Electric eco boat
The quick loop
Least time, same fare
- Length50 minutes
- PassengersUp to 8
- Driver speaksPolish and English
Group price calculator
Gdansk boat tour prices, from the galar to the kayak
Galar cruise through the shipyard and the Motlawa
★ 4.8 · 3,498 guest ratings
Review 4 options
Add up a Motlawa boat for your party
Type in your party size to see the shared boats priced side by side.
- Galar, 70 minOur pick · per individual from €17
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View - Galar at sunsetEvening light · per individual from €21
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View - Eco boat, 50 minQuick loop · per individual from €17
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View - Catamaran, 45 minRain or shine · per individual from €17
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View
Figures are GetYourGuide from-prices, translated at the ECB reference rate. The booking step shows what you pay exactly.
A Gdansk boat tour price is mostly set by the boat, not the route: most river trips pass the same quays. Here is the opening fare of each kind and what it buys.
Editorial team, gdanskboattour.click · Updated November 9, 2026 · Read in 7 min
Overview
- Our galar cruiseFrom €19 for 70 minutes on a wooden boat with 12 seats.
- Short city boatsEco boats, catamarans and small yachts also start from €19, for 45 to 50 minutes.
- Evening sailingsThe sunset galar starts from €23 for 1.5 hours.
- Paddle yourselfGuided kayak tours start from €40 for 2.5 hours.
- CancellingFree up to 24 hours before on all the shared boats we list.
What the galar cruise costs, and what that buys
The cruise this site books starts from €19 and keeps you on the water for 70 minutes. The boat is a wooden copy of a galar, a type of Polish river boat in use for over 400 years, and it has 12 seats. A small wooden boat feels very different from a big sightseeing ship: the river is right beside you and the city rises above the gunwale.
The fare includes live commentary in Polish and English, and wheelchair access is listed. The route runs from the former shipyard through the Motlawa past the Old Town quays, around Olowianka and Granary Island, and into canals that larger vessels cannot use, then past the harbour cranes to the port's inner basin. Old Town and working harbour in a single ride is the galar's real strength.
Value is the part the reviews keep underlining. Across 3,498 reviews the cruise averages 4.7, and guests rate it 4.7 for value and 4.8 for the guiding. Those are scores from people who paid the same fare you will, which makes them a better guide to the real price than any banner on the quay. A high value score on a cheap ticket is the clearest sign that the hour felt worth more than it cost, and for a short city cruise that is the number worth checking first.
Fares side by side
Gdansk city boats by opening fare, length and reviews
| Boat | From | Length | Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wooden galar | €19 | 70 minutes | 3,498 |
| Galar at sunset | €23 | 1.5 hours | 1,142 |
| Electric eco boat | €19 | 50 minutes | 841 |
| Catamaran | €19 | 45 minutes | 337 |
| Small river yacht | €19 | 45 minutes | 283 |
| Night music cruise | €27 | 2 hours | 222 |
| Guided kayak | €40 | 2.5 hours | 117 |
| Galleon to Westerplatte | €23 | 80 minutes | 1,471 |
All are from-prices per person; your date, time and group size set the final total at checkout.
The short city boats at a similar fare
Several other Motlawa boats open at almost the same price but give you less time. The electric eco boat starts from €19 for 50 minutes with up to 8 passengers, and its listed stops run from the Green Bridge past Granary Island and the Soldek to the shipyard and back. It is quiet and intimate, and it suits a couple who want a quick loop between lunch and a museum.
The catamaran costs from €19, sails for 45 minutes in any weather and counts German among its commentary languages. A small yacht on the river also starts from €19 for 45 minutes and takes up to 10 people. If your evening is short and you want the river rather than a story, these do the job well.
The lowest opening fare we found belongs to a 45 minute river cruise from €13, but its 161 reviews average 3.8, well below the rest. A yacht trip that adds the port to the Motlawa starts from €17, lasts anything from 50 to 110 minutes and pours a welcome drink. Cheap is easy to find on this river; cheap and well reviewed takes a little reading.
