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Alexandria Bay
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Boldt Castle and the Boldt Yacht House
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Boldt Castle and the Boldt Yacht House

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Boldt Castle and the Boldt Yacht House
4.5
About
A visit to the magnificent Boldt Castle offers a glimpse into one of the most compelling love stories in history. At the turn-of-the-century, George C. Boldt, millionaire proprietor of the world-famous Waldorf Astoria Hotel in NYC, set out to build a full-sized Rhineland Castle in Alexandria Bay, on Heart Island. The grandiose structure was to be a display of his love for his wife, Louise. Beginning in 1900, Boldt's family shared four summers on Wellesley Island while 300 workers, stonemasons, carpenters and artists fashioned the six story, 120-room castle, complete with tunnels, a powerhouse, Italian gardens, a drawbridge and a dovecote. In 1904, tragedy struck. Boldt telegrammed the island and commanded the workers to immediately "stop all construction." Louise had died suddenly. A broken-hearted Boldt could not imagine his dream castle without his beloved. Three hundred workers laid down their tools. Boldt never returned, leaving behind the structure as a monument of his love.
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The area

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Restaurants
39 within 3 miles
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Attractions
22 within 6 miles
Heart Island
207
0.6 miIslands
Scenic View Park
86
0.5 miParks
Dark Island Spirits Distillery
79
0.6 miDistilleries
Cornwall Brothers Store Museum
51
0.5 miHistoric Sites
Alexandria Bay Chamber of Commerce
16
0.6 miVisitor Centers
Thousand Islands
556
Islands
1000 Islands Tower
241
2.8 miObservation Decks & Towers
Thousand Islands Winery
265
Wineries & Vineyards
Thousand Islands Bridge
227
Bridges
Otter Creek Preserve
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1.4 miNature & Wildlife Areas
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See what travelers are saying

  • mbrown2329
    26 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Boldt Castle
    Impressive and beautiful castle and well worth the time to tour! The story behind Boldt Castle is heart-wrenching and a testament to a man's love for his wife! So glad it is being restored and hopefully will be finished in the future.
    Visited September 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written September 28, 2023
  • Kathy L
    Middlebury, Vermont16 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Don't miss Boldt Castle!
    Boldt Caste was beautiful. I highly recommend the Clayton boat tour (3.5 hours) guided tour up the Seaway with lots of history and highlights, leading to an 1.5 hours to tour the Castle before touring back down the waterway. Amazing adventure! Thank you to our guide, Captain and Mother Nature-Great weather. Lots of walking and I had a sketchy knee so I didn't enjoy the stairs but don't let that stop you!
    Visited September 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written October 4, 2023
  • Lorraine B
    98 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Revisiting Boldt Castle 41 years later
    My husband and I just got back from a trip to Alexander Bay, Bolt Castle. It is gorgeous! We were there 41 years ago and it was mostly rubble. We also did the beautiful yacht house.Highly recommend a visit!
    Visited June 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written June 13, 2024
  • Carice J
    15 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Do this at least once.
    Beautiful grounds and interesting history. Take the time to listen to the audio tour to get the most out of the experience. Lots of corners to explore- the main house, the power plant, gardens and play house. The day we arrived by boat from Canada only two customs agents were working and it took a long time to get on the grounds.
    Visited July 2024
    Traveled with friends
    Written August 1, 2024
  • eemskr
    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania56 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Don’t miss this amazing castle if you’re in Alexandria Bay Thousand Islands, NY
    This castle is absolutely amazing. You can download an app on your phone that guides you around the castle and grounds, room by room, at your own pace. The story behind the castle is awesome and heartbreaking at the same time. There are guides there to answer any questions. What a great experience! The property is breathtaking and very well maintained. It is also accessible with wheelchair access and an elevator. It took us about 2 hours to tour all the rooms! Don’t miss the opportunity to do this tour! You won’t regret it!
    Visited August 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written August 20, 2024
  • Sharman F
    Albany, New York31 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    The BEST to see and do. Alot of walking.
    My kids and I went here, them for the first time. Except my daughter I have brought in ages past. I love this place. I have some fantastic pictures and we all had a great time. The walking was alot for me, I'm 74 and knees are not great, but I made it with sit downs here and there. I spent a BUNCH in the gift shop, bought them all something. Love it!! There was a wedding going on that day and this would be a great place for a destination wedding for one of my girls, in the future. Definitely worth it. And we parked over the water at the Yacht house, cheaper, quicker and easier. I didn't even know about it. We had a ball. My aunt used to live here and had a hot dog stand at the water's edge in Clayton. It's gone now of course, but memories are great.
    Visited August 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written August 31, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions
4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles2,028 reviews
Excellent
1,493
Very good
434
Average
80
Poor
16
Terrible
5
JudyMetroNYCarea
New York City, NY1,974 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Grounds & Exterior are lovely - still a work in progress on the interior.
Sep 2022
We took the 2 nation boat tour to get to Boldt Castle, which was the entire point of the trip to Alex Bay.
The grounds are very well maintained. The exterior of the main house and other buildings were also well maintained.
Once off the tour boat and onto the island, there were bathrooms (very clean) a small deli type shop and an info booth as you walk up the path towards the house. There was someone in the booth with the sliding glass window closed. I think there were printed instructions with a barcode to access an audio tour. Well, it didn't work.

