where do boston duck tours end

Boston Duck Tours – tickets, prices, timings, what to expect

If you want to explore Boston, Boston Duck Tours is the best way to see the city from land and water, and that too in the same vehicle. 

These giant and pop-colored amphibian vehicles will take you on a thrilling historical tour via long, busy Boston streets and the pristine Charles River. 

The tours are led by knowledgeable and entertaining guides who provide interesting facts and stories about Boston’s history, architecture, and culture.

Boston Duck Tours is a fun and memorable way to experience the city, and it’s a great option for families, groups, and anyone who wants to see Boston from a unique perspective.

This article explains everything you need to know before buying your Boston Duck Tour Tickets.

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What to expect from boston duck tours.

Once you step into the truck cum boat, the ConDUCKtors will greet you and narrate all the legendary stories associated with the landmarks the amphibious vehicle passes by. 

Some of the tour’s highlights are the Boston Public Garden, Old State House, Museum Of Science, Boylston Street, Old South Church, Arlington Street Chruch, etc.

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Boston Duck tours tickets

Where to book the tickets

You can book your Boston Duck Tours tickets online and offline 30 days before your visit. 

Ticket booths are at the Prudential Center, the Museum of Science, and the New England Aquarium. 

But when you buy the tickets online , you can avoid the hassle of standing in long queues.

How online tickets work

When you book tickets for Duck Tours in Boston, you select your preferred time of visit and date.

Immediately after purchase, your tickets get emailed to you. You don’t need to take any printouts. 

Now all you must do is, reach one of the three departure points – Prudential Center, Museum of Science, or New England Aquarium – at least 15 minutes before the time on your ticket. 

Since you have a ticket and are on time, you can show it on your smartphone and board the vehicle. 

Last-minute tickets

A limited number of Duck tour Boston tickets are sold online at 8.45 am five days prior. 

If these tickets are sold out online, they won’t be available at the ticket booths either. 

Ticket prices

Visitors aged 12 to 64 years pay the full Boston Duck Tour ticket price of $50 per person.

Seniors 65 years and above and guests with a Military ID qualify for a Boston Duck tour discount of $8 and pay only $42 for entry. 

Kids aged three to 11 years get a $14 discount on the full ticket cost and pay only $36.

Unfortunately, infants younger than three don’t get free entry – but pay a reduced price of $11.

Adult ticket (12 to 64 years): $50 Children ticket (3 to 11 years): $36 Military ticket (with ID): $42 Senior ticket (65+ years): $42 Infant ticket (up to 2 years): $11

Duck Tour timings

Duck boat tours in Boston depart every hour, starting at 9 am or 10 am until one hour before sunset.

The ticket booths at Prudential Center, the Museum of Science, and the New England Aquarium open 30 minutes before the first tour and close after the last tour departs.

However, we suggest you purchase a Boston Duck Tour ticket in advance to avoid last-minute disappointment. 

How long is the Boston Duck tour

Boston Duck Tours are around 80 minutes long – n hour on land and 20 minutes in the water. 

There are no stops and breaks along the route. 

However, the tour duration may vary depending on external and uncontrollable factors such as weather, traffic, and ongoing construction. 

Best time for Duck tours in Boston

Boston’s Duck boat tour is a fantastic experience that takes you through the past and present of the city. 

If you plan to go sightseeing and witness the beauty of the city’s historic neighborhoods like Charlestown, Beacon Hill, Downtown, and Back Bay on these ducks, then late spring through early fall is the perfect time to do so. 

This tourist-friendly season falls between March and November when the weather is pleasant.

The cool breeze emerging from the womb of the Charles River brushes your hair, and the skyline soothes your body, mind, and soul. 

The rest of the months aren’t bad either – drive by the Boston landmarks and dive into the Charles River by booking your Boston Duck T our tickets today!

Will you get drenched? You won’t get drenched in water as the World War II amphibian vehicles splash into the charming Charles River. However, you may get a light spray of water right on your face depending on the speed of the truck cum boat and the direction and strength of the wind. 

