Daytime Sightseeing Boat Cruise In York

Very good tour, skipper andy was very knowledgeable and funny

Brilliant trip, lovely man Andy at the wheel and learnt lots of facts. He made it fun. Plenty to see and plenty to learn about en route.

Excellent welcome, a beautiful day and friendly crew. Captain was knowledgeable but majority of what he said could not be heard due to poor quality speakers and low volume. Felt my family group was let down. Price was too high and certainly not value for money, but we are in York as tourists and expect to be fleeced

Thanks to Dave and the crew for an enjoyable cruise! We learnt more about the Minster than we did in the Minster! The commentary was thoughtful and humorous! Crew were friendly and efficient. Would recommend and was one of the best value items we did on our visit!

Such a great experience! Dave gave really interesting commentary and the boat ride itself was lovely and relaxing. We did have some difficulties with our tickets - we purchased one for 11am but no tours were running at that time. We spoke to someone over the phone to try and fix the issue but he wasn’t very helpful at all. Other than that, the perfect activity for those visiting York.

Pleasant trip, sat downstairs as a wet and windy day, therefore this hindered the view of the landmarks that were being discussed Drinks and snacks available to buy on board

Beautiful settings Very well served by surrounding amenities . Staff very friendly . Would definitely return to this hotel in the future .

£50 spent for 2 adults and 2 children. What a waste of money. The guide was so full of himself, ended up zoning out of his performance. Hardly any distance up/down the river, definitely not worth the money sadly.

It was lovely to be on a boat going up the River Ouse. The boat had toilets and a place to buy drinks and snacks. And there was the option to sit inside or out. There was a commentary telling us about things we could see. We went up one way, turned around and then went up the other way past where we had started. We then turned around again and headed back.

The tour was more than I anticipated. David the tour guide was well informed on the historical of the sights we saw along the boat tour!! It was very interesting and very informative. I would truly recommend this tour as a “must do tour”!

The boat trip along the river was rather underwhelming! Other than the river banks full of reeds, bushes & trees there wasn't much to see. The guide was very enthusiastic but there was little attractions to actually talk about. Disappointed

Andy was very friendly and knowledgeable. Luckily the sun held on and it was an enjoyable time. Highly recommend.

Very entertaining commentary from Captain (Scot). Would perhaps like the trip to have travelled a bit further along the Ouse but a great way to spend 50 minutes. We would definitely recommend this trip.

We found the title 'sightseeing trip'not appropriate as all we could see was the river and trees. The commentary was vaguely audible,, fastly spoken and without enthusiasm.

Poor boring trip not value for money

Dave the Captain of our cruise was very knowledgeable about the sights you see along the river and of the history of York , his story’s were interesting and his anecdotes funny , he added to the enjoyment of the experience, well worth doing if your in York

Sit on the upper deck for a better view. The description of sights is a bit verbose, but still entertaining.

A nice little cruise on the river, well worth it

Good trip captain was good ,very knowledgeable

It’s a relaxing 45 minute trip. You probably don’t get anything that a walk along the river wouldn’t give you. Having said that the staff were helpful and friendly, the onboard bar was reasonably priced and it was a good experience to relax with a beer while the world goes by.

Great tour, informative and relaxing offering good insite into history of york. Very good value for money. Lots to see that you wouldnt see judt walking around. Tip- if you have a blue light card you get a great discount. Would highly recommend.

Relaxing way to see a different side of York. Great value for money. Def recommend 10/10. Fun Captain ‘Dave’.

Very enjoyable 45 minutes on the river Ouse. Th guy who gave the commentary and sailed the boat was very good.

Met friends in York for a get together and went on a River Cruise, it was a lovely trip, Andy was not only knowledgeable but kept us entertained with little funnies along the way, we spent a lovely hour seeing York from a different perspective. I would recommend.

A brief cruise up and down the Ouse. Could/should have been a bit longer. Not a bad way to kill some time.

My friend and I had a girly day out in York and as we had never done the river cruise we decided to give it a go. The skipper Andy was brilliant and kept us all chuckling in the aisles with his witty repertoire. All the crew were friendly, Andrew and Imogen, and the trip was fun and very professional. You get a different perception of York from the river. All in all a great trip, fun, Prosecco and great prices, definitely recommend this trip.

