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Lake Geneva Cruise Line

Founded in 1873, Lake Geneva Cruise Line is deeply rooted in the history of Lake Geneva. Our fleet of eight classic boats from a variety of historical eras, gets locals and visitors out on the water! We offer a wide variety of boat tours including narrated scenic tours; brunch, lunch, and dinner cruises; and private parties.

May through October you will find us at the Riviera Docks in Lake Geneva. Tours run daily, and tickets can be purchased from our ticket boat on the docks or online. Popular tours include our Geneva Bay tour featuring breathtaking historical estates, our US Mailboat tour including mail jumpers delivering the mail to lake homes, and our Fall Foliage tour flaunting beautiful fall colors.

Late November and December you will find us at our winter harbor in Williams Bay. We celebrate the holiday season with families as we cruise over to Santa’s Hideaway aboard our Santa Cruise.

Our boats cruise May through December, but our office is open year-round as we help families, couples, and businesses plan private parties, weddings, and corporate outings.

Lake Life Begins With Gage.

• Largest Group Capacity: 200
• WebsiteAlternate: www.cruiselakegeneva.com
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See Lake Geneva Your Way

Find the right cruise for you, top recommendations.

US Mailboat Tour

Jazz Dinner Cruise

Supper Club Dinner Cruise

Cocktail Cruise

Sunday Brunch Buffet Cruise

Luncheon Cruise

Black Point Tour

Full Lake Cruise

Best of the Lake Cruise

Ice Cream Social Cruise

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Lake Geneva Cruises

CGN SA Avenue de Rhodanie 17 Case postale 390 1001 Lausanne Phone  +41 (0)84 881 18 48 cgn.ch

Boat cruising on Central Europe’s largest inland lake every which way. Passengers can embark and disembark on the Swiss as well as the French side of the lake.

The Belle Époque boats have been navigating Central Europe’s largest inland lake for 140 years and offer fantastic cruises between France and Switzerland. The views from the boat extend from harbours and castles (Chillon, Morges, Rolle, Yvoire among others) over vineyards (Lavaux UNESCO and La Côte) to the snow-covered summits of the Swiss and Savoyan Alps. The boat landings are starting points for many exploration activities like city tours (Geneva, Lausanne, Montreux, Vevey).

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Phone  +41 (0)84 881 18 48 [email protected] cgn.ch Show Route

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Insider tips and recommendations on Where to Eat, Where to Stay and What to Do in Lake Geneva, Williams Bay and Fontana, WI.

Adult , Fall , Family , Fontana, WI , Lake Geneva, WI , Spring , Summer , What to Do , Williams Bay, WI · April 26, 2023

Lake Geneva Boat Cruise

Are you thinking of taking a Lake Geneva Boat Cruise? Below I breakdown all of the best Lake Geneva boat tours with insider tips so you know what to expect and have wonderful time on Geneva Lake !

If you only do one thing around Lake Geneva it should be a Lake Geneva Boat Cruise! The Lake Geneva boat tours are the BEST way to take in the beauty of the lake. There is nothing better than relaxing on a beautiful boat (cocktail in hand!) while learning about the history of the lakefront mansions and cruising around the lake.

Since my family has been around the lake since the 1930s I put together a breakdown of all of the best boat tours that should not be missed! From family friendly ice cream tours to Jazz dinner cruises, to full or partial lake tours, there is something for everyone.

*Cost and descriptions are subject to change without notice. Please always check the Gage Lake Geneva Cruise Line website here to confirm!

Insider Tips:

• Boats leave from the Riviera building in downtown Lake Geneva (boats are all the way in the back of the building)
• Allow plenty of time for parking- in peak times the area is packed and you may have to park several blocks away
• Tickets should be purchased in advance online HERE .
• Show the confirmation email on your phone to board
• Boats have cash bars and small snacks for purchase – no coolers or outside alcohol allowed
• Strollers are allowed and there are restrooms on board
• Boarding is 15 minutes prior to departure (except for the mail boat tour which is 30 min prior to departure)
• Tours range from 1.25 hours to 3.5 hours
• Non motorised wheelchairs can board however the restrooms are not wheelchair accessible

Best Lake Geneva Boat Cruise

Lake geneva mail boat tours, lake geneva ice cream boat tour, geneva bay tour.

