Boat trips from Poole: harbour, Jurassic Coast and Swanage
Poole Quay boat trips start at £13 for an hour round the harbour. Jurassic Coast and Swanage sailings are £23.50, Wareham by river £23. Times, ages, dogs.
Facts checked against official sources on 14 October 2026. How we research
Poole boat trips compared
Every price below is the adult fare from the operator’s own page, read on 14 October 2026. Coastal Cruises gives 2026 and 2027 prices, and the 2026 ones are shown. Greenslade’s pages give no year for their prices, and the National Trust quotes the same Brownsea fare. Child age bands differ between operators, so each row gives the band.
| Trip | Operator | Length | Adult | Child | When it runs | Dogs | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harbour and islands cruise (no stop at Brownsea) | Coastal Cruises Poole | 70 minutes | £14.50 (2026) | £9.50, ages 5 to 15; under-5s free | Daily 1 April to 31 October; 1 November to 24 December except Mondays and Fridays; from 14 February 2027 | £2.50 | Coastal Cruises: Harbour and Islands Cruise |
| Jurassic Coast circular cruise | Coastal Cruises Poole | 2 hours 15 minutes | £23.50 (2026) | £17.50, ages 5 to 15; under-5s free | 1 April to 31 October | £2.50 | Coastal Cruises: Jurassic Coast Cruise |
| Poole to Swanage and back | Coastal Cruises Poole | 1 hour each way, 2½ or 5 hours ashore | £23.50 return (2026) | £17.50, ages 5 to 15; under-5s free | 1 April to 31 October | Welcome on sightseeing cruises (fee not listed) | Coastal Cruises: Poole to Swanage |
| Sea Train: cruise to Swanage plus Swanage Railway | Coastal Cruises Poole | 1 hour each way plus an open train ticket | £40 | £25, ages 5 to 15; under-5s free | 1 April to 31 October, 10.30am and 1pm | £2.50 | Coastal Cruises: Sea Train Adventure |
| Sandbanks and harbour cruise | Greenslade Pleasure Boats | 1 hour | £13 | £8, ages 1 to 12 | April to end of October, from 11am, 12.30 and 2pm | Not stated | Greenslade: Sandbanks and Harbour Cruise |
| River Frome cruise to Wareham | Greenslade Pleasure Boats | 3½ hours return, with 1 hour 10 minutes at Wareham | £23 return; £13 one way (phone only) | £15 return, ages 1 to 12; £10 one way | From May, only when the tide allows | Not stated | Greenslade: Wareham River Cruise |
| Brownsea Island ferry | Greenslade Pleasure Boats | About 20 minutes each way | £14.50 return, plus island entry for non-members | £6, ages 5 to 16 | 14 March to 1 November | Not allowed on the island | Greenslade: Brownsea Island Ferry |
| Harbour Lights evening cruise | Coastal Cruises Poole | 1½ hours | £16 (2026) | £11, ages 5 to 15; under-5s free | 2027: selected evenings 27 March to 30 September | Not stated | Coastal Cruises: Harbour Lights Cruise |
| Fish and chip cruise | Coastal Cruises Poole | 1 hour 10 minutes (lunch) or 1½ hours (evening) | £28.50 (2026), meal included | £20.50 with fishcake and chips | 2027: lunches and evenings, 22 May to 30 September | Not stated | Coastal Cruises: Fish and Chip Cruises |
| Seabird (puffin) cruise to Dancing Ledge | Coastal Cruises Poole | 4 hours from Poole | £26.50 | £17.50, ages 5 to 15; under-5s free | Fridays, 7 May to 25 June 2027, 6pm | Not stated | Coastal Cruises: Birdwatching Cruises |
| Birdwatching safari cruises | Birds of Poole Harbour, on Greenslade boats | 3 hours | £32 | £16, ages 4 to 15 | Year round; autumn, winter, low-tide and spring series | Assistance dogs only | Birds of Poole Harbour: Winter Safari Cruises |
