Manchester Boat Tour: Historic Ship Canal and River Irwell Cruise

Departing Salford Quays take a 60-minute cruise along Manchester’s historic Ship Canal and River Irwell on board a purpose build Dutch sightseeing vessel departing from central Manchester. Venture through the industrial heartland of the north of England and see historic monuments such as Stephenson’s railway bridge.

Duration: 1 hour
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Imperial War Museum North - An impressive modern building built on the banks of the canal
  • Old Trafford - Manchester United’s home stadium since 1910
What's Included
  • On-board WiFi
  • On-board restrooms
What's Not Included
  • Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
  • Transportation to/from attractions
Additional Information
  • Children must be accompanied by an adult
  • Minimum drinking age is 18 years
  • Departure is from Salford Quays only
  • Any buggies or prams must be foldable, we can not accept full size prams aboard.
  • City Centre stop is now closed
Location
Manchester River Cruises
The Quays
The boarding point is located under the Millennium Footbridge (blue and white) between the Lowry Theatre and the Quayside shopping centre. The closest tram stop is at Media City, the closest parking is at the Quayside shopping centre.
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.3
(303 Ratings)
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Chris_r
Nov 1, 2024
Great river trip! - Seeing the city from the quays and river was a great experience. We saw a lot of things you'd never think you'd see. The kids loved it too. 👍
Review provided by Viator
Fezile
Oct 27, 2024
Fantastic experience - Great experience. I would highly recommend it if you’re in Manchester. Not too far from Piccadilly and easy to connect.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Spencern2
Oct 25, 2024
Great city boat tour - We really enjoyed this city boat tour, we sat outside and enjoyed the interesting facts about all the surroundings. Would definitely recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
937alwynw
Oct 24, 2024
great experience - Excellent trip with interesting commentary. The captain was a skilled helm and she knew the river and cannal very well. The frist mate served drinks and snacks in a friendly and polite manner
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Norman_c
Oct 18, 2024
Absolutely brilliant! - We absolutely loved this river tour. First time we've done anything like this and we had a great time!
Review provided by Viator
Keith_w
Oct 10, 2024
Great trip. Not to be missed - Saw Manchester from a very different perspective. Great value, very reasonably priced drinks, friendly crew. Highly recommended
Review provided by Viator
Vivienne_b
Dec 9, 2024
Enjoyed the trip back in time! - A good insight into the history of Manchester's shipping and industry. Learnt lots about how much cotton came in through there as well as tea and many other products. Enjoyed seeing how the factories had been re-used and Salford Quays re-developed.
Review provided by Viator
Chris_j
Nov 6, 2024
Informative Cruise - Clear, informative commentary. Great way to view some other parts of Manchester. Definitely recommended.
Review provided by Viator
Rita_a
Oct 25, 2024
Enjoyable cruise - Interesting facts as why buildings and places are named in Manchester. Brings to life the history over the years and understanding the benefits and hardships to get to where Manchester is today.
Review provided by Viator
Maria_b
Oct 30, 2024
Easy tour from the water but experience relies on the other passengers. - This river trip is easy to get to via the tram from Manchester. The experience we had was disturbed a bit by other passengers. The commentary isn't very loud and speakers are only located intermittentlythrough the cabin so if you have a particularly loud and excitable group on board you might not be able to hear a thing. This experience should really have a QR code linked to content whoch you'd be able to play through your own mobile phones and headphones. It's an improvement which would be easy to make and whoch would have significantly improved our experience as we just couldn't hear most if the information through the chatting kids, crying babies and laughing family groups. Great to see the city from the water though and was able to recognise a few areas and landmarks which improved my holiday overall.
Review provided by Viator
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up to 10 guests
1 Adult
December 2024
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