Minutes afloat
How long each city boat stays on the water
- Catamaran45
- River yacht45
- Eco boat50
- Galar70
- Galleon80
- Sunset yacht105
Listed lengths of each shared boat; most of them open at a similar fare.
Where the price climbs: evenings, music and food
Timing adds more to the bill than distance. The galar at sundown starts from €23 and lasts 1.5 hours, and 1,142 reviewers give it 4.87. An eco boat at sunset with prosecco starts from €23 for 1 hour, and its night version costs the same. The extra few coins buy evening light and a drink rather than extra river.
Departing at 8:45 PM, a 2 hour cruise with a live band on deck starts from €27. A yacht sunset sailing with a welcome drink starts from €36 for 105 minutes, though its reviews average 4.3. These are good picks for a celebration, less so for someone who mainly wants to understand the city.
Food changes the sum most. A river trip with pierogi to taste starts from €37 for 70 minutes, well above the plain galar fare for the same time afloat. If eating is the point, it is a neat two-in-one; if not, a cheaper boat and dinner on the waterfront usually give you more of both. Pierogi are easy to find within a few steps of the quays, and eating ashore lets you pick the place and the pace yourself.
Pick by budget
Which Motlawa fare fits your plans
Decide what the hour on the river is for, then check the fare.
If Plenty of river for a modest fare
The galar
70 minutes from €19, with the canals and the port.
If I only have a short gap in the day
The eco boat
50 minutes from €19 on a quiet electric boat.
If I want sunset without paying much more
The sunset galar
Sundown on the galar from €23 for 1.5 hours, with a 4.87 average.
If I want to eat on board
The pierogi cruise
70 minutes with a tasting, from €37.
If I would rather paddle
A guided kayak
2.5 hours from €40, briefing included.
Three budgets
A quick ride, the galar or the golden hour
Wooden river boat
The galar
Most river for the fare
- Length70 minutes
- Seats12
- Guide speaksPolish and English
Wooden river boat
The sunset galar
Evening light
- Length1.5 hours
- LightSun behind the cranes
- Guide speaksEnglish and Polish
Paddling, self-drive boats and hiring a crew
Kayaks are the active end of the market. A guided kayak tour starts from €40 and lasts 2.5 hours, the first 20 minutes of it a safety talk on the shipyard bank. The sunset kayak tour starts from €45 for the same length and does not take children under 12. The price covers a guide and the gear, and you stay out longer than on the short cruises.
Self-drive electric boats need no licence. The private 1 hour rental starts from €47, while a larger self-drive boat for 1 to 2 hours starts from €155 and takes up to 6 or 7 people. If a price covers the whole boat, split between friends it can come close to a shared cruise per head; the booking step shows which it is. The catch is that nobody explains what you are passing, so a self-drive boat suits people who already know the city or who simply want an hour of quiet on the water.
With a skipper the sums change again. Hiring an electric boat and skipper for a group of 6 or fewer starts from €138 for 1 hour, and a private party yacht for up to 12 starts from €60 for 2 hours. Our private boat guide compares these in detail, including what a group of friends ends up paying. For a couple, a shared boat almost always costs less; for a birthday or a stag party, see at checkout if the yacht is priced per boat or per head.
Where your money goes
From booking to stepping onto the galar
When you book
Reserve, pay later
Hold a seat from €19 without paying today.
Up to a day before
Free change of plan
Cancel up to 24 hours ahead for a full refund.
At the quay
Your boarding point
Go to the start that matches the option you booked.
On the river
Guide included
Commentary in Polish and English the whole 70 minutes.
Back ashore
Extras if you like
The Crane costs PLN 23, or nothing on Wednesdays.1
What the fare leaves out, and the extras ashore
The galar listing names the boat, the guide and the route; it lists no meal and no drink on board, so plan to eat before or after rather than counting on a snack afloat. The waterfront is lined with places to sit down, and it is pleasant to land, wander and come back to the quay later in the light you just saw from the river.
