FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS – FAQs
By default, the departure is planned in Catalan and we serve customers in Catalan. However, if among the passengers there are people from non-Catalan-speaking territories, as a courtesy we can switch to doing it in Spanish.
We provide printed guides in English and French for foreign visitors. Other languages will be added progressively.
Our pier is located right next to the Tortosa Market, in Plaça de Barcelona in the city center. In the CONTACT section of the website you will find a map and instructions to get there, as well as a parking map.
The area around the Tortosa Market is a blue zone, free on Sundays and public holidays. It is also free on Saturday afternoons during the summer months. You can buy a ticket for a maximum of 2 hours each time and the price in 2025 is €0.75/hour. On Saturdays and specified dates it´s not eas to park quickly. Keep this in mind when planning your trip. You also have a map of different car parkings in the city on our website, in the CONTACT section.
We do have a small toilet, but due to the characteristics of the ship, being a replica, the space is quite small and uncomfortable. We recommend going to the toilet first but ours is also available for emergencies and for anyone who wants to use it. There are public services in the Tortosa Market, if it is open (Monday to Saturday until 3:00 p.m.). On holidays you can find different restaurants in the Plaza de España or the Town Hall square, very close to the pier.
Depending on the advance notice, your money will be refunded. You have up to 24 hours in advance if the reservation is for a maximum of 4 people. If the reservation is for more people, you must cancel 48 hours in advance. Keep in mind that places are limited and having occupied places may prevent other people from booking. If you come as a group and in the end one of the members fails without prior notice, the corresponding amount will not be refunded either. Whenever you give less than 24 hours notice, you will be offered the possibility of coming on another trip.
Anyway, we don’t like to keep the money of people who d0n´t do the trip. Every case is considered independently and depending the circumstances. Most times we refund 100%, even on the same day, if people tells us in advance or have an importnant reason to cancel. We try to treat people the same way we would like to be treated.
If you are on your way and you see that you are not close to arriving, call us at 652398288 and, if possible, we will wait 5-10 minutes until you arrive, but we cannot guarantee it. Therefore, it is important to come in advance. Keep in mind that depending on the day, you may not find parking immediately and you must plan for it. Many other people travel on board the ship and we do not like to keep them waiting if they have been punctual.
If you do not show up on time and have not notified us, your money will not be refunded. At most, and depending on the circumstances, you may be offered to come on another trip if there is availability.
You do not need to physically carry the ticket, but it is advisable to carry it on your mobile phone. We will probably not ask for it, as we have the list of confirmed reservations and we will call you in an orderly manner to place you inside the boat. If you still haven’t paid your ticket, you will do it at the moment of getting onboard.
The boat has a capacity for 50 passengers. However, on tasting trips we limit the capacity to 42-44 passengers for greater comfort (depending on the number of reservations and the number of people per reservation). Obviously the fewer people the more comfortable and in low season it is easier to go wide, but in any case there is enough space for everyone to have a comfortable crossing.
No, the seats are not numbered. From experience and for organizational reasons, we usually decide where each reservation goes and we will seat you as you board. Only if there are few people is it very possible that you will be able to choose a seat.
If the boat is quite full, we seat people based on different factors, such as the size of the groups (the largest will board first so as not to split them up), if they are traveling with children and/or strollers, if anyone has accessibility problems, if they are traveling with pets, etc.
The journey is first upstream and then downstream, which means that we will see the same regardless of which side we sit on, since we pass by each place twice.
No, the mouth of the Ebro is 42 km from Tortosa, it would take more than 3 hours to arrive and 4 to return against the current. We enjoyed the fantastic scenery of the riverside forests and the islands inland, as well as the historical and cultural part of the route in front of the monumental facade of Tortosa.
We occasionally do day trips to the mouth if there is a group that requests it. Depending on the size of the group, then we open the possibility of adding other people. Contact us if you are interested in being on this list of interested parties.
No, it isn’t. It is a completely open boat. We put up awnings to protect from rain and sun when the weather requires it, we also carry some umbrellas on board, which can also act as a sunshade, blankets, hats and disposable raincoats. All this is “emergency” material. We ask that passengers come prepared depending on the weather, both at the beginning and at the end of the trip. The sunset departure ends when the sun is already setting, depending on the time of year this causes a considerable change in temperature between departure and arrival.
It depends on the circumstances. It can normally be for 3 reasons:
- Cancellation due to bad weather: If the forecast for days before makes it clear that the weather will be very bad, let me know as much in advance as possible and we will refund the money if the client wants it. If the weather is doubtful, let me know the day before about the possibility of cancellation so that the client can choose between canceling or waiting the same day to see how it evolves. A little rain in winter is not the same as in summer. We have often gone out in summer with some rain because clients have preferred it that way. The wind is also a factor to take into account and sometimes we are not clear about it until shortly before departure. The boat captain has the final say when deciding whether to cancel the cruise or not to preserve the safety of the clients.
