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Montreal: St. Lawrence River Cruise & Olympic Stadium

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/13

Duration1h 30m

GroupUp to 300

LanguagesEN · FR

Mobile ticketAccepted

The St. Lawrence opens up from the water—here's what you see from the boat

You board at Old Montreal's historic docks and spend 1.5 hours cruising 22 miles of the St. Lawrence River with a bilingual guide pointing out the Biosphere, Olympic Stadium, Jacques Cartier Bridge, and Boucherville Islands. An onboard bar serves drinks and snacks (the 4pm cruise includes one free drink), and an audioguide offers eight language options if you prefer not to rely on live commentary. You return to the same dock by early evening, having seen the city from the water without arranging transport or timing yourself.

1h 30m

Step-by-step itinerary

Montreal St. Lawrence River Cruise

Board boat at Old Montréal
Relax on sunny terraces
Enjoy panoramic city views
See Old Port of Montreal
Pass Jacques-Cartier Bridge
View islands of Boucherville
Sail near La Ronde shore
See Biosphere on Île Sainte-Hélène
View Montreal Olympic Park
Enjoy onboard bar and snacks

The Experience

The boat pushes off from Old Montreal's historic docks, and within minutes the city tilts into a completely different frame. You're on the AML Cavalier Maxim, a 1.5-hour guided cruise that travels 22 miles along the St. Lawrence River, and the whole point is that you stop arranging and start looking. Your bilingual guide narrates as you pass the Jacques Cartier Bridge, Île Sainte-Hélène with the Biosphere's white dome catching the light, the Olympic Stadium where the 1976 games happened, and the Îles de Boucherville sliding past on the eastern stretch. There's an outdoor deck if the weather holds, or a glassed-in dining room if it doesn't.

The audioguide works in eight languages—French, English, Italian, Spanish, German, Mandarin, Japanese, and Korean—so you're not dependent on catching every word from the live commentary. The bar and bistro on board serve sandwiches, salads, snacks, and drinks; the 4pm departure includes a free drink for anyone 13 and over (alcoholic for adults), which is the kind of detail that makes an afternoon feel less like a checklist. Everything else—food, extra drinks, the Captain's cocktails—you pay for on the spot, and they take card only, no cash. Boarding starts about 30 minutes before departure, and the boats run rain or shine unless conditions get genuinely unsafe, so dress for cooler water temperatures even if the city feels warm.

You're seeing Montreal from an angle most visitors miss. The Old Port itself is one of the stops, but from the water it reads differently—the European architecture of the district, the working harbor, the way the river connects the city to something older and wider than the streets. The Biosphere and Olympic Stadium are landmarks you might glimpse from land, but from the boat they're not background; they're the reason you're here, and the guide's stories about the city's history land differently when you're floating past the actual places.

What’s included

1.5-hour guided cruise along the St. Lawrence River.
bilingual expert guide with live commentary.
audioguide in eight languages.
views of the Old Port, Biosphere, Olympic Stadium, Jacques Cartier Bridge, and Boucherville Islands.
access to outdoor decks and glassed-in dining room.
onboard bar and bistro with snacks and beverages.
one free drink on the 4pm departure (age 13+).
local taxes and fees.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyPublic transport nearby

Operated by Croisieres AML

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to see Montreal's major waterfront landmarks without renting a car or planning your own route—the boat does the navigation, the guide does the history, and you get the city from an angle most visitors don't.