Where to Sail: the 10 Best Ferry Trips with Food & Drink Worldwide

1.San Francisco Combo: Ferry Building Food Tour and Alcatraz

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 152 reviews · 1 to 4 hours (approx.) · from $181Our pick

Start at 10 a.m. with a 90-minute Ferry Building food tour led by a local guide such as Rebecca, Tori, Carol, or Travis. Taste bread, cheese, chocolate, Vietnamese food, and more, then walk to Pier 33 for the ferry to Alcatraz. Your island visit is self-guided, with an audio tour in 10 languages.

“Our guide, Rebecca, was so welcoming and was very informative. I loved getting to try foods that I've never had before. Even my picky husband liked all the food we tried, even the fruit! Thank you for broadening our horizons! We will remember this experience forever!”

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2.Victoria Bites and Sights Tour with Food, Drinks and Ferry

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 114 reviews · 2h 30m · from $62Best value

Start by the Empress with an English-speaking guide such as Gary, Fish, or Julie, then cross the harbour by ferry to Chinatown. Walk through old lanes, stop for a cocktail, craft beer, local bites, chocolate, and Canadian food, while hearing lively stories about Victoria’s past. Expect steady walking and a small-group feel.

“We loved this tour! Very informative and yet easy going. Met some awesome people😊”

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3.San Francisco Food Tour: Ferry Building and Ferry Plaza Farmers Market

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 92 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $95

Meet at 10 a.m. for a 90-minute Ferry Building food walk limited to 10 people. Your guide leads you through market stalls and artisan shops, with tastings such as Cowgirl Creamery cheese, Acme bread, Recchiuti chocolate, seasonal produce, Vietnamese specialties, and more. Guides have included Tori, Rebecca, Molly, Paul, and Travis.

“What a great day!! We met our tour guide, Paul, in front of the Ferry Building and he already had our first little snack waiting for us. Paul shared some of the history of the ferry building and San Francisco. We met the farmers and chefs at several booths and heard their remarkable experiences. We ate farm fresh tomatoes, freshly made tacos on handmade tortillas and then we went inside the ferry building. Inside the ferry building we had frozen hot chocolate (yum) and Arabian Street Food wraps. Delicious!!! We finished our food fest with Jamaican patties which are similar to an emapanada. It was a great day and we…”

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4.City Tour with Food Stop at Ferry Building + Optional Alcatraz

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 79 reviews · from $119Top rated

Start at 782 Columbus Avenue in Little Italy for a four-hour city tour in a climate-controlled vehicle. Your guide takes you through Chinatown, Pacific Heights, the Mission, Castro, Haight-Ashbury, Fisherman’s Wharf, and the Presidio, with a 90-minute Ferry Building stop. The tour ends at the Marin Headlands.

“Very good, lots of info, nice vieuws, excelent host, value for money, learned a lot about the city of Angels”

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5.Historic Pubs Walking & Ferry, Food & Drink Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 56 reviews · 3h 30m · from $129

Spend 3.5 hours with an English-speaking guide such as Big Al, Alvin, or Martin, tracing Boston’s Revolutionary story by foot and ferry. Visit two historic taverns, enjoy a drink and appetizers at each, see the USS Constitution and Bunker Hill, then finish with pastry from Modern Pastry in the North End.

“Great tour/ tour guide. Marty was extremely knowledgeable about the Boston area and a super nice guy. My wife and I went on 5-6 tours while in Boston. This one was probably the best. I would absolutely recommend this one to anyone looking to have a good time and learn about the North End/ Charlestown.”

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6.Food & Drink Private Tour in Lisbon & Cacilhas w/ Ferry Included

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 14 reviews · 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $184

Join guide André or another local guide for a private 3.5-hour food walk from Praça Luís de Camões to Cacilhas. Taste Portuguese liqueurs, wine, preserved fish, petiscos, and a traditional fish dinner. Ferry tickets, snacks, drinks, and the meal are included, with time for sunset views beneath the 25 April Bridge.

“We had André as our tour guide. It was very fun and we got to see popular streets of Lisbon, learned a lot of history. Tried very delicious wine and seafood. Portugal has left us very impressed with it’s culture and friendliness from everyone. The ferry to Cacilhas was wonderful. Our tour guide was a polyglot which made this tour more interactive and fun to be able learn about Portugal in various languages.”

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7.Guided Food Tour with Ferry Ride

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 13 reviews · 5 hours · from $135

This five-hour small-group tour takes you from Istanbul’s European side to Asia by ferry, with breakfast, Spice Bazaar tastings, kokoreç, lahmacun, mezes, Turkish coffee, and dessert. Guides including Tayfun and Feyza explain the food, customs, and city as you visit 9 to 10 local eateries. You get four drinks and ferry transport, but should arrive hungry.

“Feyza and her intern were wonderful company, they even accommodated me being the solo member. Highly recommend this tour answered my many questions and the food was delicious ☺️”

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8.4-Hr Shanghai Tour: Food, Culture, Sightseeing, Cycling, Ferry

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 12 reviews · from $93

Spend four hours seeing Shanghai by shared bike, ferry, subway, and foot. Your private English-speaking guide leads you from Lujiazui and Shanghai Tower to Xiahai Temple, City Mart, North Bund tea, and a Hongkou cafe. The tour includes snacks, tea, water, public transport, and temple entry, but not the Shanghai Tower ticket.

“Nice combination of walk and bike tour along the highlights of Shanghai with a perfect tour guide! Even with high temperatures”

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9.Istanbul Food Escape : Ferry to the Flavors of the Asian Side

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 5 reviews · 5 hours (approx.) · from $175

Join an expert local guide at Istanbul’s Egyptian Bazaar for a five-hour food walk across two continents. You’ll taste spices, cheeses, olives, börek, and stuffed mussels, ride the Bosphorus ferry, sip Turkish coffee in Kuzguncuk, and use a public minibus. Food tastings are included, but this is not a full meal.

“Introduced us to to a nice part of town and some tasty eats. A holiday closed a few of the places but the guide adjusted and we had a great time. Enjoyed the guide so much, we had drinks with them after the tour. Great time. The tour Really enjoyed the vibe of the businesses and restaurants, want to stay on this side of Istanbul next time we are in town.”

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10.Private Full Day Lake Balaton tour with lunch & wine tasting,and with ferry ride

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2 reviews · from $370

Spend about nine hours exploring Lake Balaton in a private air-conditioned vehicle. Visit Balatonfüred and Tihany, see Tihany Abbey, taste wine in Csopak, enjoy a three-course lunch with drinks, and cross the lake by ferry. Guide Susan is one named guide associated with the experience, though guide assignments may vary.

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