- Cancellation due to lack of reservations: If there are few reservations and there is a possibility of cancellation, notify me the day before so that customers can decide whether they want to cancel the reservation and recover their money, change it to a nearby departure with a guaranteed departure, or wait the same day to see if there are more last-minute reservations. This is why it is important to book a little in advance, especially in low season.
- Cancellation due to breakdown: Unfortunately, very occasionally we have an unforeseen breakdown in one of the 2 engines of the boat. Normally these breakdowns are detected when starting the engines an hour before departure, and this prevents us from notifying customers in advance. We could sail with a single engine but we do not do this for safety reasons, we only do this in case the breakdown occurs during navigation (very unusual). In this case the customer can choose between a refund of the amount or change to another departure.
Yes, we need a minimum of 10 passengers with a reservation to guarantee the departure. However, sometimes we have gone out with fewer people, depending on the circumstances. Keep in mind that the boat requires a minimum of 2 crew members to sail, and you must add the cost of fuel and at least an hour and a half to prepare it and clean it afterwards.
Obviously the first option we offer you is the refund of the total amount of the reservation. Depending on the forecasts you can also choose to change to a nearby departure. If you prefer you can keep the reservation for a future departure. You can freely choose the option that interests you most.
Of course, Sirgador allows pets and your pet is welcome as long as it is not a dangerous breed (out of respect for the other passengers). Keep a couple of things in mind:
- Bring a muzzle in case you need one. This will be determined by the number of people on board, if there are any other dogs, and by the animal’s behavior once on board. The boat’s skipper is the authority on board and has the final say, and his decisions must be strictly respected. If he asks you to use one, you must put a muzzle on your dog (this is very unusual).
- If you want your dog to climb onto the seats, bring a piece of cloth or cushion protector. These are very expensive custom-made pieces and the animals’ nails or claws damage them very easily.
- Please, if it is a hairy dog, brush it before boarding the boat. We often have very limited time between cruises, and cleaning up a large amount of animal hair is an added burden (consider that we don’t charge you anything to bring your beloved companion with you).
- Let us know when you make the reservation or before you come that you have animals, if you make it through our website it is very easy to add it but if you come through other sales channels, some do not offer the option. We organize the distribution of reservations on board based on the number of people, animals, or special needs.
- As you can see we are talking about dogs all the time, at the moment we have not come across other companion pets but you never know. If you are accompanied by another animal, please contact us beforehand and we will study each case.
Lo Sirgador is accessible as long as you let us know in advance. We have a folding aluminum ramp that is not usually on the ship and we need to take it in case it is needed. Access will always be much easier if your chair is light and foldable, but if necessary we can also take electric chairs within the standard sizes (maximum 70 cm wide approx.). There is a limit of 4 wheelchairs per trip. Do not hesitate to contact us with any questions, we do not want anyone to be left on land without enjoying the cruise.
Yes, you can, but keep in mind that:
- In low season, even if it appears on the calendar, the departure may have been canceled due to lack of reservations, so it is highly recommended to call in advance and the further in advance the better.
- In high season, it will obviously depend on whether there are places available. Sometimes the boat is full but some passenger cancels at the last minute or cannot arrive on time due to some incident. If you are at the pier you can occupy the available places. If you have called in advance we have a waiting list and you will have priority.
Yes, we have a 10% discount if you book directly through our website or by telephone.
Yes, we have a 10% discount if you book directly through our website or by phone.
Of course. If you come as a group to a regular Sirgador outing, when booking through the website progressive discounts are automatically applied depending on the size of the group.
If you are a very large group and want to do a private or charter trip, contact us and we will give you a quote with the options you choose.
This may be due to 2 reasons:
- Low season. The departure date is approaching and there are not enough reservations. In this case, if you call, we will take note and it is possible that we will reach a minimum number of people to make the departure.
- High season. At the moment it is full, but there may be cancellations. If you call, we will put you on a waiting list and take you into account. If the waiting list is large and there is an organizational possibility, we can add an extra departure for those interested.
Yes, we have a waiting list. We don’t have it implemented through the website at the moment, but if you call us we will take note and notify you in case there are any cancellations from previous reservations.
No problem, you can tell us which days you will be there, how many people you are and what times would suit you. We have a list with which we can add departures according to demand, this way if we reach a minimum number of people in advance we can guarantee the departure. The more advance the better, this way we add the cruise to the calendar and other people can also sign up online.
To request a special time you can do it by phone, whatsapp or email.