Where do Duck tours depart from

Duck tours Boston has three departure locations: the Museum of Science, Prudential Center, and New England Aquarium.

Each location is conveniently located near public transportation. 

Museum of Science

The Museum of Science is located near Boston’s West End, the Bulfinch Triangle, and Charlestown neighborhoods, and it borders the City of Cambridge on the Charles River. 

The ducks boarding area is in front of the Museum of Science, next to the giant Tyrannosaurus rex! 

Address: 1 Science Park, Boston, MA 02114. Get Directions

New England Aquarium

The New England Aquarium is a popular aquatic wonder in Boston. It is located on Boston’s historic Waterfront and is near Faneuil Hall.

Boston Duck Tours departs from the New England Aquarium’s driveway in front of the Whale Watch Booth.

Address: 1 Central Wharf, Boston, MA 02110. Get Directions

Prudential Center

Prudential Center is a huge shopping complex hosting nearly 75 stores, and the Boston Ducks depart from here.

Address: 53 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02116. Get Directions

Multi-language tours Now you can experience Duck Tours in Boston in your language. All you need to do is wear the GPS headsets and quack; there you go! These language tours depart from the Museum of Science and are available in Mandarin, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, Japanese, Cantonese & Korean.

Route of Duck tour Boston

The best way to explore the heritage and history of Boston is through Duck Tours Boston. 

The fun and entertainment begin when you hop on your “DUCK,” a World War II-styled amphibian vehicle that takes you on a land and water excursion.  

You’ll cruise by all the significant places that make Boston the birthplace of freedom and a city of firsts. 

Some of the highlights are – 

• The golden-domed State House, which is the state Capitol and the seat of the government for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
• The historical Bunker Hill echoes the stories of the American Revolution
• The multi-purpose Fleet Center, which hosts different sports activities
• Boston Common, which is a perfect picnic site
• Newbury Street, which contains tonnes of restaurants and shopping centers

The DUCK transports you to different neighborhoods where you experience nature and man-made architecture a little closer.

Your ConDUCKtor will give you many little-known facts and interesting insights about Boston city. 

Their witty commentary will make your journey a lot more fun!

To know the path you will take, check out the tour’s route map .

What to wear during the trip For Duck boat tours in Boston, you need not wear a swimsuit. But proper clothing is a must because as the amphibian vehicle travel from land to water, there are chances of getting a little wet despite the ducks being heated and enclosed. Dress according to the weather on the day of your voyage. It is often breezy on Charles River.

Sources # Bostonducktours.com # Prudentialcenter.com # Tripadvisor.com # Wikipedia.org The travel specialists at TheBetterVacation.com use only high-quality sources while researching & writing their articles. We make every attempt to keep our content current, reliable and trustworthy .

Popular attractions in Boston

# Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum # Boston Trolley Tours # New England Aquarium # Boston Ghost Tours # Zoo New England # Codzilla Boston # Fenway Park tours # Boston Harbor Cruises # Whale Watching in Boston # Harvard Tours # Boston Duck Tours

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This article was researched & written by

Jamshed V Rajan

He is a two-faced traveler, who enjoys both the hustle-bustle of an urban holiday and the serenity of a break from the rest of the World. During some of his vacations, he is a resort hopper, and on others, he barely spends time in his hotel. He loves to try mouth-watering local cuisines, especially non-vegetarian dishes. Favourite Cities: Amsterdam, Las Vegas, Dublin, Prague, Vienna

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Everything To Know About the Boston Duck Boats and Tours

From Boston’s historic homes to the bustling waterfront, it can be a little overwhelming to make sure you hit all of the city’s most noteworthy sites . But there isn’t much of a better way to fit everything in than the Boston Duck Tours.

Since 1994, the “duck” boats have been a staple in the Massachusetts capital, carrying thousands of passengers in peak season across the city. Today, the fleet consists of 28 replica World War II amphibious landing vehicles that take you through Boston and into the Charles River. Here’s everything you need to know about one of Boston’s most popular tours.

