Complete Cape Cod Whale Watching Guide [2025 Edition]

Cape Cod is a wonderful and charming place to visit, and it’s home to some of the very best whale watching on the planet. When you’re not on the water, you’ll find an abundance of pristine beaches, fresh seafood, shopping, golf courses, spas, restaurants, hotels, and resorts to keep you busy. No matter how long you’re staying, the whale watching excursions are one activity that shouldn’t be missed!

Cape Cod in Numbers

• 600 miles of coastline
• 100+ beaches
• 27 public golf courses
• 15 private golf courses
• 14 historic lighthouses (see the list)
• Multiple eco-friendly whale watching tours to choose from

Whale Watching Season

Whale watching season on Cape Cod runs from mid-April through October. The best months to go are from June through September because that’s when the bulk of the whale population is here. However, April, May and October are also excellent whale watching months that offer the advantage of fewer crowds. There are so many whales here that you’ll find it hard not to see them. Remember, people come from all over the world to visit Cape Cod. Be sure to book your tickets in advance for the best availability.

Choosing The Right Whale Watch Experience

You have a few options for your whale watching tour. First, decide if you want a large commercial tour or a smaller, more intimate experience. The large tours have big boats with a hundred or more people onboard, while small tours have less than 10 people onboard. Both are excellent options for sighting whales, but smaller tours typically offer the better experience overall. Priced per person, small tours are more expensive than large tours. That’s because it’s a more curated, intimate experience with the whales and the onboard experts.

Whichever size tour you choose, one of the most important things is to select a reputable tour operator. Whale pods are very sensitive to noise and boating activity, and they are bothered when tour groups come through that don’t give them enough space. Do your part to protect whales by sticking with experienced captains who employ marine biologists and naturalists on the tour.

We never recommend outfitters who use outdated fishing equipment or have questionable ethics. Eco-friendly tour operators respect whales and their environment by employing whale-friendly gear such as quiet, low emission engines and propeller guards. The next section covers tours in Cape Cod that are committed to responsible whale watching.

Best Whale Tours from Cape Cod

All tours leaving Cape Cod go out to Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. If you’re planning a trip to the Cape solely for the purpose of whale watching, it’s faster to simply catch a tour directly from Gloucester, Boston or Plymouth. These tours go straight out to Stellwagen and spare you the travel time it takes to get through Cape Cod.

However, if you want to see the Cape too then you’ll find it’s a fantastic summer destination with plenty of additional things to do. All Cape Cod whale watching tours worth taking leave from Provincetown because it’s nearest to Stellwagen Bank. Here are your top tour options:

From Provincetown

Captain John Boats offers large double decker whale watching tours for $78 per adult (age 13+), $48 for kids (4-12) and $3 for babies (0-3). Tours run daily through August. In September tour availability changes to Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Wednesday. The last day of the season for Captain John is Sunday, September 28, 2025. The boat has a snack bar onboard serving pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs, alcohol and snacks for extra purchase.

Sea Salt Charters offers both private and shared whale watching tours lasting 3-4 hours. Private tours cost $650-$725 for groups of up to six people. Shared tours cost $175 per person and are the most economical small tour option for individuals, couples, or groups of three people. Why are these tours so much more expensive than Captain John? It’s because of the boat size. Sea Salt Charters has small boats with fewer than 10 people onboard, whereas Captain John might have 100+ guests onboard. Your whale watching experience is way more up close and intimate with Sea Salt. You can also bring your own snacks and alcohol or other beverages if you wish. All Sea Salt tours run daily through October 12, 2025.

From Hyannis

If you’re in Hyannis, you’ll still want to go up to Provincetown to catch your whale tour. Additionally, take advantage of your location and plan a tour of Martha’s Vineyard, a helicopter ride over Cape Cod, or a kayaking excursion in the Great Marsh. Hyannis is the perfect location to do these other activities because they’re all right there.

If you opt for the Martha’s Vineyard tour, all you have to do is take the ferry over (Hyannis – Vineyard) and meet up with your tour right where the ferry drops you off. The helicopter tour meets at the Cape Cod Gateway Airport right in the center of Barnstable. And the kayaking excursion is a 20-min drive from the heart of Hyannis. Easy!

What to Wear Whale Watching

Dress in layers because ocean breezes can be chilly even when it’s a hot summer day on land. Bring a jacket or sweater, spf, lip balm, binoculars, sunglasses, and your camera. Remember you can get sunburned from the sun reflecting off the water, so even if you’re sitting in the shade, you still need UV protection for your skin and eyes.

