City Cruises Boston Historic Sightseeing Harbor Cruise

Badge of Excellence

Boston, USA

Very popular!

10+ bookings in the past 6 hours.

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

Why travelers loved this

4.5

· Leslie_M ·

Jun 2026

Wonderful way to see great views while getting a different kind of history of the city of Boston. Only an hour, so it don’t doesn’t take a lot of your day. Our guide (tour narrator), Dave Coffin, was extremely entertaining, but also very knowledgeable. If you can get on one his tours, do it! Even with a LOT of fog, we still enjoyed it.

· Claire_M ·

May 2026

I had David as our tour narrator and he was amazing!! As a solo traveller I was skeptical on doing this alone but as soon as I got on the boat it was super easy and super fun! Dave is hilarious and has a great sense of humour! Didn’t think this was really my thing but LOVED it and so glad I went!! I learned so much!

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Overview

See some of the top attractions in Boston from the waterfront on this narrated sightseeing cruise. Explore the world-famous Boston Harbor and see the city’s historic sites while listening to live commentary on board, from tales of the Revolutionary War to local legends. While you cruise, enjoy views of the city skyline as well as the Boston Harbor Islands, USS Constitution (“Old Ironsides”), and the Bunker Hill Monument.

Historic sightseeing cruise of Boston Harbor
Narrated tour with tales of the Revolutionary War, Legends of the Sea, and Boston's Historical Figures
Learn how the harbor was transformed into one of the cleanest waterways
Choose from multiple departure times to fit your schedule

What's Included

60-minute Historic Sightseeing Cruise of Boston Harbor
Narrated tour.
See stunning panoramic views of Boston's skyline and waterfront areas.
Skip the ticket booth and head straight to the boat for faster boarding

Food & Beverages (available for purchase)

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

1 Long Wharf, Boston, MA 02110, USA
Please arrive at the Boston Harbor Cruises meeting point early – boarding begins 15 minutes before departure.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

Discover some of the important historic attractions along Boston’s inner and outer harbors during this entertaining and educational sightseeing cruise.

On this narrated tour, see the USS Constitution, the world’s oldest commissioned warship afloat and America’s Ship of State.

Check out Old North Church, where the famous “one if by land, and two if by sea” signal is said to have been sent by Paul Revere back in 1775. There’s also Boston Light, a lighthouse located on Little Brewster Island in outer Boston Harbor and the first light station established on the North American continent.

Boston Harbor City Cruises (Pass By)

Castle Island (Pass By)

Logan International Airport (Pass By)

USS Constitution (Pass By)

Bunker Hill Monument (Pass By)

Boston Light (Pass By)

Boston Harbor City Cruises (Pass By)

Old North Church & Historic Site (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Transportation is wheelchair accessible

Most travelers can participate
The boat is wheelchair accessible, however the restrooms are not wheelchair accessible
Boarding begins 15 minutes before departure. Guests must arrive early, as late arrivals will likely miss the boat.
Infants are free, however, they are REQUIRED to have a ticket.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 250 travelers

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Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

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

Karen_C

Liz provided a great narration while the ship was sailing, and the crew was so welcoming as we boarded.. The two young men who took photos, which were available for purchase after the cruise, were friendly and helpful. Sitting on the deck of the ship in the sunshine, surrounded by fresh air and a gentle breeze, was incredibly relaxing. My family and I enjoyed this tour very much, and we highly recommend it.

Reviews

4.5

based on 1,459 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

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Sort by: Most insightful

Tour guide speaker was...

Thomas_D, Jul 2026

Tour guide speaker was great! Weather was perfect. Easy to get to on the wharf. Grab a pint at dock bar beforehand.

Dismissive employee

Lynn_S, Jul 2026

The cruise was good. There was an employee (male) who not only not engaged with passengers that were arriving but was dismissive and seemed inconvenienced when I asked a question. Everyone else was very attentive to their passengers

Good overview of the...

Maggie_V, Jul 2026

Good overview of the harbor area. Narration was informative but could have been a little louder. Good view from most parts of the boat.

Good trip

Malcolm_M, Jul 2026

Good trip , guide Mike excellent . Very informative tour round the Harbour, taking in all the local sites

Typical and Good Harbor Tour

Louise_C, Jul 2026

Short 1-hour tour but well scripted. Sound system was clear and you could hear and understand the narrator even over the distracted a yelling children. Nice tour for an hour.

