Just short (and cheap) ferry rides away, both Bintan and Batam are top resort destinations among Singaporeans. Depending on your destination and ferry operator, it'll take about 1 to 2 hours and cost about $50 or so for a return trip.

Yup, it's so easy to get to that you don't need a long weekend. Heck, with as many as 5 trips per day for some operators, you can even go there and back within a day if you really wanted to.

Itching to escape? Here's a comparison of the ferries departing Singapore to Bintan and Batam.

Singapore to Batam ferry price

Regardless of which route or ferry operator you choose, ferries from Singapore to Batam almost always cost just under $50 for a return trip. And yes, the price is the same for weekends, weekdays and public holidays.

So in terms of cost, which Batam ferry operator you pick is the least of your concerns. The most important thing to check is which Batam ferry terminal you’re going to. Batam is a pretty big island and it’s not very well-connected, so choosing the wrong ferry terminal could result in an hour’s drive or more to your hotel or resort.

2. Singapore to Batam Centre

Batam Centre and Harbour Bay ferry terminals both serve the Batam city centre, where all the major hotels and malls are.

3. Singapore to Harbour Bay

4. Singapore to Nongsapura

If you’re going to Montigo Resorts or Turi Beach Resorts, it’s good to take the ferry to Nongsapura to reduce travelling time.

5. Singapore to Sekupang

Finally, there’s Sekupang and Waterfront which serve the less-commercialised Sekupang area.

6. Singapore to Waterfront

While the Waterfront ferry terminal is closest to Harris Resort Waterfront and Holiday Inn Resort, there aren’t currently any ferry services directly to this terminal. You’ll have to take a ferry to another terminal, then cab over to your accommodation.

Singapore to Bintan ferry price

Compared to Batam, there aren’t as many ferries plying the route between Singapore and Bintan.

Most of the resorts in Bintan are located in the Lagoi Bay area, and the ferry terminal for that is Bandar Bentan Telani (BBT). So in most cases, the best (and only) ferry from Singapore to Bintan is by Bintan Resort Ferries. (Unless you’re staying at Bintan Lagoon Resort, which has its own ferry terminal.)

It’s also possible to take a ferry from Singapore to Tanjung Pinang, which is a less-frequented part of Bintan compared to the BBT area. Tanjung Pinang is a port town and is the gateway to Trikora Beach, which is a cheaper place to stay compared to Lagoi.

All Singapore to Bintan ferries depart from Tanah Merah ferry terminal.

Next we’ll cover the major ferry operators one by one to highlight what you should look out for before booking.

8. Sindo Ferry Price and Routes

Singapore to Batam ferries are unofficially monopolised by  operators: Sindo Ferry and Batam Fast Ferry. If you are risk-averse, it’s generally quite foolproof to go with either of the 2.

Sindo Ferry is a huge operation and runs tons of ferries daily from Harbourfront to Batam Centre, Sekupang and Waterfront. You can see the Sindo Ferry schedule here.

However, be aware that the Sindo Ferry prices on their website do not include hidden costs like taxes and levies:

1. Singapore Passenger Departure Fee: $10 per person (for trips departing from Harbourfront Centre or Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal)
2. Batam Terminal Fee: Rp100,000 or $10 per person (for trips departing from Batam Centre, Sekupang and Waterfront)
3. Tanjung Balai Karimun confirmation fee: Rp20,000 ($2) per person
4. Tanjung Pinang confirmation fee: Rp20,000 ($2) per person.

After adding these up, the ferry fare ends up at costing $76 to $98 (pretty much the same as other ferry operators).

Sindo Ferry is also the only operator that has routes directly to Waterfront, where Harris Resort Waterfront and Holiday Inn Resort Batam are. Unfortunately, these routes aren’t running at the moment.

9. Batam Fast Ferry Price and Routes

The other big player for ferries from Singapore to Batam is Batam Fast Ferry. As its name suggests, ferries are to Batam only, no Bintan ferries here. Prices displayed on their website are transparent and include terminal fees, so what you see is really what you’ll be paying.

Compared to Sindo Ferry, Batam Fast Ferry has more routes, with some departing from Tanah Merah ferry terminal (which might be convenient for east-siders or those coming from Changi Airport). You can see the Batam Fast ferry schedule here.

It’s worth noting that Batam Fast Ferry is the only operator that takes you directly to Nongsapura, where all the luxe Batam resorts are located. Coming here directly is way more convenient than a land transfer from Batam Centre ferry terminal.

10. Majestic Fast Ferry Price and Routes

Majestic Fast Ferry is a newer and smaller player compared to Sindo Ferries and Batam Fast, although it still has a respectable number of ferries going back and forth.

Majestic Fast Ferry takes you to Batam Centre or Sekupang from Harbourfront, and to Batam Centre from Tanah Merah. If you’re heading to Bintan, the Majestic Fast Ferry route departs from Tanah Merah.

One annoying thing about Majestic is that their website prices exclude the terminal fees until you add your bookings to cart. After adding the surcharges, the prices are similar to the other operators.

11. Horizon Ferry Price and Routes

The 4th operator that runs ferries from Singapore to Batam is called Horizon Ferry. It only has one route, from Harbourfront in Singapore to Harbour Bay in Batam. This supposedly takes only 35 minutes.

What’s special about Horizon Ferry is that they have Business Class seats for about 1.5X the usual Economy price — which, to me, isn’t very worth it for a such a short ride.

12. Bintan Resort Ferries Price and Routes

Bintan is mostly a resort island, and many beach resorts are located at the Lagoi region, accessed via Bandar Bentan Telani (BBT). This area is served by just one operator, Bintan Resort Ferries.

There are 2 classes of seats: Economy (normal) and Emerald (so-called first class). Prices are significantly higher, almost double the cost.

The prices are also differentiated based on peak and off-peak periods. Off-peak is from Monday to Sunday, and peak dates are specified blackout periods:

Year 2024: April 9 to 11; April 30 to May 2; May 21 to 23; May 24 to 26; May 31 to June 2; June 7 to 9; June 14 to 17; June 21 to 23; Aug 8 to 11; Oct 30 to Nov 3; Nov 22 to 24; Nov 29 to Dec 1; Dec 6 to 8; Dec 13 to 15; Dec 20, 2024 to Jan 1, 2025

13. Mozaic Ferry Lines Price and Routes (ceased)

If you specifically want to go to Bintan Lagoon Resort — they are the largest integrated resort on the island—there used to be a dedicated ferry operated by Mozaic Ferry Lines (ceased operations).

There didn’t used to be any official ferry schedules online, but when trying to make a booking few years back, I realised there were only two timings each way.

Departure used to be at 9 am and 3 pm (Tanah Merah to Bintan Lagoon), and the return trip was either at 11.45 am or 5.10 pm (Bintan Lagoon to Tanah Merah). The ferry ride was 75 minutes.

This article was first published in MoneySmart.