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Taking a Pittsburgh Sightseeing Cruise on the Gateway Clipper

Pittsburgh has many defining qualities. From its many championship sports teams to its iconic skyline and industrial past, there are many different qualities that make Pittsburgh Pittsburgh. However, there probably isn’t anything that’s had more of an effect on Pittsburgh history and culture than its three rivers.

The city of Pittsburgh was first settled by Europeans in the mid-18th century. Access to the Forks of the Ohio, as the area is officially known, was one of the major catalyst that began the French and Indian War . It’s also the reason for the high concentration of industries throughout the city of Pittsburgh.

Today, Pittsburgh’s rivers do not have as much cultural impact on the city as they once did. However, the three rivers (the Allegheny, the Monongahela, and the Ohio) still dominate the city’s landscape. In fact, the rivers are so ingrained into the layout of the city that Pittsburgh is home to more bridges than any other city in the world.

Given the three rivers’ historical and cultural significance, as well as the way they wrap around the downtown area, there is no better way to explore the city than by boat. While several companies rent small personal watercrafts, a river boat tour of the city is more my speed.

The Gateway Clipper leaves from Station Square on the city’s South Shore, just steps from the Monongahela Incline, which takes passengers to the top of Mount Washington . The fleet has been sailing the rivers of Pittsburgh since 1958, and now features six boats with capacity of up to 1,000 visitors.

While the Gateway Clipper Fleet offers a variety of cruise options, such as diners, fall foliage tours, and even pirate-themed trips, most visitors opt to take the one-hour sightseeing tour of Pittsburgh. During a recent visit to Pittsburgh, I had the opportunity to climb on board and see what these tours are all about.

The Gateway Clipper offers sightseeing cruises of Pittsburgh from April through October, with multiple sailings on each sailing day. There are also evening sightseeing cruises that travel the rivers both before and after sunset.

The onboard experience is fairly similar no matter which boat you board for your sightseeing cruise. Since seating is not reserved, riders can choose from a variety of spots, both indoor and outdoor.

While indoor spots might make it a bit more difficult to take photos, some outdoor spots have poor quality speakers, so the narration can be hard to hear. Because of this, you’ll want to make sure that you choose which option is most important to you. After all, the views are amazing, but the narrated guide provides a lot of great information about the city of Pittsburgh .

It’s also worth noting that the Evening Sightseeing cruises can be challenging for photos. Since the ship is constantly moving, it can be hard to shoot photos after it gets dark. While this is a great time to see the city, it might not be the best option for those looking to take photos of Pittsburgh from the Gateway Clipper

Sightseeing cruises only last about an hour, and they typically travel along all three rivers, offering fantastic views of downtown Pittsburgh from a unique angle. On my trip, we headed up the Monongahela for a short distance, before heading to The Point and turning up the Allegheny. We then turned around and ended a few hundred yards off The Point in the Ohio River.

All too soon, the sightseeing cruise on the Gateway Clipper comes to an end. Without a doubt, there is no more relaxing or beautiful way to see Pittsburgh . Whether you’ve lived in the city your whole life or are visiting for the first time, taking a Pittsburgh sightseeing cruise on the Clipper will give you a unique view of the city and a new appreciation for the history, culture, and beauty of this amazing city.

Want to take another sightseeing cruise in Pennsylvania? Check out the Just Ducky Tours in Pittsburgh , the  Proud Mary Showboat on Raystown Lake and the Hiawatha on the Susquehanna River in Williamsport .

Gateway Clipper Sightseeing Cruise

See map for other area attractions.

Great places to stay in Pittsburgh

• Renaissance Hotel - One of the city's highest-rated hotels on Trip Advisor.
• Residence Inn North Shore - The perfect hotel for sports fans
• Hampton Inn and Suites - The only downtown hotel with free parking
• Hyatt Place - Great value near great attractions
• Find more great places to stay on Vrbo!

Click the map to see more nearby things to do

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The Ultimate Waterfall Road Trip Through Northwestern Pennsylvania

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Find more things to do in the pittsburgh region.