Hit numerous sites in 80 minutes

With tours taking place every day from the end of March through the end of November, the Boston Duck Tours run every 20-30 minutes (depending on departure area) from 9am to about an hour before sunset. Passengers have the ability to get tickets and board at three locations, including the Prudential Center, Museum of Science and the New England Aquarium.

Once onboard, local drivers take guests on an 80-minute tour of the city, hitting numerous historical and significant sites along the way. You’ll slow down to see the Boston Public Gardens, Beacon Hill, JFK Residence, the Old State House and more than 20 other sites.

During the ride, the quirky ConDUCKtors spew out historical facts and interesting tidbits. Each guide takes on a different persona, bringing a unique – and often humorous – twist to the tour. There’s Bobby Oar, Vincent Van Duck, Robin the Riveter, Lenient Louis the Plunderless Privateer, Captain Super Swift and a crew of many other characters.

While the New England Aquarium boats take a slightly different route than the Prudential Center and Museum of Science rides, they see most of the same places. The Prudential Center and Museum of Science boats are also equipped to give tours in nine different languages and are wheelchair accessible.

Get on the Charles River

One of the more popular locations along the ride puts visitors right into the Charles. At different points on the trip (depending on your boarding spot), the “Duck” turns from truck to boat, and the drivers take passengers on a 20-minute glide over the river.

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Entering the river around the Museum of Science, participants see Boston’s West End and Beacon Hill neighborhoods from the water before cruising under the famous Longfellow Bridge. The excursion gives wide, sweeping views of the Boston and Cambridge skylines and intimately displays the Back Bay, including the beautiful Esplanade, before turning back.

If you’re lucky, you’ll be one of the several passengers picked to drive the boat along the river portion of the tour.

Ride in a little piece of history

While the present-day boats are all replicas, the Boston Duck Tours started with an original fleet of World War II amphibious landing vehicles that were converted for passengers. Code-named “DUKW” (which is where the current name comes from), the last original WWII vehicle was taken out of the fleet in 2014, but the company still owns one for special occasions.

The replicas are known as “truck ducks.” First built in Kansas, these models were purposely made for tourism and have a stronger hull with an enclosed top. The oldest boat dates back to 2006 with the newest being from 2014.

To localize the fleet, the company named each of the 28 duck boats after a Boston landmark or neighborhood, with the name painted along the side of the vehicle. Boats include Back Bay Bertha, Beacon Hilda, Espla Nadia, Olga Ironsides, Symphony Hal, Fenway Fanny and many others.

Ride in the same boats as Boston’s champions

Starting in 2002 with the New England Patriots’ first Super Bowl win, Boston Duck Tours and its boats became the “Official ChampionSHIP” of Boston’s four major sports teams. Whenever one of Boston’s teams wins a championship, the company sends out its “Rolling Rally,” a parade that consists of almost the whole fleet and welcomes the players onboard to travel around the city among crowds of cheering fans.

The duck boats have hosted the championship parade a total of 12 times between all four sports teams since 2002, including six times for the Patriots, four times for the Red Sox and one each for the Bruins and Celtics.

On the day of the championship parade, the summer tours are shut down, and all the boats go towards hosting the rally. In the case of the Patriots, whose Super Bowl parade is in the winter, the fleet is brought back into service for one day in February to celebrate. After you’ve experienced Boston Duck Tours, why not check out our list of the must-visit attractions in Boston .

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Boston Duck Tours

The quackiest way to see boston.

For years I’ve seen the Boston Duck Tours driving through the streets of downtown Boston. I noticed them as randomly decorated military truck type things, but I never even considered taking a ride on one – that was a  touristy thing to do , and I wasn’t a tourist!

Then one weekend, my cousin and her boyfriend came to town and what did they want to do? One of the Boston Duck Tours!

Fortunately, these days I have two incentives to try out the touristy activities I once ignored: 1. Share my hometown with my husband and daughter who really are like tourists. 2. Get the inside scoop so I can share it with you!

So… we picked a date, bought our tickets online (super easy), and off we went for our first Boston Duck Tour.

