We are biiiig Sunrise and Sunset people, and the island is ideal because depending on where you drive you can catch both of them on the horizon over the ocean. After years of waking up early with a cup of coffee, or driving up-island with a bottle of wine - we can confirm some of our favorite places to start and end each day.

Sunrise

The sun rises on the east - so Oak Bluffs is your best location for that, though you can catch it in parts of Edgartown too. Luckily parking is less of an issue for sunrises, so you should be able to drive up and park at all of these locations.

1. Inkwell Beach (Oak Bluffs) - so convenient and a direct line of the sun coming over the horizon

2. OB Fishing Pier (Oak Bluffs)

3. Jaws Bridge (Edgartown/Oak Bluffs Line)

4. Chappy Ferry Dock (Edgartown) - from this angle you can eye the Chappy Ferry and from the top deck you can see it rise over the lighthouse

Sunset

The sun sets on the western side of the island, so if you want to see it over water you’ll want to be in parts of Vineyard Haven, West Tisbury, Chilmark or Aquinnah. The most common answer for best sunset is Menemsha - which, we agree is stunning. We’ve included our favorite sleeper pics.

• West Chop (Vineyard Haven) - limited parking, but we love to see this set over the dock by West Chop Club

• East Chop (Vineyard Haven) - also somewhat limited parking, we park on East Chop Drive and love to see the views here without driving up-island. This does set over VH as opposed to the water, but it’s still great.

• Menemsha (Chilmark) - The Famed! A choice so popular, you’ll probably want to take a shuttle, Uber, or get someone to drop you up because of limited parking. It’s an excursion - you can also get takeout food at Menemsha Fish Market, Larsens Fish market or dine at Home Port. You can expect people to BYOB with a picnic and clap when the sun sets. An MV bucket list item for sure!

• Aquinnah Cliffs (Aquinnah) - Stunning! There is limited parking, and also a must do. See it high from the cliffs over the water - just incredible.

  Honorable mentions:

  • Lambert’s Cove Beach (West Tisbury) we love this personally but it’s tricky to recommend because of limited parking in-season. Also, Edgartown Lighthouse and South Beach (Edgartown)

A good rule of thumb is to arrive 20-30 minutes before the sunrise or sunset time listed on your weather app, and stay 10 minutes after. Enjoy!