Boat Tours Seattle

If you search for a boat tour Seattle offers, you find harbor cruises, whale boats, sailboats and dinner yachts all mixed together, so I compared 12 of them on GetYourGuide. Prices run from $43 to $445, ratings from 3.8 to 5.0, and the operators include Argosy Cruises, Clipper Vacations, Seattle’s Tall Ship, Waterways Cruises and Events, Outer Island Excursions, Blue Kingdom and Sail Bainbridge. Most Seattle boat tours leave from the central waterfront or from Fishermen’s Terminal, but three whale tours leave from Anacortes, about 80 miles north of Seattle, and one sailboat leaves from Bainbridge Island.

My short answer on boat tours in Seattle: if I had one hour and one budget, I’d book the Argosy harbor cruise with a local guide. It costs $43, leaves from Pier 55, passes the Space Needle, Smith Tower and T-Mobile Park, and scores 4.8 from 741 reviews. If you want whales, I’d book the Clipper wildlife and whale watching cruise from Pier 69, because it is the only whale cruise in the comparison that leaves from Seattle itself. Every price, rating and duration below comes from the listings, checked on 17 October 2026, in US dollars.

I’ve grouped this comparison of Seattle boat tours the way people search for them: harbor cruises, boat cruises, night trips, boat rides and meal cruises. Links that open GetYourGuide are affiliate links, and I explain how that works on my about page.

Boat Tours in Seattle

Boat tours in Seattle fall into two groups. The first is the short sightseeing cruise on Elliott Bay, about 1 to 2 hours, which gives you the skyline from the water. The second is the longer wildlife or sailing trip, which takes a half day or a private charter. Both count as boat tours in Seattle, but they suit different days. Knowing which kind of boat tour in Seattle you are buying matters more than any small price difference.

The top-rated pick for this search is the Argosy harbor cruise with a local guide. It is $43 for one hour, with a narrated route from Pier 55 along the Seattle Waterfront, past Myrtle Edwards Park, the Space Needle, Pier 91, Harbor Island, T-Mobile Park, Smith Tower and Alki Beach Pier, and back to the pier. The listing says the outdoor open deck is where you take in the view, and it scores 4.8 from 741 reviews. The reviews I read praise the guides and the value, and nothing in the data mentions a kids’ discount, so check the booking page for your party.

Argosy Cruises

Harbor Cruise with Local Guide

• ★ 4.8 (741 reviews)
• 1 hour
• Free cancellation

My pick: My pick for a first hour on the water: $43, narrated, 4.8 from 741 reviews, leaves from Pier 55.

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The second card is the one private option, and it is a very different boat tour in Seattle. Sail Bainbridge runs a 2-hour private sail on a 44-foot classic ketch for $445, with a USCG licensed captain, life jackets, coffee and tea, and a chance to take the wheel. It leaves from Harbour Marina on Bainbridge Island, which the listing calls a 30-minute ferry ride from Seattle, so factor the ferry into your day. It has a 5.0 rating, but from only 5 reviews, so I treat that as a promising start and not proof. The listing is a private group booking, which is why I’d consider it for a family of five or six but not for a couple. My guide to sailing in Seattle compares it with the tall ship.

Sail Bainbridge

Sail Bainbridge Island & Seattle Waters - Classic Sailboat

• ★ 5.0 (5 reviews)
• 2 hours
• Free cancellation

My pick: The private option: $445 for the whole boat, 2 hours from Bainbridge Island, 5.0 but only 5 reviews.

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Seattle Harbor Cruise

Most people who type Seattle harbor cruise want the Argosy hour from Pier 55 above, the cheapest of the Seattle boat tours. The card in this section is a different thing, and I want to be honest about that: it is the Outer Island Excursions whale and orca tour, which the data ranks high on rating but which is not a harbor cruise at all. It leaves from Anacortes, about 80 miles north of Seattle, and the listing itself says 90 minutes north of Seattle, so that is a drive before the boat even starts.

The tour costs $119 for 3.5 hours and scores 4.8 from 632 reviews. The listing says it runs from March to November, looks for orca, humpback, minke and gray whales, and spots whales on over 95 percent of trips. One review I read says the group saw one whale and still enjoyed passing Deception Pass, so treat the sighting rate as the operator’s claim. The listing includes a professional guide, a high-speed vessel and gratuities, and free cancellation up to 2 days ahead. I’d book it if whales are the point of your trip and you have a car. If you want a harbor cruise in Seattle that starts on the waterfront, go back to the Argosy hour.