Jim Cheney is the creator of UncoveringPA.com. Based in Carlisle near Harrisburg, Jim frequently travels around Pennsylvania and has visited, written about, and photographed all 67 counties in the state. He has also traveled to more than 30 different countries around the world.

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Looks like a beautiful way to see Pittsburgh!

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Gateway Clipper Fleet

Hours updated over 3 months ago

Review Highlights

“ The cruise was the easiest and best way to see the sights the city has to offer. ” in 64 reviews

“ We booked an event for March ( weather is hit or miss in Pittsburgh), but the climate control inside was great. ” in 20 reviews

“ Sailing the Three Rivers at sunset with friends is really so lovely and just a lot of fun. ” in 11 reviews

Location & Hours

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350 W Station Sq Dr

Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Amenities and More

About the business.

Business owner information

Terry Wirginis W.

Business Owner

The Gateway Clipper Fleet specializes in public, as well as private boat rides. We offer a wide array of dining and sightseeing cruises daily throughout the summer months. We operate all year round- providing customers with corporate meeting places, brides with reception venues, and families with a fun and exciting dining atmosphere. We offer Holiday Cruises as well- Santa even frequents the boat during December. Halloween, Easter, Fourth of July, you name it, we'll have an event for it! Our family owned business is the largest non-sports attraction in Pittsburgh and over the last 51 years, upwards of 25 million passengers have sailed the three rivers and beyond on one of the Fleet's riverboats. We would love to host you and yours for your next family reunion, wedding, or date night- contact us for reservations and cruise times. …

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Overall rating

190 reviews

Fabulous first time experience on a Captain's Dinner Cruise!! I enjoyed every minute. You just cannot beat the view!! Even with the chilly 25° weather, I still made sure to get out on the deck to take some pictures! The staff were so friendly and accommodating. They had an extra, empty table that they offered to my date and I rather than a banquet set table, which was nice & unexpected! The food tasted great, but I did have to add some seasoning which I didn't mind at all! The bartender was lovely as well. I would love to experience this again in the future!

See all photos from Karina P. for Gateway Clipper Fleet

Gross. Outdated and filthy. We did the Easter dinner cruise because we were visiting from out of town. I wanted to show my husband and little girl Pgh from the water. It was a rust bucket on the water. It has not been updated since I last was on it in the 1990s. It smelled like body odor and cigarette smoke and was dreadful. My little 10 year old daughter wanted to jump off and swim back because it was so gross. The food was the same crap they served in the 1990s and a horrible selection to choose from. The salad was the only thing that was edible but the salad bowl was depleted, along with the croutons. I would never ever do this floating nightmare again. 2 hours of our lives we can never get back. The music choice from the dj was cringeworthy. Who plays the Macarena and electric slide in 2024? His outdated music selection added to our misery on this rusty smelly nasty boat. Yuck. Zero out of ten - don't recommend! Almost $300 wasted which would have been better spent on room service at our hotel.

Booked a cruise months in advance only to have it cancelled less than 2 weeks prior to our trip with no explanation. The best part is that they didn't offer a refund, only to reschedule. We are still in the process of getting a refund. Think twice before giving this company any of your money.

Visited Pittsburgh at the end of October and knew i had to take a cruise. I took the PRT over from downtown and enjoyed the walk along the water. I opted for a mid-day cruise and bought my ticket in-person. They give physical tickets, which I liked because it's definitely being added to my scrapbook. The weather was nice, thankfully no rain. The views, 10/10. I really loved all the information that was shared over the speaker, explaining the different areas. Definitely a highlight of my amazing trip.

My favorite view from the tour.

We did the 3-Rivers Tour. Really comfortable. Nice easy-going, very informational tour of the waterways in the downtown Pittsburgh area. We sat on the top deck. Good way to get your bearings for what sites to plan for next thing-to-do. Definitely recommend!

Great experience and wonderful evening! The food was tasty and buffet style. The views were beautiful and romantic. The music was enjoyable and fun.