I organised this for a group of 29 women & we were not disappointed. Price was great, staff were lovely, friendly, helpful & fun. Bar on board with seat service. Lovely activity & despite our noise we were made to feel very welcome.

It was enjoyable to see the city from the perspective of the river. The guide was knowledgeable. We did expect the tour to last a bit longer, but we were not disappointed.

The Captain was lovely, excellent knowledge and very entertaining. Friendly staff well organised. Highly recommended

Had a lovely trip yesterday great guide knew a lot of history of the river ouse and york. We found it really interesting and funny

We had a great time on the cruise, with the guide announcing key areas along the river. It was lovely and relaxing and we spent an enjoyable time just relaxing and chilling.

This is a great way to relax while seeing York from the river and learning a few bits at the same time! We paid around £15 each for an hour river cruise, having booked in advance online. The boats were coming and going constantly all day, so we had a decent choice of times. We sat on the top deck and enjoyed the view, our dog also loved the experience from the comfort of his blanket. We especially enjoyed the commentary, but it was also nice that it was not continuous chatter or at a deafening volume. The breaks in the chat were a pleasant opportunity to just relax and enjoy the experience! There is a bar/cafe on board but we did not use it on such a brief trip. Very highly recommended as a decent value and fun experience!

Visited Saturday 12/09/2026 A wondaful relaxing river excursion on the mighty Ouse River. The Staff were friendly and welcoming, and the vessel clean and tidy. there was a bar on board selling snack and drinks, though we had just had lunch. Good value for money for the trip, and not crowded. we were on bboard for a good hour, so excellent value.

Absolutely amazing trip our captain Andy was fantastic couldn’t wish for a better person

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Really enjoyed our trip with City Cruises York. Andy was a great skipper — really friendly and his commentary was excellent, informative and entertaining. I’m a former City Cruises skipper myself, having worked for City Cruises London on the Thames, so I really enjoyed listening to Andy’s commentary. It brought back some great memories of my own time on the river. He was also brilliant with my 6-year-old son. He took the time to let him sit in the wheelhouse for a photo and even got him involved in the commentary, which absolutely made his day. The rest of the team were really friendly and professional too. All in all, a really enjoyable trip and a great experience. Thanks to Andy and the team!

It was a nice experience for first time York Visitors in myself and my partner! It was also a really warm sunny day which added to the experience without a doubt

Absolutely brilliant way of spending almost an hour and seeing parts of York from the river, whilst sitting down! Excellent commentary with interesting facts and information with a few funnies too:from skipper Dave. Great value, and we had lovely blue skies too. There was a bar which we didn’t use , even though Dave did mention that it was wine o clock somewhere!

Beautiful views and good information. Very well organised and friendly staff. Maybe a good idea to suggest where to park. But highly recommended

Very interesting and informative with humour thrown in but not with to much to spoil the overall experience

Lovely trip along the Ouse. Seeing lots of different points of interest. The guide Andy was knowledgeable and funny. Lots of terrible Dad jokes, that were so bad they were funny. Well worth going on the trip.

Very enjoyable. Staff very helpful and friendly. Andy, the boats driver gave us a informative and very funny commentary. Highly recommended!

The boat is scruffy and there is nothing of interest to see along the river. The chairs were very uncomfortable and the table had a life of its own with one side lifting at least six inches off the floor. The person who gave the running commentary bored us to desth. It was like a bad school trip

Excellent, The informative commentary given by Dave made the cruise rewarding along with his knowledge of the history of the riverside. Thank you

Nice weather, relaxing way to spend an hour after walking. Thanks for the tip about the railway museum.

Pleasant trip along the river but not really much to see of York along the river front

A fun scenic boat trip along the River Ouse. Friendly staff/crew and bar onboard and multiple places to take photos along the way

Was ok. Blue light card gave 30% discount which made it sweeter! Hour long with maybe 50% commentary which was ok too for some local history.

Only problem was finding the location for boarding the ferry, no signs.

Boat rides are always another way to get a new perspective on the area and this is no exception. The ride is very calming and relaxing.