Outer Island Excursions

Whale and Orca Boat Tour near Seattle

• ★ 4.8 (632 reviews)
• 3.5 hours
• Free cancellation

My pick: Not a harbor cruise: a whale tour from Anacortes, 80 miles north, $119 for 3.5 hours, 4.8 from 632 reviews.

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Seattle Boat Cruises

The Seattle boat cruises that combine city and wildlife start at Pier 69, a short walk from Pike Place Market. The Clipper Vacations wildlife and whale watching cruise costs $150, lasts 4 hours (the listing says anywhere from 3 to 5 depending on where the whales are) and scores 4.5 from 707 reviews. A naturalist guide narrates, food and drink are sold on board, and binoculars can be rented. The listing also says you are offered a free trip if no whales are sighted, and that the operator belongs to the Pacific Whale Watch Association and follows its viewing guidelines.

You exchange your voucher at the ticket counter, and the listing asks you to arrive 45 minutes before departure. That makes the cruise a half-day plan. It is the most expensive Seattle departure in my comparison apart from the private sail and the wine dinner, but it is the only whale outing that does not need a drive north. The whale watching page compares it with the three Anacortes tours and covers the season.

Clipper Vacations

Wildlife and Whale Watching Cruise

• ★ 4.5 (707 reviews)
• 4 hours
• Free cancellation

My pick: The whale cruise that starts in Seattle: Pier 69, $150, 3 to 5 hours, 4.5 from 707 reviews, free trip if no sighting.

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Boat Tours Seattle Harbor

If you want a boat tour in Seattle’s harbor with something more unusual than a loop and back, the Argosy locks cruise is my choice. It costs $56, runs 2 hours and scores 4.8 from 97 reviews. It is a one-way cruise: you leave from the Seattle Waterfront or from South Lake Union, depending on the option you pick, go through Elliott Bay, and the boat is lifted and lowered in the Ballard Locks, the transition between salt water and fresh water. The itinerary also names the Floating Homes Association, Fishermen’s Terminal, the Space Needle, Pier 91, West Point Lighthouse and the Gas Works lake viewpoint.

The listing includes hotel pickup and drop-off and two drop-off locations, and one review mentions a bus ride back that had some issues which were resolved. That tells me the return leg is a bus, so read the logistics before booking. The US Army Corps of Engineers operates the locks and publishes their hours.

Argosy Cruises

Locks Cruise with Local Guide

• ★ 4.8 (97 reviews)
• 2 hours
• Free cancellation

My pick: The most distinctive harbor outing: one-way through the Ballard Locks, $56, 2 hours, 4.8 from 97 reviews.

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Boat Tour Seattle Reddit

People add Reddit to boat tour Seattle searches because they want to know which tour is worth it and which is a tourist trap. I can’t quote forum threads, so here is what the data shows. The cheap hour on the harbor is liked by reviewers for value. The whale tours are where the experience varies most, because it depends on the animals, not on the boat.

The card in this section is the Blue Kingdom whale watching adventure, a zodiac-style boat with a maximum of 17 passengers. It costs $149 for 3.5 hours and scores 4.8 from 76 reviews, and it leaves from 2201 Skyline Way in Anacortes, about 80 miles north of Seattle. It is an open-air boat; the listing says cruiser suits, hats, gloves and binoculars are provided. It is for ages 6 and up and is not suitable for pregnant women or people with back problems, so it is a poor pick for small children or a relaxed day. Reviewers mention humpback whales and sea lions. I’d choose it over the larger boats if you want a more adventurous ride, and the whale watching Seattle page puts it next to the others.

Blue Kingdom Whale and Wildlife Tours

Whale Watching Adventure Tour Near Seattle

• ★ 4.8 (76 reviews)
• 3.5 hours
• Free cancellation

My pick: The adventure option: open zodiac-style boat for 17, from Anacortes (80 miles north), $149, ages 6 and up, 4.8 from 76 reviews.

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Seattle Boat Tours Night

Seattle boat tours at night are really evening boat tours in Seattle, and the season decides how late they run. Sunset on the 15th is about 9:10 PM in June, 7:23 PM in September, 6:22 PM in October and 4:20 PM in December, by my calculation for the city’s coordinates, so a winter evening trip starts in the dark. The two listings that fit this H2 are an evening sail and a wine dinner.