• Full Lake Tour
• Black Point Estate Tour- boat and mansion tour

Jazz Dinner Cruise

• Santa Cruise
• Sunday Brunch Cruise
• Lunch Cruise
• Fall Color Tour

This post is all about the Lake Geneva Boat Cruise.

This unique tour takes you on the journey of delivering the daily mail by boat! Around 75 homes around the lake still get their mail by boat from mid June to mid September. This lake geneva mailboat tour boat departs from the Rivera promptly at 10am (boarding at 9:30am) and here is the kicker……the mail delivery is done without the boat actually stopping! The mail runner jumps off the moving mail boat, runs the mail into the dock mail box, then jumps back on the still moving boat! This exciting narrated tour is a can’t miss which I highly recommend!

Length: 2.5 hours

Good for: older children and adults

Runs: Mid June-mid Sept

Price: Adults $50, Kids $33, 3 and under free

Portion of Lake: Whole lake

If you have kids this lake geneva ice cream boat tour is the best option. This family friendly narrated boat tour is shorter (1.25 hours), serves each passenger a HUGE ice cream sundae with cookie (either chocolate, caramel or strawberry), and has a cash bar and restrooms on the boat! My sons ages 3 and 11 both love the tour and we have gone multiple times!

Since there are usually a lot families on the boat if you really want to hear the narration or have a more adult focused ride I would recommend the Geneva Bay or Full Length boat tours over the Lake Geneva ice cream social boat tour!

Length: 1.25 hours

Good For: Families with kids

Runs: May 1st-end October

Price: Adults $43, Kids $29, 3 and under free

Portion of lake: Half of lake

This is one of the most popular cruises in Lake Geneva! This narrated tour will take our around the eastern side of the lake, called Geneva Bay. The shorter tour time make it popular with all ages and again snacks and cash bar are available.

Length: 1 hour

Good For: All Ages

Runs: May 1st- end October

Cost: Adults $38, Kids $24, 3 and under free

Portion of lake: Geneva Bay

Full Length Tour

Choose this Lake Geneva lake cruise if you want to be taken around the entire lake!

Length: 2 hours

Good for: 12+

Cost: Adults $48, Kids $32, 3 and under Free

Portion of Lake: Whole Lake

Black Point Estate Tour and Boat Cruise

Looking for something different? Take a tour of this historic mansion built by Chicago beer baron, Conrad Seipp in 1888. There were no roads at the time, so the family got to the house by boat. That is how you will also get there! The Geneva Cruise Line offers a Black Point estate tour which includes 45 minutes boat ride followed by an 1.5 tour of the first 2 levels of the home. You will return home by narrated boat tour as well. The entire tour takes around 3.5 hours. Inside tip: There are around 100 steps from the pier to the home so make sure everyone on your tour is ok with this!

Length: 3.5 hours

Good For: Ages 12+ who are comfortable walking the 100 stairs from the pier to the home

Runs: May- End October

Cost: Adult $49; Kids $32

Portion of the Lake: 3/4 of the lake

This Friday evening Lake Geneva dinner cruise takes you around the entire lake while listening to a live jazz band and has a cash bar. I thought the salmon was very good and it was a great way for my husband and I to end the week!

Good for: 12+ years old

Runs: Fridays May 1st-end October

Cost: Adults $80, Kids $65

Portion of lake: Whole Lake

Santa Boat Cruise

This is one of the top things to do in Lake Geneva in the winter! The Santa boat tour leaves from Pier 290 in Williams Bay and takes you on a magical journey to catch a glimpse of Santa himself. The cool thing is that all of the kids on the boat have their names on a list and Santa reads each child’s name from his nice list as the boat passes by! I mean, a personal shout out from Santa…..what could be better!? Adults will also enjoy getting into the holiday spirit watching the light displays and listening to the holiday story.

