Poole Harbour and Island Cruise: Explore Europe's Largest Natural Harbour from Poole

Embark on a 75-minute cruise around Europe’s largest natural harbour, Poole Harbour. Discover stunning views of the harbour islands and Sandbanks, departing from the charming town of Poole on the Dorset coast.

Duration: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Brownsea Island - Sail past historic Brownsea Island and it’s Castle. Home to the Red Squirrel and incredible wildlife, you will get a taste for nature.
  • Sandbanks Beach - Set sail past the golden beaches of Sandbanks and its famous Millionaire’s Row. Get an up close view of the stunning homes belonging to the Sandbanks area, and the picturesque surrounding views.
  • Poole Harbour - Sail through Europe’s largest natural harbour on this cruise, where you will learn all about it’s history and see the surrounding islands that call Poole Harbour home.
  • City Cruises Poole - Return to Poole Quay, where you can explore the other cruises we offer at City Cruises Poole.
What's Included
  • Live commentary onboard
What's Not Included
  • Food and drinks
  • Gratuities
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
Additional Information

Embark on a breathtaking and calming 75-minute sail around the biggest natural port in Europe, and take in the stunning sights of the lovely harbour islands and the globally renowned Sandbanks! With four opportunities to set sail each day, this much-loved voyage begins from Poole Quay, located in the classic port town of Poole, nestled on the idyllic coast of Dorset, and kicks off with a journey across the harbour, sculpted during the last ice-age, and proceeds around Brownsea Island, before making its way back to Poole Quay.

Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.8
(364 Ratings)
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368julietb
Sep 18, 2024
Lovely Poole Harbour cruise - Lovely welcome, comfortable seats and great commentary from the captain! This was for our wedding anniversary and it was a really interesting experience. Thanks to City for a great time. We would certainly go again.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jrsniece
Sep 10, 2024
Lovely relaxing cruise - Very friendly staff, good informative narration throughout, lovely relaxing trip around the islands. Easy to book online, would highly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Meakym00
Sep 8, 2024
Fab trip despite the weather - So a drizzly gloomy Sunday morning and we had a boat trip booked brought for us for a Christmas present. Unsure whether to go as weather miserable. However we went and so did one other couple. So only four of us on the trip, The crew George and Georgia were amazing. Even though it was raining and only four passengers they still gave it their all and made it a pleasant trip. Great to see the islands and learn about them. Very enjoyable morning. Glad we still went.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ianwanderson12
Aug 31, 2024
Fantastic island cruise - A great tour and a very good little cruise very nice skipper and crew kept us entertained and very knowledgeable of the local area and history of the area
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Stephen
Aug 28, 2024
Fantastic family fun - Absolutely loved this cruise so did our kids . Fantastic captain very knowledgeable and funny (I laughed at your jokes ) clean family friendly boat . Plenty of . seats . Will definitely go again before our break is over . Thank you .
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Eafrica
Aug 27, 2024
Great Way to spend 70 minutes if you are at Poole Quayside - Excellent 70 minute cruise around Poole Harbour and the Islands - we had good weather and a high tide which made it even better but the boat, the facilities on board, the commentary and the crew were all very good. And good value for money too.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
924grahamu
Aug 22, 2024
Harbour Lights and highlights! - We did the evening Harbour Lights tour and were delighted with the experience. The tour lasted approximately an hour and a half, rounding Brownsea Island, via the Sandbanks and out of the harbour entrance. The commentary was really good, lots of interesting facts mixed with a dash of humour. Well worth the price of the tickets.
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Tortillatravels
Aug 21, 2024
Very nice trip ! - Really enjoyed that trip around Poole harbour and islands. Nice views, captain George did nice and witty commentary. Weather wasn’t very good due to strong winds, but this is beyond control. I would really recommend that trip.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
902faitha
Aug 20, 2024
Great trip round Poole Harbour - Great cruise around Poole Harbour. Used Tesco vouchers but would happily have paid the fee. The crew were very helpful with good & amusing commentary. Cloudy & very windy trip but that is no-one's fault and we enjoyed it all the same. When the sun is shining it must be brilliant!! 70 minutes - will recommend to others.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Judyr982
Sep 17, 2024
Pricing is a con! - Excellent trip, lovely views, interesting commentary. This, however, is spoilt by being ripped off with the ticket price. We checked prices online before leaving our hotel … £14 each, with a special offer of £9! We decided to walk down through the old town and pay at the kiosk. When we arrived we were told that the price today was £17! The explanation offered was that there were lots of people around, so they could charge the higher price! Apparently, this is called “dynamic pricing”. Shame really. They seemed like a good company but I would not recommend them to anybody.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 15 guests
1 Adult
September 2024
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