Best of Halifax Harbour Boat Tour

Recommended by 97% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

Halifax, Canada

Great choice

10+ bookings last month.

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

Why travelers loved this

4.9

· Lori_Q ·

Oct 2025

Fun little short excursion on a little sailboat .. only 10 people which is perfect a the captain and first mate were great … gloves and blanket given if needed.. wine and beer for a small fee … beautiful hour trip around the bay !

· Lacey_T ·

Sep 2025

This was a very relaxing and fun boat trip. Even with lack of wind for sailing, our crew gave us a great tour of the Halifax area, answered questions, and we had an enjoyable ride. We even got a great restaurant recommendation that was off the beaten path. It was wonderful. We can highly recommend this tour.

Overview

Go sailing in Halifax with this small-group tour designed for families. Meet your captain for a morning sail on a 45-foot yacht to experience a wind-powered adventure. Learn new sailing skills and set out along the coastline. Kids can earn an official crew member certificate during the excursion.

Set sail in Halifax on a 45-foot yacht
Maximize time with a small-group tour
Get kids involved in learning how to sail
All safety equipment included

What's Included

Lifejackets and PFD's

Alcoholic Beverages

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

J Farwell Sailing Tours
1597 Lower Water St, Halifax, NS B3J 1S2, Canada
Meet at the J Farwell Sailing Tours kiosk directly at the top of our gangway.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Georges Island National Historic Site

Halifax Waterfront Boardwalk

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation

Infants must sit on laps
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

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

Traveler Photos

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Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

JOHN_H

Beautiful sail on a gorgeous day. Our guide was very friendly and knowledgeable. Highly recommend it as a perfect way to spend a glorious summer afternoon.

Reviews

4.9

based on 77 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Beautiful quick excursion for a good price

Lori_Q, Oct 2025

Perfect day on the water

Lacey_T, Sep 2025

Halifax Harbor Tour

Ethel_W, Sep 2025

This was an excellent day! The captain and mate were knowledgeable and friendly! Putting the sail up and down was a beautiful site. And the ride was relaxing

Don't Miss This!

Kennethdalen, Aug 2025

Wonderful excursion with fantastic, energetic, and informative captain and deck hand, both of whom knew the history of Halifax in a way well beyond their years. Without a doubt the highlight and most memorable experience of our time in Halifax!

A fun afternoon

Julia_Y, Aug 2025

Great tour for a reasonable price with a knowledgeable guide. Halifax is a very interesting place. Learned a lot.

Great Tour

Patricia_G, Aug 2025

Great tour! Excellent captain and crew, very knowledgeable and friendly. Loved seeing Halifax Harbour from the water!

Lovely tour. Thank you

JOHN_H, Aug 2025

Beautiful sail on a gorgeous day. Our guide was very friendly and knowledgeable. Highly recommend it as a perfect way to spend a glorious summer afternoon.

Great Effort

Stacy_L, Aug 2025

The guides tried very hard to teach about the history of Halifax along with the boat ride. The boat was very clean and comfortable.

Wow!

Sandra_K, Aug 2025

The guide was excellent and very knowledgeable. He knew his history. The boat was well maintained. Loved it!

Personal tour for two!

PatsyBenveniste, Aug 2025

Very informative tour by Mitch. He shared lots of historical information about Halifax and its history

Very enjoyable sailboat...

Alexander_G, Aug 2025

Very enjoyable sailboat ride in the harbor. Highly recommend if you’re looking for something to do along the waterway.

A must sail in Halifax

Wendy_G, Jul 2025

Excellent sailing adventure, and the one hour cruise was perfect. Our Captain was so knowledgeable and well versed in Halifax history. Sebastian was equally supportive and a pleasure. A definite must do, while visiting Halifax!

Experience Halifax Harbour in a Relaxed Way

Tina_T, Jul 2025

Mitch was very informative. Lots of facts about the sites and history of Halifax harbour. Jeff was a good captain. We felt like we were in experienced hands. Safety was emphasized. Smooth tour with some excitement with the strong winds.

Great relaxing and interesting experience

Nina_B, Jul 2025

Really excellent, fascinating stories and information from the captain and crew, beautiful boat. In an hour we went around the harbour and even managed to be under sail power for a while.

Perfectly Windy Day!

Stephen_F, Nov 2024

Nice, windy day, so we tacked about 7-8 times and flew along! Got to sit forward on deck. Just don't forget to duck!

Nice tour

Courtney_M, Oct 2024

The tour itself was fantastic. The captain and first mate were very knowledgeable. The boat probably has plenty of space during the summer months, however when it’s cold, packing 12 people on the back where they can actually hear the tour is extremely tight. Maybe if they had a speaker on the front where people could have sat up there would have been better.