- Operator
- Coastal Cruises Poole
- Length
- 70 minutes
- Adult
- £14.50 (2026)
- Child
- £9.50, ages 5 to 15; under-5s free
- When it runs
- Daily 1 April to 31 October; 1 November to 24 December except Mondays and Fridays; from 14 February 2027
- Dogs
- £2.50
- Source
- Coastal Cruises: Harbour and Islands Cruise
- Operator
- Coastal Cruises Poole
- Length
- 2 hours 15 minutes
- Adult
- £23.50 (2026)
- Child
- £17.50, ages 5 to 15; under-5s free
- When it runs
- 1 April to 31 October
- Dogs
- £2.50
- Source
- Coastal Cruises: Jurassic Coast Cruise
- Operator
- Coastal Cruises Poole
- Length
- 1 hour each way, 2½ or 5 hours ashore
- Adult
- £23.50 return (2026)
- Child
- £17.50, ages 5 to 15; under-5s free
- When it runs
- 1 April to 31 October
- Dogs
- Welcome on sightseeing cruises (fee not listed)
- Source
- Coastal Cruises: Poole to Swanage
- Operator
- Coastal Cruises Poole
- Length
- 1 hour each way plus an open train ticket
- Adult
- £40
- Child
- £25, ages 5 to 15; under-5s free
- When it runs
- 1 April to 31 October, 10.30am and 1pm
- Dogs
- £2.50
- Source
- Coastal Cruises: Sea Train Adventure
- Operator
- Greenslade Pleasure Boats
- Length
- 1 hour
- Adult
- £13
- Child
- £8, ages 1 to 12
- When it runs
- April to end of October, from 11am, 12.30 and 2pm
- Dogs
- Not stated
- Source
- Greenslade: Sandbanks and Harbour Cruise
- Operator
- Greenslade Pleasure Boats
- Length
- 3½ hours return, with 1 hour 10 minutes at Wareham
- Adult
- £23 return; £13 one way (phone only)
- Child
- £15 return, ages 1 to 12; £10 one way
- When it runs
- From May, only when the tide allows
- Dogs
- Not stated
- Source
- Greenslade: Wareham River Cruise
- Operator
- Greenslade Pleasure Boats
- Length
- About 20 minutes each way
- Adult
- £14.50 return, plus island entry for non-members
- Child
- £6, ages 5 to 16
- When it runs
- 14 March to 1 November
- Dogs
- Not allowed on the island
- Source
- Greenslade: Brownsea Island Ferry
- Operator
- Coastal Cruises Poole
- Length
- 1½ hours
- Adult
- £16 (2026)
- Child
- £11, ages 5 to 15; under-5s free
- When it runs
- 2027: selected evenings 27 March to 30 September
- Dogs
- Not stated
- Source
- Coastal Cruises: Harbour Lights Cruise
- Operator
- Coastal Cruises Poole
- Length
- 1 hour 10 minutes (lunch) or 1½ hours (evening)
- Adult
- £28.50 (2026), meal included
- Child
- £20.50 with fishcake and chips
- When it runs
- 2027: lunches and evenings, 22 May to 30 September
- Dogs
- Not stated
- Source
- Coastal Cruises: Fish and Chip Cruises
- Operator
- Coastal Cruises Poole
- Length
- 4 hours from Poole
- Adult
- £26.50
- Child
- £17.50, ages 5 to 15; under-5s free
- When it runs
- Fridays, 7 May to 25 June 2027, 6pm
- Dogs
- Not stated
- Source
- Coastal Cruises: Birdwatching Cruises
- Operator
- Birds of Poole Harbour, on Greenslade boats
- Length
- 3 hours
- Adult
- £32
- Child
- £16, ages 4 to 15
- When it runs
- Year round; autumn, winter, low-tide and spring series
- Dogs
- Assistance dogs only
- Source
- Birds of Poole Harbour: Winter Safari Cruises
Where do Poole boat trips leave from?
All of them leave from Poole Quay, postcode BH15 1HJ, but from two kiosks. Coastal Cruises sells tickets and boards from its blue kiosk on The Quay. Greenslade uses the orange kiosk at Fish Shambles Steps, which the National Trust places opposite the Tesco Express, and the Birds of Poole Harbour cruises board there too.
