This realistic Boston Whale Watching Guide helps you plan your next wildlife adventure in New England.

Stellwagen Bank off the coast of Boston is a great place to watch whales and marine wildlife.

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Sights & Places of Interest

A whale watching tour is a great attraction for nature lovers. It is a great addition to a Boston itinerary after you explored the city’s other sights.

Whale watching from a convenient location in one of the nation’s largest cities sounds almost too good to be true. There is no catch. Geology explains it all.

Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary is in Massachusetts Bay. It is home to Stellwagen Bank, an underwater plateau.

• The plateau affects the underwater currents.
• The currents bring nutrients towards the surface.
• The ease of getting nutrients attracts marine wildlife.

You can expect to see whales, dolphins, and seals on your tour. In fact, you could see humpback, fin, and minke whales. It makes this whale watching experience quite unique. Most other whale watching spots only promise one or two whale types.

Boston Harbor Boat Spotting

The tour departs from Long Wharf. You can take the first few minutes to enjoy the new and historic buildings. You will see the Custom House Tower. This 1915 building is now a hotel.

You could then shift your attention to boat spotting. The tour boat will pass lots of smaller boats and yachts.

The harbor traffic could be heavy if you take a weekend tour in the summer. Do not worry about missing whales. It takes at least 1.5 hours to get to the whale spots.

As you continue through Boston Inner Harbor, look to the left. You will spot the Lightship Nantucket on the other side of the harbor.

Boston Main Channel Plane Spotting

The tour boat will go further through the Boston Main Channel. You will pass the Ted Williams Tunnel and the I-90. But you might not even notice it since it is a tunnel after all.

You will approach Boston Logan International Airport soon after. This airport is on a peninsula. All of its runways face Boston Harbor.

You will have a front row seat to watch the planes on the ground. You can also spot aircrafts taking off and landing.

The tour’s route through the Boston Main Channel will bring you in front of the runway. Boston Logan is among the busiest airports in the nation.

So, it is likely that a plane will be taking off as you pass the runway. When it happens, you will see a takeoff right from the boat. It will be a great bonus for the plane spotters onboard.

All others should head inside the cabin and cover their ears. A takeoff is quite loud.

Boston Harbor Islands

You will enter the part of Boston Harbor with a few islands just past the airport. The tour guide will tell you about the history of the Castle, Thompson, Spectacle, Long, and Dear Islands.

Stellwagen Bank

The tour will continue on the way to the whale watching spots. Once you pass the Boston Light, you will be in the open ocean. There will be few things to see. It is a good time to head inside.

If you are prone to seasickness, try to get a seat towards the end of the cabin. This part of the boat is more stable. You will have a better experience there.

Whale Watching

Your captain or tour guide will let you know when the boat reaches Stellwagen Bank. This will be the right time to head to the deck.

You might first need to rely on the crew to spot a whale. They have equipment that spots whales and other animals before they surfaced.

Think of the boat as a giant clock. If there is a whale at 12 o’clock, you should look to the front of the boat. 6 o’clock is the rear. And all other options refer to the sides.

You can hope to see a variety of whale behaviors. Spouting is one of the most common ones. It looks like a small water fountain. You can easily see it from a distance.

Whales usually surface for a few minutes. They go for another dive after that. When they dive, they often show their flippers or flukes. A flipper in this position looks a lot like a high five.

If you are lucky, you will see a whale right next to the boat. Everyone onboard will rush to the side nearest to the whale.

You can also hope to see a few whales go for a fluke dive. A whale might even breach and jump out of water. You just need to be very lucky to see this behavior in person.

The Boston Whale Watching Tour will spend about an hour at Stellwagen Bank. It will turn back to Boston right after. The return journey will take another 75 to 90 minutes.

Boston Waterfront

The tour will bring you back at Long Wharf. There are lots of things to do once you get off the boat.

• You could walk the Boston Freedom Trail.
• You could go back in time at the Gibson or Nichols House Museums.
• You could head to Cambridge. The campus of Harvard University and Longfellow House are worth a visit.
• Or you could explore Boston Waterfront, an area near the starting point of the tour.

The next chapter of our Boston Whale Watching Tour will discuss the things to see next to Long Wharf.

Boston Waterfront and South Boston Waterfront districts are the closest to Long Wharf. There are a few sights to visit in both neighborhoods.

Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum

This area is quite walkable. The Harbor Walk on both of it sides is to thank for it. These neighborhoods are rapidly changing. New buildings and art installations are popping up next to historic houses, bridges, and museums.

You can spot the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum from the Harbor Walk, Evelyn Moakley Bridge, or Congress Street Bridge. This is not a surprise. There are two replica ships that you can see from afar.

The ticket prices are quite steep if you decide to go inside. But there is an easy way to admire the ships for free.

You can enjoy Eleanor and Beaver from a distance from the Congress Street Bridge.

Once you finish your exploration, you can grab a bite in Chinatown. It is minutes away from the South Station and Boston Common.

