Go everywhere, Do everything

There are lots of ways to see the river in York but the City Cruises’ sightseeing cruise is like the boat version of an open top bus tour and is a lovely way to see some of the city from the river Ouse.

The cruise

The cruises last for about 45 minutes and depart from either King’s Staith landing or Kendal bridge regularly throughout the day. Your trip takes you along the river towards Ripon where you turn around and then go slightly past the Millennium bridge before turning again and return to your starting point. During the cruise there is a commentary from your captain which includes pointing out some of the things you can see from the river and telling you a little about the history of the city.

The Boats

The boats are some of the largest sightseeing boats on the river and have an open upper deck with seating and additional seating inside on the lower deck. The lower deck also has a licensed bar, selling drinks and snacks and tables.

Accessibility

Two of the boats are wheelchair accessible although only one has a wheelchair accessible toilet. These only go from one of the piers so if this is something you need then I would recommend contacting City Cruises directly. The boats are reasonably accessible but do have a steep set of stairs up to the upper deck.

The commentary is not accessible for those with a hearing loss.

Refreshments

There is a bar on the lower deck selling alcoholic and non-alcoholic refreshments as well as some snacks and ice creams.

Facilities

There are toilets aboard the boats.

Tickets

We bought tickets on the day from the quayside and there was plenty of availability on the Saturday afternoon in September. At busier times, especially school holidays then it would probably be a good idea to pre-book. You can pay buy card both online and at the quayside. Tickets are available online here.

Other City Cruise options

City Cruise also offer a range of other cruise options, everything from themed cruises and evening cruises with food to party cruises.

We did a city cruise in September 2023.