Hourly City-Bay timetable on the operator's Aquabus site; no season or validity dates are printed · Representative sailings only — check the operator for today's full timetable
Departures 1–10 / 10
Departures 1–10 / 10
Operator
Cardiff Cruises Ltd (trading as Aquabus)
Map – Cardiff Aquabus
| Fare type | Price |
|---|---|
| Adult, one way | £9.00 |
| Adult, return | £16.00 |
| Concession, one way | £9.00 |
| Concession, return | £15.00 |
| Child, one way | £5.00 |
| Child, return | £9.00 |
| Family, one way | £28.00 |
| Family, return | £45.00 |
Fares are those shown on the Aquabus home page. The page does not say how a child or concession fare is defined or who counts as a family, and it prints no date for the prices. It invites passengers to book online, and the operator can be telephoned on the boat number. Bicycles, pushchairs and dogs travel free. The operator's older Cardiff Cruises page shows different prices (adult £7.50), so the amounts may have changed. All fares in pounds sterling (GBP).
Aquabus is the hourly boat between the Castle Grounds in Bute Park and Mermaid Quay in Cardiff Bay. It is operated by Cardiff Cruises Ltd, whose booking system and conditions of carriage sit behind the Aquabus site, and the vessel named for the link is Hydro, described by the operator as a boat with a capacity of 24 that works almost every day of the year. The boat follows the River Taff past the Principality Stadium, then reaches the Bay. The operator's booking page gives the journey as 25 to 30 minutes each way, while its home page says passengers can stay aboard for a 60-minute round trip.
The home page lists boats from Bute Park on the hour from 10:00 to 17:00 and from Mermaid Quay at half past the hour from 10:30 to 17:30. It prints no season and no validity dates, and nothing on the site is labelled as a winter timetable. The operator's FAQ says the boats run all year round, weather permitting. A separate footer on each page says 11:00 to 17:00, and the Cardiff Cruises site, last edited in October 2025, ends the Mermaid Quay departures an hour earlier, so the first and last sailings are less certain than the table suggests. It is worth ringing the boat on 07500 556 556 before a late-autumn or winter trip.
Fares on the home page are £9 for an adult or concession one way and £16 or £15 return, with a child at £5 one way and £9 return. A family ticket is £28 one way or £45 return, though the operator does not say who counts as a family. Bicycles, pushchairs and dogs travel free; dogs must be on a lead. The operator describes the boat as fully wheelchair accessible, with ramps set up by the crew. There is no smoking on this service, and passengers are asked to arrive about 10 minutes before departure.
The boat is a different thing from the Cardiff Bay tours and Penarth trips sold on the same booking system. Tickets bought online for the City to Bay and Bay to City items are for the boat Hydro and not for any other service.
- Arrive at the slipway a few minutes before departure; vehicle queues build quickly in summer.
- Check the operator's notices before travelling — tides, weather and maintenance affect sailings.
- Confirm accepted payment methods: several crossings are contactless-only.
Frequently asked questions
The operator says its boats operate all year round, weather permitting, and publishes no separate winter timetable. Its home page still lists the hourly City-Bay sailings, but the footer gives 11:00-17:00 as opening hours. Call the boat on 07500 556 556 to check the first and last sailing before a winter trip.
The home page lists departures from Bute Park on the hour from 10:00 to 17:00 and from Mermaid Quay at half past from 10:30 to 17:30. It prints no validity dates, so treat these as listed times, not a guarantee.
The home page shows adult and concession £9 one way (return £16 and £15), child £5 one way (£9 return) and family £28 one way (£45 return). Bicycles, pushchairs and dogs are free. The page prints no date for these fares.
The operator's booking page gives 25 to 30 minutes between Bute Park and Mermaid Quay, in either direction. The home page adds that passengers can stay aboard for a 60-minute round trip.
In the city, the boat leaves from Bute Park next to Cardiff Castle (postcode CF10 3RB on the operator's booking page). In the Bay it leaves from Mermaid Quay beside the Cadwaladers ice cream parlour (CF10 5BZ). The operator asks passengers to arrive about 10 minutes before departure.
The Aquabus home page invites passengers to book tickets online, through the operator's booking system, and the boat can be phoned on 07500 556 556. On a busy day the booking page asks ticket holders to make themselves known to the crew, so that they board ahead of passengers without a booking. Times cannot be changed or refunded within 48 hours.
Yes. The operator carries bicycles, pushchairs and dogs free of charge, with dogs kept on a lead and not disturbing others. Wheelchairs are accepted using access ramps that the crew set up.
The operator says its boats run weather permitting and that a cancellation is rare. Its conditions of carriage say that no sailing is guaranteed, and that a sailing may be altered, delayed or cancelled. If a sailing does not take place, the conditions say the fare is refundable in full.