Capital Cruises Tours

208 Barton Springs Rd
Austin, TX, 78704

(512) 480-9264

Capital Cruises offers famous Sunset Bat Watching excursions that include a trip up Austin’s Lady Bird Lake (formerly known as Town Lake). They also offer Sightseeing tours during the day on weekends that start at 1pm (This is a tour of Lady Bird Lake and does not include bat watching). Boats are limited to 36 people and tours fill up fast. You can use this system to book a reservation, but need to show up 30-45 minutes before departure time in order to claim your spot.

The boat dock is located lakeside the Hyatt Regency Austin in downtown on Barton Springs Road between Congress and South 1st Street. Our dock is right on the hike and bike trail next to the hotel pool. The closest and easiest place to park is in the Hyatt Regency Garage. It runs $5/hour and is controlled by the Hyatt Regency Austin (prices are subject to change). Other lots in the area are also pay lots and vary in price depending on events in the area. Please allow plenty of time to get to us as the downtown traffic can be congested at times.

Please not that if you have not checked in 15 minutes prior to you departure, you may lose your space and no refund will be given.

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Capital Cruises Tours Reviews

Chris Campana

April 24, 2021

We rented kayaks only and had an absolute blast! The employee steered us away from the swan paddle boat because of the winds and his advice made our rentals that much more fun. Great location right next to the bat bridge, super cool employees!

Corina Ybarra

April 12, 2021

Captain Alec I believe was his name was both funny and informative. The spot he chose for the finally was just breath taking and really perfect view of all those bats. My entire family loved it and can't wait to go again. Thank you for the great time.

Felicia Jimenez

March 23, 2021

The workers so were so nice and helpful! We went during a rare super windy day and wanted to do the swan boats, but they advised against it because the wind would carry us away in the big boat and suggested a canoe or kayak instead. I'm so glad we listened to them because that wind was brutal! Our guide gave us a quick little tutorial since my boyfriend had never canoed before and it went great. Very knowledgeable staff, we had a great time!

Vishwajeet Kale

January 19, 2021

Since we were staying at the Hyatt Regency, Capital Cruises was right below the hotel to rent out Paddle Boards, Canoes and Kayaks. The staff is very friendly and helpful. For the ones who don’t know how to Kayak they do give you basic rowing and maneuvering tips/training. Also help you get on and off your kayak. Overall was a fantastic experience! Thank you for having us!

Solomon Longsworth

November 23, 2020

This was the highlight of me and my daughters trip. We got there about 5 minutes before they closed and Chase, the Adventure Guide, was very cool and welcomed us to enjoy one of their experiences

Poppen

November 11, 2020

Really cool. Even if you've lived here for a while it's still a great experience. The tour guide is informative and chill. You won't regret booking this. They take you to see the sunset, under several bridges, to a pic opportunity with the skyline in the bckg, then you get to see the bats. I bet you learn something even if you're a local!

Haley Tuck

October 13, 2020

Five stars goes to our tour guide Leah. She was absolutely amazing. Her humor was great and her knowledge was very informative. The problem I had was with the parking. We spent 15 mins finding parking where we then ended up having to pay $18 for parking in the Hyatt garage cause if we were late we would lose our spots and not get a refund. A little info about where you could park would be great to put in the website. When we tried to call on our way to the tour no one answered cause we couldn’t even find the location in the beginning either. There’s no signage. So great tour. Well worth it but maybe get all the info beforehand if you’ve never been. It can be a little confusing.

Erin Hrynuik

October 8, 2020

Captain Michael was the best! My husband and I booked this wanting to see the bats, and our experience was so much more than we thought it would be. Captain Mike explained some fun anecdotes, played wicked tunes, and the boat ride itself was super serene right at sunset. Definitely a must do when you’re visiting Austin - thanks for the great time!

Jason S

September 17, 2020

I love capital cruises. This is the finest rental dock in Austin. The prices are the best in the city for paddle boarding. The electric boats are also amazing, but they require a reservation.