Ottawa Boat Cruise - Paul's Boat Line

Ottawa, Canada

High interest

Booked 2 times today.

1 hour 30 minutes (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Why travelers loved this

4.3

· Michele_B ·

Sept 2025

Bathroom on board. They sell drinks, hot chocolate...and I think snacks. There was plenty of sitting room on board, folding chairs in rows. Wendy our guide was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. She was great! Nice relaxing cruise, great views from the water of the Parliament Buildings. Very smooth ride! You can walk to the front and stand for more photo ops.

· Louise_V ·

Oct 2025

Great experience but dress warm! Great tour guide & nice to hear the history & see buildings from the river.

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Overview

See a new perspective on the Canadian capital—and enjoy a relaxed, hassle-free sightseeing experience—during this narrated boat tour along the Ottawa River. Choose a departure point and tour time that work best for you, find your preferred seat on the two viewing decks, and get comfortable. You can look out for sights ranging from Parliament Hill to Nepean Point, all while learning more from the bilingual commentary.

See more of the sights in less time when you travel by boat
Enjoy special views of Ottawa landmarks that most visitors miss
Your bilingual guide narrates the tour in French and English
A range of start times are available to suit your busy schedule

What's Included

Bilingual commentaries
All Fees and Taxes

Hotel pick up & drop-off

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting points

Select a meeting point

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

Paul's Boat Lines

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

National Gallery of Canada (Pass By)

Nepean Point (Pass By)

Canadian Museum of History (Pass By)

Supreme Court of Canada / Cour Supreme Du Canada (Pass By)

Parliament Hill and Buildings (Pass By)

Royal Canadian Mint (Pass By)

Rideau Falls (Pass By)

Prime Minister's Official Residence (Pass By)

Rockcliffe Park Pavillion (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation

Most travelers can participate
Please note- there is no rescheduling
Only wheelchair accessible on the Hull Marina on Gatineau side
Please note - Our tickets our non-refundable.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 80 travelers

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

This experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or ask for an amendment, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Susan_M

We were lucky enough to book this almost last minute on our trip to Ottawa. The location from our hotel was a short and enjoyable walk along the canal. Once aboard Andy and the crew were great. Andy is an awesome guide and provides a lot of information and fun facts. I would definitely recommend this cruise to visitors and locals too!!

Reviews

4.3

based on 919 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Great experience but...

Louise_V, Oct 2025

Great experience but dress warm! Great tour guide & nice to hear the history & see buildings from the river.

Great tour

Kanchana_D, Oct 2025

Wendy was very informative. Despite the rain we got to see both sides of the river and learn a lot about Ottawa history and beautiful buildings

Interesting

Marie_M, Oct 2025

Informative, you see the riverside of the homes on Sussex Drive. Even on a warm day it did get cool with the wind so bring a jacket.

Cruise on the Ottawa River

Ian_M, Oct 2025

excellent guide, trip covered some new and historic sites on the Ottawa River, all in all a pleasant experience. Would recommend.

Ottawa boat cruise

Jo_N, Sept 2025

Boat trip was excellent. Traveller's should note it is a long walk over a 1/2 mile and a steep incline walking back. A lot of stairs (steep) if you use mobility aid there is a ramp but it is VERY steep. The cruise itself was excellent.

Cruising the Ottawa River

Michele_B, Sept 2025

Excellent, short and...

Mike_J, Sept 2025

Excellent, short and pleasant way to see Ottawa and surrounds from the water. Guide was knowledgeable and funny. Very pleasant experience.

Good service

DALMACIO_M, Sept 2025

They cancelled my tour the day itself. But good thing they called me and they will refund my payment. Due to blockade of the street

Nice way to spend an hour or so!

Julie_L, Sept 2025

Lovely afternoon on the river. Good commentary. Good view from the deck. A pleasant experience on holiday. Signage to the pickup point could be better!

Morning cruise on the River Ottawa

Andrew_J, Sept 2025

Wendy was an excellent host with plenty of knowledge of the Ottawa River and the surrounding area all with a touch of humour.

Cruise

chris_j, Sept 2025

We enjoyed our cruise along the ottawa shoreline and would recommend to any other visitors staying in the city

Was Nothing special...

Alina_R, Sept 2025

Was Nothing special It Repeats everything that other tours do and say. Should go further in the river

Perfect

Audrie_C, Sept 2025

It was amazing Wendy the lady working there was so nice and friendly. She explain well the places we saw. She is a 10/10

Great way to end the day in Ottawa

Douglas_H, Sept 2025

Great way to end the day in Ottawa. We took the 7pm tour and it was great to catch sunset and learn about Ottawa.

Highly recommend this...

Zamand_S, Aug 2025

Highly recommend this tour to everyone visiting Ottawa. The tour guide was very nice and explained everything in detail!