Whale Species and Other Wildlife

The most commonly sighted whale species around Cape Cod are humpbacks, finbacks, minke whales, and North Atlantic right whales. Less frequently spotted are sei whales, blue whales, pilot whales, beluga whales, and sperm whales.

The area around Cape Cod is rich with all sorts of other marine wildlife as well. Dolphins, porpoises, seals, sharks, sea turtles, orcas, sunfish, crabs and birds are just some of the animals you can expect to see while you’re here.

Other Things To Do

• Take a day trip to Martha’s Vineyard or Nantucket Island
• Visit the Cape Cod Maritime Museum in Hyannis, MA
• Drive out to the Whaler’s Museum in New Bedford, MA. It’s outside of Cape Cod but worth it if you have a car and you’re interested in the history of the whaling industry.
• Check out the Whydah Pirate Museum in West Yarmouth, MA.
• Private helicopter tour of Cape Cod from Hyannis Airport
• Beaches. There are over 100 to choose from! Herring Cove Beach in Provincetown is a favorite because it’s on the bayside of Cape Cod, so the waves are more gentle. Ballston Beach in Truro is a gorgeous must-see. And try Coast Guard Beach in Eastham if you want to meet new people.
• Kayaking
• Lighthouse and Highland House Museum Tour (May 22 – October 30, 2025). This picturesque tour leaves from the Provincetown Town Hall and costs around $85 per person. Travel through the Provincelands National Seashore, where you’ll see four historic lighthouses and learn all about the history of the area.
• Local tours. There’s something for everyone:

Where To Stay

Whether you’re looking for a trusty Holiday Inn, a seaside bed and breakfast, or the full resort experience, Cape Cod has it all. We’ve done all the searching for you and found that Expedia consistently has the best deals on Cape Cod hotels. Not only that, but they show every single place to stay so you can easily sort through and pick what’s best for your trip.

Lighthouses on Cape Cod

Listed from oldest to newest:

• Chatham Lighthouse. Chatham, MA. Built in 1808.
• Race Point Lighthouse. Provincetown, MA. Built in 1816.
• Sandy Neck Lighthouse. West Barnstable in Barnstable, MA. Built in 1826.
• Long Point Light Station. Provincetown, MA. Built in 1826.
• Nobska Lighthouse. Falmouth, MA. Built in 1829.
• Hyannis Harbor Light (serves Lewis Bay, sometimes called Lewis Bay Lighthouse). Hyannis in Barnstable, MA. Built around 1849.
• Monomoy Lighthouse. Chatham, MA. Built in 1849.
• West Dennis Light (formerly known as the Bass River lighthouse). Dennis, MA. Built in 1855.
• Highland Lighthouse. Truro, MA. Built in 1857.
• Wood End Lighthouse. Provincetown, MA. Built in 1872.
• Stage Harbor Lighthouse. Chatham, MA. Built in 1880.
• Wings Neck Lighthouse. Bourne, MA. Built in 1889.
• Three Sisters Lighthouses. Eastham, MA. Built in 1892.
• Nauset Lighthouse (also known as Nauset Light or Nauset Beach Light). This is the same red and white lighthouse you see on bags of Cape Cod potato chips. Eastham, MA. Constructed in 1923 from a tower that was built in 1877.

Geography of Cape Cod

Cape Cod is a hook-shaped peninsula extending off the southeast coast of Massachusetts. The Cape is comprised of 15 towns and can be divided into four sections:

Upper Cape: the area closest to mainland Massachusetts. Sandwich, Mashpee, Falmouth and Bourne make up the Upper Cape.

Mid Cape: Barnstable, Dennis, and Yarmouth make up the Mid-Cape. Barnstable itself contains seven villages, one of which is the popular Hyannis. Hyannis is not a town on its own; it’s a neighborhood community within the town of Barnstable.

Lower Cape: Brewster, Harwich, and Chatham.

Outer Cape: Orleans, Eastham, Wellfleet, Truro, and Provincetown make up the Outer Cape. Provincetown sits at the far north tip and is the absolute farthest you can go out on the Cape.

Final Thoughts

If you’re looking for a fun summer escape, Cape Cod has it all. Between the beaches, whale watching, shopping, and history, there’s something here for everyone. That’s probably why over five million tourists come here every year. If you love a clean coastal vibe, quaint beach towns, long stretches of sandy beaches, food, the ocean, or whale watching, then it’s definitely a place that should be at the top of your travel list.