The only slight negative of the entire experience was that it was fairly chaotic when we first get to the Prudential Center. There wasn’t a clear line to stand in and we weren’t assigned to a particular duck or group, so we found a bench to sit on and waited to be directed.

From there on, we were nothing less than impressed.

We were seated on “Old Gloria”, the duck with a big American flag painted onto it, and were soon introduced to our tour leader, Captain Kidding (who described himself as a pirate from Wyoming who, trying to follow the call of the sea, took a $57,000 cab ride to Boston and has been working for the Boston Duck Tours in order to pay off his cab fare ever since!).

To say the least, Captain Kidding was highly entertaining and highly informative. I think I could listen to his narrative 10 times over and still learn something new.

Within about a minute of leaving “home base” on our duck, we were “quacking” at the passers by (not required, but actually pretty fun if you let yourself get into it – and, of course, my 3-year old LOVED it!).

Our tour guide did a fabulous job of giving us an understanding of the history of different Boston neighborhoods, sharing important historical events, and showing us the beauty and quirks of our city.

Of course, all of this was done completely “in character” as well, so everyone was engaged and it never felt like we were sitting through a history lesson.

When we got to the Charles River, the W.W.II style amphibious landing vehicle (as the Boston Duck Tours describe it) miraculously transformed into a boat. Which reminds me, there was  one  more downside to our journey…

Captain Kidding let all of the kids on the boat take turns driving it (and even a grown-up or two got in there). However, he either didn’t see Siena, or thought she was too young to want a try, so we were left to calm a very distressed 2.5 year old when we ran out of time to request a turn for her… Alas, the challenges a toddler faces!

A testament to how engaging the duck tour was – Siena managed to stay awake in a moving vehicle right during naptime… until the last three minutes. She slept through lunch, of course, but was talking about the duck boat for days afterwards!

Here are a few logistics for you…

• Museum of Science
• Prudential Center
• New England Aquarium
• Adults: $48.99 ($53.44 with taxes & fees)
• Senior(65+)/Active Military: $39.99 ($43.99 with taxes & fees)
• Children aged 3 to 11: $33.99 ($37.69 with taxes & fees)
• Children under 3 (including infants): $10.99 ($13.54 with taxes & fees)

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Travel Tips for Boston Duck Tours

When to go, how to save on Boston's must-do sightseeing tour

TripSavvy / Violet Smirnova

More often than not, when family or out-of-town guests visit Boston , they all have the same to-do item on their list: a Duck Tour. And the request ranges across all ages – Baby Boomer relatives, friends who are busy executives, artsy friends, friends who are parents to kids of all ages. While this is an activity that many locals don't even experience until they have a friend or relative visiting from out of town, it's one you won't want to miss as a tourist.

Duck Tours are a unique experience that combines sightseeing and history while also getting to go out on the Charles River in the vehicle you just drove around the city in. If you want to see Boston via a Duck Boat , late-spring through early-fall is the perfect time to do so. They run from late March through late November, though peak season for all things related to tourism in the city is certainly during the summer months when the weather is nice and warm. Before you book your spot, follow these tips for making the most of your Boston Duck Tour.

Where to Pick Up

You've no doubt seen the Duck Boats' ubiquitous amphibious vehicles all around Boston, but there are only three places where you can pick them up for a tour: the Museum of Science , the New England Aquarium , and the Prudential Center . Choose the one that's most convenient for your own home base and/or sightseeing itinerary; all are near major tourist attractions, MBTA stations and dining.

How to Save

Are your fellow Duck Boat riders a bunch of early risers? If so, make an online reservation for the 9 or 9:30 a.m. tours from either the Museum of Science or Prudential stops and get an Early Duck discount. (Remember that online-only stipulation: If you show up in person to buy tickets for the early tours, you won't get the discount.) It's also worth noting that only a portion of tickets are released online, so it's still worth checking one of the ticket booths if tickets for the date you want to go are sold out online.