The car park every operator names is the Quay Visitors multi-storey on Old Orchard, BH15 1SB. Birds of Poole Harbour notes it has a height limit. Coastal Cruises asks passengers to arrive 15 minutes before departure, and says that once the gangway is off, the boat goes (Coastal Cruises FAQs).
Which trip goes round Poole Harbour and Brownsea?
There are two one-hour options. Coastal Cruises’ harbour and islands cruise lasts 70 minutes and passes Brownsea Island, Sandbanks, Evening Hill and the harbour’s shipping. It does not stop at Brownsea. The operator says that when tide or larger boat schedules require it, the cruise uses the main shipping channel or the North Channel rather than going round the back of the islands, and it needs at least eight paying adults to sail.
Greenslade’s Sandbanks and harbour cruise is an hour, on the Purbeck Princess, with commentary. Greenslade describes it as taking in all five islands, the harbour entrance and the commercial port. It costs £13 an adult against Coastal’s £14.50, with sailings from 11am, 12.30pm and 2pm between April and the end of October.
To land on Brownsea, take Greenslade’s ferry, which is the service the National Trust names. The crossing takes about 20 minutes and the return fare is £14.50 an adult and £6 a child aged 5 or over, paid to the ferry operator by National Trust members too. Non-members also pay the Trust’s island entry (National Trust: travelling to Brownsea). Ferries are first come, first served with no pre-booking for groups under 15, and the Trust warns that at busy times a full boat can mean a 30 to 50 minute wait. The last boat back leaves Brownsea at 5pm, and dogs other than assistance dogs are not allowed on the island.
Jurassic Coast boat trips from Poole
Greenslade does not list a Jurassic Coast trip, so on the quay this is Coastal Cruises’ sailing. Its circular cruise lasts 2 hours 15 minutes, leaving at 10.30am, 1pm and 3.45pm from 1 April to 31 October, with extra 9.15am, 11.45am and 2.45pm sailings on some school holiday dates. It runs out of the harbour and along the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, with live commentary and a bar. Its Swanage cruise names the sights on the way: the Sandbanks peninsula, cliffs and coves, and Old Harry Rocks.
When the sea is not favourable, the operator runs a shorter Jurassic Coast leg and then shows the harbour instead, and it asks passengers to check before booking. Its FAQ is plain that nobody gets off at Old Harry Rocks: they are a sheer chalk stack, seen from the boat.
For seabirds, Coastal Cruises sails to Dancing Ledge on Friday evenings from 7 May to 25 June 2027, which it describes as puffin nesting season. The trip is 4 hours from Poole, leaving at 6pm, or 2 hours if joined at Swanage Pier at 7pm.
Can you get a boat from Poole to Swanage?
Yes, from 1 April to 31 October, though it is a sightseeing cruise with a return ticket rather than a ferry. Coastal Cruises sails from Poole Quay at 10.30am, 1pm and 3.45pm, and back from Swanage Pier at 11.45am, 2.30pm and 4.45pm, which allows about 2½ or 5 hours ashore. Each leg is an hour. The 2026 return fare was £23.50 an adult and £17.50 a child aged 5 to 15. Single fares are not stated.
Joining at Swanage is possible, but Coastal Cruises says its Swanage Pier kiosk is staffed only in the school summer holidays. Outside those weeks, buy online or by phone, or from the crew on board if seats are left. The Swanage Railway station is about a 10 to 15 minute walk from the pier, according to the operator.
The Sea Train ticket adds an open Swanage Railway ticket to the return cruise for £40 an adult and £25 a child. The train runs inland past Corfe Castle. Coastal Cruises advises that the 1pm sailing usually leaves time for the train ride only, without getting off, so take the 10.30am boat to stop at Corfe Castle or explore Swanage.
Boat trip from Poole Quay to Wareham
Greenslade runs the river trip, up the River Frome to Wareham quay. It takes about an hour and ten minutes each way, and the boat moors at Wareham for another hour and ten minutes, so the round trip is about 3½ hours. The return fare is £23 an adult and £15 for children aged 1 to 12. One-way tickets, at £13 and £10, can only be booked by phone.