Once we got into the house, there was a person monitoring the coming and going of people but offered no help connecting to wifi and the audio tour. We approached a second person who also was unable (or unwilling) to help, so we never connected to the tour.

On one of the upper levels, there is an unfinished room with a history of the castle, floor plans and still crated finishes that were to be added to the house. The house was at some point abandoned and they are slowly rebuilding the house the best they can. There does seem to be a US/Canadian partnership to restore the full castle but the project is still ongoing.

While others may have been disappointed in the unfinished rooms and upper levels, I found it interesting that there is still interest in the full restoration. I guess many don't realize how expensive such an endeavor really is. Even with all the visitors, they still need funds to keep the project going.

I would highly recommend a visit to the island and to the Castle. On a beautiful day it would be lovely to sit outside and have lunch.
Written July 15, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BillyDee2014
Allentown, PA68 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Boldt Castle visit
Sep 2021
Loved the visit.
It was a cold and windy day in late September 2021 when we visited.
The grounds are nice. The location is amazing and the "castle" itself is an education on what one can do when you tell the architect that money is no consideration. Even the servant's quarters were designed and built beautifully.
Sad that the family never lived here
Written October 4, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mike G
Toronto, Canada8 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Fantastic experience
Jul 2023 • Couples
We took a lot of pictures of all the different islands and the views of some of these houses if not mansion were exceptional, would recommend this trip to anyone, finally got to castle 1hr and 20 minutes after we left Gananoque. Trip was fine, boat was pretty full, but not enough seats for everyone. Castle is amazing with all the antiques back in the day as this has been renovated a few times,you need passport to get in and please do not bring any food on the boat except water, there is food and drinks on the cruise to be purchased. As I said the castle was great but you have to try and view everything in 2 hrs, there was lots to see, the grounds are immaculate and there is a small restaurant where you can buy sandwiches and drinks as well, there is also an ice cream vendor there. The castle has app 5 floors and it looks like they are doing more restorations, this place was huge but I don’t believe we saw everything.
Written July 15, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
PaleoGypsy
Philadelphia, PA2,347 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Loved It
Jul 2021 • Couples
Depending upon your level of interest, you may be spending the entire day touring the grounds, building, and water. What really shocked me is all of the graffiti that is located on the upper stories. The reasoning behind this was explained by the tour guide. Hopefully, all of the graffiti and damage will be repaired at some point. What has been rebuilt is truly amazing. It is a real treat to see all of the artistry and craftsmanship that goes into the restoration of an incredible icon. If you are into art, architecture, and history, you may very well enjoy this trip to the Boldt Castle and grounds. Assess your fitness level. Wear comfortable shoes. Bring, or plan on buying, water.
Written July 7, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Shawn H
Washington DC, DC408 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Massive Ambition Meets Tragedy
Aug 2021
We stopped at Boldt Castle on the return trip from Singer Castle on an Uncle Sam Boat tour and the history and construction of the site is a fascinating look into turn of the century wealth, darkened by tragedy. The site is in various states of renovation and disrepair, never having been finished originally, and subsequently abandoned for decades. Work is being done to bring the site back, but it is already something really special. The huge rooms, landscaping and outbuildings reflect massive ambition with money behind it. The upper unfinished floors, covered in decades of graffiti all the way to the rafters reflect the grinding halt to construction here. The location has restrooms and a gift shop in the house, with a snack bar down by the dock.

