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Hudson River Cruise: Autumn Views and Oktoberfest
3.7
192 Ratings
New York
Cruise the Hudson to Bear Mountain for Oktoberfest. Enjoy fall views, music, German food, and beers. Hike and explore scenic Bear Mountain State Park.
Duration:
8 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
learn more
Highlights
- Bear Mountain State Park - Disembark and explore the scenic mountain lake and easy walking trails.
- Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge - This dual-span bridge, completed in 2018 at a cost of nearly $4 billion, links Westchester and Rockland counties.
- Palisades - The Palisades are a series of steep cliffs that rise approximately 540 feet from the Hudson River.
- The Met Cloisters - Located in Fort Tyron Park in northern Manhattan, this museum features pieces brought from Europe and was completed in 1939.
- George Washington Bridge - The world’s busiest suspension bridge, spanning the Hudson River and carrying over 103 million vehicles annually. You’ll pass beneath the George Washington Bridge.
- Hook Mountain State Park - This mountain ascends 689 feet from the Hudson River and was known as Verdrietige Hook, or “Tedious Point,” to Dutch settlers.
What's Included
- 8-Hour Bear Mountain Cruise
- Free admission to Bear Mountain State Park
- Free Wi-Fi
- Music
- Download the free Circle Line Sightseeing App for guided tour (English and Spanish)
- Bring your own headsets or earbuds
What's Not Included
- Lunch
- Alcoholic Beverages
Additional Information
Take a fifty-mile cruise up the Hudson River to Bear Mountain State Park while enjoying autumnal sights and our onboard experience with music, German food specials and Oktoberfest beers (available for purchase).
Our huge, outdoor decks are perfect for getting some fall sun, fresh air and 360-degree views.
Cruise under two of the most impressive bridges in New York State, the mighty George Washington Bridge and the newly-constructed Mario Cuomo Bridge, aka Tappan Zee Bridge. Once you’re there you’ll be able to get out, hike around for two hours, enjoying the Bear Mountain lake and the paved paths.
- Boarding is at 8:30 AM for a 9:00 AM departure; the boat returns at approximately 5 PM, depending on tides and weather conditions.
- Onboard food and beverage options available for purchase include a special German menu, sandwiches, pizza, nachos, salads and snacks plus a full bar serving up hot and cold beverages, beer, wine and cocktails. No outside food or beverage allowed.
- The hike begins with a steep walk up a hill that can be very difficult for some guests. The area between the dock and entrance to the park sometimes floods. Please wear appropriate foot wear - hiking shoes are recommended
- For a guided tour, please download the Circle Line Sightseeing App. Please bring your own headsets or earbuds to listen to the tour
- Onboard amenities including outdoor deck space, heated/air conditioned indoor seating with large windows made for sightseeing, and restrooms.
- If you’re experiencing any symptoms of COVID, or have been in contact with someone who has, we will be happy to refund your ticket if you cannot come due to COVID. Be safe and keep everyone else safe too!
- If we have to cancel a cruise due to foul weather, we’ll provide you with a refund or the opportunity to re-book for another date.
- Food and drinks are NOT allowed to be brought on board
- Note that due to damage from severe storms the upper hiking trails are not accessible and guests will not be able to hike to the top of Bear Mountain. Only paved paths, lake and zoo are accessible.
Location
Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises
12th Avenue
Pier 83
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
3.7
(192 Ratings)
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Kathryn_m
Nov 8, 2023
It was a beautiful day... - It was a beautiful day and the ride up the Hudson was gorgeous. The information from the narrator was interesting and informative. The band was great. There was a nice balance of giving us info and enjoying the music.
Review provided by Viator
Jacky_s
Oct 20, 2023
What a great day out! - What a super trip! We had an excellent day. Despite being unable to stop at Bear Mountain because of the weather and high tide (Warned about in advance) still lots to see, along with the knowledgeable and amusing commentary. All the staff were so friendly. The catering was excellent and very reasonably priced ($15 a plate) as was the drinks. Would highly recommend.
Review provided by Viator
Liliav_m
Nov 6, 2022
I ♥️ New York - The tour guide was amazing. He’s knowledgeable, friendly, & entertaining. Grateful for learning more about the history, people, culture of New York.
Bear Mountain is a must see.