The tall ship sunset cruise is the schooner Bay Lady from Pier 66, next to Anthony’s at Bell Harbor Marina. It costs $80, lasts 2 hours and scores 4.8 from 267 reviews. The listing mentions an onboard bar with cider, beer, wine, champagne and soda, snacks for sale, two restrooms and, on clear days, a view of Mount Rainier. The wine pairing dinner cruise is on Lake Union and Lake Washington from Fishermen’s Terminal Dock 9. It costs $187, sails from 6:00 to 8:30 PM, pairs four Willamette Valley Vineyards wines with a four-course dinner and has no reviews yet, so I have no rating to give you. It is closed to anyone under 21. I’d pick the tall ship for the view and the dinner for a celebration; my pages on sunset cruises in Seattle and the dinner cruise go deeper.

Night tour

Seattle's Tall Ship

Tall Sailboat Sunset Harbor Cruise

• ★ 4.8 (267 reviews)
• 2 hours
• Free cancellation

My pick: My evening pick on the water: schooner from Pier 66, $80, 2 hours, 4.8 from 267 reviews.

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Night tour

Waterways Cruises & Events

Wine Pairing Dinner Cruise with 4-Course Meal

• 2.5 hours
• Free cancellation

My pick: A celebration: four courses and four wines, $187, 6:00 to 8:30 PM, 21 and over, no reviews yet.

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Seattle Cruises

Search for Seattle cruises and you also meet the big cruise ships bound for Alaska; those are not on this page, because I only compare small-boat tours. The card for this keyword is a whale tour: the Outer Island Excursions orca-only tour. It costs $199 for 4 hours, scores 4.7 from 50 reviews and leaves from Anacortes, about 80 miles north of Seattle.

It is the narrowest product in the comparison. The listing says it focuses on finding Bigg’s orcas, the mammal-eating killer whales, in the San Juan Islands, with a marine naturalist and a high-speed vessel, and the operator claims a 98 percent success rate. It says orcas can be found year-round in the Salish Sea, and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife lists transient (Bigg’s) killer whales among the three types that regularly occur in the state. The title promises a guarantee, but I’d read the refund terms on the booking page before relying on it. A reviewer who went in autumn says to bring a warm coat. I’d pick this over the $119 tour only if orcas matter more to you than the other wildlife.

Outer Island Excursions

Orca Whales Guaranteed Boat Tour near Seattle

• ★ 4.7 (50 reviews)
• 4 hours
• Free cancellation

My pick: For orca fans only: $199, 4 hours, Anacortes (80 miles north), 4.7 from 50 reviews.

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Boat Tour Seattle WA

For a plain boat tour in Seattle, WA that is easy to fit into an evening, the Argosy sunset cruise is the budget choice. It costs $51 and lasts 1.5 hours with minimal narration, and the listing says it is timed for the golden hour and sunset over Puget Sound, with interior and exterior seating, restrooms and snacks and drinks for sale. It scores 4.5 from only 48 reviews, lower than Argosy’s daytime tours. The stops named are Elliott Bay, Alki Point and Puget Sound.

Meet at the Argosy dock at Pier 55 and check in before joining the boarding line. The description frames it as a summer evening trip, so in December, when sunset is about 4:20 PM, check what time the sailings leave. Compare it with the schooner on the Seattle sunset cruise page.

Argosy Cruises

Seattle Sunset Cruise

• ★ 4.5 (48 reviews)
• 1.5 hours
• Free cancellation

My pick: The cheap sunset: $51, 1.5 hours, minimal narration, 4.5 from 48 reviews.

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Boat Rides Seattle

Boat rides in Seattle, and Seattle boat cruises in general, that are about food rather than sights run on Lake Union and Lake Washington, not on Elliott Bay. The Waterways dinner cruise costs $149 for 2.5 hours and includes a private table, a prosecco or sparkling cider welcome, a three-course plated dinner and the captain’s light narration, with wine, beer and cocktails for sale. You choose beef, salmon, chicken or a vegan option, and the listing says the entree choice is final.

Its rating is the lowest of the 12 at 3.8 from 60 reviews. The snippets I read are positive about the food and service, and one mentions a last-minute change, so I read the low score as an operations problem and not a food one. The boat leaves from Fishermen’s Terminal Dock 9 at 3919 18th Ave W, and children under 13 are not allowed. I’d choose the wine pairing cruise above or the brunch below over this one on rating alone, but this is the cheaper dinner. See the Seattle dinner cruise page for the three side by side.

Waterways Cruises & Events

Dinner Cruise Experience

• ★ 3.8 (60 reviews)
• 2.5 hours
• Free cancellation

My pick: The plain dinner: $149, 2.5 hours, three courses, but the lowest rating here at 3.8 from 60 reviews.

