Bavarian Belle Riverboat

Frankenmuth, United States

4.8

Closed now

9 reviews

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Telephone:
+1 866-808-2628
Website:
www.bavarianbelle.com
Address:
925 S Main St Ste D-3, Frankenmuth, MI, 48734
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Today

Today 11:00 am – 8:00 pm
Closed now
Local time (Frankenmuth) 22:55 Wednesday, 25 June 2025

Business hours

Monday 11:00 am – 8:00 pm
Tuesday 11:00 am – 8:00 pm
Wednesday 11:00 am – 8:00 pm
Thursday 11:00 am – 8:00 pm
Friday 11:00 am – 8:00 pm
Saturday 11:00 am – 8:00 pm
Sunday 11:00 am – 8:00 pm

Description

Specialties

Thank you for visiting Frankenmuth.

Our family operates the Bavarian Belle riverboat, an authentic Stern

Driven Paddlewheel riverboat. We offer a 1-​hour historical narrated tour of the Frankenmuth area on our fully restored 150-​passenger vessel. The Bavarian Belle is open air canopied on the upper deck and has a fully enclosed lower salon with restrooms. We offer a snack bar and soft drinks on board. The Bavarian Belle is located in the River Place Shopping village, docking at the waterfall. Our dock and lower level are handicap accessible.

One hour trips are offered Monday — Saturday 11am till Dusk, (departing every 90min), and Sunday 12:30 till 6:30, (departing every 90min) Early May to Mid-​October. Please call for pre-​Memorial Day and post-​Labor Day hours. Extended hours are available for Group Tours and Special Events (Weddings, Reunions, etc.). Tickets are $ 10.00 for adults and $ 4 for children 10 and under. Adult tickets are discounted to $ 9.00 for groups of 20 or more

History

Established in 2000.

The Belle has been in operation since 1981 as a tour /​dinner cruise vessel from Indiana to Arkansas and back to Michigan. We purchased the Belle in 2000 in North Little Rock as «The Spirit», we refit her to work on the Cass River in Frankenmuth, MI and the special needs of our small river. We opened for tours June, 2000 and have been offering tours of Frankenmuth from early May to mid-​October since.

Meet the Business Owner

Mitchell Q.

Business Owner

Our family operates the Bavarian Belle riverboat, an authentic Stern Driven Paddlewheel riverboat. We offer a 1-​hour historical narrated tour of the Frankenmuth area on our fully restored 150-​passenger vessel. The Bavarian Belle is open air canopied on the upper deck and has a fully enclosed lower salon with restrooms. We offer a snack bar and soft drinks on board. The Bavarian Belle is located in the River Place Shopping village, docking at the waterfall. Our dock and lower level are handicap accessible.

My Dad, Brother and I are all captains and enjoy working the Belle together and meeting our guests all season.

Nearby

Near this location:
1
ft
Exist Outlet
925 S Main St
1
ft
Enchanted Forest
925 S Main St Unit H1
90
ft
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Frankenmuth
926 S Main St
240
ft
Heavenly Body Day Spa
925 S Main St
240
ft
Charlin’s Book Nook
925 S Main St Ste D7
240
ft
River Place Toys
925 S Main St

9 reviews of Bavarian Belle Riverboat

No registration required
Place rating: 5
Muskegon, MI
Nice, family owned boat ride away from the busyness of Frankenmuth. Ride provides a historical perspective on the Cass river and the area. Well worth the $ 12 cost (for adults, prices change for kids)
Place rating: 5
Ypsilanti, MI
Great perfect and great fun… so ready to go a few million more times. Would recommend to everyone to go on
Place rating: 5
Plymouth, MI
A great way to break away from the kitsch and commercialism of Frankenmuth — and learn about the area, its history and its natural side.
The boat ride lasts an hour and includes an engaging narration by the lead captain and patriarch of the family that owns and runs the boat company.
Kids can roam around and everyone can feed the ducks. Handicap accessible too! And thankfully there are bathrooms on board.
Place rating: 5
Beverly Hills, CA
We took this Ferry Ride with our kids last month. The Father and the Sons who run this operation are doing an awesome job! They have in-​depth knowledge and history behind every location and spot we crossed on the river banks. And the Captain (the father and the narrator or the trip) has a very soothing voice while he narrates the tour. We (including our kids) thoroughly enjoy this 60 to 90 mins ferry ride. Will do it again when in the area and we highly recommend it to anyone who is looking to do things in the Frankenmuth Area.
Place rating: 5
Lowell, MA
I was really impressed with this 1 hour tour. It is a family owned and operated riverboat. The family does a good job to make sure that you will enjoy yourself and the tour gives a lot of details about the area and the riverboat. Definitely worth checking out.
Place rating: 5
Silver Spring, MD
1-​hour cruise on the Cass River for $ 10 per person. The popcorn ($ 2) is tasty and a must buy for yourself and the ducks that stalk the boat. The narration is very informative with a bit of humor. The owner and his sons run the cruise and do a wonderful job!!!
Place rating: 5
Muskegon, MI
We had a beautiful day for a tour Sunday… and we loved this attraction. Clean, family friendly, affordable. The narration was interesting with a touch of humor… and the kids loved watching the ducks trying to keep up as they tossed popcorn. My 11 year old Grandson loved mining for gems after the trip. and asked if we could come back again! Highly recommended.
Place rating: 4
Warren, MI
Very nice boat ride with info about frankenmuth! The family owning the boat does a nice job!
It’s about an hour tour of the Cass River running through Frankenmuth. A nice narrative about some history of Frankenmuth wiht some well placed humor. I found a few places that I didn’t know where in Frankenmuth that I’d like to check out next time I go back. My kids also enjoy feeding the ducks popcorn before the boat ride begins. lol! On a good summer day, it’s a nice break when walking from shopping at Riverplace to chicken dinner at the Bavarrian!
Found out the hard way-​they don’t except debt cards and there isn’t an ATM at Riverplace!!! Thank goodness they will except a check.
Place rating: 4
Brookfield, IL
You’re in Frankenmuth, you see the little Cass River, and then you see this paddlewheel riverboat. You wonder how in the heck it can possibly float on that little river and get under that bridge. But it does. And it is actually a pretty fun little trip.
You don’t go very far, but the banter of the family that runs the boat makes it pretty enjoyable. Lots of history of the area and some scenery that you might not otherwise see. The family that runs the boat is seriously into photography and wildlife and they make a sincere effort to point out mink and other animals that you might not normally see.
The story of how they got the boat up to Frankenmuth and into the river is worth the price of admission.
I found it to be a leisurely and enjoyable hour during my visit there in June.