dinner cruise on lady bird lake

Capital Cruises

• 10:00am - 9:00pm
• 9:00am - 9:00pm

Capital Cruises offers many options for getting out on Lady Bird Lake! Whether your looking for a leisurely paddle (Canoes, Kayaks, Swan Pedal Boats, Stand Up Paddle Boards, and Electric Boats are available for hourly rental), or watching the Congress Ave. bats emerge on our famous Sunset Bat Watching Excursion, Capital Cruises is the ultimate Austin experience! Also offering private events and dinner cruises for 2-120 persons. Located conveniently in the heart of downtown Austin lakeside of the Hyatt Regency.

General Property Details

• Miles to Convention Center: 1

Facility Information

• Event maximum capacity (# ppl): 25

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Our Tours Weekend Sunset Cruises

Beautiful sunset views from on Lady Bird Lake.

It is a sight to see the sun set over the Austin skyline!

Enjoy a narrated, scenic and relaxing cruise on Lady Bird Lake, aboard one of our all environmentally-friendly electric cruisers. Come join us and take in the picturesque sights of Lady Bird Lake even after most of the bats have returned to Mexico for the winter. Most public sunset cruises will be on The Lone Star.

Enjoy a narrated, scenic and relaxing cruise on Lady Bird Lake, aboard one of our all environmentally-friendly electric cruisers. Come join us and take in the picturesque sights of Lady Bird Lake even after most of the bats have returned to Mexico for the winter. Great photo opportunity with the Austin skyline as your backdrop while you learn fun facts about Austin. Most public sunset cruises will be on open-air pontoon boats the Northern or Southern Star and we may use the Lone Star if the boat is available – weather permitting.

Buy Tickets Here

Mid-November – Mid-February

• Friday, Saturday and Sunday – 5:15 departure – times may vary
• 1 hour narrated tour
• Reservations recommended
• Boarding begins 45 minutes prior to departure
• Bring your own beverage and snacks
• No Dogs allowed EXCEPT trained service animals
• Adults - $14
• Seniors (60 and over) & Military - $12
• Children (12 and under) - $9
• Children (2 and under) - Free

• Map & Contact
• Parking Tips

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Capital Cruises Bat Watching and Sightseeing Tours

4.8 1501 votes

208 Barton Springs Road

(512) 480-9264

Capital Cruises Bat Watching, Sightseeing, and Dinner Cruises

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THE 10 BEST Moscow Boat Rides & Cruises

Boat rides & cruises in moscow.

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• Speed Boats Tours
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• 5.0 of 5 bubbles
• 4.0 of 5 bubbles & up
• 3.0 of 5 bubbles & up
• 2.0 of 5 bubbles & up
• 3rd Transport Ring (TTK)
• District Central (TsAO)
• Garden Ring
• District Northern (SAO)
• Good for Big Groups
• Good for Couples
• Good for a Rainy Day
• Budget-friendly
• Good for Kids
• Hidden Gems
• Honeymoon spot
• Good for Adrenaline Seekers
• Adventurous
• Things to do ranked using Tripadvisor data including reviews, ratings, photos, and popularity.

1. Flotilla Radisson Royal

2. Moscow River Boat Tours

3. Sup-Club

4. Akvanavt Diving Centre

5. Diving Center Crocus City Oceanarium

6. CheapRussia Tours

7. Kite School Kiteclass

8. SUP Center

9. Erwin. Reka

11. Easy Russia Tour Guide

12. Lovely Russia Tours

13. Capital River Boat Tours - Moscow Centre

14. Alfa Centr

15. Diving Club Divers

16. Sup Outdoor

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19. Soho Sailing Style

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21. Mosparokhodstvo

22. Dive-Project

24. Kosinskiy Children Marine Club

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26. DIVECLUB CHE

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What travelers are saying

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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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Duffy Rentals

1–10 people – $100.00 per hour (two-hour minimum), pricing example:.

• Fajita Package starts at $309.38 and includes service fee

Duffy 21′ Rental

• Outfitted for just about any weather situation, Duffy 21′ is completely encloseable for less than ideal weather days. We can even put a small heater inside to warm the cabin.
• With our largest on-board table, you can do a seated, plated dinner for up to six people.
• Duffy 21′ is perfect for romantic dates or small groups of ten or fewer people.
• $100.00 per hour (two-hour minimum) for rentals without dinner.

Longhorn 21′ Rental

• It, too, is an option for those looking at a year-around rental, as its drop-down windows make it fully enclosable. During the colder times of the year, there is the option for a portable propane space heater that keeps the cabin warm.
• Additionally, this boat features a teak table and steering wheel.

The Ultimate Gift

Purchase a Capital Cruises Gift Certificate this holiday season. A great choice for the ultimate Austin experience and the friend, family member, neighbor, teacher, or co-worker for whom you can never find the right gift! Gift Certificates can be used for bat cruises, rentals, and catered events.

Online Quote Generator

Get comprehensive pricing information and peruse the numerous "add-on" options we have to offer. Enter as many quotes as you like, modify the number of guests or catering and entertainment options, and let the quote generator do the work for you.

Ready for a quote?  Click the button below to build an instant online quote today. Final bookings must be made over the phone.

BAT Cruise – Book Online

Tours run March - October, departing approximately 30 minutes before sunset. Click the bat to book a bat cruise.

Tour Lady Bird Lake

March - October. Every Saturday and Sunday at 1:00 PM. Enjoy our public sightseeing tour of Lady Bird Lake.

November - February. Nightly Sunset Tours at 6:00 PM (weather permitting). Online reservations available.

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