The Maine Coast is filled with magical seaside towns out of a picture book, but the best kept secret might be Monhegan, an hour off the coast. An island artist colony with a dozen art studios, most of which are open to the public and featuring a great network of hiking trails as well as several shops and eateries.

Watch the video for our run through our 2 night stay, what we explored including a stop to the island brewery along the way.

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Monhegan is a small island, of only about 1 square mile, about an hour ferry ride from the mainland. No cars are allowed on the island, so expect to do some walking. The island is pretty small and other than hiking most of the main attractions are just a short walk from one another. If you have mobility issues it is possible to rent a golf cart on the island.

Peace and Relaxation

Monhegan is great if you want a nice quiet relaxing stay, strolling through the art studios and shops, exploring the natural beauty of the island’s rugged coastline and taking in the slow paced island culture. Its not the place if you want something action packed or late night activities – the only bar on the island, which is a brewery closes at 6 pm. This is a place to disconnect and relax.

Monhegan makes for a great day trip. You can see most of the highlights in a single afternoon, grab a lobster roll and be back in Port Clyde by dinner.

Accommodation on Monhegan

There are several inns and bread and breakfasts as well as airBnBs if you want to stay the night for an extended stay. Just note, you might have to book far in advance as accommodations are limited. Some places also require you stay several days to a week in order to book, so keep that in mind.

How to Get to Monhegan

To get to Monhegan, you can take a ferry from Port Clyde, Boothbay and New Harbor. We did the ferry from Port Clyde via Monhegan Boat Line – I’ll leave a link in the description. The ferry costs $50 per adult round trip and parking at the ferry terminal is $8 per day. It takes about 2 hours to get to Port Clyde from Portland, so expect to get up early to catch the morning ferry or stay closer to Port Clyde.

Also, bring a sweatshirt for the ferry ride. It might be 70 degrees or 80 on shore, but out at sea it can dip to 60 or 50 degrees. There is an indoor area and a bathroom aboard the ferry.

On the Island

We had two nights booked at the Shining Sail Bread and Breakfast Apartment Rooms, which cost just over $200 per night. We were able to drop off our luggage early until we could access the rooms.

Right off the ferry there is the Barnacle which is half gift shop half cafe. We bought some water here, but you can also grab coffee drinks as well as a selection of pastries, salads and sandwiches.

Good to mention that the only places offering full dinner services are the Island Inn and Monhegan House which require reservations. We stopped by the Island Inn to put in our reservation for Saturday night.

We then went off to explore. Saturday was supposed to be a wash out, so we wanted to save all the indoor activities for then. 

Hiking on Monhegan

Despite being a small island, there’s over 10 miles of rugged hiking trails exploring the forests, coves and cliffs of the island. While most people should have no issues with these trails, if you have mobility issues there are some roots and steeper sections to be aware of. 

We went out to lobster cove which is an easy hike right near the village area. If you’re doing the island as a day trip, this is the hike you want to do. At Lobster Cove, you’ll meet the sight of the D.T. Sheridan shipwreck. In 1948 the diesel tug boat ran aground on its way to deliver coal to Bangor. Thankfully, no-one was hurt in the crash. Then in 1970, a massive storm moved the wreck 50 feet inland, flipping it completely.

Lobster Cove is a peaceful place to watch the waves crash against the rocks, explore the shipwreck and look for creatures in the tidal pools.

Monhegan Brewing Company

After spending a good hour out there, we headed back to the village and went to Monhegan Brewing. Monhegan Brewing is one of two breweries accessible only by boat in Maine, the other being North Haven Brewing on North Haven Island (another great spot to experience island life in Maine).

Monhegan brewing features a large outdoor area completely surrounded by lobster traps, a small indoor taproom with merch and a food cart serving up fresh fried seafood. We already had dinner plans so we opted for the famed fried pickles as a snack. The food cart has limited hours so make sure to check ahead if you’re hoping for a meal here. Despite being on an island, the beer at Monhegan Brewing is excellent. I ordered a flight of their lighter beers including a Kolshe, Lager and Blonde Ale and everything was smooth and refreshing.