Yes, you can book by phone, WhatsApp or email and pay on board. In cases of large groups or high season we may ask you to make an advance payment, but this is rare. On board you can pay by card or cash, but please note that the full reservation must be paid. If you come in a group, one of the members will be responsible for paying for the entire group, especially if you want the relevant group discount.
Here we can find ourselves in different situations.
The gift voucher is purchased directly at Lo Sirgador.
- If it is a physical card, call us or send us a message with the image and we will make the relevant reservation for you.
- If it is a gift voucher purchased online, in the main menu of the Website you will find the GIFT VOUCHER section where you can redeem it as if you were making a normal reservation.
The gift voucher is purchased from an intermediary, it can be Fent Pais, Smartbox boxes or similar.
- In this case you must follow the instructions that are given to you in each case. Each intermediary works differently and has its own reservation codes, to which we do not have access. IMPORTANT: Before managing/requesting the exchange, check on our website what days and times are available to be clear on which departure you want to come, since you will have to specify it in some way (even if it is in the comments).
Normally if you have not received the confirmation email it is for one of 2 reasons:
- The bank’s payment system has failed. This is increasingly common due to the increase in control measures that online payment platforms put in place. Please first check if your account has been charged and if so, contact us.
- You have entered the email address incorrectly and therefore it is impossible for the confirmation email to reach you. You can call us to verify this.
If you book directly with us you help us keep prices affordable. We know that centralized booking platforms are becoming increasingly popular due to their impressive advertising power, they are very convenient for the user and we cannot avoid this, but these platforms take generally between 20 and 30% of the booking amount (including VAT) and dependence on them will cause us to have to raise prices in the medium term if we want to maintain the activity. Making a direct booking also helps us improve the organization of the cruises and minimize human errors due to the integration of many booking sources. That is why we recommend that, as far as possible, you always make direct bookings for the activities you contract. In this way, we can also offer you discounts and offers for future departures or as gifts. In the event of cancellation of the departure, it will always be easier for you to recover your money.
We work all year round, and we can do private or charter trips any day of the year. You can also hire extra services, such as catering, live music and anything else you can think of. Contact Natros and we will give you a detailed quote based on the duration, number of people, season, etc.
Minimum price in 2025 is 350 € for a one hour trip.
We sail all year round, so we don’t have a start and end date. We do have a high season (Easter, Summer and Bank Holidays) and a low season. Obviously the frequency of departures increases in high season. In low season we usually only work on weekends. For groups and charter departures we are available all year round (except Christmas Day). Some winter weekends we close for holidays (depending on the year).
No, although it looks like a wooden boat, ours is a modern replica with a hull covered in fiberglass and with decks finished in wood in order to recreate the spirit of the ancient “llaguts” that sailed the Ebro river.
Although we explain it during the trip, we can make a small introduction. The “Sirgadors” were the men who pulled the boats with ropes from the ground to move upstream when there were no motor boats.
From Lo Sirgador, and from our modest experience we can recommend some restaurants in Tortosa, obviously there are more and in general you will eat well at any of them, but we can’t fit them all.
Old Town:
Centre :
Barri Temple:
Barri Ferreries (on the other side of the river):
Cheap and very correct lunch menus (near the Municipal Park) :
Of course. Tortosa generally surprises visitors because it is a great unknown. Apart from being the current capital of Terres de l’Ebre, for many years and until the 19th century it was the third most important city in Catalonia. It is a city with more than 2,000 years of antiquity and this is reflected in its architecture, walls and monuments. It was also a melting pot of cultures as it was a nerve center of transport between the Iberian Peninsula and the Mediterranean Sea, as well as a fixed crossing point of the Ebro River from Zaragoza to the sea. In addition to taking the essential cruise on the Ebro with Lo Sirgador, you can visit the Cathedral, the Episcopal Palace, the Royal Colleges, the Prince’s Gardens, the Suda Castle. the Tortosa Museum, the ruins of the Cota Zero, or take the recently inaugurated route around the walls. We also have a considerable Modernist architectural heritage.
If you stop by the Market (open from Monday to Saturday at 3:00 p.m.) you can enjoy and taste typical Tortosa dishes: cod fritters, eel in juice, baldanes (black rice sausage) or the most famous Tortosa pastries.
Absolutely, children of all ages have a great time and are not bored at all. They mainly enjoy the fauna that we see, such as birds, birds of prey, turtles, or the bulls of the island of Vinallop if they are seen. If you reserve the “vermouth trip” they will quickly finish the olives, the “fuet” and especially the potato chips.
With lo Sirgador we do cruises for the whole family and all ages, and everyone enjoys it in their own way. Don’t let anyone miss it.