City Cruises - Self-Drive Landing

King's Staith, YO1 9RZ, York
King's Staith
YO1 9RZ, York
020 7740 0400

Opening hours

  • Monday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
  • Tuesday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
  • Wednesday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
  • Thursday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
  • Friday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
  • Saturday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
  • Sunday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Take the helm on board your own self drive motor boat! Book a morning Red Boat hire in advance at the Early Bird Special price.

We happily welcome well-behaved dogs on board our Daytime Sightseeing Cruises, River Bus Service, and Self Drive Boats, at no additional cost, as long as they are kept on a leash. Please note that only Guide/Hearing Dogs are permitted on our Dining Cruises and Santa Experience.

If you have not pre-booked online in advance, both card and cash payments are accepted at the Self Drive landing. Furthermore, a minimum refundable security bond of £40 is mandatory for all rentals, which can be paid in full by either card (preferred) or cash upon arrival. If you choose to pay the security deposit via card, the refund will typically clear in your bank account by the third working day.

The security bond is there in case you cause deliberate damage to the boat whilst you are hiring it, return the boat to the Self Drive Landing later than the agreed time, return the boat in such a state that additional cleaning time is required before it can be hired out again, unduly harass other river users or deliberately flaunt the rules of the river. In any of these instances, you risk part or all of your security bond being retained.

“While the notion of mooring the boat and having a picnic elsewhere may be appealing, it is not allowed to do so due to shallow areas along the river banks. The only permissible location to moor the boat is back at the Self Drive landing at the conclusion of your rental period, as trying to halt or moor anywhere else may damage the vessel and result in forfeiture of your deposit.

Nevertheless, feel free to bring a picnic and soft drinks on board to enjoy. Please keep in mind that bringing alcoholic beverages on board is not allowed, and Self Drive boats cannot be rented if you or any members of your group are under the influence of alcohol.”

“If you choose to pre-book Self-Drive boats, morning reservations are available from 10:00 a.m. to 12 Noon, Monday through Friday, and from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on weekends and Bank Holidays, at the Early Bird price.

Afternoon bookings can be made online between 12:15 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. However, please note that the final hour hire from October 29th to November 19th is at 2:30 p.m.

When you book online, you will only be required to pay in advance for the boat rental. The cash security deposit (minimum £40) must be brought with you on the day of your trip. Although you may have pre-booked online, you will still be required to fulfill the rental conditions when you arrive at the jetty. If you are found to not meet the rental requirements, you will receive a full refund from our Sales Office electronically, not at the jetty. “

The Self-Drive Boats are a unique and fun way to explore the River Ouse and the city of York on your own, without the need for a skipper or any previous boating experience.

You can rent a Self-Drive Boat by the hour, and it comes equipped with everything you need to operate the boat, including a full safety briefing, life jackets, and a map of the river and local area. You will need to provide a valid photo ID and a refundable deposit when renting a boat.

Our online self-drive boat rentals are offered for a duration of one hour. However, if you prefer, you can rent for either 30 minutes or one hour at the quayside on the day of your visit.

To ensure your comfort during the cruise, we suggest wearing comfortable clothing and footwear. It is also advisable to bring along a light jacket or sweater in case of cooler temperatures.

While visiting York, there are numerous attractions to discover in the vicinity, including the iconic York Minster, the Jorvik Viking Centre, and the National Railway Museum. Moreover, you can leisurely walk along the renowned city walls or explore the charming shops and cafes located in the Shambles.

We happily welcome well-behaved dogs on board our Daytime Sightseeing Cruises, River Bus Service, and Self Drive Boats, at no additional cost, as long as they are kept on a leash. Please note that only Guide/Hearing Dogs are permitted on our Dining Cruises and Santa Experience.

Digital Gift Cards are the perfect way to give someone an experience that lets them schedule their adventure at their convenience! A City Experiences digital gift card can be purchased anytime and is valid on all City Experiences, City Cruises, Walks, and Devour Tours experiences that take place in the US and in the UK. Gift cards can be used to pre-purchase experiences and upgrades online or through our contact center but cannot be redeemed for on-board/in-experience purchases.

In York, there may be occasional instances of elevated river levels and strength of current which could affect our Self-Drive hire. Nonetheless, we will strive to continue our voyages as long as it is safe to proceed. However, our smallest boat may face limitations and be unable to pass beneath the bridges at a certain point.

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City Cruises - Self-Drive Landing: Reviews

4.5/5 (26 Reviews)
Iain Weir 2 months ago

Positive experience: For an hour for 4 of us £40 seemed reasonable. Unfortunately there was no information in the boat about any of the local landmarks that you hear about if you were on one of their paid-for tours. The boats all varied from what I could see and were basic. The windscreen was very hard to see through as it was drizzling with rain and sun was bright; that with an already smeary screen made it near impossible to see heading one direction. Boats all had life-rings and fire extinguisher on board. All of those getting on the boat had to wear a supplied life jacket although oddly these were fitted until standing on the boardwalk beside the boats. Staff also didn’t wear any life jacket/vests. Staff were polite enough but it did feel very much like a conveyor belt of people.

