Boat Tour

A boat tour is a short trip in a relatively small boat taken for touristic reasons, typically starting and ending in the same place, and normally of a duration less than a day. This contrasts with river cruising, yacht cruising, and ocean cruising, in larger boats or cruise ships, for any number of days, with accommodation in cabins.

For boat tours, usually a sightseeing boat is used, but sometimes adapted amphibious vehicles or purpose-built amphibious buses. Boat tours are often on rivers and lakes, but can be on canals as well. Sustainability is an increasing issue, since there can be an impact on the environment.

River day cruises

River day cruises are day excursions ranging from 30 minutes to a full day. They can be on boats carrying as few as 10 people or as many as a few hundred. Such a cruise is typically based in a city with a river flowing through the centre (e.g., Amsterdam, Bangkok, London, Paris) or an area of natural beauty, such as on the Hudson River, Rhine, or Thames. Some popular locations include:

• Africa: Luxor, Cairo
• Americas: New York City, New Orleans, San Antonio, St. Louis
• Asia: Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Kuching, Malacca, Singapore
• Europe: Amsterdam, Budapest, Cologne, London, Paris

River cruises

River cruise ships with accommodation facilities offer longer cruises.

According to Douglas Ward, "A river cruise represents life in the slow lane, sailing along at a gentle pace, soaking up the scenery, with plentiful opportunities to explore riverside towns and cities en route. It is a supremely calming experience, an antidote to the pressures of life in a fast-paced world, in surroundings that are comfortable without being fussy or pretentious, with good food and enjoyable company."

River cruising is a major tourist industry in many parts of the world.

• Africa: Nile
• Americas: Mississippi, Peruvian Amazon
• Asia: Brahmaputra, Ganga, Irrawaddy, Mekong, Yangtze
• Australia: Murray
• Europe: Danube, Rhine, Seine, Rhone, Volga, Moselle, Main, Douro.