The rays of the setting sun rippling across the river is lovely. Traveling west, you see the sunset

Several cruise operators offer excursions along the Charles. Will you find big differences among the offerings? Yes, you actually will. Here's an overview of what 3 cruise companies offer - and why you might like each of them.
The Charles River Tour (60 minutes) takes you west along the river past Beacon Hill, the Esplanade, Back Bay (check out the backs of fabulous mansions!), and all the way down to Boston University. On the right side of the boat, you'll see Cambridge biotech buildings, MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), and Harvard. There are several departure times from late morning through the afternoon.
The rays of the setting sun rippling across the river is lovely. Traveling west, you see the sunset and then traveling back east, you see the last rays of sunlight reflected on the arches of the Longfellow Bridge - quite gorgeous! If you enjoy watching the sunset with a cocktail in your hand, you'll appreciate the cash bar on this cruise.
The Boston Harbor Locks Tour (75 minutes) departs at 10am. If you're interested in river navigation (or if your children are along and you want them to have a hands-on experience of how locks work), going through the locks at the Charles River Dam is a fascinating experience. You'll then cruise into the Inner Harbor, where you can see famous historical Boston sites, such as the Bunker Hill Monument and USS Constitution in Charlestown and Old North Church in the North End.
Departure location: CambridgeSide Galleria , Memorial Drive across from the Royal Sonesta Hotel, Cambridge. Once you're in the mall, go to the Food Court. The pier with the boats is directly outside the back of the Food Court, in an area called Canal Park.
The biggest difference is in the details. The BHC cruise is 90 minutes long, you board the cruise boat at Long Wharf in the Downtown Boston Waterfront, and the cruise boat has a more traditional style.
You'll be pleased with either one - but probably one location is more convenient than the other. If you're staying in Boston, the BHC cruise is probably most convenient. If your hotel is in Cambridge, opt for the Riverboat cruise. If you're staying elsewhere, you can get to both of these cruises easily canadian travel agents by T (Boston's subway).
Do keep in mind that while the BHC cruise is 30 minutes longer, it costs proportionately more. Although part of the reason for the longer length is the additional canadian travel agents transit time from Long Wharf to the locks, you'll get some nice city skyline views.
The private tours along the Charles River and its canals and lagoons offered by Boston's only gondola tour operator are in a class by themselves. The authentic Venetian gondolas accommodate up to 6 passengers, plus the gondolier and optional musician - but the 50-minute cruises canadian travel agents are really designed as romantic interludes for 2.
Four cruise options are offered, with plenty of customization options. Just to give you an idea, the Il Bacio Cruise includes a cheese and cracker basket, fabulous chocolates, and recorded classical Italian music. You can bring your own champagne or wine - appropriate glasses, ice, and an ice bucket are provided as part of the tour.
The Harvest Moon Cruise, offered only during the autumn, is a fabulous fall foliage tour, with the reds and golds of the leaves intensified by the blues of the sky and water. And the other 2 cruise options are even more wonderful!
These romantic gondola tours do give you an unforgettable Charles River Cruise. But depending on who you're with, you may not be paying that much attention to the Cambridge and Boston sites that you're passing.
Nearest canadian travel agents T: Green Line/Arlington - walk down Arlington Street toward the river (north), and use the Fiedler Footbridge to cross Storrow Drive to the Esplanade. Alternately, Red Line/Charles-MGH - go left when you leave the station, cross Cambridge St (be very careful - cars can zoom at you from several canadian travel agents points), cross Charles St, and Mugar Way to get to the Charles Street Footbridge. Once you cross Storrow Drive on the Footbridge, go left. Walk past Community Boating, and continue to the Hatch Shell, where you'll see Boston Gondola Tour's green and white poles.