We also took the little ferry boat over to the boathouse and saw the yachts and the quarters on the other side of the river. That was interesting enough, but probably not worth the trip and waiting for the boat each way. If I did it again, I'd enjoy the castle and then spend more time in Alexandria Bay.
Written September 14, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
George N
50 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Uncle Sam Cruise and Stop
Aug 2020 • Couples
A must visit grounds are beautiful! Pack a picnic basket and enjoy! They have a cafe and outdoor kiosk (yummy ice cream). We took the Uncle Sam Cruise which you can disembark and pay $10 to enter the area. It is worth it! We had a wonderful time! Go and enjoy!
Written August 25, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Pamela P
Clifton Park, NY27 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
The Castle was awesome, the Yacht House was meh
Jun 2021
I found the castle very beautiful and sad at the same time. Beautiful that the lower floors and the out buildings were beautiful, full of history and carvings - the architecture alone is incredible and sad because it can't ever be finished according to the rules of ownership. On the upper floors, people have carved graffiti into the walls, showing major disrespect to the structure and history. Was it worth the money? Yes, to explore and see the details and beauty of the structure and to be able to explore at your leisure all the outbuildings, gardens and the castle itself. The Yacht House wasn't worth the money, in my opinion. Yes, there were boats there but it seemed an afterthought to the castle and very little to look at and admire. The place where the boats were actually made wasn't open to the public and I would have loved to see how they made the boats back then. It could have been so much better.
Written June 19, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Marla Z
New Jersey76 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Bolt to Boldt Castle!
Jul 2021
What a great, comprehensive visit we had to Boldt Castle. We were able to download the app, and listen to the information at each of the 30 stops on the self guided tour. The information was invaluable as we tried to paint the picture in our minds of life in the late 1800's. There was so much to see and take in, and so much was accessible. We were there for about 2 hours - and we could have easily used another hour. We had transportation commitments on the front and back of our tour, which limited our time a bit. But that's on us - not on Boldt Castle. The grounds were beautiful and clean, and there were 2 food concessions with plenty of healthy food choices! There were 2 sets of spotless bathrooms on Heart Island that helped to make our trip successful. There were park guides available to answer questions and help direct anyone who wasn't sure of where to go.

We have visited many landmarks in the U.S. and Canada. This was an excellent place to visit. It was far, far worth the money, and there was something for everyone. My feet gave out before my interest did! There are many stairs, and some outdoor inclines - but there is also an elevator for the inside floors, and the outdoor inclines are optional. It really is excellent.
Written July 14, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jerrythetraveler
Orlando209 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
What an unexpected treat
Jul 2022
Boldt Castle was an unexpected treat, we just happened to be passing back into the states via the Thousand Islands since the ferry off Wolfe Island is apparently closed. Boldt Castle is home to a complex story of love and death. The Castle was started on a "heart shaped" gem amount the thousand islands and since nothing I can say here will prepare you or be anything more than anything else already said, I will tell you what I could not find yourself. You can save both money and time by parking at the boat house on Wellesey Island and both save time and money as apposed to driving to Alexandria Bay and taking the slow, old and nasty Uncle Same boat over. You can buy your tickets at the boat house, check it out and take the FREE ferry to Boldt Castle.
Written July 6, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Susan Ellen R
5 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Visit on 50th Wedding Anniversary
Sep 2022
This place always leaves me with such an appreciation for Love through the ages. The story of George Boldt and his family is like a fairy tale met tragedy. The Seaway authority has done amazing work to restore and go far beyond the original state of the castle. WORTH every penny of admission.
Written September 6, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Boldt Castle and the Boldt Yacht House - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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