Beverages are available...

Matthew_R, Jul 2026

Beverages are available for purchase. Wear a hat. The narrator (Kevin in our case) is on the top deck and he is talking about sites on the starboard side.

Informative, relaxing, and fun

Eileen_C, Jul 2026

Informative, relaxing and fun. Love the history and looking at Boston from the water. Watching aircraft approaching landing runways at Logan was really cool!

Super interesting, great views

Leslie_M, Jun 2026

Relaxing hour

Sharon_C, Jun 2026

We had a beautiful day, which made it really enjoyable. Our guide was knowledgeable about the development of the harbor; maybe a little too obsessed about Logan airport, but gave us lots of fun facts. It was a nice break from walking.

Pointless, Foggy disaster

Jessica_G, Jun 2026

If it is foggy it is absolutely POINTLESS. This provider was aware that once we left the port that the remainder of the excursion would be foggy and they should have canceled it. I choose this excursion as a way to see some of the sights since I was only in town for 36 hours and this was an absolute waste. We were asked to use our imagination as to what we should be actually seeing. How can I imagine something I’ve never seen?

Great Tour Captain

Craig_M, Jun 2026

Informative cruise about the Boston Bay/Wharf history. Or guide/captain was very entertaining and made the cruise not only fun but informative.

Normal harbor tour--false advertising

Carol_H, Jun 2026

I believe that the viator website for this tour was false advertising. The photo of the tour shows a more historical looking ship with sails,(similar to the USS Constitution) which would have been a different experience for this tour even if the ship were equipped with a motor. The tour we experienced was a typical harbor boat tour and not what we expected. However, the boat did have a guide to point out all the history of Boston harbor. The guide was very informative and I had no complaints about her performance. It was not what we envisioned. Viator needs to identify via photo the actual boat that conducts the tours. It was disappointing.

Boat cruise

Mary_E, Jun 2026

Get there early. Could not get seats to sit on top deck. Captain was fantastic. Very funny and extremely entertaining and informative.

Boston Bay tour

Veronica_B, Jun 2026

It was a beautiful ride out on the Boston Bay. As soon as we arrived at the dock, everything went smoothly. Our boat guide was very knowledgeable. It was great for the price!

Great way to spend an afternoon.

Duane_S, Jun 2026

Very educational. Seats on the top deck were a little uncomfortable. The guide was very good. A great way to spend the afternoon.

Cruising and amusing !

Brenda_W, Jun 2026

Narrator was wonderful and entertaining. The cruise was very informative and interesting. The seating was excellent.

Great views of Boston from out on the water

arlene16, Jun 2026

We booked this thinking it was a sailing ship. The picture on the activity is a ship with sails. After searching the harbour for such a ship we missed our 12.30 departure. The lovely guy at Boston Harbour Cruises exchanged the ticket for the next sailing. He explained it was a normal boat not the sailing ship in the picture. The experience itself was good with a great tour guide. So, we did have fun and recommend this for a nice hour on the water with great views. I would suggest you take off the sailing boat picture as it’s misleading.

This tour was a great way...

Abbie_K, Jun 2026

This tour was a great way to learn about the history of Boston. Our narrator was friendly and funny. Was also cool to be right under planes flying out of the airport.

Sightseeing, but not much history

Robert_P, Jun 2026

Our experience on the Boston Harbor cruise was that it was light on the historical content if you are looking for information about colonial Boston. There was more discussion of urban renewal and filling in the harbor in order to create newer Boston neighborhoods.

Great way to spend an hour!

Deborah_A, Jun 2026

Really nice one hour historic cruise around Boston Harbor, with narration and historic tidbits! Highly recommend for anyone who wants a different perspective on the city and is limited on time.

A beautiful day for a cruise

Sandra_C, May 2026

Although this was my tour guide's first trip, he was very knowledgeable about the history around the harbor. It was a beautiful day for a cruise

Strongly recommend

Jennifer_R, May 2026

A great overview of the city from the water. We all enjoyed it and thought that it was a worthwhile activity.

Great experience

Indrani_B, May 2026

It was a great experience. We had so much fun. Rain did not ruin the experience. We got to go under the plane

Great narration- very...

Michelle_S, May 2026

Great narration- very informative about some of the history of places on the harbor. A very relaxing way to take in the sights. Would definitely recommend!