Canada · KINGSTON TOURS
The good kingston tours fill weeks ahead and the great ones go first. Below: the 15 to book early, what each includes and how they differ.
3-hour Island Queen paddlewheeler cruise from Kingston through the Thousand Islands, with live music, history, and views of Mandalay Mansion.
“Fabulous scenery. Excellent live music, really interactive and fun. And we were blessed with perfect weather too.”
Kingston’s 3-hour Thousand Islands lunch cruise with live music, on-board commentary, and a three-course meal, plus optional drinks.
“Having visitors from out of the country, I booked the 3 hour lunch cruise out of Kingston. The tour was fabulous, the lunch was 5 star quality. My friends loved the day. Well done! My only suggestion would be to limit the music, to allow the conversation to be easier.”
A 3-hour Kingston sunset dinner cruise through the Admiralty Islands with a 3-course meal, live music, and onboard commentary.
“Kingston was a one night stopover before Toronto and we booked this last minute. It was a magical end to our holiday and everything was brilliant. Whilst guiding us through the islands we had a mixture of music and information followed by a 3-course meal, more music and dancing (if you wanted). Fabulous evening.”
A 90-minute catamaran cruise from Brockville through the 1000 Islands, with big-ship views, photogenic waterfronts, and tight passages.
“Better buy directly, don’t use apps. Might be a little boring”
Ride a 90-minute haunted trolley through Kingston’s dark corners, including Rockwood Asylum grounds, with entertaining guides and staged stories.
“would like to hear little more details of the sites, And would like to have gotten out at Rockwood to look around and take pics.”
Kingston haunted night walking tour from Ontario Street, $23 for 75 minutes. Cloaked guide shares stories of hangings and burials.
“My boyfriend and I were looking to learn about kingstons history. This was very educational with some creepy stories mixed in. We very much enjoyed this tour.”
3-hour Thousand Islands cruise with live entertainment and freshly served a la carte brunch aboard the Island Queen for $76.
“Absolutely loved the boat trip. Fantastic views and great guide. The brunch food was not great to be honest, but the waiter did his best to give us a nice experience. Overall we really enjoyed it and would fully recommend it!”
A 1-hour narrated Kingston waterfront cruise on the Island Belle, with views of Fort Henry, the Penitentiary, and the St. Lawrence waterfront for $32.
“Very informative tour. Bill did a great job tell us about the history and highlights of Kingston from the harbour. Captain and the rest of the crew were also great.”
Ride a red trolley through downtown Kingston past Queen’s University, Kingston Pen, and Fort Henry, with easy ticket pickup for $33.
“Our driver was wonderful. Stopped when needed to take pictures. Full of knowledge. Answered lots of questions. Was a beautiful time!”
Kingston’s historic red trolley bus, live English guiding, 10 top stops on a figure-8 loop, and 24 to 72-hour hop-on hop-off flexibility.
“Excellent way to learn about the city's history. Our driver was informative and friendly.”
Walk Kingston with chief storyteller Arthur Milnes on a 1-hour downtown loop to Market Square and City Hall, with Macdonald, Molly Brant, and humor.
“Arthur is great, lovely guy, knows so much about the area and wider history of Canada, great to get the chance to spend time with people who can share so many interesting stories and facts. Our kids, aged 13 and 10, enjoyed it too!”
90-minute, live-guided Kingston shipwreck cruise with Great Lakes Museum storytelling, waterfront views, and relic artifacts for $36.
“All experience was good, speed of ship was good, not so crowded and excellent service, only recommend to turn volume up for speakers. Great experience”
Cruise Gananoque on the St. Lawrence for Canada Day or Fourth of July fireworks, with iconic island views and a short, sweet show.
“Unfortunately I did not read the fine print on this activity. If I had I would not have gone on a four hour cruise to see about 20 minutes of average fireworks then speed back to Gananoque in darkness. There were no announcements to explain our destination or any part of the river highlights. Most disappointing and certainly not worth the time or cost. If I could, I would request a refund.”
Ride Rockport Boat Line through the 1000 Islands to Boldt Castle, with cruise options from 1 hour to 5 and English-French guide.
“Tres belle activite, les paysages sont magnifiques et le chateau Boldt est a voir!”
Guided Kingston day trip from Montreal with City Hall and Queen’s University, plus a Thousand Islands cruise on the St. Lawrence River.
“I must have misunderstood that this was a boat tour to the 1000 islands. In this respect it was disappointing. Otherwise it was OK. The tour guide William was good. The bus was a clapped out school bus, so not very comfortable. It was a long 6 hour return bus trip to see a small town like Kingston. Without the final 1 hour boat cruise through the fantastic lakescape of the 1000 islands, the trip would have been a waste of time.”
Six time zones of days out, sorted by the kind of day.
