1000 Islands Cruise CanadaThings to Do in the 1000 Islands, Ontario Side
Things to do in 1000 Islands stretch well past the boat cruise, and this page sticks to the Ontario side only, the stretch of Highway 401 and the river from Kingston down to Brockville, not the New York shore across the water. We built this list around one honest fact: the islands themselves are visible only from a boat, so everything on land is either a view of them or a way to fill the hours around a cruise. Free stops, paid attractions, a one-day plan and a two-day plan, laid out in the order you would actually drive them.
Quick answer
A full day of things to do in the 1000 Islands on the Ontario side mixes one cruise with free shoreline stops: the Parkway lookouts, the Brockville railway tunnel, and the trails at Landon Bay and Jones Creek cost nothing, while the 1000 Islands Tower and the boat itself are the paid anchors. Plan one day around a single port, or two days to cover the ground from Kingston to Brockville properly.
Key takeaways
- The 90-minute Brockville catamaran is the cheapest way onto the water at $29, and pairs naturally with the free railway tunnel a five-minute walk from the dock
- Everything free strings along the 1000 Islands Parkway: 37 kilometres of shoreline road between Gananoque and Brockville with a paved path beside it the whole way
- The 1000 Islands Tower on Hill Island climbs about 400 feet over the river with three observation decks, though its own ticket price isn't published online yet
- Only a boat reaches the islands themselves, and the scenic helicopter flight is the fastest way to actually see how the archipelago is laid out
- Planning two days instead of one leaves room to add Boldt Castle from the Canadian side without rushing past the free stops
Three Ways to See the Islands Beyond a Single Cruise
One flight and two very different cruises, picked to cover the whole point of a Thousand Islands day: getting on, over or through the water itself.
from $91Highest Rated — 4.9/5 1000 Islands Scenic Helicopter Tour from Gananoque
Not a cruise, but the best-rated operator in the region and the only way to see the island count make sense. Everyone gets a window seat; the 30-minute…
- Guaranteed window seat for every passenger
- 10-minute flight over Gananoque, the Admiralty, Navy and Lake Fleet islands
- 20-minute adds both spans of the Ivy Lea Bridge and Boldt Castle
- 30-minute 'Two Castle' flight adds Singer Castle and sunken shipwrecks
from $29Cheapest — From $29 Brockville 90-Minute 1000 Islands Catamaran Cruise
The eastern end of the archipelago, and the only catamaran on this page, shallow enough for channels the big tour boats skip. Ninety minutes and frequent departures make…
- 120-passenger catamaran with open outer deck and heated indoor deck
- Passes freighters in the St. Lawrence Seaway shipping channel
- Narrow channels closed to larger tour boats
- Brockville waterfront mansions and island cottages
from $30Most Reviewed — 5,126 Reviews Gananoque 1000 Islands Cruise — 1, 3 or 5 Hours, Boldt Castle Optional
The busiest departure on the Canadian side. One ticket, three lengths: the 1-hour stays in the Admiralty group, the 3-hour reaches Boldt Castle and Millionaire's Row, and the…
- Three cruise lengths on one booking: 1, 3 or 5 hours
- Audio commentary in English and French
- 3-hour and 5-hour pass Boldt Castle, Zavikon Island and Millionaire's Row
- 5-hour option includes Boldt Castle admission (passport required)
On the Water vs On the Shore
Every landmark that made this region famous, the castles, Millionaire's Row, the narrow channels, sits on an island. The shore gives you views of that world, not entry into it, and knowing which is which before you plan a day saves a wasted stop. For what each port's cruise actually costs and includes, see the 1000 Islands cruise comparison.
What Only a Boat Shows You
Boldt Castle, Singer Castle, Zavikon Island's small bridge and the summer houses along Millionaire's Row are all reachable only by water. A road pullout on the Parkway will show you distant rooflines through the trees at best. The Gananoque cruise and its sister sailings from Ivy Lea and Rockport are the only way to pass close enough to actually see them, and the longer sailings dock at Heart Island itself.
