Cruises

Take to the water for a taste of Boston's rich maritime history or a daylong break from walking and driving. You can cruise around the harbor or go all the way to Provincetown. The sightseeing cruise season runs from April through October, with spring and fall offerings often restricted to weekends. Check websites for discount coupons before you leave home. If you're traveling in a large group, call ahead for information about reservations and discounted tickets. If you're prone to seasickness, check the size of the vessel for your tour before buying tickets; larger boats provide more cushioning and comfort than smaller ones.

Tip: Before taking a cruise just for the sake of taking a cruise, weigh the investment of time and money against your group's interests. Especially if kids are along, you might be better off with an excursion that targets a destination -- the Charlestown Navy Yard, the Boston Harbor Islands, or Boston Light -- than with a pricey "cruise to nowhere" with narration that the children are ignoring anyway.

The largest company is Boston Harbor Cruises, 1 Long Wharf (tel. 877/SEE-WHALE or 617/227-4321; www.bostonharborcruises.com). Ninety-minute historic sightseeing cruises, which tour the Inner and Outer harbors, depart daily from Long Wharf at 11am, 1pm, and 3pm, with extra excursions at busy times. Tickets are $19 for adults, $17 for seniors, and $15 for children 4 to 12; tickets for the sunset cruise (6 or 7pm) are $1 more. The 45-minute USS Constitution cruise takes you around the Inner Harbor and docks at the Charlestown Navy Yard so that you can go ashore and visit "Old Ironsides." Tours leave Long Wharf hourly from 10:30am to 4:30pm, and on the hour from the Navy Yard from 11am to 5pm. The cruise is $14 for adults, $12 for seniors, and $10 for children.

Massachusetts Bay Lines (tel. 617/542-8000; www.massbaylines.com) offers 55-minute harbor tours from Memorial Day to Columbus Day. Cruises leave Rowes Wharf on the hour from 11am to 6pm (there's no 6pm cruise after Labor Day); the price is $16 for adults, $12 for children and seniors. The 90-minute sunset cruise leaves nightly at 7pm from Memorial Day to September 1, and at 6pm through mid-October. The 90-minute moonlight cruise leaves at 8:45pm on Friday and Saturday from mid-June to early September; call for times in early summer and fall. Sunset and moonlight cruises costs $19 for adults, $16 for seniors and children.

The Charles Riverboat Company (tel. 617/621-3001; www.charlesriverboat.com) offers 60-minute narrated cruises from the CambridgeSide Galleria mall daily June through August and on weekends in May and September. Tours of the lower Charles River basin start at 11:30am and 12:45, 2, 3:15, and 4:30pm. A tour of the Charles River lock system and Boston Harbor begins at 10am. The sunset cruise runs daily; call to confirm times. Tickets cost $13 for adults, $10 for seniors, and $6 for children 2 to 12.

On the Cheap -- You don't have to take a tour to take a cruise. The MBTA runs a ferry that connects Long Wharf and the Charlestown Navy Yard. It costs $1.70, is included in the MBTA's 7-day LinkPass, and makes a good final leg of the Freedom Trail.

Harbor Discovery Cruises

Harbor Express, which handles transportation to the Boston Harbor Islands, collaborates with the New England Aquarium (tel. 617/973-5281; www.newenglandaquarium.org) and the National Park Service to offer this cruise, an excellent introduction to the harbor and its islands. The 90-minute ranger-led catamaran excursion takes in the inner and outer harbors and includes the option to disembark at Georges Island. Cruises depart Central Wharf daily in season at 10am, noon, 2pm, and 7pm (the 2-hr. sunset cruise). Tickets cost $19 for adults, $17 for seniors, $15 for children 3 to 11, and reservations are strongly recommended.

Day Trips

Two companies serve Provincetown, at the tip of Cape Cod. On a day trip, you'll have time for world-class people-watching, strolling around the novelty shops and art galleries, lunching on seafood, and -- if you're quick -- a trip to the famous beaches. However, you'll have to forgo the hopping gay nightlife scene unless you've planned a longer excursion. (For in-depth coverage of Provincetown and other Cape Cod locales, consult Frommer's Cape Cod, Nantucket & Martha's Vineyard or Frommer's New England.)

