HARBOUR CRUISES · HARBOUR CRUISES

The 15 Best Harbour Cruises in the World

363 tours  ·  from $5 a head

Every port city sells an hour on the water and most of them are worth taking. The 15 below are the sailings that justify rearranging a day for, from a floodlit run past the Hamburg container cranes to a red-sailed junk under the Hong Kong towers, each priced and timed.

NYC: Circle Line 2h Harbor Lights Cruise Skip-The-Box-Office - Boarding at Circle Line’s West Side terminal
2-Hour Experiences, Harbour Cruises, Harbour Lights Night Cruises, New York Harbor Cruises, Night Cruises in the USA, Tour Reviews, USA Harbor Cruises

NYC: Circle Line 2h Harbor Lights Cruise Skip-The-Box-Office

1.Circle Line 2h Harbor Lights Cruise Skip-The-Box-Office

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 8,222 reviews · 2 hours · from $45Our pick

Review of Circle Line’s 2-hour Harbor Lights Cruise, with Statue of Liberty views, bridge passages, guide tips, pricing, and practical advice.

“Alexis our tour guide was very humerus and gave out a lot of detail about our destination and sights along the way. It was very windy and trying to get a photo of the Statue of Liberty was difficult as we were getting blown around as were our phones. This made for a great bit of humour. A lovely hot chocolate was purchased on board. It was a great way to see the city lit up and learn some facts about certain sights. A good couple of hours spent on this trip.”

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Hamburg: 90-Minute Evening Lights Harbor Cruise - Starting at Landungsbrücken, Bridge 10
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Hamburg: 90-Minute Evening Lights Harbor Cruise

Hamburg: 1-Hour Evening Harbor Lights Cruise - Speicherstadt and the tide-dependent canal route
1-Hour Experiences, Germany Harbour Cruises, Hamburg Harbour Cruises, Harbour Cruises, Harbour Lights Night Cruises, Tour Reviews

Hamburg: 1-Hour Evening Harbor Lights Cruise

3.1-Hour Evening Harbor Lights Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 5,073 reviews · 1 hour · from $30

See Hamburg’s glowing harbor, Speicherstadt, Elbphilharmonie, cargo ships, and museum vessels on a practical one-hour evening cruise.

“Great trip around the Harbour the container ships were amazing and all the blue lights. The app in English was informative and easy to use but essential if you wanted to know what the sights were as no English spoken by ships staff.”

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San Francisco: Golden Gate Bay Cruise - Finding the Red and White Fleet at Pier 43 1/2
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San Francisco: Golden Gate Bay Cruise

4.Golden Gate Bay Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 3,644 reviews · 1 hour · from $38

Review of San Francisco’s one-hour Golden Gate Bay Cruise, with Alcatraz, bridge views, audio guide, tips, value, and practical details.

“The scenery was nice. The audio was a bit faulty with the limited amount they had. The bar was nice and the staff was very friendly and easy to talk too while waiting for my drinks.”

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San Diego: Harbor Cruise - Choosing between the one-hour and two-hour routes
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San Diego Harbor Cruise

5.San Diego Harbor Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 2,980 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $37

Review of San Diego Harbor Cruise: Navy ships, skyline, sea lions, Coronado Bridge, route choices, tips, price, and practical details.

“That a two hour excursion is really one hour first on one side of bay then do not get off. Stay on for other hour for the other side of the bay .”

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Circle Line: 2hr - New York City Harbor Lights Cruise - One World Trade Center and the Lower Manhattan View
Harbour Cruises, Harbour Lights Night Cruises, New York Harbor Cruises, Night Cruises in the USA, Tour Reviews, USA Harbor Cruises

Circle Line: 2hr – New York City Harbor Lights Cruise

6.Circle Line: 2hr – New York City Harbor Lights Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 2,859 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $45

Review of Circle Line’s 2-hour NYC Harbor Lights Cruise, with skyline views, Lady Liberty, practical tips, seating advice, and honest value notes.

