Thames River Cruise Guide: Which London Boat to Pick (2026)

Uber Boat by Thames Clippers: the cheap way to see the river

The Uber Boat is London's river bus (you don't need the Uber app to ride it): fast catamarans that commuters use to get to work. It's also the best-value regular way to cruise the Thames. It covers the same central stretch as the tour boats, from the London Eye and Westminster past Embankment, Bankside and London Bridge, under Tower Bridge and on to Canary Wharf, Greenwich and North Greenwich for The O2. I'd board at Bankside Pier, between Tate Modern and Shakespeare's Globe, or at Westminster for the full ride.

How to pay. Tap a contactless card, phone or Oyster (London's tap-in travel card) on the yellow reader on the pier, and again when you get off, just like the Tube. Westminster or Bankside to Greenwich is £13.70 peak and £11.40 off-peak. Off-peak is only weekdays 06:35 to 09:27; the rest of the weekday and all of weekends and bank holidays count as peak, so £13.70 is what most visitors pay. These fares hold until 31 October 2026, after which the operator will issue new ones. The same single costs £13.50 in the Thames Clippers app or online (a touch cheaper than peak contactless, and 15% off if you buy at least three days ahead) and £17.70 at the pier ticket office, so the pier is the one way not to pay. Two things catch visitors out. River fares don't count toward the Tube's daily cap, and each person needs their own card. US cards work, but your bank may add a foreign transaction fee.

The day ticket. A Hop-on Hop-off day ticket is £29.30 online (£32.60 at the pier) and a two-day ticket £48.80. At peak fares it pays off once you're taking three boats in a day. Children aged 5 to 15 travel half price and under-5s are free. With a TfL Travelcard on paper or Oyster you get a third off, but not with a bank card.

What it's like. Boats come every 10 to 20 minutes at the main piers, all day, every day except Christmas Day. Westminster to Greenwich takes about 50 minutes, Tower to Greenwich 23. Most boats have a café-bar and an outside deck at the back, which is where you want to sit. The trade-off: it's a commuter boat, not a tour. There's no guide (a £2.50 audio guide is the stand-in), the cabin is enclosed glass, and at rush hour you're sharing it with people going to work. For the view and the price, it's hard to beat.

Thames River Sightseeing: my pick for a first cruise

If you want someone to tell you what you're looking at, this is the one I'd book. Thames River Sightseeing is a family-run company that has run river tours for more than 50 years, and the commentary is done live by the crew, not a recording. Boats go from Westminster to Tower Bridge and on to Greenwich, and the hop-on hop-off pass adds Embankment, Festival and Bankside piers.

Prices (adult, online, for 28 Sep 2026): Westminster to Greenwich is £17.20 one way and £22.50 return, and you can come back on any later boat the same day until the one-way-only boats start in mid-afternoon. The best deal is the River Pass: £24.95 for two consecutive days of hop-on hop-off (£49.90 for a family of two adults and three children). Child tickets are £11.30 one way. Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before. Senior and student tickets are only sold at the Westminster ticket office.

Timetable. Until 1 November 2026, boats leave Westminster every 30 minutes from 10:00 to 16:00. From 2 November it's every 40 minutes from 10:20 to 15:40. The last boats back from Greenwich each day are one-way only (from 15:10 now, from 14:50 in winter), so a return ticket means heading back by mid-afternoon. It runs all year except 24 to 26 December. The boats have an open top deck, a heated lower deck and a bar.

Who it suits: anyone doing the river once, with a guide. The trade-off: its Tower Bridge stop is Butler's Wharf on the south bank, not Tower Pier, so for the Tower of London you walk over the bridge.

City Cruises: the big sightseeing fleet

City Cruises' sightseeing boats stop at four piers: Westminster, the London Eye, Tower Pier (right by the Tower of London) and Greenwich. Commentary is live from the crew in English, or recorded in 13 languages through the free City Experiences app. It runs 365 days a year.

