CHELSEA, MANHATTAN
An Architecture Tour by Boat with AIA New York
Architect-guides narrate the skyline from the deck of a 1920s-style yacht, all the way around Manhattan.
$$ · Two to two and three-quarter hours on the water.
Official site ↗Things to do · On the water
Things to Do on the Water in New York
15 verified experiences, each checked against its official source.
New York is an archipelago that mostly forgets it is one. The fastest way to remember is to get on the water: a free ferry past the Statue of Liberty, a commuter boat to the Rockaways, a schooner under sail at sunset, a kayak launched for free off a Hudson River pier.
Most of these run in the warmer months; a few, like the ferries, run all year. Check seasons and booking on each page.
Year-round
Citywide
NYC Ferry: The East River Route
A commuter ferry fare buys a bridge-by-bridge cruise between three boroughs.
$ · About 40 minutes end to end; hop off wherever looks good.
Official site ↗
Manhattan
The Staten Island Ferry
A free 25-minute harbor crossing past the Statue of Liberty, running day and night.
Free · About an hour round trip, plus any time ashore.
Official site ↗Spring & summer
Queens
A Surf Lesson at Rockaway Beach
Two hours, a soft-top board and real Atlantic waves, all within the city limits at Beach 69th Street.
$$$ · Two hours in the water for a group lesson, plus travel to Rockaway.
Official site ↗
LOWER EAST SIDE, MANHATTAN
A Tall-Ship Sail on the Clipper City
Canvas up, engine off: a tall-ship sail past the Statue of Liberty, with jazz on the evening run.
$$$ · About an hour and a half to an hour and forty-five minutes under way.
Official site ↗
Bronx
Canoeing the Bronx River
Guided canoe trips on a restored city river, from the forest by the Bronx Zoo down to the estuary.
$ · About three hours for a guided paddle.
Official site ↗
CHELSEA, MANHATTAN
Classic Harbor Line Sunset Sail
An evening under sail from Chelsea Piers, timed to sunset over the harbor.
$$$ · About 2 hours on the water.
Official site ↗
TRIBECA, MANHATTAN
Free Kayaking at Pier 26
Free kayaking on the Hudson on summer weekends — back next season.
Free · About 20 minutes on the water; lines can close early.
Official site ↗
BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN
Free Kayaking in Brooklyn Bridge Park
Free summer kayaking off Pier 2, skyline across the water — back next season.
Free · About 20 minutes on the water.
Official site ↗
WEST VILLAGE, MANHATTAN
Free Rowing with the Village Community Boathouse
Pull an oar in a hand-built Whitehall gig on the Hudson, free, with a coxswain at the stern.
Free · About two hours, including the orientation.
Official site ↗
Manhattan
Rowboats on the Central Park Lake
Row each other around the Central Park Lake — about $15 each for an hour.
$ · One hour; last boat out an hour before dusk.
Official site ↗
FINANCIAL DISTRICT, MANHATTAN
Sailing the 1885 Schooner Pioneer
An 1885 schooner from the Seaport Museum's fleet, under sail on the harbor with your own picnic aboard.
$$ · About two hours under sail.
Official site ↗
Staten Island
The Chinese Scholar's Garden at Snug Harbor
A Ming-style walled garden built by artisans from Suzhou, with koi, pavilions and scholar's rocks, on Staten Island.
$ · About an hour in the garden; more with the rest of Snug Harbor.
Official site ↗
Queens
The Ferry to Rockaway Beach
An hour on open water from Wall Street to the city's surf beach, for the price of a subway fare.
$ · About an hour each way from Wall Street; make a day of it at the beach.
Official site ↗Fall & winter
CHELSEA, MANHATTAN
A Winter Cruise to See the Harbor Seals
A naturalist-led winter cruise to two abandoned quarantine islands where seals haul out off Staten Island.
$$$ · About two and three-quarter hours on the water.
Official site ↗