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
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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 353 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Susan_P, Jul 2026
Friendly and very knowledgeable Captain and a small boat so you’re right there. Providence is a beautiful and historic city and this ride is a great introduction.
Janice_H, Jul 2026
Captain Mike and Guide Forest were really good. He crammed the river tour into an hour and a half, which was just the right amount of time. Forest also recommended some restaurants. His stories were entertaining. Overall worth the price and we got a quick run down of the city history.
Laura_T, Jul 2026
Tour is a little over an hour. Great history of Providence, fun insights from tour guide who has lived there for decades.
Kristin_K, Jul 2026
Super informative and well worth the cost. Guide and boat captain were great. Highly recommend! The meeting spot is at a little shop with local arts and gifts — get there early and grab a drink or ice cream for the boat ride.
Samantha_B, Jun 2026
Well worth the cost. There were a lot of interesting facts conveyed! The guide attended RISD and had a lot of cool stories as well.
Patric_M, Jun 2026
This former Ohio native did a great job in describing the history and sites of Providence while casually motoring down the river. A tour that should not be missed when visiting the city. Finding it on Google maps was challenging when walking but he was patient in waiting for us being a little late.
Carolyn_S, Jun 2026
Great tour on the river, the only reason I’m giving 4 stars is because of an hour delay waiting for the tour guide. Once on board, however, the guide gave us non stop info about his city. Very interesting tour.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We truly appreciate it, and we’re very sorry for the inconvenience you experienced.
A delayed start is not reflective of our standards. Beginning a tour 30 minutes late is unprecedented for us, and in this case, a staff member made an honest scheduling mistake that we addressed immediately. We understand how frustrating that can be, especially when you’ve planned your day around a specific departure time.
Out of respect for our guests, we offered full refunds to anyone who did not wish to wait, and we did our best to get the tour underway as quickly and safely as possible.
Providing exceptional experiences is something we take great pride in. Thank you again for joining us for a tour this week!
Kristin
Christy_H, Jun 2026
Loved hearing the history of city. Tour guide was friendly, professional and knowledgeable. Weather was amazing as well.
Tracy_I, May 2026
Nice calm relaxing boat ride with a history/cultural experience. I would recommend this when visiting Providence, RI
Joaquin_L, May 2026
Viator and Providence Tour Companydid not communicate. Viator sent messages that the tour was taking place at 11:00 and. Providence said the tour would take place at 1:00. When I tried contacting them no one called me back to confirm
Response from Host, May 2026
Yes, they are two different systems, which is why we called and spoke to you, and also emailed you on May 6th to confirm the correct time of arrival and departure, which you confirmed. As you are aware, we also refunded your full fare paid as a courtesy, but thank you for the review.
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.
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City Sights by Sea: Historic Narrated Boat Tours of Providence
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