Insider tip: Before boarding get into the Christmas spirit by walking through the Festival of Christmas tree display which has multiple decorated Christmas trees and other decorations. There is a cash bar at the tree display but no bar on the boat. The boat is heated however remember it is winter in Wisconsin and cold out! Dress warmly with hats, gloves and coats because it can get chilly. Book tickets in advance because this tour sells out quick!

Length: 40 minutes

Good for: All Ages

Runs: Day after Thanksgiving – Dec 30th starting at 4:30pm

Cost: Adults $30, Kids $18, 3 and under free

Sunday Brunch Buffet Tour

One of the best cruises in Lake Geneva is the Sunday full lake tour with brunch buffet! Gluten free and vegetarian options are available upon request but must be placed at least 48 hours in advance.

Length: 2.25 hours

Good For: 12+ (no age limit but the length could be a bit long for young kids)

Runs: Sundays from May 1- end October

Cost: Adults $64, Kids $53, 3 and under free

Lunch Cruise Lake Geneva Wi

This narrated boat tour offers a view of the entire lake with a sit down lunch. Menu is classic/retro American and changes so view here . Gluten free and vegetarian options are available upon request but must be placed at least 48 hours in advance.

Good For: Adults (no age limit but audience is normally adults or retirees)

Runs: May 1- end October check here for exact dates and times.

Cost: Adults $60, Kids $50, 3 and under free

Portion of the Lake: Whole lake

Fall Color Boat Tour

This is one of the best things to do in Lake Geneva in the fall! Any boat tour in lake September/October gets to take advantage of the beauty of the fall foliage. Click here for all public tours options.

Which ever Lake Geneva boat cruise you choose, you are sure to have a relaxing time while learning about the mansions along the lake!

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THE 5 BEST Geneva Boat Tours

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Lake Geneva Boats: Spring Pleasure Cruises on Lac Léman

CGN pleasure boat cruises depart daily on Lake Geneva during spring — mid-April to mid-June — from Genève, Lausanne, Nyon, Vevey, Montreux, Chillon, Evian and smaller ports.

During the spring season from mid-April to early June, CGN pleasure boat cruises depart daily from most ports on Lake Geneva in Switzerland and France. Popular cruise routings are return trips from Geneva but arguably the best cruises are in the upper lake region where boats cruise past the vineyards of the Lavaux with the Alps in the background. Passenger ferries are options for sightseeing excursions, especially from Lausanne to Evian and from Nyon to Yvoire. Lunchtime and dinner cruises are popular too with reservations highly advisable if planning to eat on board.

Pleasure Cruises on Lake Geneva in Spring and Easter

In 2024 , the spring season timetable starts on 20 April but several cruises are already possible on Sundays and over the Easter weekend, which in 2024 falls on the last weekend of March and the first few days of April. Gourmet lunch cruises will be available every day from 29 March to 1 April with boats departing from Geneva, Lausanne, Vevey, Montreux, and most ports on the upper lake.

During the spring season, boat cruises are possible daily on Lac Léman, although the options remain higher over weekends. The spring timetables of CGN are in operation from mid-April to the end of May.

In spring, Lake Geneva boat cruises are on four basic routings:

• Geneva circular roundtrip cruises — usually around an hour. ( Book 50-minute cruises from Genève online .)
• Geneva to Lausanne — almost four hours — often with stops possible at Morges, Nyon, and Yvoire (in France).
• Upper Lake area from Lausanne to St Gingolph with stops amongst others at Montreux, Vevey, and Chateau de Chillon.
• Ferry services — short crossings between Switzerland and France — from Lausanne to Evian and Nyon to Yvoire. ( Passenger ferries operate year-round.)

The historic paddle steamers are the best choice and fares are the same as for more modern boats — paddle steamboat cruises are usually clearly marked as such in the published timetables.

Spring Pleasure Boat Cruises from Genève

Circular cruises from Geneva are possible three to six times per day during the spring season. The basic cruise is just less than an hour and departs from Geneva and stops on demand in Bellevue. Modern boats are mostly used on this routing.