Helon Griffiths 3 months ago

Negative experience: Not an experience I would recommend.

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Lee Dobbs 4 months ago

Positive experience: Highly recommending you just do the 30mins. The boats are very loud. We could talk as a family to whole time, you basically sit not talking trying to ignore the really loud engine or you have to shout at each other. Other than that it was fun. But just so loud.

Jon Brass 4 months ago

Fantastic experience: We didn’t book in advance although that would be recommended as it does get busy in peak season. Two adults and two children and we got an hour on the boat. The idea is that you do a short tour of 7 bridges at your own pace. My 9 year old did most of the driving as she loved it. Would highly recommend, the boats are easy to control

Martin C 5 months ago

Positive experience: Great experience. The only issue was the website didn't work for pre-booking, so we had to wait for about an hour. But it was a sunny day, and it was worth the wait. It's a nice way to see the city from a different perspective. Friendly staff and the boats are fun and easy to use.

Aimee Drinkwater 5 months ago

Fantastic experience: Great little hire and reasonably priced for an hour on the river

Mohammad A 5 months ago

Fantastic experience: Wonderful activity, easy and entertaining

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R M 6 months ago

Positive experience: Self drive boats for an hour, easy to take the steering and they dont go too fast so its fine for anyone trying for the first time. Staff are helpful and life jackets provided.

mike binns 7 months ago

Fantastic experience: Fantastic experience and the crew assisting us booking on and what to do where extremely helpul

Mike Cooper 8 months ago

Fantastic experience: Traveled up from hull with my partner was worth every penny added to a good day out self drive boat was cool not very fast but perfect if u was to take a little picnic while cruiseing down to water would 100% suggest it to any 1

Aileen Donnelly 1 year ago

Fantastic experience: Great experience definitely a must do!

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Rebecca Smith 1 year ago

Fantastic experience: Absolutely brilliant experience! I never knew there was a thing, we enjoyed this so much and so excited to be able to do it again. Lady was so helpful telling us everything we needed to know about it and it is so straight forward, fun and easy to do❤️

Robyn Henderson 1 year ago

Fantastic experience: Brilliant! Friendly staff and a fun trip out.

Ben Francis 1 year ago

Fantastic experience: Fabulous experience. My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our cruise up and down the river. The boats are basic, functional and easily captained by complete newbies. My wife managed piloting just fine having never been on a boat before! I'd rate this as more of a fair weather activity, as you can see from my photo we had some rain which made visibility awkward (I had to pop the canvas roof, lean over and wipe the screen with my hand) but I can well imagine this being incredibly pleasant in the sunshine. The staff on the dock were very helpful, approachable and explained everything clearly. A unique view of a fabulous city which must be experienced.

David Kislingbury 1 year ago

Positive experience: Good fun look out for offers

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Ben Hawley 1 year ago

Fantastic experience: A lovely way to see the city from a different angle. You drive the boat 4 bridges North up to Clifton Bridge then back South to Millennium Bridge. Simple controls and fairly slow so no chance of crashing it! Also they have a walk-up service for those that haven't booked ahead of time.

NP PHILOANTROPE 1 year ago

Fantastic experience: Best experience for my friend birthday, we rent one boat and feel so comfortable and fun, if I have a chance I’ll do it again.

Michelle Shields 1 year ago

Fantastic experience: As a complete novice I found the self drive boat easy to use. Was given instructions before use and it was straight off along the river. It was a beautiful day so it just added to the experience. Had a great time and will definitely go on again .

Benjamin Chung 1 year ago

Positive experience: I was sceptical at first but quite fun for couples or family. The boat is ridiculously slow and load so it'll get boring and uncomfortable after 30 mins. You do travel quite a distance and see much more than u would on the cruise

Jeanette Hutchinson 1 year ago

Fantastic experience: Fabulous the kid's loved it

Adhil Mohamed 1 year ago

Fantastic experience: So good to go on this self drive boats for an hour.

Carlos The Jackal 1 year ago

Fantastic experience:

J Mazi 1 year ago

Fantastic experience: Lovely experience with kids

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Alice Jackson 1 year ago

Fantastic experience: Really fun way to see York, great price for the experience and was much easier than I thought! Thankfully not many large boats to maneuver around and a lovely peaceful trip down the water on an easy route. The boats are v loud though so that's worth noting if you have young children

Tony Icke 1 year ago

Positive experience: Enjoyable self dive up and down the river for an hour. We had some light rain for some of the trip so had a tarpaulin on which made it a bit of a tight squeeze driving if you're over 6foot. Also with no wipers it made visibility harder. Once the rain stopped and the tarp was rolled back, it was a lot better experience.

Thomas Hamilton 2 years ago

Fantastic experience: Excellent, kids loved it. The boat is easy to navigate and the hour is long enough to get a fair distance up and down the river.

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