Cruising’ Down the Ottawa

Anne_C, Aug 2025

I grew up in Ottawa but never took the opportunity to take this cruise on the Ottawa River. It was a beautiful day and we thoroughly enjoyed our experience. We saw many sites from a different angle on the water rather than just from the road. Our tour guide, Andi, was fabulous and had a very good knowledge of the city sites.

Ottawa Boat cruise

Shannon_B, Aug 2025

This was a nice relaxing time on the Ottawa River. Elodie the guide was very informative and fun! We really enjoyed!

Response from Host, Aug 2025

Dear costumer, Thank you for your kind review, we truly appreciate you taking the time to do so! We're so glad to hear you enjoyed your experience with us. Feedback like yours means a lot and helps us keep improving. We hope to welcome you back on board soon! If there’s ever anything we can do to make your next cruise even better, please don’t hesitate to let us know. Thank you once again for choosing us! Best regards, Team Ottawa Boat Cruise

Fabulous

Monique_L, Aug 2025

that Elodie our guide was dynamic and knew how to capture our interest. The information was clear and interesting.

Response from Host, Aug 2025

Ottawa Cruise

Tricia_G, Aug 2025

What they don’t tell you is how difficult it is to find parking and that the walk is about 20 minutes. You needed to be near the location at least an hour early. They did switch us to a later cruise easily. The cruise was very low key.

Response from Host, Aug 2025

Dear Client, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us. We truly value your honesty and are sorry to hear that your experience did not meet your expectations. Please accept our sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused. Your comments are important to us, and we take them seriously as we work to improve the quality of our services. We are currently reviewing the situation to ensure it remains an isolated incident and does not happen again. If you would like to share more details or speak further, please feel free to reach out to us directly at administration@ottawaboatcruise.com. Thank you again for bringing this to our attention. Best regards,  Team Ottawa Boat Cruise

Perfect!

Susan_M, Aug 2025

Response from Host, Aug 2025

The trip duration listed...

Paul_S, Aug 2025

The trip duration listed on the website is 1 1/2hrs but this is a little deceiving as the boat runs over to Gatineau to pick up more passengers which takes time off the cruise so in duration the scenic tour is only 1 hr.

Ottawa Boat Tour Paul’s Boat Line

Shawn_G, Aug 2025

Was as advertised. Very nice tour. Very friendly. Showed us a lot of areas along the river. Very enjoyable.

Response from Host, Aug 2025

It’s always enjoyable...

gjl, Aug 2025

It’s always enjoyable being on the water and Andy provided an enthusiastic and informative commentary. Very enjoyable.

Response from Host, Aug 2025

Beautiful Tour

Andrea_F, Aug 2025

Good experience all around. Great information on the tour and friendly and fun. Beautiful scenery!!!

Response from Host, Aug 2025

Great Option to see the city from the river.

Andrew_M, Jul 2025

We arrived late afternoon to Ottawa, and this was a great option to quickly see the city from the river. Our guide, Andi, was great and very enthusiastic as well as knowledgeable about the city. Not sure that we would make this the main activity for the day, but the 19hs cruise worked great for us and the sunset was amazing.

Response from Host, Aug 2025

River Cruise!

Scott_F, Jul 2025

Kate was wonderful, George, not so much. 😆😂🤣 Seriously, very enjoyable cruise. Water views of the city were great, along with the views of the canal locks, embassies and more!

Response from Host, Aug 2025

Go early. Dress for...

Helen_K, Jul 2025

Go early. Dress for weather. Book correct tour. Long walk for those with disabilities. Enjoy the views.

Response from Host, Aug 2025

Dear costumer, Thank you for your honest review, we truly appreciate you taking the time to do so! We hope to welcome you back on board soon! If there’s ever anything we can do to make your next cruise even better, please don’t hesitate to let us know. Thank you once again for choosing us! Best regards Team Ottawa Boat Cruise

Disappointed

Lindsay_S, Jul 2025

Walked up to the boat at 11:00 (our departure time) and the boat captain had already untied but not departed and he told us we were too late. Wouldn’t let us get on. Wasted my money and wasn’t very kind about it. He told me to go buy more tickets from a street vendor. Very disappointed.

Response from Host, Aug 2025

Dear Client, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us. We truly value your honesty and are sorry to hear that your experience did not go as planned. Please take note that we generally start boarding 30 minutes prior to the departure time, to ensure the boat leaves exactly at the scheduled time. Your comments are important to us, and we take them seriously as we work to improve the quality of our services. Thank you again for leaving your honest feedback.  Best regards, Team Ottawa Boat Cruise

Amazing experience! High recommended!

muhammadwali_N, Jul 2025

Amazing experience and very enjoyable. Highly recommended. Easy pick up location. Safe environment overall for elderly and kids.

Response from Host, Aug 2025

Good vibes . The ride was...

Frantz_A, Jul 2025

Good vibes . The ride was fun, and the tour guide was very knowledgeable. There is a bar with delicious drinks made by the bartender. Worth it for sure.