1. STATEN ISLAND FERRY, NEW YORK
The bulbous, orange, triple-decker Staten Island Ferries shuttle in and out of lower Manhattan more than 100 times a day, carrying 70,000 passengers in all. It's an eight-kilometre ("five miles" to the locals) chug past a classic Gotham City vista of skyscrapers and bridges, plus Ellis Island and the fabled Statue of Liberty. And it doesn't cost a cent, with the NYC Dept of Transport footing the bill. The nine ferries are the remnants of a once much larger fleet but their 25-minute trip to Staten Island remains what has been called, deservedly, "One of the world's greatest, and shortest, water voyages." siferry.com
2. STAR FERRY, HONG KONG
The quintessence of Hong Kong hits you between the eyes during the Star Ferry's seven-minute crossing from Kowloon to the central business district. It's a view, especially at dusk, not so much of a city as an escarpment of light and awesome corporate grunt. Then, at 8pm, the harbour ups the ante with its nightly Symphony of Lights, an eruption of lasers, music and fireworks. Best seen, of course, from the Star Ferry. At HK $2.50 (AUD 0.42), the clanking, bustling, no-frills ride is the closest you get to something for nothing in Honkers. starferry.com.hk
3. CALABRIA-SICILY FERRY
It's a five-kilometre, 35-minute passage from Villa San Giovanni on the Italian mainland to Messina, Sicily, aboard a large and generally unremarkable vessel. The water it crosses is, however, the stuff of legend. The Ionian and Tyrrhenian seas drain back and forth through this Strait of Messina, birthplace of the Greek legend of Scylla and Charybdis. It was here that two demon temptresses almost lured to his doom the hero Ulysses (as Cream sang, "His naked ears were tortured by the sirens sweetly singing"). Unlike Ulysses' flimsy raft, your ferry is made of steel and 18 times a day it delivers its passengers safely to the brew of history, volcano and fable that is Sicily. Fare $5.20. sicily-tourism.com
4. SAN FRANCISCO-SAUSALITO FERRY
When novelist John Steinbeck was struck by the notion of San Francisco as "a golden handcuff with the key thrown away", he must surely have been riding a local ferry. Take the half-hour trip to Sausalito, the city's best-known ferry destination, and watch San Francisco's icons come to life, especially the cat's-cradle spans of the Oakland and Golden Gate bridges, and infamous Alcatraz, a gloomy ship-shaped thing grounded in mid-harbour and going nowhere — a feeling that its inmates knew well. Then lean back in the sunshine, if not the fog, on the big, bicycle-friendly vessel and wish this glorious ride lasted twice as long. Fare $13. blueandgoldfleet.com
5. MANLY FERRY, SYDNEY HARBOUR
The Manly Ferry might be the harbour city's rock star tub but any ferry that churns its way out of Circular Quay is worth the ride, be it the short hop across to Milsons Point or a longer run up the Parramatta River. Manly used to bill itself as "Seven miles from Sydney and a thousand miles from care". While care has probably now crept somewhat closer, the 30-minute trip is still magical. Grab a deck or window seat and revel in the harbour's spangled gauntlet of Opera House, "coathanger", Pinchgut, warships, tinnies, other people's mansions, the Heads and still so much wilderness. Fare $7.18. sydneyferries.info
6. BOSPHORUS FERRIES, ISTANBUL
The trusty, dented, work-horse ferries that ceaselessly depart Galata Bridge look like rebirthed 1950s Manly ferries. Board one for a short trip on the Golden Horn or for a longer cruise up the Bosphorus or out to the Prince's Islands. The shorelines are flanked with old wooden mansions, mosques, Byzantine churches and the foppish palaces of the last Ottomans. Grab a sunny deck seat, sip hot tea and munch warm pretzels while your ferry slips between two continents and, far above, the soaring Bosphorus Bridge does the splits between Asia Minor and Europe. Istanbul ferry rides can last from 10 minutes to several hours. Fares from $2. en.sehirhatlari.istanbul/en
7. DALMATIA FERRY, DUBROVNIK
For good reason Dubrovnik plays the body double for Kings Landing in television's Game of Thrones. Get a full frame view of this golden, Croatian Camelot, the best-preserved walled city in the Mediterranean, from a local ferry. The extensive Jadrolinija fleet of car ferries and passenger catamarans services multiple ports including Split (the third busiest port in the Mediterranean) and pine-clad islands up the Dalmatian Coast. Hvar, for instance, three hours north (and $37) by cat from Dubrovnik, is encrusted with both history and marble, and has one of the most beautiful town plazas in the Adriatic. Timetables and routes vary according to season. croatiaferries.com/jadrolinija
8. CHAO PHRAYA EXPRESS, BANGKOK
Chao Phraya Express commuter ferries charge up and down the Chao Phraya River all day. Hop on or off at whatever pier you wish. The fare, collected by a roving conductor, is tiny. Meanwhile, the Chao Phraya Tourist Boat, with English commentary, offers unlimited-stops on a one-day ticket for just $6, which gets you to 13 different piers with their attendant temples, palaces or markets. Seen from either service, the River of Kings is a wondrous current that's hectic with longtails, neon-blazing dinner cruisers and river-train barges hauled by slo-mo tugs. A convenient place to board the ferries is Sathorn Pier beside Saphan Taksin SkyTrain station. chaophrayaexpressboat.com/en
9. BRISBANE CITYCAT
The looping, lollygagging Brisbane River goes where it will. A fleet of CityHopper monohull ferries and twin-hull CityCats (both operated by Brisbane City Council) services the stretch that meanders from the University of Queensland at St Lucia to Northshore Hamilton. The free CityHopper ferries chug along every 30 minutes from 6 am til midnight but the best thrill comes with the flash and elegant CityCat that powers up and down the river every 15 minutes. Sit on the open foredeck for the best views, especially at night. Fares depend on zones travelled, peak periods and type of ticket. brisbane.qld.gov.au
10. STOCKHOLM-HELSINKI FERRY
Not all ferries are little harbour-huggers. Long haul services like the Silja Serenade that cruises overnight from Stockholm to Helsinki are comparative giants, complete with ensuite cabins, restaurant, cabaret, sauna and duty free mall. None of which need distract you from farewelling at sunset Stockholm's beautiful archipelago of 24,000 islands. This Baltic trip, via the Aland Islands, takes 20 hours. You wake in the morning, docking beside Helsinki's sparkling harbour. Fares from $215. tallinksilja.com/en
