Seattle Locks Cruise: Explore Lake Union and Puget Sound

Embark on a one-way Seattle Locks Cruise to explore Lake Union and downtown Seattle. See famous floating home communities, seaplanes, and historic neighborhoods while passing through the Ballard Locks. Enjoy stunning views of Seattle’s skyline, the Olympic Mountains, and Mt Rainier.

Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Lake Union - Start or finish (depending on your tour direction – refer to your ticket) your cruise at the vibrant southern end of this lake located in the city’s core. Lake Union is a natural water body encircled by urban structures and highways. It’s a favored location for recreational activities such as paddle boarding, kayaking, and boating.
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What's Included
  • Live narration
  • 2-hour sightseeing cruise
  • Interior and exterior seating areas
  • Restrooms available on board
What's Not Included
  • Snacks and beverages (available for purchase)
  • Gratuities
  • Transportation between start and end location (return bus ticket available for purchase seasonally)
Additional Information

Explore the highlights of Seattle on a picturesque cruise through the city’s core, featuring the renowned Hiram M. Chittenden (Ballard) Locks, a unique ‘boat elevator’ that links Puget Sound with the Lake Washington Ship Canal. While on the saltwater of Puget Sound, admire stunning views of the city skyline and the impressive mountain ranges. Then,…

Location
Argosy Cruises - Seattle Waterfront
Alaskan Way
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.8
(403 Ratings)
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Tina_o
Jun 9, 2026
Great experience. - Great experience. Friendly and knowledgable crew. Lake Union was a short (20 minute) walk to the needle/monorail.
Review provided by Viator
Lucia_v
Jun 5, 2026
Awesome experience!!! A must do!! - Great experience around Seattle's lake and ocean. The crew is service oriented and great narrator of history and current events..
Review provided by Viator
Sarah_h
Jun 4, 2026
Must do in Seattle - I have done several cruises around Seattle and this is one of my favorite ones. Being able to see locks was pretty incredible and fascinating to learn about
Review provided by Viator
Gina_c
Jun 1, 2026
Beautiful views of the... - Beautiful views of the skyline, the locks, the harbor, and Mount Rainier. Kurt was a great tour guide. Would definitely recommend.
Review provided by Viator
Amy_h
May 29, 2026
Ballard locks - The Ballard locks tour we did on a nice sunny day. It was nice to go through the locks. We had a good captain that gave us a lot of history.
Review provided by Viator
Savytj
May 28, 2026
Well worth the price and interesting - Well worth the price! Informative, relaxing, professional! Interesting to see the Lockes and the difference between salt water and sea water boating, storage, and living.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Gustavo_v
May 27, 2026
Great experience, enjoyed... - Great experience, enjoyed it, Crew was very friendly and helpful..Great information was given on tour .Great day experience
Review provided by Viator
Kevin_d
May 23, 2026
Great Alone or with Friends - Very enjoyable cruise, great history and going through the locks is an experience. The cruise is fun from the lake around to Elliot Bay.
Review provided by Viator
William_p
May 18, 2026
Excellent Day - We left from Union Lake. We visited the old boat history before tug boat Arthur Foss and a old fire boat. Also sea planes landing at the start and nice trip into lock and sound. Prefer coming into Seattle from the water beautiful view that way. As an extra we saw an Orca in the sound. The weather was great. Tour guide friendly, knowledge. Cold beer on board as well.
Review provided by Viator
G_l
Jun 2, 2026
Very nice sailing and crossing the locks experience - The tour was excellent as the guide provided very good background information about the places visible from the ship; the experience of crossing the locks was very interesting. Only one thing that was an issue but did not affect the trip was the inability to download the tickets from the bus in a simple way. Luckily, the driver from the sightseeing bus allowed us without a printed or on the phone ticket only showing the Viator reservation including the return bus to pier 55.
Review provided by Viator
From $63
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).