The river is tidal and shallow in places. Greenslade says the cruise runs only when the tide allows, starting in May, and only one of its boats, the Purbeck Gem, can make the passage. Departure times depend on the tide and are not published on the page, so check with the booking office on the day.
Birdwatching cruises in Poole Harbour
The Birds of Poole Harbour charity runs three-hour cruises on Greenslade boats with its own guides giving commentary, and they continue all winter. The 2026 to 2027 series are autumn safaris until 28 October, low-tide wader cruises from 23 October to 17 February, and winter safaris from 1 November to 10 March, with spring safaris from 14 March to 31 May 2027. The autumn, low-tide and winter cruises cost £32 an adult and £16 for ages 4 to 15, booked through the charity.
The charity says the winter trips look for white-tailed eagle, marsh harrier, peregrine, hen harrier and goshawk, among the harbour’s winter waders and wildfowl. The route is decided on the day from the tide and recent sightings, reaching areas such as the Wareham Channel and the back of the Brownsea lagoon, and boats can return up to half an hour late. There are toilets, covered seating and light refreshments on board. Dogs are not allowed, except assistance dogs (Birds of Poole Harbour: Low Tide Cruises).
Can you take a dog on a Poole boat trip?
On Coastal Cruises’ sightseeing trips, yes: its FAQ says well-behaved dogs are welcome, and the harbour, Jurassic Coast and Sea Train pages list a £2.50 dog ticket. Swanage Railway also takes dogs, according to the same FAQ. Greenslade’s cruise pages do not say whether dogs can sail, so ask at the orange kiosk.
Two trips rule dogs out at the destination or on board: Brownsea Island does not allow dogs other than assistance dogs, and the Birds of Poole Harbour cruises allow assistance and guide dogs only. Beaches nearby that take dogs all year are in dog-friendly beaches in Bournemouth.
Wheelchairs, pushchairs and bad weather
Coastal Cruises says its boats can take a wheelchair user only if they can walk over the gangway, because its angle changes with the tide. Folding wheelchairs and rollators can be carried on, but powered ones stay on the quay. Pushchairs should fold, and children must be lifted out to board. On the Greenslade boats, the National Trust and Birds of Poole Harbour both warn of a steep gangway and steep steps down to the covered lower deck.
On weather, Coastal Cruises sails in rain, with indoor seating. If a sailing is unsafe, it cancels and offers a cruise in the sheltered harbour instead or a refund. Greenslade asks passengers to phone before booking, between 9am and 3pm, because times can change with the weather, and its harbour cruise page says there is no refund on bookings cancelled within 48 hours of the trip.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a boat trip in Poole Harbour?
The cheapest scheduled harbour trip on 14 October 2026 is Greenslade’s one-hour Sandbanks and harbour cruise at £13 an adult and £8 a child. Coastal Cruises’ 70-minute harbour and islands cruise was £14.50 an adult in 2026 and rises to £15.50 in 2027. Under-5s travel free on Coastal Cruises.
Do I need to book a Poole boat trip in advance?
Not for the Brownsea ferry, which is sold first come, first served at the orange kiosk. Coastal Cruises sells online and at its blue kiosk, and asks for tickets for infants too, which are free. The Birds of Poole Harbour cruises are sold in advance on the charity’s site, and the 14 October 2026 autumn safari had sold out.
Are there fireworks cruises from Poole Quay?
Greenslade lists a fireworks cruise every Thursday from the end of July through August, sailing at about 9.15pm or 9.30pm to watch the 10pm display from the water (Greenslade: Fireworks Cruise). Its page gives no year for the price, so check before booking for 2027.
Who runs Coastal Cruises Poole?
It is a Poole Quay company formed by a management buyout in 2024, when the previous Poole operation was due to close. It began on 22 October 2024, and the boats it names are Solent Scene, Island Scene and Fortuna (Coastal Cruises: Two Years Afloat).
Staying near Poole Quay
Hotel du Vin Poole, on Thames Street in Poole Old Town, is the hotel listed for the quay area in where to stay in Bournemouth, which compares it with the beach areas. Holiday parks on the Poole and Purbeck side are in holiday parks near Bournemouth and Poole.
Check prices for Hotel du Vin Poole on Booking.com →
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