Swan River Scenic Cruise
Perth, Australia
Swan River Scenic Cruise
Badge of Excellence
Perth, Australia
- 2 hours 45 minutes (approx.)
- Offered in: English
Overview
See some of Perth’s top sights from the water on a leisurely Swan River cruise. As you depart the city center, admire Perth riverfront attractions like the Bell Tower and Kings Park, and glide past pretty suburbs to reach Fremantle, located where the river meets the Indian Ocean. Choose a departure time when booking.
- Scenic Swan River cruise from Perth
- See many sights including the Bell Tower, Kings Park, and the Fremantle harbor
- Live commentary
- Plenty of photo opportunities
What's Included
Meeting and Pickup
Itinerary
Additional Info
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Trip was a lovely cruise down the Swan River, and had a very friendly and informative captain. Loved learning about all of the places as we sailed past them. Took loads of pictures as well. It was very good to learn about Perth on our first trip to the city. The crew were also very friendly and welcoming.
Would definitely recommend this.
Reviews
4.3
based on 391 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
The round trip is very enjoyable with interesting commentary. You can hear the commentary better inside but there are so many windows that being inside isn’t a problem.
One crew member, Nathan, was especially helpful but everyone was friendly and efficient.
No tea or coffee available on the 11:15 trip unless you’d booked for a lunch, although we’d hoped there would be some.
Very little wildlife to see which was disappointing but humans aren’t in control of where they go!
Overall a very enjoyable trip which I’d recommend.
This is an ‘up & back’ trip. So the same commentary for the return. Should have just done a one way trip as the novelty had worn off on the return.
The day was sunny, so very pleasant on the water. Staff friendly & helpful. No tea/coffee available but there is bar service.
We all really enjoyed this cruise. It was interesting to see the homes and learn the history of Perth. The captain's commentary, wine and snacks were a bonus.
Great cruise down swan river to Freo and return. Succinct commentary by the captain regarding the points of interest as you cruise. Drinks and eats available. Very clean toilets on board.
Lovely cruise very informative
A very nice meal all you can eat
Perfect weather very lucky great day
The cruise was great and the staff (crew) were absolutely wonderful. The woman who verified my ticket at Fremantle was also very helpful and sorted out our booking. I have to say the online booking process is atrocious. I selected Fremantle to Perth, when checking a day later it had reversed travel, changed back to my preference of Fremantle departure and paid to lock in. I did this because I received an email to say my departure was from Perth. Checked day before departure and back to departure from Perth! Called Viator who contacted Capt Cook Cruises who sent an eticket. Still kept receiving emails advising departure was from Perth. Eticket had a different departure point in Fremantle than website! I called Viator morning of cruise and they confirmed the two departure points were actually the same! When we arrived at departure point I went to the Capt Cook office at Fremantle wharf to check all was okay only to find out my eticket was not activated (even though I tried online and it appeared I had nothing to activate) so the lovely woman printed me out a ticket to board. As I said, great cruise but the hassle with Viator booking system and the app caused a great deal of stress. Please do the cruise but go to a booking office or call and speak with a human.
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Oh dear Sandy, that sounds way more confusing than it needs to be and we are sorry to hear of your experience. But pleased to hear that you found our ticketing staff helpful and that you ultimately enjoyed your cruise with us on the beautiful Swan River. Thank you for your feedback.
Was a beautiful day so we sat at the back at table and chairs and speed on a few drinks. Was a perfect relaxing day.
Response from Host, Aug 2026
Excellent to hear, sounds like a relaxing experience with us on the Swan River!
A convenient, comfortable and relaxing chance to get out on the water and make your way to Fremantle. Great to have the option to get off and explore or just take a nice 2 1/2 hour round-trip boat trip.
Response from Host, Aug 2026
Exactly, a great way to spend a few hours on the Swan River. Thank you for choosing Captain Cook Cruises!
Information on Swan River settlement given during the trip. Great morning cruise to Fremantle. Crew gave good service.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Fantastic to hear, sounds like you enjoyed our popular Scenic Cruise on the Swan River. It is a great way to travel between Perth and Fremantle!
Though it was such as amazing looking forward to going again in the summer time and when I have family over too
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Thank you for the lovely review. We're so pleased to hear you had an amazing experience and are already looking forward to visiting again in summer.
It was a lovely cruise which was changed by the operator to Saturday morning prior to the change in the weather
The communication, the service etc was great! Recommend
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Hi Carol,
Thanks for being so understanding with the last minute change due to the weather.
So glad you enjoyed the cruise!
Good water perspective tour of the Swan River from Perth to Fremantle return. Commentary was top level about suburbs along the way and pleasant. Staff all friendly and helpful!!
Response from Host, Apr 2026
That is so nice to hear; a cruise with Captain Cook Cruises is truly the best way to experience our beautiful Swan River!
Great trip down the river with my family visiting from the UK. Friendly and helpful staff and captain. Would highly recommend.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Thanks Cheryl, yes, a cruise with us on the Swan River is a wonderful experience especially for visiting family.
Really great way to see both cities and in-between from the water!!!! Have no idea what else I could possibly say!!!!!
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Wonderful to hear, thanks so much Sandra. Glad to hear that you enjoyed your experience with us.