Prices (adult, online, for 28 Sep 2026): £15 single and £21 return on any route, so it's slightly cheaper than Thames River Sightseeing for a simple return. The 24-hour River Pass is £25.45 (£49 for a family), and the 24 hours start when you first scan it. Children 5 to 15 are £10.25 single. Westminster to the Tower takes about 40 minutes and Westminster to Greenwich up to 70.

Timetable. Boats leave Westminster every 40 minutes from 10:00. From 26 October 2026 to 22 March 2027, the last Westminster to Greenwich sailing that still lets you come back is at 14:40, so plan a winter Greenwich day around the morning boats.

Who it suits: people who want the London Eye and Tower stops, or the cheapest return with a guide. The trade-off: boats every 40 minutes means waiting if you just miss one, and a full boat means the next one. Get to the pier early in summer.

Lunch, afternoon tea and dinner cruises

If you want to eat on the river, City Cruises runs the scheduled public dining cruises in central London. Bateaux London, the other name you'll find in older guides, no longer sails from Embankment Pier. The daytime and early-evening cruises leave from Tower Millennium Pier, next to the Tower of London; the two dinner cruises leave from Westminster Pier.

• Lunch cruise: from £36 (discounted from £47), 1 hour 45 minutes, 11:45 to 13:30 from Tower Pier. Two courses; drinks are extra.
• Afternoon tea cruise: from £40 (discounted from £63), 90 minutes, 15:30 to 17:00 from Tower Pier. Sandwiches, pastries, scones with jam and clotted cream, unlimited tea and coffee.
• Evening cruise with canapés and music: from £32 (discounted from £45), 2 hours, 18:30 to 20:30 from Tower Pier. A glass of prosecco, cold canapés and the lit-up bridges after dark.
• Dinner cruise: from £81, 3 hours, 19:45 to 22:45 from Westminster Pier. Prosecco, three courses, a live performer and dancing; it goes as far as the Thames Barrier when the tide allows.
• Jazz dinner cruise: from £119, Fridays, 20:00 to 23:00 from Westminster Pier, with a live jazz quintet.

Prices are adult 'from' prices checked 28 Sep 2026. Window and VIP tickets on the dinner cruise cost more, and the lunch, afternoon tea and evening prices are struck-through offers, so they may not last.

Which one I'd book: the evening cruise at £32. It's two hours, you see the bridges lit up, and at that price you're not expecting a restaurant meal. The trade-off with all of them: you're paying for the view, not the cooking. It's a set menu at fixed tables, some close to the next one. For a proper afternoon tea, book one on land and take a sightseeing boat separately.

The Greenwich trip: the best Thames river cruise for a day out

Greenwich is where I'd send anyone doing one river trip. The ride from Westminster takes in almost everything: Parliament, the London Eye, St Paul's, the Globe, the Shard, the Tower, Tower Bridge and the towers of Canary Wharf. Then you step off at Greenwich Pier beside the Cutty Sark. All three services call here: the Uber Boat (about 50 minutes from Westminster), Thames River Sightseeing (about an hour) and City Cruises (up to 70 minutes).

How I'd do it: a sightseeing boat out, for the commentary, then the Uber Boat back on contactless for £13.70, since you already know what you're looking at. Or take the DLR (Docklands Light Railway) back from Cutty Sark station. Allow at least half a day ashore for the Cutty Sark, the National Maritime Museum (free) and the walk up through Greenwich Park to the Royal Observatory. Ticket prices for those are in the best museums in London.

The trade-off: in winter the sightseeing boats stop early. City Cruises' last return-able boat to Greenwich is 14:40 from 26 October, and Thames River Sightseeing's last boats back from Greenwich are one-way only (from 15:10 until 1 November, from 14:50 after). The Uber Boat runs late into the evening all year, so that's your way home.

