Boston Skyline Sightseeing Boat Tour: Charles River Cruise
Overview
Available languages
1 hour 10 minutes
Mobile ticket
Enjoy a 70-minute, fully-narrated sightseeing cruise along the Charles River. Your captain and crew will both entertain and educate while pointing out the historic and cultural sights of Boston and Cambridge.
Additional Info
Wheelchair accessible
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
What To Expect
CambridgeSide
You will find our ticket booth and docks at the back entrance of the CambridgeSide Mall, directly outside the Food Hall.
Charles River
We will cruise by many neighborhoods including Back Bay and Beacon Hill (including the recognizable and distinctives brownstones), view of the Boston skyline with the many buildings that shape it. Cruise under many bridges including the Henry Longfellow bridge (better knows to locals as the Salt and Pepper Bridge). And so much more.
Options
Narrated Sightseeing Tour
Duration: 1 hour 10 minutes: Enjoy a 70-minute, fully-narrated sightseeing cruise along the Charles River.
What‘s Included
Local guide
All taxes, fees and handling charges
Live commentary on board
Food and drinks (available to purchase)
Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Reviews
49 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Rehearse the lines better?
Rachel,Jun 13, 2026
- Review from Viator
3.00It was a nice ride with extremely little narration that felt like a middle school play with many missed rehearsed lines.
Take this tour
mikeny122,Jun 12, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Nice tour Very informative Great guide who was informative and charming Definitely worth the effort to do this tour
Good family time
chideraho2024,Jun 12, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00It was pretty short trips in the content was limited. But our guide was great and so was the person steering ship. Our kids were fairly on a good time. We learned some things too!
Very nice family experience
donias570,Jun 6, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Amazing experience!! Jessica was the best tour guide! Shoutout for Stephano also the captain!
Treated our group of seniors like royalty!
Bumpkins,May 28, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.0035 members of the Bristol Historical Society enjoyed a wonderful cruise with the Charles River Boat Company. From the booking to the meet and greet and personalized walk from the bus to the boat, the experience was flawless, professional, and wonderful. The narration was perfect: just the right balance of history and corny tour guide jokes. We are grateful for this terrific experience and look forward to making it an annual outing for our group. Special thanks to Anne-Marie!
Gorgeous Cruise
Maureen M,May 26, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We had a gorgeous day and excellent guides!
A lovely way to see the skyline and sights of Boston from a different perspective.
Frank T,Sep 8, 2022
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We spent a beautiful day cruising the Charles River on a comfortable vessel and viewing the sights of Boston's beautiful buildings and college institutions. The activities of the school's crew and sailing teams dotted the river as we learned about the history of this great city from our able and courteous Captain Andus and Crewmate and Bartender Noah. We actually felt like family at the completion of this 70 minute cruise. What a great way to spend an afternoon while visiting Boston.
Great way to see both Boston and Cambridge
ToTravelIsBrilliant,Jun 27, 2020
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00The dock for the Charles Riverboat Company was through a park very close to the hotel where we stayed and right behind the CambridgeSide Galleria, so it was easy for us to get there, It was a lovely day, and on the water is a wonderful way to see both Boston and Cambridge (we went all the way to Harvard College). We saw the skyline of Boston, the Back Bay, MIT, crew houses of various rowing teams, the new Liberty Hotel (which used to be a jail) and we went under bridges we have only driven over. This is worth doing!
Efficient City Tour
maevie95,Nov 13, 2019
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This Boat Tour was perfect!! We didn't have a lot of time to spend sight seeing so this was ideal as we got to see all of the city's main attractions and hear about the history of how the city built up from the very knowledgeable tour guide. The tour took off on time and lasted the full 90 minutes. We got to see beautiful views of the city skyline either from the comfort of the inside cabin or out on the deck enjoying the fresh air. There is a bar with drinks and snacks available on board which is handy but we didn't avail of it as we had just had lunch. There were a few nice surprises about the city too which we would never have seen or heard if not for having taken this tour. We were a couple but there were plenty of families, business colleagues and a few solo travelers also! Highly recommend, 10/10!
Nice relaxing trip
Judgepam,Oct 2, 2019
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00There were 2 choices, an architecture tour or a Charles River tour. I wanted to go up the river, but the architecture tour sounded good so we did that. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and it was very good. I did not understand that we had gone into the ocean as there was never a view of the wide open ocean, what a busy body of water that is. Since my son has relocated to Cambridge, I will return and do the Charles Rive4 ride the next time.
Related Experiences
Operated by Charles River Boat Company