Lunchtime cruises are often available and are usually on a historic paddle steamboat — the cruise is longer (and more expensive) with lunch optional and best reserved in advance. Dinner cruises are mostly on Friday evenings with reservations essential. Fondue is served on Friday dinner cruises until late May.

Geneva has several departure points with not all boats stopping at all landings. The most important departure points are Genève Mont-Blanc (on the station side of the lake near the bridge across the Rhone) and Genève Jardin Anglais (old town side of the lake).

A further cruise option in Geneva is the Mouette boats which are part of the public transportation system and therefore use the same tickets as the tram or bus (but far more fun).

Cruises between Geneva and Lausanne via Nyon and Yvoire

Cruises to Nyon , Yvoire , and Lausanne are further options when cruising from Geneva. (However, if time and budget allow, it is better to take the train and cruise on the more spectacular upper part of Lac Léman.)

Basic options when cruising from Geneva are to beautiful medieval Yvoire in France or to Nyon in Switzerland. depending on the cruise, boats may also call en route at Versoix and Coppet .

In spring, the full Geneva to Lausanne cruise — nearly four hours — is only possible on weekends. In addition to the above, these cruises may also call at Rolle, St-Prex , Morges , and St-Sulpice .

These line cruises are commonly taken only one way with sightseeing at the destination and then return to Geneva by train (or vv). During spring, the cruises are often not frequent enough to plan on continuing the journey on a later boat. The railway links and bus services on the Swiss side of the lake are very good. Frequent ferries are available between Yvoire and Nyon but don’t miss the last boat — Yvoire offers limited alternative public transportation options back to Geneva.

Cruises on the Upper Lake in Spring

The Haut Lac (Upper Lake) is the most beautiful part of Lake Geneva. In any season, the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage-listed vineyards of the Lavaux region between Lausanne and Montreux are spectacular while snow-covered Alpine peaks are constantly in the background.

Even in spring, cruises on this part of Lake Geneva are frequent and as an added bonus, most cruises are on the historic paddle steamers Italie (1908) and La Suisse (1910). These boats have beautiful restaurants — especially in first class. Reservations are highly recommended — even if not eating here, consider having a coffee after the main service has finished and tables become available.

In spring, it is usually possible to start (or complete) two cruises per day from Lausanne to Vevey — an hour cruise. Around six cruises per day do the circular cruise from Vevey via amongst others Montreux, Chateau de Chillon , and St-Gingolph in around two hours. Chateau de Chillon claims to be the most popular monument in Switzerland — it is fun to visit —  buy tickets online in advance .)

The basic routings are as follows but note not all boats call at all ports on all cruises:

• Lausanne to Vevey(or reverse) in an hour with stops at Pully, Lutry, Cully, and Rivaz-St-Saphorin in the Lavaux region.
• Circular cruises from Vevey Marché in two hours with stops usually en route at Vevey-La Tour , Clarens, Montreux , Château de Chillon , Villeneuve, Le Bouveret, and St-Gingolph. Boats from St Gingolph usually cross the lake directly back to Vevey but a few cruises are possible in the reverse direction starting from Chateau de Chillon and Montreux.

Travelers setting out early could use later boats if stopping en route for sightseeing. Railway connections are very easy from all ports except St Gingolph and Le Bouveret. The train-boat connections are easiest at Vevey-Marché (flat walk and very frequent trains) and Montreux — escalators. From the lakeside Lausanne-Ouchy (and Olympic Museum ) to Lausanne train station (and Gothic cathedral ), use the metro — otherwise, it is a long, very steep walk.

Ferry Boats on Lake Geneva

The regular ferry boats on Lake Geneva are further options for cruising on Lac Léman but the cruise may be as short as 20 minutes.

For tourists, the two popular passenger ferry boat routings on Lake Geneva are:

• N3 : Nyon in Switzerland to Yvoire in France — 20 minutes up to 15 times per day
• N1 : Lausanne to Evian — 35 minutes up to 12 times per day. The Leman Express made travel by rail between Geneva and Evian significantly simpler in recent years but the ferry to and train from Lausanne are still often the better choice.