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Boat Trip Seattle

The last of my Seattle boat trips, and the last of the boat tours in Seattle I rate for groups, is a daytime meal. The Waterways brunch cruise costs $116, runs 2 hours and scores 4.6 from 19 reviews. The listing gives boarding at 10:30 AM, departure at 11:00 AM and a return at 1:00 PM, and calls it a weekend brunch cruise. It includes a private table, a champagne or sparkling cider toast, a brunch buffet with coffee and tea, and the captain’s light narration.

The buffet in the description includes pastries, fruit, bacon, sausage, an omelet station, French toast bread pudding, and smoked salmon and bagels. The listing says people with food allergies and wheelchair users are not covered, so read that before booking for a group. It’s the cheapest of the three Waterways meals and I’d pick it for a birthday group in daylight, when the sunset times above matter less.

Waterways Cruises & Events

Brunch Cruise

• ★ 4.6 (19 reviews)
• 2 hours
• Free cancellation

My pick: A daytime meal on the lakes: $116, 2 hours, weekend brunch buffet, 4.6 from 19 reviews.

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What You See on a Seattle Boat Tour

The map below follows the stops listed for the Argosy harbor cruise, the longest stop list in my data. On any boat tour in Seattle, the sights fall in two clusters. Downtown is the first: Pike Place Market is about 0.5 km from the Argosy dock at Pier 55 and only 0.2 km from the Seattle Aquarium, which itself sits 0.1 km from the Seattle Great Wheel. The second is the Space Needle and Chihuly Garden and Glass, about 1.4 km north of the market.

Further north, Gas Works Park is about 3.0 km from the Space Needle, by my calculation from the Google Maps coordinates. You only reach it on the locks cruise, which goes into Lake Union. The sunset and harbor boats stay on Elliott Bay and turn back before the lake, and the whale boats leave Seattle behind entirely. Not every operator lists the same stops, so the map shows the common route, not one company’s.

Where the Boats Leave From

Boat tours in Seattle leave from four places: the central waterfront piers (55, 66 and 69), Fishermen’s Terminal on Salmon Bay, Anacortes, and Bainbridge Island. I’ve marked as stops the places that appear in a product’s itinerary.

Argosy Cruises at Pier 55 is about 0.5 km from Pike Place Market and about 1.9 km from the Space Needle, by my calculation. Seattle’s Tall Ship is listed at Alaskan Way, and the booking sits at Pier 66. Waterways Cruises and Events boards at Fishermen’s Terminal, which is a drive or a bus ride from downtown, so I’d allow extra time. Whichever dock you pick, read the meeting point on the booking page, because the locks cruise has two.

Which Seattle Boat Trip Type Fits You

This table is built from the same listings. Prices are the lowest in each group.

Trip type	Price from	Typical duration	Best for
Harbor and locks sightseeing	$43	1 to 2 hours	First-timers, skyline, short on time
Whale watching	$119	3.5 to 4 hours	Orcas and wildlife, half-day outing
Sailing	$80	2 hours	Quiet sail, private groups, photos
Sunset cruise	$51	1.5 to 2 hours	Golden hour, date night
Dinner cruise	$116	2 to 2.5 hours	Birthdays, anniversaries, wine lovers

For the most sights per dollar among Seattle boat tours, the Argosy sunset and harbor cruises win. For wildlife I’d pay more, and for a meal I’d book on purpose, because the meal boats leave from Fishermen’s Terminal and not from the waterfront.

How I’d Choose a Boat Tour in Seattle

Here’s the short list I’d use for any boat tour Seattle has on offer:

• First visit, one hour: the Argosy harbor cruise at $43 (4.8 from 741 reviews).
• Something different: the Argosy locks cruise at $56, 2 hours through the Ballard Locks.
• Whales from Seattle: the Clipper cruise at $150 from Pier 69, 3 to 5 hours.
• Whales and orcas, if you can drive: Outer Island at $119 or the Blue Kingdom zodiac at $149, both from Anacortes, about 80 miles north.
• Evening on the water: the Bay Lady tall ship at $80, or the Argosy sunset cruise at $51.
• A special meal: the wine pairing cruise at $187 (21 and over) or the brunch cruise at $116.
• Private group: Sail Bainbridge at $445 for the whole boat.

Whatever Seattle boat tour you choose, check the departure pier on the booking page, bring a layer because the deck is cooler than the street, and look at the forecast the day before, since all 12 tours list a refund window. For other cities, start from the Harbour Advisor home page. Whichever boat tour in Seattle ranks first for you, I’d match it to your time and budget.