A must-do excursion in Halifax

Susan_W, Sep 2024

The captain and deck hand were both skilled at sailing and knowledgeable about the Halifax harbour. It was a fabulous experience

Response from Host, Sep 2024

Thank you so much for your amazing review!

Fun and informative

Cynthia_T, Aug 2024

Ryan and Simone were very knowledgeable and gave an excellent tour - a great way to see the Halifax Harbour in an hour👍🏻

Response from Host, Aug 2024

Thanks for joining us!

Great choice for cooler temperatures.

David_B, Aug 2024

The weather wasn't the best; however, the crew managed to make the most of it. The harbor tour at the slower speeds of a sailing vessel is a good way to not need to worry about cooler temps. The tour timing works excellent if time is of the essence also (aka cruise ship passengers). Thanks for the great experience.

Response from Host, Aug 2024

Thanks for sharing such a wonderful review of your time onboard!

Jeff and Margaret were...

Meagan_G, Jul 2024

Jeff and Margaret were wonderful! A perfect length, lightly educational ;) run around the harbour. Definitely recommend.

Response from Host, Aug 2024

Thanks for choosing to join us for a lightly educational best of Halifax Harbour tour!

Sailing the harbor was a highlight of our trip

lainie_l, Jul 2024

This was a perfect way to see the changing landscape of the city and to learn its history. The sailboat itself was beautiful and Angela Meagan and Ben were great. They answered questions we so welcoming. Sailing the harbor was a highlight of our trip.

Response from Host, Aug 2024

It means so much to be a highlight of someone's trip, thank you!

Must Do!

Jennifer_S, Jul 2024

Jeff and Angela were wonderful! Our 14yo son got to try his hand at sailing, and even got to raise the main sail, as well as bring it in. They spoke about the history of Halifax and provided a ton of colour to what we were seeing. Dont leave Halifax without doing this! They will even provide adult beverages and water during the tour, so book in the afternoon or evening to take advantage of this bonus!

Response from Host, Jul 2024

Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review, Jennifer! Your feedback is so appreciated. We're so happy you enjoyed being "put to work" onboard :)

Amazing

Alain_P, Jun 2024

First sailing expérience, staff very kind & professionnal, to be repeated . Enjoyed every minute of it . Very Nice & clean boat

Amazing crew!

Grace_A, Aug 2023

The crew was so nice and knowledgeable! It was a very relaxing and fun ride. I will definitely use J Farwell again the next time we’re in Halifax.

Response from Host, Sep 2023

We can't wait to welcome you back aboard!

A great morning in Halifax

Tracey_J, Aug 2023

A little hard to find the shed on the waterfront but someone pointed it out to me. The Captain and first mate were amazing. The day was beautiful the sailing was so fun - I sat on the bow and “pancaked” when tacking. It was a great experience. Only wish it was longer!

Fun for the whole family!

Laurie_S, Aug 2023

Kind, knowledgeable and fun staff. Clean, well maintained boat. Children friendly! All ages fun! I would recommend to anyone.

Response from Host, Aug 2023

Thanks so much for sailing with us with your family! Cheers.

Great experience

YULIYA_G, Jul 2023

We had a great experience even though it was foggy. The crew was very friendly and knowledgeable. It was a nice relaxing trip for our family.

Response from Host, Jul 2023

Thank you so much for choosing to sail with us with your family! Fog sailing can be quite thrilling - surprise fog banks are a fun quirk of Halifax :)

Sailing adventure with good friends!!!

Linda_B, Aug 2022

Our captain, Brandon, and first mate, Frankie, we’re very friendly and fun! Our party of 6 had a wonderful time learning about the sailboat, how to sail, and the waters around Halifax! Thank you for providing this enjoyable opportunity for our one day in Halifax.

Sailing adventure on port day! A+++

Tracie_S, Aug 2022

So glad we booked this excursion when we visited Halifax, N.S. during our cruise on Adventure of Seas! Brandon, the captain, and Frankie were not only professional and friendly, but were fun and we all had a great time! Learning about the sails and boat were so interesting— participation in raising and lowering totally up to you! Views of Halifax were gorgeous and we even saw a seal playing in the Harbor!!

Beautiful harbor sail

JANINE_R, Jul 2022

We had a very lovely sail. The boat was beautiful and well maintained. The staff was super friendly and knowledgeable. My only “criticism” is that I think it’s misleading to call it a “learning to sail” experience. I was hoping for a little more information and possibly hands on experience. Really all that was offered was a chance to pull some ropes.

Likely to Sell Out