Trip was a lovely cruise down the Swan River, and had a very friendly and informative captain. Loved learning about all of the places as we sailed past them. Took loads of pictures as well. It was very good to learn about Perth on our first trip to the city.
The crew were also very friendly and welcoming.
Would definitely recommend this.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Thank you do much Sam for taking the time to provide us with your feedback. Sounds like you had a great time with us, and the Swan River provides a beautiful backdrop to our city!
It was a good long tour of the Swan River, I enjoyed the commentary and the view from the upper deck.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Great to hear, thanks for your review Joe. A cruise is the best way to enjoy views of the beautiful Swan River!
Fantastic trip, fully entertained by captain, wonderfull stall on board, if I had to find a fault, it would be, was told where to go, but there was no one upstairs, so we didn’t know where to sit.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Thanks for your feedback Tim, sounds like you enjoyed your time on our Swan River cruise, thank you for choosing Captain Cook Cruises.
A great way to see Perth and Fremantle from the water. Good informative commentary. Gentle ride with great views.
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Wonderful to hear, thanks for your feedback!
The staff are amazing and you can tell they enjoy their jobs, the staff are very happy the cruise was very laid back and enjoyable, the commentary on the local knowledge is also a bonus.
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Brilliant to hear, thank you for choosing Captain Cook Cruises!
get there early to get a good seat
get there early to get a good seat
get there early to get a good seat
get there early to get a good seat
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Thanks for your feedback David - we truly hope that you did get a good seat on the cruise and that you had a great experience with us!
Apart from the joy of being of the river, the narrative was very informative and helpful. Also, on-board service was great.
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Wonderful to hear, thank you for choosing Captain Cook Cruises!
Beautiful scenery along the river. What a great way to travel between the two cities!
Captains commentary only enhanced the trop
Response from Host, Jan 2026
We agree, a cruise is the absolute best way to travel between Perth and Fremantle and vice versa!
Cute little river cruise, It's a nice way to spend a few hours. We did roundtrip from Freemantle to Perth and back. And lucky enough to see a pod of dolphins near Freemantle.
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Yes, a cruise is a great way to experience the Swan River, and we often see dolphins too!
Pleasant boat trip. Interesting experience - as a local I learned a few things I didn’t know. Good service
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Great, we love to welcome our locals on board, as well as visitors to Perth!
A very nice ferry ride from perth to freo and back and very good commerty from captain above all of perth
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Great to hear, thank you for cruising the Swan River with us!
Lovely day out in the sun enjoying the views and chilling. It was a fun way to see Fremantle and Perth.
Response from Host, Dec 2025
Wonderful to hear, and we agree, cruising on the beautiful Swan River is hard to beat!
Make sure to book the lunch option. That’s the only way to guarantee a seat. We have booked scenic tour and were told may not have a seat by the staff. I enquired about purchasing some food and was told “no”, we still need to move. My suggestion is if you have pre booked seats, isolate them to a certain area. Asking people to move wherever they sat to make room for the other people is insulting. Especially after a few times and available spaces are running out.
Response from Host, Dec 2025
We are sorry to read about your experience on our Scenic River Cruise, this clearly detracted from your day out and we apologise for this. Swan River Lunch Cruises must be prebooked but we do sell toasted wraps and other light snacks on board at the bar. We also have designated seating areas for lunch and for scenic cruise customers, so we will follow up with our team regarding your feedback. Thank you again for letting us know.
The cruise experience is very good but on board availability of food was limited and the bar on the top deck was closed
Response from Host, Dec 2025
We are pleased to hear that you enjoyed your experience with us. We will certainly take on your feedback about the snack choice and top deck bar. Thank you for your feedback.
Boat is beautiful with plenty of seating, big windows and bar serving drinks. We experienced a thunderstorm which was spectacular. The only negative is the seats could do with softer cushions
Response from Host, Dec 2025
Glad to hear that you enjoyed your cruise with us Helen, sounds like you have a lovely afternoon, even with the storm happening!
Very relaxing cruise down the Swan River between Perth and Fremantle. Great crew and a running commentary about the area.
Response from Host, Dec 2025
So good to hear, thanks for letting us know your thoughts Melissa!
Customers Who Bought This Tour Also Bought
Explore Similar Things to Do
- Audio Guides
- Walking Tours
- Historical Tours
- Tours, Sightseeing & Cruises
- Private and Luxury
- On the Ground
- Private Sightseeing Tours
- Cultural Tours
- Perth
- Audio Guides - Fremantle
- Walking Tours - Fremantle
- Historical Tours - Fremantle
- Audio Guides - Rottnest Island
- Walking Tours - Rottnest Island
- Historical Tours - Rottnest Island
Attractions in Perth, Australia
- Caversham Wildlife Park Tours & Tickets
- Fremantle Markets Tours & Tickets
- Swan River Tours & Tickets
- Fremantle Prison Tours & Tickets
- Wave Rock Tours & Tickets
- Yanchep National Park Tours & Tickets
- Perth Mint Tours & Tickets
- Nambung National Park Tours & Tickets
- Cottesloe Beach Tours & Tickets
- Pinnacles Desert Tours & Tickets
- London Court Tours & Tickets