Continue with our Boston Whale Watching Guide. You will learn more about ways to get to the sights, entrance requirements, refunds and cancelations, and places to stay.

Getting to Boston Whale Watching

Boston Harbor Whale Watching is very easy to get to. It sets it apart from whale watching tours in California, Alaska, and Iceland.

In fact, the tour departs right from the city center at Long Wharf.

• The starting point is right next to the New England Aquarium Building.
• It is also minutes away the same name Blue Line T station.
• You can reach it quickly from Faneuil Hall and other sights of the Freedom Trail.

The boarding spot is also hard to miss. The tour takes place on one of the larger vessels at the wharf. It can house about 200 people.

There might be a long line for boarding if you take the tour in the summer. Yet, the line moves quickly. You can get onboard in about 15 minutes from the ticket center.

Where to Stay

There are a few options if you prefer to walk to the starting point of the tour. In this case, you should book a place to stay in Boston Downtown, South Waterfront, or Seaport neighborhoods.

But you do not have to limit your search to these areas. Long Wharf’s location next to the subway station should encourage to look beyond the city center.

Take a closer look at Revere.

• This neighborhood is on the same subway line.
• You will be a short subway ride from Long Wharf.
• Revere has nice yet more affordable hotels than the city center.

Do not forget to check for any long term service disruptions. This way, you could save yourself from a hassle of getting to the starting point of the tour.

Entrance Requirements & Passes

Boston Whale Watching Tours run between late April and early November.

• The prices vary by season and year.
• You can expect to pay $65+ per adult.
• There is also an additional 5% Boston Sightseeing Tour Surcharge and taxes.

The tours often sell out. So, it is best to buy your tickets in advance. This is true even if you take a weekend tour early or late in the season. This is the only way you can secure your spot.

There is at least one tour a day during the season. This tour usually departs at 10:00 a.m. There are up to 4 tours a day in the summer. You can expect a couple of daily tours in the fall.

Be sure to bring warm clothes, like a waterproof jacket or a windbreaker. Open ocean winds drop the outside temperature. If it is 65°F in Long Wharf, it will feel like 45°F in the Bay.

Tour Cancelations

Whale watching is an uncertain activity. You are likely to see whales if you take a tour during the season. But rough seas and fog present a problem for Boston Whale Watching tours.

Your tour could be canceled ahead of schedule if the weather is very bad. In this case, you will get a message and an email informing you of the changes.

But advance cancelations are not too common. In fact, you are far more likely to run into issues at sea.

• The weather could be amazing at Long Wharf.
• You could have great visibility in Boston Harbor.
• The seas could look calm.

But it does not mean that you are out of the woods.

Things could turn for the worse in a blink of an eye. The sea could become rougher after you pass the Deer Island Light. The tour boat will enter the open waters of the Broad Sound and Massachusetts Bay.

If the ocean becomes rougher and less welcoming, your trip could be at risk. Even if you get to see whales, you will likely struggle with seasickness. This could be far from an enjoyable experience.

You will know your chances of reaching the whale watching spots about 45 to 60 minutes into the tour. But if the weather prevents you from reaching the Marine Sanctuary, you will not be left in the dark.

Look for a captain’s announcement, a text message, and an email. In this event the tour boat will also slow down its pace. It will return to Long Wharf in about an hour.

The ride back will be enjoyable even at rough seas.

Refunds

You can learn a lot about the company depending on how it handles service disruptions, inclement weather, and refunds. We had a very positive experience in this area.

Moments after the captain’s announcements, the provider sent several emails and messages. All of them confirmed the change of course and outlined the options.

You will have two options if your tour returns midway.

• You can reschedule the tour for a different day. You can try your luck again. This option is good if you have flexibility and a few days left in Boston.
• You can take a full refund. It could be the best option if the tour is on your last day in Boston.

In addition, you do not have to sort it out right after the tour. You can skip a queue at the ticket booth and pick one of the options via phone. This way, you can save valuable trip time.

If you go for a refund, you can get the funds in a few days. Exact processing time depends on your bank.

A tour cancelation is never fun. But a no-hassle return and great customer service can make a bad experience much better.

Takeaways: Boston Whale Watching

A whale watching tour should be on every nature lover’s shortlist. Boston Harbor Whale Watching Tours offers this experience right from Boston Long Wharf.

At about $70 per person, Boston Whale Watching is a lot cheaper than similar tours in the US and abroad. It is a no-brainer activity when visiting Boston.

Long travel times to the whale watching spots are the only downside of this tour. There will be about 30 minutes each way when you will have nothing else to watch but the open seas.

If you would like to spend less time getting to the whale watching spots, consider tours from Gloucester. This town is a bit closer to Stellwagen Bank.

If a trip to Gloucester does not work with your itinerary, stick to Boston Harbor Whale Watching. It is one of the best whale watching tours in the US.

Follow a few simple tips to make the most from your Boston Whale Watching Tour.

• Book your spot in advance.
• Bring a warm jacket.
• Take seasickness medication.
• Have backup plans if weather interferes with the tour.

Frequently Asked Questions

Safe realist travels!