There's also the Ride & Save program for those also planning to visit the Museum of Science and New England Aquarium: Show your Duck Boats ticket and get discounts off the museums' admission, café, gift shop, and theaters. You can also get a free tour of Harvard Square with your Duck Boats ticket, plus numerous discounts at the Prudential Center and other Boston restaurants and gift shops. So save that ticket stub and put it to work – you can save quite a lot!

How to Dress

Duck Boats tour in rain or shine, and they do drive in to the river (although, truth be told, the splash is pretty minimal). Wear layers – it can be breezy out on the water, and if it's rainy, a light raincoat is always a good idea. The Duck Boats are heated and have weather protection, but it's not quite like being enclosed within a typical car or truck, so plan accordingly.

What You'll See

Once on board, the tour is about 80 minutes and guests stay on board the entire duration. Approximately 20 minutes of that is spent on the water, with an hour on land taking in many of Boston's historic landmarks and neighborhoods. What you see will depend on where you pick up your Duck Boat, but popular sites include the Boston Public Garden , Boston Common , Boston Public Library, Newbury Street, Quincy Market and the TD Garden . It's destinations like these that make Boston the great city it is.

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To Do Today: Boston Duck Tours

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Take a historic tour of Boston, and end by splashing into the Charles

Eden mor (com’25).

Boston Duck Tours , a guided tour of Boston by land—and water.

Daily, excluding holidays, with tours departing hourly from three locations (more info below). Times vary based on date and location: the first tour of the day can be as early as 9 am, with the last tour departing no later than 6:30 pm. Tours are 80 minutes long. See the full schedule here when you buy tickets. 

Tours depart from three places:

1. In front of the New England Aquarium at Central Wharf, Boston. Take the MBTA Blue Line from Government Center to Aquarium.

2. The Museum of Science, One Science Park, Boston . Take the MBTA Green Line D train to Science Park/West End. 

3. By the Prudential Center, at 53 Huntington Ave. Take an MBTA Green Line trolley to Copley and walk a short distance.

Tickets are $52.99 for adults, $43.99 for seniors and active military personnel, $37.99 for children ages 3-11, and 10.99 for children under 3. These prices do not include fees. Purchase tickets here . 

Why Should I Go?

If you’ve ever walked the streets of downtown Boston you’ve surely seen the “Duck,” a World War II–inspired boat-bus hybrid, or “amphibious landing vehicle,” cruising the streets, packed with waving tourists. But Duck Tours aren’t only for out-of-town visitors, and summer is the perfect time to enjoy a light-hearted, yet educational tour of Boston, narrated by an expert conDUCKtor. Sail through the city’s most aesthetic neighborhoods, from bustling Back Bay to the historic North End, and enjoy a deep dive into Boston’s rich history. Hear about Trinity Church, the Granary Burying Ground, and the State House. For the grand finale, prepare for the “Big Splash,” as the Duck rolls into the Charles River, and take in the gorgeous views of the city skyline. 

Though tours depart from three different locations, we recommend starting your tour at the New England Aquarium, on the historic Central Wharf pier, which features some of Boston’s best shopping and dining. Make a day of it and head to the aquarium with your family, where you can enjoy discounted admission , a 10 percent discount at the Aquarium gift shop, and more, with the purchase of a Duck Tour ticket. For those who haven’t been, the Aquarium has more than 10 exhibitions, a four-story ocean tank, and the largest shark and ray touch tank on the East Coast. It’s worth a visit.

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Boston Duck Tours

Time out says.

The city’s most iconic tour lends both land and sea perspectives to Boston’s history and architecture, with sense of humor to spare. Tour guests clamor aboard a revamped, World War II-era amphibious vehicle manned by, yes, a “ConDUCKtour.” As you first cruise the streets of Boston, your tour guide divulges intel on such landmarks as the State House, Bunker Hill, Boston Common and Quincy Market, occasionally inviting passengers to give a little quack of hello to locals. Then comes the famed “Splashdown,” a plunge into the Charles River, which grants passengers views of both the Boston and Cambridge skylines and a chance to intermingle with sailboats, kayaks and, yes, local ducks.

Been there, done that? Think again, my friend.

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