The Best Niagara Falls Boat Tours in 2024

99.99% of the tourists flocking to Niagara Falls do so in pursuit of a magnificent view of Niagara Falls. As you land here, you’d have only two options to get up & close experience with the Falls: a boat ride or observation decks. While observation decks (on Journey Behind the Falls on the Canadian side) provide unique experience with the falls, a boat tour is altogether a different experience. Here, we provide a list of best boat tours in Niagara Falls, Canada. But before that, let us give our attempt to convince you on why you should consider a boat ride to the falls.

Reasons to Go on a Boat Ride in Niagara Falls 

When in Niagara Falls, a boat tour to the magnificent Falls is a sine qua non [without which, your Niagara visit means nothing!]. . . and plenty of reasons justify the boat ride being the best option to get personal with the magnificent falls of Niagara Falls. As you booked your Niagara Falls ticket/tour, getting a personal experience with the falls was always on your mind, isn’t it? [Even if it wasn’t, it should be now]. This says it all about going on a boat ride in Niagara Falls. Not convincing enough? Let’s give you some other reasons:

• All Energies Reserved for Falls: Compared to observation decks, a boat ride requires less time & effort. Swarming up the paths (boardwalks, staircases, pathways) leading to observation decks take a heavy toll on your energy, in turn, affecting your experience with the falls. On the other hand, a boat ride helps you reserve all your energy for a proximate experience with the falls. 
• Up & Close View of the Falls: While views from observation decks are relatively panoramic, views from aboard a boat cruise are closer, personal, and proximate.
• ‘Blue Mind’ State: There’s no better way to interact with phenomenal water bodies that constitute the falls than a boat ride. As you hop on a boat, and navigate your way through the water to the Falls, you get to a ‘Blue Mind’ state [meditative state near, in, under or on water] taking you to another world. 
• A feast for Thalassophiles: . . and if you count yourself a thalassophile (lover of the sea), you simply need no other reason to visit the falls – this trait is enough to yank to the cruise!



Above all, who on earth would resist an up & close encounter with falls they’ve traveled miles to see? Literally no one! [unless you’re an aquaphobic]. Convinced of the gravity of a boat tour whilst your Niagara Falls visit? What if we tell you about tours that, in addition to boat cruises to the falls, cover plenty of other destinations in the city of magnificent fall? Excited to know? Let’s delve deeper into what these tours have to offer!



(Credit: charlotte.walsh13 / Instagram)




Best Niagara Falls, Canada Boat Tours in 2023

On the Canadian side of Niagara Falls, Hornblower Cruise remains the supreme [perhaps the only] boat cruise service provider. Here’s a list of the best tours in Niagara Falls Canada that are much more than a boat cruise. 



(Credit: Tracey Gordon Mathis / Facebook)




Best of Niagara Falls Tour Including Hornblower Niagara Cruises

4 hours from USD 129/person (Inclusive of Attraction Fees & Complimentary Pickup & Drop-off)

This award winner Niagara Falls, Canada Tour takes to all highs & lows in Niagara Falls. Your tour would begin with a climb [via yellow bug elevator] to the 520 ft. Skylon Tower and treated with breathtaking panoramic views of downtown Niagara Falls from aboard its observation deck. Next, you’d be escorted to the Journey Behind the Falls, a not-to-miss-at-all destination providing a feel-it-with-all-senses experience of the Canadian Horseshoe Falls. Time for the best part now – a boat cruise ride into the mist of the Falls, taking you face-to-face with the Canadian Horseshoe Falls complemented with ravishing views of the Niagara Gorge, American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls. Once you’re done with your personal experience with this natural wonder, you’d be taken on a narrated driving tour weaving through iconic sites in the city including Dufferin Islands, the International Control Dam, the Old Scow, Whirlpool Rapids, and the Floral Clock.




Ultimate Niagara Falls Tour with Helicopter Ride & Boat Cruise 

5.5 hours from USD 289/person (Inclusive of Attraction Fees & Complimentary Pickup & Drop-off)



(Credit: See-Sight Tours / Official Website)




Ever thought about taking a bird's-eye view of the Falls from above? Nah? Well, this top-reviewed Ultimate Niagara Falls Tour is one of its kind, letting you explore the skies, land and water of the city of falls. Your tour begins with a visit to the thunderous & equally thrilling Journey Behind the Falls. Once you’re done savoring the misty-beauty of Canadian Horseshoe Falls from up close, you’d be taken high in the sky via helicopter to treat you with a one-of-its-kind helicopter tour around Niagara Falls, the gorge, and the surrounding area. As soon as you get back to the ground, your experience with the falls will be topped with a Hornblower Cruise through Niagara Gorge to the Falls. Time for a panoramic view of the Niagara Falls downtown complemented with a feast for your taste buds! For this, you’d be escorted to the Skylon Tower and treated with a lunch at the tower's famous rotating restaurant. Ever wondered how it would feel like dining with views changing every second? Here, you’d experience this luxury to the full. A Niagara Falls tour is incomplete without a raving through its busy streets and iconic sites, isn’t it? This tour takes care of this part, too. You’ll be taken on a narrated driving tour weaving through iconic sites in the city including Dufferin Islands, the International Control Dam, the Old Scow, Whirlpool Rapids, and the Floral Clock.