As these ferries cross the border, Swiss customs checks are occasionally made. Furthermore, travel regulations in France may at times be different than in Switzerland.

It is essential to buy ferry boat tickets before boarding boats — fines are steep.

Tickets for Lake Geneva Boat Cruises

CGN operates all Lake Geneva boat cruises — a few local sightseeing and circular cruises are also available in especially Geneva. Tickets may be bought in advance online, often as part of railway tickets, at boat landings, and from vending machines.

In smaller towns, tickets may also be bought immediately when boarding the boats. However, on the ferry boats and any boats with the Autocontrôle (an eye symbol), tickets MUST be bought before boarding, or expect a heavy fine if tickets are checked.

Many special tickets are available to make cruises cheaper. The half-fare card is valid while the best savings deal for families is the Carte Junior . CGN also has cheaper day tickets and special family tickets worth considering especially for longer cruises. If the budget allows, first-class tickets are worth the surcharge for better views and open decks.

More on Lake Geneva Pleasure Boats and Cruises:

• Pleasure Boats and Ferries on Lake Geneva
• Lake Geneva Boat Cruises in Spring
• Passenger Ferries on Lake Geneva
• Book Cruises at GYG or at CGN
• Passenger Ferries and Cruises from Lausanne to Evian and Thonon
• Savings Tickets for CGN Lake Geneva Boat Cruises
• Summer Lake Geneva Boat Excursions and Day Cruises
• Spring & Autumn Cruises on Lake Geneva
• Winter and Christmas Cruises on Lake Geneva
• Pleasure Boat Excursions to Yvoire
• See the Historic Paddle Steamers at the Parade Navale
• New Year’s Eve Dinner Cruises on Lake Geneva

Home » All Lake Geneva Boats & Ferries » Lake Geneva Boats: Spring Pleasure Cruises on Lac Léman

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Montreux & Lavaux cruise

The downhill vineyards of Lavaux dive from above into the beautiful water mirror of Lake Geneva, overlooking the Swiss and French lakesides, between Lausanne and Montreux. One of the great beauties of the planet, classified by Unesco. As for Montreux, the town is universally celebrated for her famous summer music festival

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Cruising the Moskva River: A short guide to boat trips in Russia’s capital

There’s hardly a better way to absorb Moscow’s atmosphere than on a ship sailing up and down the Moskva River. While complicated ticketing, loud music and chilling winds might dampen the anticipated fun, this checklist will help you to enjoy the scenic views and not fall into common tourist traps.

How to find the right boat?

There are plenty of boats and selecting the right one might be challenging. The size of the boat should be your main criteria.

Plenty of small boats cruise the Moskva River, and the most vivid one is this yellow Lay’s-branded boat. Everyone who has ever visited Moscow probably has seen it.

This option might leave a passenger disembarking partially deaf as the merciless Russian pop music blasts onboard. A free spirit, however, will find partying on such a vessel to be an unforgettable and authentic experience that’s almost a metaphor for life in modern Russia: too loud, and sometimes too welcoming. Tickets start at $13 (800 rubles) per person.

Bigger boats offer smoother sailing and tend to attract foreign visitors because of their distinct Soviet aura. Indeed, many of the older vessels must have seen better days. They are still afloat, however, and getting aboard is a unique ‘cultural’ experience. Sometimes the crew might offer lunch or dinner to passengers, but this option must be purchased with the ticket. Here is one such  option  offering dinner for $24 (1,490 rubles).

If you want to travel in style, consider Flotilla Radisson. These large, modern vessels are quite posh, with a cozy restaurant and an attentive crew at your service. Even though the selection of wines and food is modest, these vessels are still much better than other boats.

Surprisingly, the luxurious boats are priced rather modestly, and a single ticket goes for $17-$32 (1,100-2,000 rubles); also expect a reasonable restaurant bill on top.

How to buy tickets?

