City Sights by Sea: Historic Narrated Boat Tours of Providence
Recommended by 97% of travelers
Providence, USA
- 50 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Overview
Get an in-depth look at Providence from a boat cruise that travels along the waterways of Rhode Island’s capital city. Your guide shares live commentary about historical landmarks and modern destinations as you take in sites including the Fox Point Hurricane Barrier, Providence Industrial Harbor, Providence River, Waterplace Park and the pedestrian paths of Riverwalk. Choose a daytime or evening cruise, and feel free to bring your own refreshments on board.
- See more of Providence from a boat
- Insightful commentary provided by the guide
- Hear about history, architecture, and nautical lore
- Choice of departures makes it easy to fit into your schedule
What's Included
- All taxes, fees and handling charges
- Local guide
- Price does not include parking fees. There is free & metered parking throughout our neighborhood.
- Gratuities (optional). Our Captains and Crew appreciate your cash gratuities!
- Soft drinks, coffee/tea, ice cream & water are available for purchase in our cafe, or you may BYOB.
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- 101 Dyer St, Providence, RI 02903, USA
We are located at 101 Dyer Street, Providence, RI 02903, a leisurely 20 minute walk or 5 minute drive from the Rhode Island Convention Center, Kennedy Plaza and most downtown hotels. Come inside The Landing to check-in, and explore our new gift shop and ice cream store!
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
Providence River (Pass By)
Water Place Park (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Minimum drinking age is 21 years
- Stroller accessible
- We do not operate in severe or unsafe weather conditions. In the case of cancellation due to weather, you will be offered an alternative or full refund.
- Service animals allowed
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 17 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
Reviews
4.8
based on 336 reviews
Anthony_D, Oct 2025
awesome experience and great knowledge
very personable and humerous
allowed questions and had vast knowledge of all surroundings not just architecture
Patricia_M, Sep 2025
Very enlightening about the history of Providence. Boat captain/tour guide was very entertaining. !!
Janet_L, Sep 2025
Open air boat , met my expectations. Guide friendly and knowledgeable. Check in process went smoothly
Elizabeth_F, Sep 2025
Tour was great. Boat left promptly. Ride was enjoyable and we learned a lot. Tour guides were easy to hear and understand.
Maria_S, Sep 2025
Very informative and well presented.
Interesting stories about the architecture and bridges along the river.
Debra_H, Sep 2025
Very informative wonderful boat trip. Learned a lot about Providence in the area. The captain was a great guy.
Nicole_B, Sep 2025
Great tour! Captain was very informative and shared great history of providence. We really enjoyed the tour.
Len_U, Sep 2025
Wonderful boat tour and storytelling! A lot of interesting history and very enjoyable. We also lucked out with weather
Charlaine_M, Aug 2025
Our boat captain and our guy was amazing. He knew everything about the area. It was a nice little trip down the river would recommend this for everyone.
Lisa_H, Aug 2025
Captain Tom was so fun.... We learned all about the history of the river. Well worth taking this tour to learn about the history of Providence and its impact on the building of America and history.
Gail_T, Aug 2025
Stephanie was outstanding. We had a very small group and yet she gave us the whole tour and didn’t take any short cuts.
Mae_P, Aug 2025
It was beautiful! The tour guide was very informative. The captain and her both are friendly! I will do it again and bring my family with me. ❤️
Kenneth_G, Aug 2025
Very informative…Providence from an angle not seen before. captain was well informed and responsive to questions.
Jim_M, Aug 2025
Nice, short, informative trip up and down the Providence River with an entertaining story- telling guide. (Peter in our case)
Norma_E, Aug 2025
Wonderful tour of the river and downtown. Excellent recant of history and dramatic changes. Captain/guide was outstanding.
Lisa_L, Aug 2025
Great tour, filled with interesting history of Providence and New England. The guide was knowledgable.
Margaret_K, Jul 2025
Kelly was a great speaker. She sounded just liking she was speaking to us, she didn’t sound like it was ‘prepared’!! We loved it.
David_C, Jul 2025
Lovely boat ride up and down the river, with interesting discussion about the history of the city and river. Very friendly and helpful guide. We all really enjoyed it, and all learned something new about the area.
Nancy_S, Jul 2025
Great tour with history of city and river details. It was a hot day and I was glad to have sunscreen and a hat.
Patty_S, Jul 2025
It was great. It was on time, lots of great history. It was wonderful. I as surprised at the amount of trash around the boat. I want to get a net and clean. That was a bit of a turn off.
Susan_A, Jul 2025
The captain of the ship was very knowledgeable about the history of Providence. Very enjoyable tour. Highly recommend this tour.
Denesha_G, Jul 2025
This experience was a complete letdown. I booked this boat tour through Viator, arrived just a few minutes after departure due to an unavoidable rideshare delay, and was completely shut out. No assistance, no flexibility, no alternate options—just a cold “you missed it.”
The tour operator offered zero response or support—not even an attempt to help or communicate. Viator denied my refund request despite the fact that I received no service whatsoever. I paid in full and was left standing at the dock.
To make it worse, I received an automated message asking me to review the tour—as if I had actually taken it. That just added insult to injury.
I understand policies, but this wasn’t a casual no-show—I was there. The rigid handling and total lack of human decency from both Viator and the tour company was disgraceful. I would never book with this provider again, and I’d caution others to think twice before trusting Viator with their travel plans. When things go wrong, you’re on your own
Response from Host, Jul 2025
We're so glad to read your review, as this is a great reminder to all of our passengers. We have a schedule that we actually stick to, which means, we actually launch on time! So when your confirmation email says "OUR TOURS LAUNCH EXACTLY AS SCHEDULED, SO YOU MUST ARRIVE AT LEAST 15 MINUTES EARLY FOR CHECK-IN" you probably should.
So, we agree that you weren't "a casual no show," you WERE there.....just 22 minutes late. And as I can't speak for the customer service at Viator, my staff, and myself (I spoke to you on the phone when you called to ask if you could move to a later tour because you were running late) treated you with professionalism and courtesy, you just didn't want to hear what we had to say. So for everyone still reading: take note that our boat tours actually leave on time, so you should be too!
Habiba_E, Jul 2025
The boat ride took about an hour. The tour guide was very friendly and helpful when we asked questions. Overall very smooth sailing experience! Would recommend for first time providence visitors!
Bob_V, Jul 2025
Nice tour - Captain Tom was very knowledgeable, personable and entertaining. Learned a lot about Providence I didn’t know.
Valerie_S, Jun 2025
Our guide was very knowledgeable. We learned so much from this short tour. The trip was quite enjoyable.
eugene_m, Jun 2025
The tour was very nice. The captain was very informative and gave a great history of Providence I would highly recommend it.
Shaun_M, Jun 2025
A well paced and priced tour of PVD. Get the low down as you drift through town with no traffic or lights ! Best way in my book!
Amy_G, Jun 2025
We really enjoyed the Providence boat tour! We learned so much and our tour guide was great about answering all of our questions. He was very knowledgeable! I highly recommend this tour!
Lee_B, Jun 2025
Very good. Nice relaxing. Capt. Tom very informative loved that you are on river learning about Providence.
Kathleen_S, May 2025
The boat is open all around so you get great 360° views during the narration. Our captain was knowledgeable and entertaining. Don’t miss this opportunity to get a great perspective of Providence.
From $45.00
per person-You will not receive a refund if you cancel.
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