A boat trip in Gdansk pairs well with the Crane, the medieval harbour gate you float past. A regular ticket is PLN 23 and a discounted one PLN 17, valid until the end of 2026, and on Wednesdays entry is free.1 The museum also says the wooden lifting mechanism is closed to visitors for now, and a reduced-price ticket applies.4
The Soldek, the museum ship moored opposite the granaries, costs PLN 23 for a regular ticket.2 If you plan several museums, the city tourist card bundles free entry to more than 20 museums with 30 discounts.3 Check whether your boat is among the discounts before you buy, since the card's list changes over time.
Video
A boat ride along the Motlawa and the Dead Vistula
Moss Travel Media on YouTube · Nothing is fetched until you hit play.
Before you pay
Galar fare, extras and ways to save
In the fare3
- A live guide speaking Polish and English
- 70 minutes afloat, side canals included
- A boat listed as wheelchair accessible
On top, if you want it3
Booking, cancelling and the two boarding points
Every shared boat on this page can be cancelled free of charge up to 24 hours ahead, and the galar can be reserved now and paid later. That makes it sensible to hold a place on the day you want and decide closer to the time, once you have seen the forecast. A spring shower is no reason to cancel an hour on the river, but a cold wind on an open boat is worth knowing about in advance, and the free window lets you move the booking without losing the fare.
Bookings for the galar come with 2 boarding and 2 landing points, and which pair you get follows from the option you pick. Read the confirmation carefully: arriving at the wrong quay is an easy way to lose a paid seat, and the two boarding points are not in the same place.
In the summer weeks the small boats fill up first, since a boat with 12 seats fills with a couple of family groups. For a boat tour in Gdansk on a July evening, book a few days ahead; on a grey weekday in spring a same-day seat is more likely. Weekends and long light evenings are the busy slots, so lock in the slot that matters most and stay flexible on the rest.
Choosing between price, comfort and what you will learn
A fair comparison weighs three things: the fare, the length and whether someone explains what you see. On the galar you pay from €19 for 70 minutes with a guide. On the eco boat the fare is the same for 50 minutes, and its listing names a driver, speaking Polish and English, rather than a guide. Read that label before you assume a commentary.
Comfort differs too. The catamaran sails in rain or shine, which helps on a changeable day, while one small harbour cruise sails only on rain-free days and keeps to 7 guests. The galar itself is an open wooden boat, and any open boat on the Motlawa feels the wind more than a closed cabin, so dress for the river rather than for the street.
For most first visits the galar is the sensible middle: it is priced like the short loops, lasts longer, reaches the canals and the port, and has 3,498 reviews behind it. Pick the eco boat when time is tight, the sunset galar when the light matters, and a kayak when you would rather work for the view than sit back and listen.
FAQ
Fast answers to common questions.
How much does the galar cruise cost?
From €19 per person.
The wooden galar cruise lasts 70 minutes and is guided live in Polish and English.
What is the cheapest boat on the Motlawa?
A 45 minute cruise from €13.
It has the lowest opening fare we found, but its reviews average 3.8, below the other city boats.
Does the sunset cruise cost more?
A little: from €23.
The sunset galar lasts 1.5 hours and its reviews average 4.8.
Are drinks included on the galar?
The listing names none.
No refreshments appear in it, so bring water and plan food ashore.
Can I cancel a Gdansk boat ticket?
Yes, up to 24 hours before.
The shared boats we list give a full refund up to 24 hours ahead.
How much does a private boat cost?
From €60 for a party yacht.
That yacht takes up to 12 people for 2 hours; a skippered electric boat for 6 starts from €138.
Is a kayak tour more expensive?
Yes, from €40.
But it lasts 2.5 hours, against about an hour on most cruises.
Sources
- National Maritime Museum in Gdansk (nmm.pl) · Ticket prices ↩
- National Maritime Museum in Gdansk (nmm.pl) · Ticket prices ↩
- Gdansk Tourist Organisation (visitgdansk.com) · Gdansk Tourist Card ↩
- National Maritime Museum in Gdansk (nmm.pl) · Crane ↩