Thames Rockets: the speedboat with a show

Thames Rockets runs RIBs (rigid inflatable speedboats) from the London Eye Pier. The format is the same on most trips: a slow, guided cruise past the central sights, then once you're past Tower Bridge and out of the speed limit, the music goes up and the boat opens up to as much as 35mph through the Docklands. It holds a 4.9 on Google from 1,150 reviews (checked 28 Sep 2026).

Prices (adult / child, 'from' prices, checked 28 Sep 2026): the Ultimate London Adventure is £59.95 / £49.95 for 50 minutes, all ages welcome. Break the Barrier is £69.95 / £59.95 for 45 minutes at full speed out to the Thames Barrier and back; it leaves from Bankside Pier, not the London Eye, and is 10+ only. The Thames Barrier Voyage is the longest, £79.95 / £64.95 for 80 minutes. Prices can go above the 'from' figure at peak times. It runs all year, hourly.

Who it suits: teenagers, groups, and anyone who finds a sightseeing boat too sedate. The trade-off: expect spray, it's loud, and it bumps. There's no alcohol, you stay seated, pregnant passengers can't ride at any stage, and it isn't advised with back, neck or heart problems. At £60 a head, it's a lot of money for under an hour.

Thames RIB Experience: the cheaper speedboat

Thames RIB Experience does the same kind of ride for less. The cheapest speedboat ride here is its Tower RIB Blast: £37 for adults (14+) and £33 for children, 20 minutes from Tower Millennium Pier out through Docklands to Canary Wharf and back, with little commentary and a lot of speed. The 40-minute Ultimate Tower RIB Blast and Tower Beast Ride go all the way to the Thames Barrier for £57 / £52.

From Embankment or Westminster Pier, the Canary Wharf Experience (£57 / £52, 45 minutes) and Thames Barrier Experience (£74 / £61, 70 minutes) add a guided run past the sights of about 25 minutes before the fast part. That's the one to pick if you want both the landmarks and the thrill.

Who it suits: speed on a budget, especially the 20-minute Blast. The trade-off: the booking terms are strict. Changing your date needs 7 days' notice and a £35 fee, there's no refund if you're ill, and trips can be moved if too few people book. Same health rules as Thames Rockets: no pregnant passengers, and not for bad backs or hearts.

Upriver to Kew, Richmond and Hampton Court: summer only

This is the other Thames, and it's a completely different trip. Thames River Boats sails west from Westminster Pier past Battersea, Putney and Chiswick to Kew Gardens, Richmond and Hampton Court Palace. The operator bills it as the longest regular scheduled boat service from London, about 22 miles, on historic boats, one of them a Dunkirk Little Ship. There's a bar and toilets on board.

Prices (adult single / return, checked 28 Sep 2026): Kew £20 / £27, Richmond £22 / £33, Hampton Court £27 / £36. Kew takes 1 hour 15 to 1 hour 45 minutes, Richmond 1 hour 45 to 2 hours 30, and Hampton Court 3 hours 15 to 3 hours 30, depending on the tide.

Does it run in autumn and winter? Not reliably. It's a summer service with one boat a day, leaving Westminster around 11:00 and coming back from Hampton Court at 15:00 on the late-September timetable. The season is winding down: there are no Westminster sailings until at least 7 October 2026, later dates are unconfirmed, and low river levels may delay boats through the locks above Richmond. There's no winter timetable. Plan it as a summer trip and check the operator's upcoming-sailings page before you go.

How I'd do it: go one way by boat and come back by train, since the boat is slow and there's only one a day. Kew Gardens station is on the District line; Hampton Court has trains to Waterloo. In summer, Turks runs a shorter hop from Kingston to Hampton Court at weekends (£10 single, £13 return in 2026, 30 to 45 minutes); its 2026 season ended with September. The trade-off: 3 hours 30 minutes is a long time on a boat, access is poor (the Hampton Court landing stage is reached by steep steps), and it's weather-dependent. Best day trips from London covers Hampton Court by train, and there's more on the area in the Richmond, Kew and Twickenham hotels guide.