The scenic helicopter flight from Gananoque solves a different problem: from the ground or the water, the count of 1,864 islands is an abstraction. From up in the air, the pattern of channels and granite outcrops finally reads as a whole archipelago rather than a string of green shapes going past the rail. It also settles the geography question a shoreline map never quite answers: which channel connects to which, and how far apart the five ports actually sit along the same 80-kilometre run of river.
A rock only counts as one of the 1,864 islands if it stays above water year round and holds at least two living trees, a rule that makes the number feel oddly precise for a landscape that looks, from the shore, like an endless repetition of pine and granite. Seeing that rule applied at scale, hundreds of tiny qualifying islands packed between the larger inhabited ones, is something no shore stop delivers.
The Bookable Anchors
Two attractions on the Ontario shore charge admission and are worth building a stop around. The rest of this list is free.
| What | Where | Adult cost | Time needed | Bookable online |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 90-minute catamaran cruise | Blockhouse Island, Brockville | $29 | 1.5 hours | Yes |
| Gananoque cruise, 1/3/5 hours | 280 Main Street, Gananoque | From $30 | 1 to 5 hours | Yes |
| Scenic helicopter flight | Gananoque Heliport | From $91 | 10 to 60 minutes | Yes |
| 1000 Islands Tower | 716 Highway 137, Hill Island, Lansdowne | Rates posted at the tower; online booking is coming | About 30 minutes | Not yet, buy at the door |
| Aquatarium | Brockville waterfront | Rates posted at the venue | 1 to 2 hours | Buy at the door |
The Ontario Side, Port by Port and Stop by Stop
Five cruise ports and the shoreline attractions between them, from Kingston in the west to Brockville in the east.
What Costs Nothing
The 1000 Islands Parkway ties every one of these together, 37 kilometres of shoreline road between Gananoque and Brockville with a paved recreational path running beside it the whole way. Park at any of the marked lookouts and walk the rest. None of what follows needs a booking, and stringing three or four of these stops together with a coffee break between them fills as much of an afternoon as most people want to spend in a car.
The Parkway Lookouts
A dozen small pullouts sit along the 37 kilometres of the Parkway, each with a view of a different channel or island group. None of them charge, none of them need a booking, and driving the full length at a slow pace with a few stops fills an unhurried two hours on its own.
The Brockville Railway Tunnel
Restored and free to walk, the tunnel runs a quarter mile under downtown Brockville and is a five-minute walk from the Blockhouse Island cruise dock, which makes it the easiest pairing on this whole list: catch the 90-minute cruise, walk the tunnel, and you have filled a morning for $29.
Landon Bay and Jones Creek
Landon Bay Conservation Area, on the Parkway between Gananoque and Rockport, holds walking trails and a lookout over the river with no entry fee. Jones Creek's trail network, inside Thousand Islands National Park near Mallorytown, threads forest and wetland with the same free access; admission to the park itself is free for youth 17 and under, and the mainland visitor centre at Mallorytown Landing, 1121 Thousand Islands Parkway, is the place to start if you want a map.
The Statue of St. Lawrence
A carved shoreline figure near Ivy Lea, visible from the road and better from the water on the Ivy Lea cruise. It costs nothing to pull over and photograph from the shoulder, and it sits close enough to the 1000 Islands Tower and the Ivy Lea dock that all three fit into one short stop without backtracking.
Why the Free Stops Matter on a Budget Day
None of these five stops charge admission, none need advance booking, and together they turn what could be a single $30 cruise into a half-day or full day out without adding much to the bill beyond fuel and a coffee. The trade is time rather than money: a free stop rewards someone willing to get out of the car and walk a trail or a lookout, where the cruise does the moving for you. Most visitors do best mixing both, one paid anchor and two or three free stops around it, rather than choosing only one side of the ledger.
Live Dates from Gananoque
The most-booked port on this page, and the easiest to build a day plan around since it sells three cruise lengths on one ticket.
Building a One-Day or Two-Day Plan
Pick a port first, then decide how many days you have. Trying to cover Kingston through Brockville in one day means driving more than resting.