“The ride was nice with very few bumps. They allowed us to go outside and inside. The drinks were nice and Andy did a great job with the jokes and tour.”

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Miami Combo: City Tour, Biscayne Bay Cruise and Everglades Airboat Ride - The double-decker route through South Beach
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Miami Combo: City Tour, Biscayne Bay Cruise and Everglades Airboat Ride

Miami: Half-Day Open-Top Bus Tour Plus Biscayne Bay Cruise - Downtown Miami from the open roof
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Miami: Half-Day Open-Top Bus Tour Plus Biscayne Bay Cruise

From Sliema: Cruise Around Malta's Harbours & Creeks - From Sliema Ferries to Manoel Island and Marsamxett Harbour
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From Sliema: Cruise Around Malta’s Harbours & Creeks

Hamburg: 1-Hour Harbor Cruise - Starting at St. Pauli Landungsbrücken
1-Hour Experiences, Germany Harbour Cruises, Hamburg Harbour Cruises, Harbour Cruises, Tour Reviews

Hamburg: 1-Hour Harbor Cruise

10.1-Hour Harbor Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 2,283 reviews · 1 hour · from $28

Hamburg harbor cruise with German commentary and English audio app, passing Speicherstadt, shipyards, terminals, bridges, and HafenCity.

“It was an interesting tour of the Hamburg Harbour, we got audio guides from the main office at pier 6 and then we could find out all the info in english as the tour was in german. la”

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Akaroa Dolphins ~ Harbour Nature Cruise - Searching for Hector’s dolphins
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Akaroa Dolphins ~ Harbour Nature Cruise

11.Akaroa Dolphins ~ Harbour Nature Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2,143 reviews · from $80Top rated

Review of Akaroa Dolphins’ two-hour Hector’s dolphin cruise, with catamaran comfort, wildlife tips, pricing, itinerary, and booking advice.

“Excelent tour, very informative, lot of dolfins and sea lions and even a pingguin. We enjoyed it very much.”

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Seattle's Original Guided Harbor Cruise - Starting at Pier 55 on the central waterfront
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Seattle’s Original Guided Harbor Cruise

12.Seattle’s Original Guided Harbor Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 2,077 reviews · 1 hour (approx.) · from $45

Review of Seattle’s Original Guided Harbor Cruise, with Elliott Bay views, live narration, Mt. Rainier sightings, tips, value, and booking advice.

“A must do. Great tour with excellent views of Downtown, The Big Wheel, The Space Needle, Lumen Field, the harbour and so much more. We got lucky with CLEAR BLUE SKIES. Love Seattle.”

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Miami: Everglades Experience, Bay Cruise & Open-Top Bus Tour - Starting the day from Miami Beach or downtown
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Miami: Everglades Experience, Bay Cruise & Open-Top Bus Tour

San Francisco: Golden Gate Bay Cruise (60 Minutes) - Pier 43 1/2 and the first views of the city
1-Hour Experiences, Harbour Cruises, San Francisco Bay Cruises, Tour Reviews, USA Harbor Cruises

San Francisco: Golden Gate Bay Cruise (60 Minutes)

14.Golden Gate Bay Cruise (60 Minutes)

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 1,621 reviews · 1 hour (approx.) · from $39

Review of San Francisco’s 60-minute Golden Gate Bay Cruise, with Alcatraz, Sausalito, bridge views, pricing, seating, tips, and FAQ.

“Fun tour around the San Francisco Bay. Good information and history is also presented. I like that they have snacks on board too.”

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San Francisco: Inside Alcatraz Tour with Bay Cruise - Getting to Pier 33 and boarding the island ferry
Harbour Cruises, San Francisco Bay Cruises, Tour Reviews, Tours, USA Harbor Cruises

San Francisco: Inside Alcatraz Tour with Bay Cruise

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Pick a harbour, pick a boat

An hour with a guide, a table with a menu, or a fare on the working ferry.