Afterwards, we got settled in our rooms and relaxed until dinner.

Food on Monhegan

For dinner we went to the Monhegan Fish house where you can get lobster and lobster rolls, but also stews, oysters, fried seafood, tacos, salads and sandwiches.

After dinner we went to the island’s best kept secrets – Nite Nite Fatties – which is an array of homemade desserts ranging from pies to cakes made daily by Melanie Tucker. Friday was Pie Day and the assortment didn’t disappoint. Who knew that the best spot for dessert in the entire US was on an island off the coast of Maine?!

Watching the Sunset

After dessert we had to walk it off by climbing the hill to the lighthouse and caught a gorgeous sunset with Monhegan Village in the foreground as the sun slowly set over the horizon.

Afterwards it was dark and enjoyed a little stargazing on our way back where we were staying where we hung out until it was time to turn out the lights. 

In the morning we went to the Monhegan Store for breakfast sandwiches and coffee. Thankfully the weather wasn’t nearly as bad as forecasted so we decided to do a short hike to Whitehead Cliffs – https://monheganassociates.org/the-trail-map/ – which required us to hike back up the hill to the lighthouse. 

At Whitehead we were greeted by a stunning view of the rugged coastline of the Eastern side of the island. Waves crashing on the rocks, seagulls nesting and we saw a few harbor seals frolicking in the waters below.

Island Lighthouse and Museum

We then made our way back to the Lighthouse where it was $10 per person to enter the museum. The museum is a great way to learn more about the history of the island and island culture over time. From lobstering and farming to artists and tourism. There’s also an ice house to explore out back and a small art gallery featuring some of the island’s resident artists.

By this time there were blue skies again as we started to explore some of the island galleries and shops starting with the Lupine Gallery and Evie’s Gift Shop. We also stopped by the island’s public library which is a must to peek in and be amazed by the wall to wall amount of books they were able to stuff into that place.

Lunch on Monhegan

We then stopped by the Trailing Yew which offers lunch options ranging from sandwiches to salads as well as pastries. We also stopped by the Monhegan Store to pick up some wine to go with dinner. Most food places are are BYOB on the island and there’s an ok selection of beer and wine at the store. If you’re planning to cook at your airBNB, this is also where you can buy some ingredients, meats, veggies and dairy. They won’t have EVERYTHING, but it is impressive how much they pack into that little store.

Afterwards we explored a few studios like the Donna Cundy and Hill Studios. This is a great way to meet the artists, view some impressive art and buy some art if anything speaks to you.

At this time, we had some time to kill before dinner, so we went back to Monhegan brewing.

Dinner on Monhegan

Once it was dinner time we headed off to the Island Inn with the wine we bought earlier the day. The Island Inn’s restaurant is a more traditional sit down dining experience with a great selection of appetizers, seafood and desserts.

While my meal of bruschetta and swordfish were spectacular, we did not get dessert. Instead we went back to Nite Nite Fatties for some amazing brown butter cake.

We hung out for a time at the small beach near Monhegan Fishhouse. While this is a pretty rocky beach, its also a great place to hunt for seashells and sea glass. There is a more secluded Pebble Beach on the North side of the island that requires a short hike to get to.

Soon it was time to turn in for the night.

Breakfast on Monhegan

In the morning, we went to the Mooring Chain – for some bagels with some great lox and fun spreads like horseradish whitefish. They also serve pastries and pre-made sandwiches and salads for lunch. They also roast their own coffee and have a full espresso machine for lattes and other drinks. 

We booked the 12:30 ferry, so we waited by the small beach until it was time to gather our luggage and head to the ferry dock.

Final Verdict

Overall, Monhegan is a magical place transporting you to a cozy island with charming shops and studios, some great food and beautiful hiking trails. Even if you don’t have the time for an overnight stay, you can see and experience in just an afternoon on the island as part of a day trip.