Sydney Harbour Unique Cruise Including Lunch

Recommended by 97% of travelers

Sydney, Australia

4 hours (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Seeing Sydney’s most famous sights from shore often means crowded viewpoints. This luxury lunch cruise offers a more relaxed way to experience the harbor from the water. Board your yacht at Circular Quay and set out across Sydney Harbour, gliding past landmarks such as the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge—with plenty of opportunities for photos. Cruise into quieter, pristine corners of the harbor, then enjoy a freshly prepared barbecue lunch served with beer and wine on board.

Enjoy the relaxed and intimate atmosphere of a small-group cruise
See Sydney's skyline from a unique vantage point on the water
Get the inside scoop on the city from your local crew and captain
Half-day cruise: The rest of your day is free for more exploring

What's Included

4-hour Sydney Harbour Cruise
BBQ lunch including local beer and wine
Tour escort/host
Restroom on board

Hotel pickup and drop-off

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Commissioner’s Steps Circular Quay
1A Circular Quay W, The Rocks NSW 2000, Australia
Located in front of the Museum of Contemporary Art

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Operating hours
.12:30 pm

Itinerary

After making your own way to Circular Quay, step onboard your 52-foot (16-meter) motorized yacht for a deluxe lunch cruise in Sydney Harbour.

Get great photo ops of iconic sights, including Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Opera House, Fort Denison, and more. Enjoy ample time to discover the delights of the harbor and learn about its history from your captain.

Your crew cooks up a tasty Australian barbecue lunch while you relax on deck. Try some local beer and wine while you soak in the sights around you, and cruise to secluded locations around the harbor where you can enjoy a side of Sydney known mostly to locals.

The cruise ends back in Sydney Harbour.

Sample Menu: Entree • Prawns served with mayonnaise • Fresh bread & butterMain Course Cooked on the barbecue, shared platters of: • Grilled salmon with drizzle of olive oil & lemon • Marinated grass fed rump steak • Mixed green salad with cherry tomatoes and a balsamic dressing • Creamy German potato saladDessert • Selection of cheeses with crackers and seasonal fruitDrinks • Local beer, wine and soft drinks • Tea and coffeeVegetarian and kosher options available by request Please note: Menu subject to change

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required

Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
Wear non-marking, soft soled shoes. Boat shoes, sneakers/runners are recommended
Minimum numbers apply. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there is not enough passengers to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or full refund
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 14 travelers

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Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 3 days 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

Thomas_S

Due to the weather it ended up being a private harbour cruise for my wife and myself. Also due to our tour guides, Monika and James, the cruise was excellent! We toured many bays and learned the history of Sydney harbour. We stopped in a private bay for lunch of shrimp, steak, salmon, salads, cheese, crackers, and fruit for dessert. A very enjoyable afternoon with a private tour from 2 very knowledgeable guides!

Reviews

4.9

based on 226 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Great Afternoon

Thomas_S, Oct 2024

Fantastic Sydney Harbor Cruise

Katherine_M, Feb 2024

Margie and James were our hosts on this marvelous motor yacht tour of the small bays in Sydney Harbor, including a stop for swimming. We set out at 12:30 PM and sailed to a great viewpoint that captured both the Opera House and Harbor Bridge, where Margie proved to be an excellent photographer. Lunch comprised grilled salmon and steak, prawn appetizer and a cheese/fruit plate for dessert. It was a great day, and much more intimate than taking the hop-on-hop-off ferry.

Disappointed

Dawn_h, Jan 2024

Although the crew tried their hardest to give us a good trip it was very little like the one we had booked - the 'barge' arrived 20 mins late - it could accommodate over 200 people as party group and was as far from the luxury unique sailing experience we had booked - at first site our initial thought was not to go and certainly several other people did - no luxury, no kayaks, no swimming , no bbq! Out of the 10 of us waiting, five chose refunds - we however decided to give it a go. The cruise was good - the steward was full of information ( but sadly a little racist ) and the food was OK- but we ate at a small table for five in a huge space! Not luxurious by any means! We didn't moor up anywhere , I think we were too big to get into some of the bays and our overall impression was that we had paid far too much money for what we got. I understand that their boat had broken down but I feel we should have been offered a refund for some of the charge - instead we were offered a sail at 10am the next day which none of us could do. We had looked so forward to this trip that it was a disappointment- it was a lovely 3.5 hrs on the harbour but it was not what we had booked.

It was a great experience overall.

Tarin_S, Nov 2023

Love the crew! They are so nice and friendly. Always there if you need anything. The food was really good. And the views are awesome!! Just wish it went to more places that you could take a dip in the water instead of views of the city.