See all photos from Brandon R. for Gateway Clipper Fleet

We did the Fourth of July fireworks cruise on the princess. The positives were a great view of the fireworks, little tour and Pittsburgh info/history, no worries about saving a family spot on the lawn or having to use port a potties in the park, access to food and drink. overall glad we did this and would recommend. Some of the things to be aware of that make this less than a five star experience: people line up early so they can get the prime seats. We didn't realize that you have to keep checking the board for which gate your boat is leaving from so you know where to line up. Then after boarding, passengers come around trying to steal chairs to bring them literally anywhere on the ship decks that they want to sit. It gets chaotic. Took a little longer than expected to dock the boat after the fireworks display because everyone with a smaller boat streams down the river immediately past this large ship so to be safe we wait. You can decline the boarding photo.

Nothing screams Pittsburgh charm like a Gateway Clipper ride to a Steelers game! A perfect option for attending events on the North Shore. Event parking at Station Square is $10, then a round trip ticket to the North Shore is $15 per person. The drop off/pick up for Steelers games is conveniently located right outside of gate A. So much more relaxing of a commute than sitting in traffic on the North Shore!

This is a must when visiting Pittsburgh. I went an hour because I was afraid of being late of far parking but super easy parking. Right where the entrance was. Since it's been hot I picked the 6:30 time and couldn't have been happier. Weather was perfect at that time. Since we got there super early was presently surprised how cute the dock was. You can feed the fishes and there's a snack/beverage stand. The guys at the ticker booth and snack stand was really nice. Even gave my nephews some bread to feed the fishes. So many places to sit and restrooms was clean with even a little stool for kids. Once it was time to board the process was easy. Very nice tour of the 3 rivers. A must do in Pittsburgh. You won't be disappointed . =)

See all photos from Kim N. for Gateway Clipper Fleet

Great way to get an overview of Pittsburgh. This tour highlights tourist attraction you can go and visit.

See all photos from Freda R. for Gateway Clipper Fleet

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Gateway Clipper Cruises – A Tour Perfect for Visitors

Published by Jeremy . Last Updated on February 8, 2023.

Disclaimer : Our site uses demographic data, email opt-ins, display advertising, and affiliate links. Please check out our Terms and Conditions . Pricing, operating hours, or menus may have changed since our initial visit and may not be reflected in subsequent updates. Please confirm these directly with any business or attraction prior to visiting.

The Gateway Clipper is an iconic Pittsburgh attraction. No matter the time of day, odds are good you can look to the rivers near downtown Pittsburgh and see these iconic blue, gold, and red riverboats ferrying passengers or giving a water-level city tour.

As Pittsburgh residents, we've seen these boats for many years but oddly enough had never taken one. Naturally, since founding this site we wanted to change that and finally made the trip down to Station Square to take a sightseeing cruise at the end of peak season.

But in being honest, I have to say that there are two very different experiences you can have on the Gateway Clipper fleet- one as a resident and one as a visitor. Depending on what category you fall into, this may change your approach to this tour significantly.

The Gateway Clipper Fleet – For Visitors

For visitors to Pittsburgh, a trip on the Gateway Clipper is one of the top attractions you can do in the city. This 60-minute tour traverses the three rivers and is narrated to highlight the city's unique history, beautiful architecture, and other facts you may not hear anywhere else (excluding this blog, of course).

During each tour the guides ask who is a visitor and who is a local, and we were some of the only residents who were out for the day- something the guide suggested was fairly common.

The tour plays out much like you'd expect a 60-minute boat cruise to do. You do a quick loop around the rivers, learn a few facts about the city (some of which were sadly, incorrect), receive a few bad restaurant recommendations, and go on about your day.  A typical tourist boat cruise , and in Pittsburgh one that has a fairly incredible backdrop to enjoy.

If we were from out of town and took the trip, we would have enjoyed it immensely; however, in being locals to Pittsburgh and making it our mission to go explore as much as possible, we were a bit let down as the tour fell short of what we think is its full potential.

