1000 Islands Cruise: Intimate Gananoque Scenic Tour
4.3
26 Ratings
Gananoque
Duration: 1 hour
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Gananoque, referred to as the Entrance to the 1000 Islands, is globally known for being one of the most scenic waterfront towns in Eastern Ontario, greatly appreciated by locals, tourists and the business community.
  • McDonald Island is an islet situated in Ontario. Its position is in proximity to White Calf Islands, and not far from Ynysrag Island.
  • Situated between Kingston and Gananoque in Ontario, Howe Island is recognized worldwide as one of the 1000 islands along the St. Lawrence River.
  • The 1000 Islands, known in French as Mille-Îles, include 1864 islands and stretch over 50 miles within the Saint Lawrence River between the Canadian-US border. More specifically from the northeast corner of Lake Ontario to Kingston, Ontario. The Canadian islands are part of the province of Ontario, and the U.S. islands fall under the state of New York.

An island is considered part of the Thousand Islands if it keeps at least one square foot of its land above water all year round and supports a living tree. The islands vary in size, with the largest ones covering over 40 square miles. Some smaller islands are home to just one house, while others are uninhabited rock formations. The public owns a significant number of these islands, offering visitors access to parks, campgrounds, and cottage rentals.

What's Included
  • Audio commentary in English and French
  • Views of the 1000 Islands including McDonald Island, Howe Island, Half Moon Bay, Leek Island & more
  • Onboard food and beverages available for purchase
  • Paid parking available on-site
  • 1-Hour Cruise
  • On-board restrooms
What's Not Included
  • Parking fees
Additional Information

Embark on City Cruises departing from Gananoque for an hour-long tour, that brings you nearer to the picturesque views than any other service in the 1000 Islands. The location, once referred to as the “Garden of the Great Spirit” by the Iroquois Nation, is peaceful on the surface, masking its exciting past of pioneering adventures, wars, and uprisings. Get a glimpse of cottages owned by fifth and sixth-generation families and explore the tight waterways of the Admiralty and Navy island groups through the most detailed tour offered in the 1000 Islands.

Situated as the entry point to the 1000 Islands, Gananoque is about three hours from Toronto, two hours from Ottawa, and three hours from Montreal. It’s just a 15-minute journey from the New York State border crossing via the 1000 Islands Bridge and under an hour’s drive from Watertown. Gananoque can be reached via Highway 401 and The King’s Highway 2 from Kingston, Ontario.

Location
City Cruises Gananoque
Main Street
A paid parking lot is available on-site. Parking passes are available for purchase at the lot or in the ticket office.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.3
(26 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Terravelista
Oct 28, 2023
Will be back - We came once again here, as we cannot get enough of this great part of the world with it's small islands stretching between USA and Canada and yes, most surely we will come again in the future. Although we set our base in Belleville, we were travelling returning from our 3000 km trip between PEI and Toronto and I called in advance to ensure the cruise will not be busy for their afternoon 1h tour: - the person on the phone confirmed there were only a few people buying tickets due to being late September and asked to pay a fee higher than what we paid later on at the ticket office - we noticed nowadays the ticket office is housed in a different building, where they also have a souvenir shop but no toilets. The original building is now a shop and restaurant with live music - although I took pictures of the City cruises, we actually took the Thousand island boat which is laid on 2 levels: the first level with air conditioned inside and where the bar with drinks/snacks is and also toilets. The second level is not covered and a seagull travelled with us without paying any fee - Mr Bad!!!! - the tour is narrated and you learn lots of things about the life on the islands, how difficult is to get the produce and how most are un-inhabited in the cold season - there are still some people on the island waiving friendly or kayakers - after getting the tickets and parking the car at a discounted cost in their car park, we were fortunate to be the first in line for this boat, some 30min earlier: when we were here in the past, we noticed how people were running to get the best seats which is not nice to see. Even so, near us, there was a group who kept moving in 3 different directions repeatedly to take their 'best pictures' annoying just about everybody. Everything is very idyllic, yet every single time I get a headache, no idea why: could be the engine smell, or the heat etc. Yet we are still going to return here.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Farooq_n
Sep 25, 2023
1000Island Cruise - Super cruise in all respects. Enjoyed the easygoing ride and the beautiful weather made it perfect. L
Review provided by Viator
Krisbrownfield
Sep 11, 2023
Great cruise, great weather - Two couples made a last minute reservation for the one hour cruise. It was on time and very entertaining. We would all recommend this cruise.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Christine_w
Sep 3, 2023
See you next year! - The friendly Islanders waving and the information about the area was vary interesting. My daughter is already planning the longer tour for next year. Very enjoyable.
Review provided by Viator
J4574fvanitap
Aug 29, 2023
Great one hour overview of the thousand island ! - Nice and quick overview of the site … would like to do the 3 or 5 hour tour if we get another opportunity!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
G597ckericb
Aug 7, 2023
Good time for family and visitor - The crew is respectful and professional. They ensure everyone is comfortable during the cruise. There is also enough room vs the number of people on the boat.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Vikki_c
Sep 3, 2023
Friendly staff - Having trouble to pull up the QR quote but the staff there was helpful. On time, nice boat ride with all little stories about the islands are interesting.
Review provided by Viator
Clarajama
Aug 25, 2023
Good boat trip, does the job, enjoyable - Good trip, clear commentary on top deck (noisier inside below), comfortable enough, and helpful commentary. Does not go to Boldt Castle or Millionaires Row but we knew that as we wanted a shorter cruise. Note that you pay $9 for parking in the City Cruise lot but if you can find on street metered parking nearby that is just $1 per hour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
739annettk
Oct 31, 2023
Unacceptable cancellation policy - be aware!!! - Booked and fully prepaid a 1 hour cruise in October 2023 for our group of 18 back in May 2023. On the day of the cruise we had one person really sick and he couldn't participate. I did ask for a refund for the one ticket, but was told that the refund policy is 7 days. This is ridiculous! Prepaid month in advance and they cannot refund 1 ticket out of 18?! I loved working with the local tour operators in the past, but this company seems to get the small ones out of business and rule everything. Be aware! Don't pre-book!!! There was lots of space on the ship, even though it was a beautiful and sunny day.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
615filomenag
Sep 24, 2023
The Worse Boat Tour - First of all, the price was ridiculous much more than the one we took with Clayton Tours in Kingston and it was approximately 3 hrs. I am still fighting with this company for my refund. It also cost $9 to park they kept stressing it was all day parking. The tour NEVER TOOK PLACE! They had us all board the boat and for the first 30 mins it was TOTAL SILENCE - no one spoke to any of us. Finally, I asked 2 very nice girls at snack bar what was up. They told us that the sound and video system was down and we would only be riding on the river for an hr clueless to our surroundings. They knew of a couple things and were kind enough to point them out. BOGUS!!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Select Date and Tickets
up to 15 guests
1 Adult
May 2024
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Today