Yay!

JaeHo_S, Nov 2023

What a fun experience! A great way to see Sydney and Darling Harbors from a different point of view. Our guide Maggie was energetic, knowledgeable and fun! She gave us interesting details about various houses and landmarks along the coast. She pointed out the Hogswort house and where the Nemo dentist office was to my son. Lunch was succulent shrimp and juicy steak cooked onboard. This excursion is a must when traveling to Sydney!

Have to do !!!

cristi_m, Nov 2023

Every bit of it was amazing!! The yacht, the food and especially the crew ( Captain, chef and the bubbly coordinator). Plenty of information or the rest of the boat to yourself or with others on the tour. HIGHLY recommend this experience!!!

Magnificent April afternoon in Sydney

David_H, Apr 2023

Graham, his lovely wife and deck hand George (actually our Captain) were fantastic hosts for our lovely afternoon tour of Sydney's magnificent harbour, (largest in the world). We toured the waterfront and saw the fantastic homes of Mel Gibson, Russell Crowe, Nicole Kidman and Rupert Murdoch. Then went for a cruise before mooring in a spectacular cove for a delicious barbecue lunch of perfectly cooked steak and salmon with salad, shrimp and cheese and fruit for dessert. It was like spending an afternoon with friends on their magnificent yacht. I was on Sydney on business and had the day off; it was the perfect way to spend an early Fall afternoon. Looking forward to returning to Sydney with my wife and sharing the same adventure with her.

Such a great day in...

Craig_K, Jan 2023

Such a great day in Sydney harbour. The staff were excellent and made it an awesome experience. Would book again

A perfect, intimate harbour cruise

philbarton1962, Jan 2020

Friendly guides and a small group made for an intimate trip around the harbour...allowing us the opportunity to swim, kayak and float either side of a sumptuous seafood lunch! A fantastic afternoon out!! Phil

Sydney Harbour Cruise tour was excellent!!!

Jon_K, Sep 2019

Had a great time on this cruise!!! It was a rainy day, and even so, the captain and tour guide still made it all very very enjoyable!!! Pleasant, knowledgeable and casual. And the food was good too!

Sydney Harbor Tour

christinern2015, Jun 2019

We had a wonderful day!!! Bee and Charlie are fantastic tour guides; so knowledgeable, friendly and lots of fun!!!! I highly recommend this cruise!!! Bee is the best!!!!

This is one of the best if not the best...

Iltcho K, Oct 2018

This is one of the best if not the best tours my wife and I booked during our 28 days in NZ and Australia in December 2017. This Cruise is very relaxing with amazing guides/crew and long enough to enjoy the views of one of the best harbours in the world. It is 4 hours and originally I though that it will be too long, but it was just perfect. We were only 8 people on a pretty big and nice boat. The food they cooked was very delicious and there is time to just sit at the front of the boat and soak in the amazing scenery. Alternatively you can talk to the boat crew and learn lots of interesting facts about Sydney. Very highly recommended. One advise - book well in advance as it is on high demand. I booked it 2-3 months ahead. Enjoy

Small group so easy to get to know...

Ian_H, Feb 2018

Small group so easy to get to know people. Crew were great and made sure we were well briefed and looked after. Stop for bbq lunch and swim in the Harbour just topped things off. Thoroughly recommend this tour if you want a personal and more intimate tour of Sydney Harbour.

I wouldn't call this a luxury...

John J, Nov 2017

I wouldn't call this a luxury cruise. The boat was comfortable and the food OK. The first mate tried to serve the guests food and drink and narrate the tour. There should have been someone there to serve as hostess.

Fantastic tour. Great crew, the...

Jennifer G, Oct 2017

Fantastic tour. Great crew, the food was delicious, and we had just enough time in the bay to relax. HIGHLY recommended.

This was a special way to see the...

Karen H, Apr 2017

This was a special way to see the Sydney Harbor and all of its bays and sights along the water. Shane and Howard did a very nice job of telling us about the area, navigating the cabin cruiser, preparing our meal and anything else that needed taking care of. The weather did include a few rain showers, but that did not ruin the day for me. It is advertised that there is time to swim, fish and kayak, but the reality is that they are so busy taking care of lunch and other items, there really isn't the help needed to make that happen. Since I was not planning to do anything but enjoy the sights this did not impact my good time. I would suggest they add another crew member for these activities.

My husband and I did this cruise in...

Joshua_C, May 2016

My husband and I did this cruise in Apr 16 and had a great time. Can't beat the views from the water and it was very relaxing to have such a small group. Crew was great and the food was delicious. Would highly recommend.

