Book a Boat trip on The Matthew of Bristol
Map key:
Black route:
Harbour Trip, Fish & Chips Trips, Cream Tea CruisePurple route:
Avon Gorge Cruise
All trips depart from our mooring at Princes Wharf, Bristol, BS1 4RN.
All trips are round trips, beginning and ending at our Princes Wharf mooring. Passenger boarding and disembarkment are only permitted here. Any stops that we may make on our trips are not suitable for members of the public to board or disembark.
Please arrive at The Matthew 10 minutes before the trip’s advertised start time to allow for boarding. The ship leaves promptly at the advertised start time and does not wait for latecomers under any circumstances. If, for any reason, you arrive late and miss your trip, you are not entitled to a refund, and you cannot reschedule your trip.
Getting around central Bristol isn't always easy, so make sure to leave plenty of time for your journey, and to find a parking space if you’re driving! Visit our How To Find Us page for more information.
Your booking confirmation will be emailed to the address you provided when you booked and will usually arrive in your inbox within seconds of completing your online booking (please check your junk folder if you can’t see it in your inbox). This confirmation email is your proof of purchase and contains information about your trip. Let us know as soon as possible if you haven’t received it.
Please note that trips on The Matthew do not include commentary. You are invited to ask our knowledgeable volunteer crew any questions you have whilst on your trip – they love to talk about The Matthew, John Cabot and local maritime history!
Top tips for enjoying your trip, whatever the weather!
We want everyone to enjoy their time on board, so when you come for your trip on The Matthew, here are a couple of things to consider about the conditions on board:
The Matthew is an outdoor venue with very little cover or protection from the elements. As it is an open, uncovered ship, you will have a much better time if you are dressed for comfort according to the weather – bear in mind that you will be more exposed when out on the water.
It can feel colder than it does on the quayside if it's windy, and more exposed to the sun if it's sunny. We recommend you cover all eventualities and consider bringing an extra layer, waterproofs, a hat and sun protection on your trip! In the event of rain, we do have large umbrellas that you can use.
The Captain's recommendations:In warm and sunny weather: bring sunscreen, a hat, plenty of water, and an umbrella for a bit of shade!
If it's raining: wear a waterproof coat (and trousers, if you have them!), and bring an umbrella.
BOOKING FAQs
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Trip dates are announced in batches throughout the year as and when they are confirmed, so do keep an eye on our website and social media for news.
Alternatively, why not subscribe to The Matthew newsletter and be amongst the first to find out all our latest trip news? You’ll be alerted when new dates are announced and tickets are on sale!
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Please check the ticket prices page for price information.
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Yes, you can. Advance tickets for all confirmed trips are available to purchase online (subject to availability).
• Harbour Trips and Avon Gorge Cruises: Online booking will close up to 48 hours before the scheduled trip date.
• Fish & Chips Trips and Cream Tea Cruises: Online booking will close up to seven days before the scheduled trip date for all trips serving food.
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• Harbour Trips and Avon Gorge Cruises: If we have any tickets left after online booking has closed, you will be able to buy tickets on board on the day. If we do have any tickets available on the day, they will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis and cannot be reserved.
• Fish & Chips Trips and Cream Tea Cruises: Tickets for all trips that include food must be purchased online in advance. There will not be any tickets available on board on the day. Online booking for these trips close up to seven days before the trip date so that we have time to order the food from our caterers.
Please note that our trips often sell out in advance. Check the timetable to see our current ticket availability for online booking.
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Our trip dates are confirmed and released in batches. Click on the ‘Timetable & Tickets’ button on the Public Trips page (link in main navigation) to view all of our currently available dates – the timetable is updated as and when we confirm new dates.
If there are no dates listed for the particular date or month you are looking for, then we have not announced a trip for this date.
To be amongst the first to find out when new trips are announced, please subscribe to The Matthew newsletter – we send one to all subscribers as soon as new trips are confirmed.
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ONLINE BOOKINGS: We accept card payments and The Matthew gift vouchers for all tickets purchased online in advance.
IN-PERSON BOOKINGS: If you purchase tickets on board on the day of the trip, our volunteers can only take CASH payments as the ship does not have the facilities to accept card payments on board. However, our volunteers will be happy to direct you to the nearest cashpoint.
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Your gift voucher can be redeemed either in full or as part payment against tickets for a public trip listed on our website (subject to availability). Check the timetable to see our current trip dates and availability.
You will be invited to enter your voucher code during the online booking process.
All tickets booked using a gift voucher must be purchased online in advance – we cannot accept vouchers for tickets purchased on the day.
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The capacity of The Matthew is strictly limited to 40 passengers (including children and babies) for the majority of our trips.
If a trip is marked as sold out, this does mean that we have no tickets left for either online booking or on board on the day.
We do operate a waiting list for sold-out trips. If we do not have enough tickets available for your group, you will be invited to join the waiting list during the booking process. Please note that we cannot guarantee any more tickets will become available after a trip has sold out.
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We have a group booking limit of 10 people in place on all of our public trips because our maximum capacity is 40 people and the ship is small.
There is no set or reserved seating on The Matthew, and all passengers are free to walk around on deck during their trip. In our experience, larger groups have caused problems in the past as they tend to (quite unintentionally) take over particular areas of the ship, thus making that area inaccessible to everyone else. Our group booking policy is in place to be fair to all passengers, preventing larger groups from unintentionally monopolising areas of the ship and so spoiling the experience for others.
For those planning a trip for a larger group, we offer private hire for parties of 11 or more people.
• Group bookings are limited to a maximum of 10 people.
• Groups of 11 people or more are invited to consider a private hire option instead for the exclusive use of the ship for your party. Please note that the cost for the exclusive use of The Matthew for your group is reflected in the hire price.
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Our timetable lists all of our currently confirmed public trip dates. Private hire trips and school trips are not listed on our public trips timetable.
If you would like to hire The Matthew for your private event, please visit our Private Hire or School Trips pages for more information.
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The Matthew does not have a Box Office. All advance bookings are taken online.
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No, you don’t!
The Matthew is free of charge to visit – no tickets required. You can come aboard, have a look around, climb the steps to the upper decks, and talk with our knowledgeable guides when we are at our mooring and open to visitors.
However, if you’re planning on joining us for a trip, you will need to buy tickets in advance.
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Please check our FAQ page for answers to more questions about visiting or taking a trip on The Matthew.