Love the bits of information to read along the hiking trails, the animals, birds, flowers, etc. are beautiful.
Listening to the Street Band on our way back to Pier 84 is a nice addition to the Bear Mountain Cruise
I ♥️ New York
Review provided by Viator
Rashma_g
Nov 6, 2022
Stunning fall foliage! - It such a wonderful trip, beautiful weather, great cruise! My friend and I enjoyed the views, the drinks and the fall foliage was stunning.
The food and drinks are pricy but it is what you would expect in New York. Food is subpar.
Review provided by Viator
Bency_m
Oct 31, 2022
Bear Mountain Cruise - It was a good day and experience
Staff and crew were very friendly.
The foliage was perfect and a nice sunny and cool day
Review provided by Viator
Conor1410david
Oct 31, 2023
Hudson trip - Excellent trip. Wonderful views of the Fall colours. Informative commentary. Adequate refreshments on board the boat.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Thomashm1220ha
Oct 16, 2023
I had a pleasant relaxing time. As a photographer I got great shots. - It is a must to check the weather. No sun, then cancel as there will be no foliage colors. We had sun going up and coming down and I got some great shots. Always stay on the PORT side both ways so the sun is hitting the land to your left and not in your face.
We had some clouds as Bear Mt. but not much. Some of the climbing there is indeed steep as they told us. A paucity of rest rooms. But interesting exhibits, both historical and zoological.
As I went alone I could not leave my seat or I'd lose it. So I could not get up and buy anything or listen to the band. All seats semeed to be taken. I did not see many if any little kids on this weekday.
The boat moved Iwas told by the guide at about 7 knots. Not a fast trip. But pleasant. Catching the sun hitting the buildings as we returned resulted in super photos.
Overall a good trip.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ldjs
Nov 7, 2022
Great views in nice weather - Overall good experience, spectacular vistas on a clear day, but can get very miserable in a rain.
The Circle line boats are older and pretty basic, but crew is very helpful and friendly.
Views of GW, Mario Cuomo and Bear Mountain bridges are amazing in good weather, there is plenty of time to explore Bear Mountain Park. Can hike up the mountain, walk around the lake or visit a small zoo and small trailside historic exhibits. Can even step on the Appalachian Trail.
There is a lot of drinking on board, but on our cruise everyone was polite and did not feel too crowded.
The lines for food snd drink get long.
Coming back to evening skyline of the city is very nice.
Good experience for groups and friends to do in the fall. If focused mostly on hiking, driving to the Bear Mountain Park may make more sense, but the cruise is a good and affordable option to spend an active day with friends.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Damon_s
Nov 6, 2022
A fun day ! - Excellent trip! Attentive staff, fun music band, too. However, people should be allowed to bring food on board. Not everyone can afford the concession stand prices for a full day. And and too many drunk people on board. It would be wiser to stop selling beer for return trip. Some of those people couldn’t even walk.
Review provided by Viator
Lightpacker660912
Oct 31, 2023
No coordinated management on the boat - very misleading trip - The dock at Bear mountain was closed when we went, and this meant a whole 3 hours part of the 8 hour trip was not available. We were not told in advance, we were told at point of boarding, and offered a reschedule at that point. But that was pointless as we had already spent over $70 on tolls and parking to get there, and didn't have enough holiday days left to reschedule. However, what was worse was how the company then handled it - we were told we would as an alternative travel further upstream, so we thought same length cruise but go into much more interesting territory. Oh no - in reality West Point was only a little bit further up, at which point we turned round and to stretch out the journey to 8 hours the boat just returned very slowly. Lots of people annoyed with communication, but nobody on the boat to speak to who would take ownership - they kept saying people wanted their 8 hours so we have to go slow, then "it's up to the captain" who was unreachable. If this happens frequently they need to have a clearer Plan B when the dock is closed (and they need to fix the dock which is not fit for purpose given how often it floods). The captain also needs to take ownership and speak to the customers rather than just assuming they want their 8 hours. I suspect they only forced us to have 8 hours to reduce refund requests due to not getting to Bear Mountain. Bad management. Employees also kept resorting to a standard complaint handling message "we can't help the weather", when we quite clearly were complaining about their handling of the situation, not the weather itself.
The guide and the band were good.
Review provided by Tripadvisor