Day and Night Combo Tour of Niagara Falls, Canada

6.5 hours from USD 259/person (Inclusive of Attraction Fees & Complimentary Pickup & Drop-off)

Niagara Falls has got a dual personality – one during the day, other during the night. The best way to explore both the facets is this top-rated Combo Tour of Niagara Falls. Your tour begins with a scenic drive through the city’s signature sites including Dufferin Islands, Old Scow, and International Control Dam. You’re roving would stop at the Journey Behind the Falls where you’ll descend the cave-like tunnels and walk up the boardwalks for a proximate experience with the Canadian Horseshoe Falls. Once you feel like you’ve taken in enough of the beauty of the falls, you’d be escorted to the Skylon Tower, a 520 ft. tower providing uninterrupted views from downtown Niagara Falls to Buffalo and Toronto. After that, you’d be taken on a narrated drive again, this time along Niagara Parkway passing through Whirlpool Rapids and Floral Clock. 

Time for the part you’d have been waiting for – the Hornblower boat ride! You’d be taken onboard the cruise, and treated with a close and personal experience with the Falls. By now, your stomach would be begging for something to churn up! No worries – a luxe 3-course dinner at the Table Rock House awaits you with a view of the Horseshoe Falls to take in while you dine. 

Wait, did we miss anything? Yes! The one-of-its-kind experience at the Illumination Tower of changing the lights that appear on the Falls in real-time! Grab your 'I Lit Up Niagara Falls' certificate as a souvenir as you leave the site. . . and with this, your day & night tour comes to an end with a complimentary drop-off at your preferred destination.




Private Tour of Niagara Falls Canada Featuring Hornblower Niagara Cruises

4 hours from USD 885/Group with Up to 7 People (Inclusive of Attraction Fees & Complimentary Pickup & Drop-off)

This top-rated small group tour is for you if you’re eyeing a 4-hour-episode of fun & enjoyment with your buddies with luxury transportation in an air-conditioned Mercedes Metris van. Your tour begins with a complimentary pick-up from Niagara Falls Downtown, leading you to the Skylon Tower – the best site for panoramic views of the cityscape. Once you & your travel partners are done taking in views from aboard its observation deck, you’d be taken to the Journey Behind the Falls where you’d enjoy a feel-it-with-all-senses experience of the Canadian Horseshoe Falls. When out with travel buddies, a boat ride is a must! For this, you’d be onboarded to the Hornblower Niagara Cruises boat ride taking you around the Niagara Gorge, and as close as possible to the Falls. A rave through the city's iconic routes is a must, especially when you’re with your travel buddies. We’ve taken care of this, too! You’d be taken on a narrated driving tour of the city passing through Dufferin Islands, the International Control Dam, the Old Scow, Whirlpool Rapids, and the Floral Clock. . . and with this, your day & night tour comes to an end with a complimentary drop-off at your preferred destination.




Night on Niagara Tour with Fireworks Boat Cruise

4 hours from USD 189/person (Inclusive of Attraction Fees & Complimentary Pickup & Drop-off)

For a perfect night-out in Niagara Falls, Canada, you should consider this Night on Niagara Tour with Fireworks Boat Cruise! After your complimentary pick-up, you’d be taken to Skylon Tower for a 3-Course Fallsview Dinner featuring stunning views of the city’s downtown. As you dine-in, the setting sun in the far followed by a gradual powering for night lights, you’d be mesmerized by the transitioning sky shades.




(Credit: Niagara Falls / Facebook)

Once you’re choke full of yummy cuisine, you’d be onboarded a Niagara Falls Fireworks Boat Cruise for a 40-minute-long ride featuring view of the Falls, starry skies, panoramic skyline views, stunning illuminations, and fireworks show over the water. Next, you’d be taken to the Illumination Tower to give you the unique opportunity to control the lights illuminating the falls in real-time. Grab your 'I Lit Up Niagara Falls' certificate as a souvenir as you leave the site. . . and with this, your day & night tour comes to an end with a complimentary drop-off at your preferred destination.




Best of Niagara Falls Canada Walking Tour Featuring Hornblower Niagara Cruises

4 hours from USD 109/person (Inclusive of Attraction Fees)

Fond of exploring places on-foot? This 4-hour Walking Tour of Niagara Falls is meant for you! Meet your guide at the Skylon Tower at an agreed time and let the spree begin! Ascend the Skylon Tower in signature yellow bug elevators and treat yourself with a birds-eye view of all three Niagara Falls (Bridal Veil Falls, Horseshoe Falls, and the American Falls). Descend down [via yellow bug, of course] and take a 40-minute walk to Journey Behind the Falls. Here, explore the cave-like tunnels leading you to the observation decks offering close encounters with the Canadian Falls. From here, you’d be guided to the Hornblower Niagara Cruises facility to onboard the cruise and sail around the Niagara gorge and get as close as possible to the Falls. . . and with this, your 4-hour tour will come to an end. 

Note: Since Hornblower Niagara Cruise operates from April to November season only, cruise experience for tours during December to March would be replaced with an admission to Niagara's Fury and Butterfly Conservatory.

All in all, a boat tour has to be on-theme for your upcoming Niagara Falls visit - for a visit to falls without a cruise sail to the falls is no visit at all! So, book your favorite Niagara Falls, Canada Tour featuring boat tours to the falls now and let the misty-experience begin!