Women holding photos of ships promise huge discounts to “the young and beautiful,” and give personal invitations for river tours. They sound and look nice, but there’s a small catch: their ticket prices are usually more than those purchased online.

“We bought tickets from street hawkers for 900 rubles each, only to later discover that the other passengers bought their tickets twice as cheap!”  wrote  (in Russian) a disappointed Rostislav on a travel company website.

Nevertheless, buying from street hawkers has one considerable advantage: they personally escort you to the vessel so that you don’t waste time looking for the boat on your own.

Prices start at $13 (800 rubles) for one ride, and for an additional $6.5 (400 rubles) you can purchase an unlimited number of tours on the same boat on any given day.

Flotilla Radisson has official ticket offices at Gorky Park and Hotel Ukraine, but they’re often sold out.

Buying online is an option that might save some cash. Websites such as  this   offer considerable discounts for tickets sold online. On a busy Friday night an online purchase might be the only chance to get a ticket on a Flotilla Radisson boat.

This  website  (in Russian) offers multiple options for short river cruises in and around the city center, including offbeat options such as ‘disco cruises’ and ‘children cruises.’ This other  website  sells tickets online, but doesn’t have an English version. The interface is intuitive, however.

Buying tickets online has its bad points, however. The most common is confusing which pier you should go to and missing your river tour.

“I once bought tickets online to save with the discount that the website offered,” said Igor Shvarkin from Moscow. “The pier was initially marked as ‘Park Kultury,’ but when I arrived it wasn’t easy to find my boat because there were too many there. My guests had to walk a considerable distance before I finally found the vessel that accepted my tickets purchased online,” said the man.

There are two main boarding piers in the city center:  Hotel Ukraine  and  Park Kultury . Always take note of your particular berth when buying tickets online.

Where to sit onboard?

Even on a warm day, the headwind might be chilly for passengers on deck. Make sure you have warm clothes, or that the crew has blankets ready upon request.

The glass-encased hold makes the tour much more comfortable, but not at the expense of having an enjoyable experience.

Getting off the boat requires preparation as well. Ideally, you should be able to disembark on any pier along the way. In reality, passengers never know where the boat’s captain will make the next stop. Street hawkers often tell passengers in advance where they’ll be able to disembark. If you buy tickets online then you’ll have to research it yourself.

There’s a chance that the captain won’t make any stops at all and will take you back to where the tour began, which is the case with Flotilla Radisson. The safest option is to automatically expect that you’ll return to the pier where you started.

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• Guided tour

River Cruise on Luxurious Radisson Boat

• Description
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Equipped with ice-breaking technology, these huge fancy yachts are the only river cruisers running all year around. The round trip journey takes two and a half hours and floats past all the big sights like the White House, Novodevichy monastery and the Kremlin. There’s a large open air observation deck up top, while the main body of the ship houses a restaurant with a dance floor for a romantic post dinner dance. For a particularly romantic experience take one of the evening boats and admire the bright lights of the city skyline at night.

The most relaxing and picturesque tour that Moscow can offer: a great way to see the city center and its main attractions. This is a perfect alternative to exploring the city by car, if you only have time to do sightseeing during weekday rush hours.

Your English-speaking guide is eager to share every bit of their knowledge about the surrounding landscape, the architecture and historical details.

We conduct Moscow river tour on Radisson Flotilla boats all year around!  It’s warm inside during winter months, while there’s air conditioning during hot summer days. You may also treat yourself to drinks, lunch or dinner on board (drinks and food are not included in tour price).

The cost of an excursion with a personal guide for 1 person

Quay at Radisson Collection Hotel

Government Headquarters ("the White House")

Kievsky Railway Central

Novodevichy Convent

Luzhniki Stadium

Academy of Sciences

Monument to Peter I

Cathedral of Christ the Saviour

Moscow Kremlin

St.Basil's Cathedral

Novospassky Monastery

U-turn and back to Quay at Radisson Royal Hotel

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Who's going.

• Excursion River Cruise on Luxurious Radisson Boat
• Date and time:
• Who's going:

See photo of the meeting point