Bay State Cruise Company (tel. 866/90-FERRY or 617/748-1428; www.baystatecruises.com) operates conventional and high-speed service to Provincetown. The conventional vessel is a time-honored New England tradition that's especially popular with families; more expensive high-speed service cuts travel times in half. Trips leave from Commonwealth Pier at the Seaport World Trade Center, 200 Seaport Blvd. To get to the pier, take the Silver Line bus from South Station, the $10 water taxi (tel. 617/422-0392; www.citywatertaxi.com) from locations around the harbor, or a regular taxi (when you reserve your cruise, ask the clerk for the best way to reach the pier from your hotel).

M/V Provincetown II sails weekends only from late June through early September. It leaves at 9:30am for the 3-hour trip to Provincetown, at the tip of Cape Cod. The return trip leaves at 3:30pm, giving you 3 hours for shopping and sightseeing in P-town. Same-day round-trip fares are $33 for adults, free for children 3 to 12. Bringing a bike costs $5 extra each way. Fast ferry service on the Provincetown III takes 90 minutes and operates 3 times a day from late May to early October. The round-trip fare is $69 for adults, $65 for seniors, and $50 for children, plus $5 each way for your bike. Reservations are recommended.

Boston Harbor Cruises, 1 Long Wharf (tel. 877/SEE-WHALE or 617/227-4321; www.bostonharborcruises.com), operates catamarans that make the trip in just 90 minutes. They operate daily Memorial Day through Columbus Day, twice a day Monday through Wednesday and three times daily Thursday to Sunday, with extra runs on summer weekends. The round-trip fare is $70 for adults, $65 for seniors, and $60 for children 4 to 12.

For lighthouse fanatics, Boston Harbor Cruises also runs a 5-hour Northern Lights cruise that goes as far north as Gloucester. It starts at 10am on some Saturdays from late May to late September and costs $55 for adults, $53 for seniors, $51 for children 4 to 12. This is an excellent way to see the coast, but it's a long time to be on the water. If you want to explore a lighthouse, you'll be better off on a trip to Boston Light.

Whale Watching

The New England Aquarium (tel. 617/973-5200 for information, 617/973-5206 for tickets; www.newenglandaquarium.org) runs whale watches daily from May through mid-October and on weekends in April and late October. You'll travel several miles out to sea to Stellwagen Bank, the feeding ground for the whales as they migrate from Newfoundland to Provincetown. Allow 3 1/2 to 5 hours. Tickets are $35 for adults, $32 for seniors and college students, $29 for children 3 to 11. Children must be 3 years old and at least 30 inches tall. Reservations are strongly recommended; you can also buy tickets online, subject to a service charge.

With its onboard exhibits and vast experience, the aquarium offers the best whale watches in Boston. If they're booked, other companies offer whale watches:. Boston Harbor Cruises (tel. 877/SEE-WHALE or 617/227-4321; www.bostonharborcruises.com), which operates up to five trips a day on its two high-speed catamarans, trimming the excursion time to 3 hours total; and Massachusetts Bay Lines (tel. 617/542-8000; www.massbaylines.com).

Trip the Light Fantastic

North America's oldest lighthouse, Boston Light, is the only lighthouse in the country that's still staffed (by the Coast Guard). Built on Little Brewster Island in 1716, it fell to the British in 1776 and was rebuilt in 1783. Excursions to the 102-foot lighthouse include a narrated cruise, 90 minutes to explore the island, and a chance to climb the spiral stairs to the top (you must be 50 in. tall). The 3 1/2-hour tours leave from the Moakley Courthouse at Fan Pier, 2 Northern Ave., from early June to mid-October on Thursday at 10am and Friday through Sunday at 10am and 2pm. Tickets cost $28 for adults, $25 for seniors and students, $17 for children 3 to 11, free for children under 3. Only 48 people may take each tour; reservations (tel. 617/223-8666; www.bostonislands.com) are strongly recommended.