Harbour Bridge is on the right.

Do I need to book the Manly Ferry?

No. Just tap on with an Opal card, contactless bank card, or phone. There are no reservations or assigned seats on the public F1 Manly. The gates close two minutes before each departure.

Where the ferries land

Both Manly wharves, and how they sit relative to the Corso and the beach.

Build your own

Turn this into a day, in a minute.

Pick what you love, drop the rest. Our planner stitches ferries, beaches, walks and meals into a single, sensible day — and emails it to you.

BUILD MY ITINERARY