The One-Day Plan, Pick One Port
For most first-time visitors, a single day works best anchored on one port rather than driving the whole 85 kilometres between Kingston and Brockville. Pick the port based on what you want to see: Gananoque and Ivy Lea for the castles and Millionaire's Row, Kingston if nobody in the group has a passport and a sit-down meal matters, Brockville if you're travelling with young children or breaking up a longer drive on Highway 401.
| Time | Stop | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Morning | Drive in, park at your chosen port | Gananoque, Ivy Lea or Rockport all sit within 4 km of Highway 401 |
| Midday | Take the cruise | The 3-hour from Gananoque or the 2-hour Two Castle sailing from Ivy Lea both reach the landmarks |
| Afternoon | Walk a Parkway lookout or Landon Bay | Free, and close to Gananoque and Rockport |
| Late afternoon | 1000 Islands Tower, if it's on your route | Near Ivy Lea; about 30 minutes including the elevator |
The Two-Day Plan, Kingston to Brockville
Two days lets you actually cover the 85 kilometres between the western and eastern ends of the archipelago, rather than choosing one port and staying put. It also spreads the driving out, since all five ports sit within 4 kilometres of Highway 401 but are 32 to 85 kilometres apart from each other along it, and gives you room for a longer sailing on one of the two days without the rest of the plan feeling rushed.
- Day one: Kingston riverboat cruise through the Admiralty group, lunch downtown, then drive the Parkway east toward Gananoque for the evening
- Day one, alternative: skip Kingston and start at Gananoque with the 3-hour cruise, then the Statue of St. Lawrence and a Parkway lookout in the afternoon
- Day two: Ivy Lea or Rockport in the morning for a shorter cruise and the free parking, then the 1000 Islands Tower nearby
- Day two, afternoon: drive on to Brockville for the 90-minute catamaran, the free railway tunnel and the Aquatarium
- Day two, if there's time left: Boldt Castle from the Canadian side needs its own longer sailing, and is worth planning as a dedicated stop rather than squeezing in
Planning Your Time in the 1000 Islands
How do you spend a day in the Thousand Islands?
Anchor the day on one port. A cruise in the morning or midday, a free Parkway lookout or Landon Bay walk in the afternoon, and the 1000 Islands Tower if it's on your route back. Trying to drive Kingston to Brockville in a single day leaves little time for anything but the car.
What is there to do in the 1000 Islands besides the boat cruise?
The scenic helicopter flight from Gananoque is the other way onto the water, from above rather than on it. On land, the free stops are the Parkway lookouts, the Brockville railway tunnel, Landon Bay and the Jones Creek trails, plus the paid 1000 Islands Tower and Aquatarium.
What can you do in the 1000 Islands for free?
The 1000 Islands Parkway itself, 37 kilometres of shoreline road with lookouts the whole way, the Brockville railway tunnel a quarter mile under downtown, the trails at Landon Bay and Jones Creek, and the Statue of St. Lawrence near Ivy Lea. None of them charge admission or need a booking.
Is the 1000 Islands Tower worth it?
For the view, yes: about 400 feet up with three observation decks and a 40-second elevator ride, it is the only vantage point on land that comes close to what the scenic helicopter flight shows from the air. The tower's own admission rate isn't posted online at the time of writing, so budget to pay at the door.
How many days do you need in the 1000 Islands?
One day covers a single port well: a cruise plus a free stop or two nearby. Two days lets you work the full stretch from Kingston to Brockville, including the free stops between ports and a longer sailing like Rockport's stopover cruises if Boldt Castle is on the list.
How do you reach the 1000 Islands without a car?
Kingston is the only base on this list served directly by rail and long-distance coach; Gananoque, Ivy Lea, Rockport and Brockville all assume you are driving or on a tour. We set out the options, and the honest drive times, in our guide to the 1000 Islands from Toronto.
Which of these work with young children?
The Brockville waterfront cluster does the heavy lifting: a 90-minute sailing, the free railway tunnel and the Aquatarium all sit within a five-minute walk of each other. We match sailing length to age in our guide to the 1000 Islands with kids.