A most enjoyable trip. Many thanks and...

Ian D, Feb 2016

A most enjoyable trip. Many thanks and keep up the good work!

Great tour. Shane and Tracy were...

DENNY W, Jan 2016

Great tour. Shane and Tracy were wonderful. It was informative and the cove we set into stunning. Shane did a great grilling job besides captaining the boat. Ample food and wine. We happened to go on a blisteringly hot day in Sydney but it was cool and lovely on the boat. Would highly recommend it and take it again.

A very worthwhile trip with...

Anthony W, Jan 2016

A very worthwhile trip with knowledgeable guide. Plenty of free flowing drink, but food fairly basic as it was described as a BBQ, but really a cold buffet. Great views around the harbour and would have preferred a little more touring than a lengthy lunch stop albeit at a very picturesque location. Convenient pick up and drop off location in Circular Quay and close too The Rocks. Overall 4, so I would recommend.

The harbor tour was excellent. Only...

Susan B, Jun 2015

The harbor tour was excellent. Only 8 of us on board. covered the complete harbor, good commentary, and a delicious BBQ'd meal. Would definitely recommend this to anyone traveling to Sydney. Susan and Donald Bull

Great Tour. All what we expected and...

Paul S, Mar 2015

Great Tour. All what we expected and more. We were a group of 4 friends and there were 4 more passengers on board. Our guide was very good. The views were amazing, we went all around the harbour from the Opera to the Darling harbour. The lunch very good and the drinks kept coming. One thing we didn't realize was that we could have also been swimming during the lunch break. It wasn't properly advised and didn't have our bathing suits with us. A great experience 10 out of 10

A relaxing beginning, stretched out...

Miss M h B, Dec 2014

A relaxing beginning, stretched out on the front of the yacht and given a glass of wine as we settled in set the tone for the trip. We were blessed with the weather, the tour guide was good at gauging his audience and knew when to talk/not overtalk. There was lots of information on the houses in the area, prices, famous people etc which was interesting but I'd like some more facts about the geographical area, what type of wildlife and sealife is there. Overall a fantastic experience, the seafood added a touch of luxury, would highly recommend to friends.

Awesome. We loved this excursion...

allanzedan, Dec 2014

Awesome. We loved this excursion. Our guide was very infotmative and kept the wine flowing. The food was great as well.

This tour was amazing. Very informative...

Chloe_L, Nov 2014

This tour was amazing. Very informative tour guide and very very relaxing

My partner and I were in Sydney for...

Mark L, Nov 2014

My partner and I were in Sydney for two days prior to heading off on a cruise on Rhapsody of the Seas, and we were looking for something to while away a few hours, so I searched the net and found THE BEST deal going around... $140.00 per person for a 4.5 hour cruise on Sydney Harbour, complete with lunch and complimentary drinks. As well as the two of us, there approximately 10 other people on board who came from all over the United States, as well as a lovely couple from London who were on honeymoon, so we had more than enough room on the boat. Combine that with perfect weather, and we were given the opportunity to see Sydney and it's beautiful harbour in all it's glory. My compliments go to the crew on board, who did a great job in keeping is well fed, making sure that drinks were available when we needed, and giving us a great insight into the history and sights of the harbour. All in all, if you are in Sydney, do yourself a favour and get on this tour... IT IS THE ABSOLUTE BEST!!!

Excellent. Tim was most approachable...

Bryan L, Oct 2014

Excellent. Tim was most approachable and very knowledgeable. Food and refreshments were excellent and ample. We thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon.

Chilly, sunny and windy day. Tour...

Angelena W, Sep 2014

Chilly, sunny and windy day. Tour guide very entertaining and knowledgeable. Tour left after 12:35pm and returned at 4:10pm. Shy of 4 hrs as advertised. I was fine to return early since weather chilly (no rain). Only recommendation, let guests have their own access to more refreshments, even if just soda.

Tim was an excellent First Mate...

Alyssa H, May 2014

Tim was an excellent First Mate, giving us all the great details about Sydney and the harbour without talking ad nauseum. This let us get some knowledge and also enjoy the beautiful scenery. Lunch was delicious, and our small group really enjoyed the experience. The boat is comfortable and cozy without being a huge ship just moving people back and forth. Thanks again, Tim!

Highly recommended trip on a good...

SEOK_W, Dec 2013

Highly recommended trip on a good weather. we really enjoyed ourselves. Nice sun and breeze and fantastic views of the opera house, harbour bridge..etc.. Nice lunch as well. Friendly service staff made the whole trip very enjoyable. Awesome!