Gateway Clipper Cruises – For Residents

The reason for our lackluster response to the hour-long sightseeing cruise on the Gateway Clipper stems from the fact that it offer residents little to no new experiences or knowledge other than enjoying the view of the city from the water.

At some point, listening to the narrator talk is not so much a treat, but a distraction from why you're taking the tour in the first place (which for us was to simply experience the views).

This disconnect is where the problem of the Gateway Clipper comes into play. If you sign up for their standard sightseeing cruise, you're going to have a fairly typical sightseeing experience. As a visitor, 60 minutes out on the water is a pretty great tourist activity. But as a local who knows the waterways around Pittsburgh inside and out, we simply wanted more.

That being said, those who live in the city may want to take a trip out on the longer dinner cruises instead (many at sunset, for an added bonus) to appreciate the city we all know and love the way it should be enjoyed- for a very long time .

Looks like another Gateway Clipper cruise is in our future to try it out!

The Gateway Clipper fleet is docked at 350 W Station Square Drive right next to the Sheraton Station Square hotel .  Cruises are offered multiple times per day; however, starting in late October the frequency of departures decreases for the winter.

For more scenic viewpoints of Pittsburgh , check out our Pittsburgh skyline views guide which has an assortment you may never have seen before, or sign up for a Pittsburgh helicopter tour ! Or if you'd rather see the city from the water, check out all the great ways to experience the Pittsburgh rivers here!

For frequently asked questions about the Gateway Clipper, check out the following.

What is a Gateway Clipper tour?

The Gateway Clipper is a historic riverboat cruise on Pittsburgh's three rivers. A general sightseeing tour lasts approximately one hour.

Are reservations required for the Gateway Clipper?

Reservations are highly recommended as popular sailing times do sell out.

Where does the Gateway Clipper dock?

The Gateway Clipper fleet docks in Station Square in Pittsburgh's South Side. Their address is 350 W Station Square Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.

What is parking like at the Gateway Clipper dock?

A surface lot is available as well as a parking garage that is used by the Sheraton Hotel and charges an hourly rate. Note that most of the parking lots nearby may have surge pricing during events at Highmark Stadium.

Does the Gateway Clipper fleet offer other tours?

Yes. The Gateway Clipper has dinner cruises, themed cruises, and more.

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Superhero Cruise on Gateway Clipper Fleet

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CALLING ALL SUPERHEROES! Come aboard for a fun-filled day on the river! Whether from your favorite comic book or blockbuster movie, you’re sure to see your favorite superstar aboard this classic Pittsburgh sightseeing tour. Enjoy a DJ dance party, lots of fun and the best Pittsburgh tour in the city!

Book Online: https://www.gatewayclipper.com/kids-cruises/

https://www.gatewayclipper.com/kids-cruises/

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HOLIDAY SEASON CRUISES

In pittsburgh, pa.

Holiday Captain’s Dinner Cruise & Tour

Calendar Available: December – Saturdays

Holiday Sparkle Dinner Cruise & Tour

Calendar Available: December – Fridays

Santa Fun Cruise & Tour

Calendar Available: Friday, Sunday, Saturday

Help us spread holiday cheer up and down the rivers aboard our Pittsburgh Riverboat Holiday Tour! Join us for a luncheon and feast on our festive menu, enjoy holiday and relive your holiday celebrations from the past!

Looking for an evening holiday cruise? Join us for dinner and let the season sparkle and shine on the river! Enjoy a holiday celebration onboard a Pittsburgh riverboat tour. Featuring our fabulous holiday buffet, festive holiday DJ entertainment and even a special appearance by Santa!

Ready to celebrate? Our Holiday Sparkle Dinner Cruise & Tour is the perfect way to raise your glass and toast friends and colleagues in a holiday celebration aboard a Pittsburgh riverboat tour. A delicious buffet and holiday music will make this evening a party to remember.

For a family friendly option, bring the whole family aboard a Pittsburgh holiday tradition on a special meet-and-greet cruise with Santa Claus! Kids, get your Christmas list in order and we’ll see you on the riverboat!