England · BOAT TOURS IN LONDON
Good boat tours in London fill up weeks ahead; the great ones go first. Below: the 15 to book early, what each includes and how they differ.
London Big Bus hop-on hop-off tour links key sights on three routes, with Thames cruise or evening options, plus Wi-Fi and multilingual audio.
“Good tour - took us off the normal tourist path! Gave good history of city! Always fun on big bus! Take the bus 😃”
See London by double-decker on three routes, hop off anytime, then add a Thames hop-on cruise. Mobile app tracking included.
“I want it understood that due to the demonstration we didn't enjoy our experience at all.. we was stuck in traffic jams for up to two hours.. In addition the noise levels outside made it difficult to follow the automatic recorded tour. This was nothing akin to my previous experiences with the company.”
A London ghost walk plus a night Thames cruise, with eerie stories at Royal Parks, Tower sights, and St James’s Palace.
“Excellent experience with Mari, who is a wonderful tour guide. His storytelling skills are brilliant and he gave us a great and spooky experience. It was a lovely time overall.”
Thames cruise from Westminster to Greenwich with live commentary, iconic sights, and optional return, then explore Cutty Sark and the Prime Meridian.
“Lovely and worthwhile. We enjoyed ourselves and had fun. We won't think twice about going a second time. The river sightseeing and attractive sites were Waaw.”
Hop on and off around London’s top sights with audio in 12 languages, onboard Wi-Fi, and a free one-way Thames boat ride on the 24-hour ticket.
“Our guide, Mark, was wonderful! Extremely knowledgeable, excitingly entertaining story teller and historian. We were even fortunate enough to see King Charles on his way to Buckingham Palace. Highly recommend!”
London Thames dinner cruise with a 3-course meal, live music, and night views of Tower Bridge, St Paul’s, and more, from $95.
“This was a wonderful evening, great food, excellent service and best view of the city! The singer she was amazing. A not to miss experience!”
See Buckingham Palace, St. Paul’s, Tower of London, Thames cruise, and optional London Eye in one day with fast-track entry.
“Very practical if you want to see some of the city. Easy to book and understand the guide. Comfortable and clean bus.”
One-way Thames River ride with Uber Boat by Thames Clippers, great views of London’s landmarks, flexible boarding, and strong value for the price.
“Wonderful trip for us and amazing we can't forget ❤️. The view of the whole ride is so pretty everyone enjoy this trip with their love ones.”
See Big Ben, St. Paul’s, Tower of London, and Tower Bridge on a 40-minute Thames cruise with live commentary. Mobile tickets, great value.
“It's a great way to get some of the history plus insights into checking out things you might otherwise not have considered. We would have missed Shakespeare's Globe and not gotten to see Midsummer Night's Dream had we not taken the tour. Paul was a great tour guide.”
Combine a Thames River cruise with a London Eye ticket. Expect live commentary, big landmark views, and fast transfer for a smart day pairing.
“Great experience. Access to both the River Cruise and the London Eye was super fast. The staff was very attentive and helpful.”
Hop-on hop-off Thames river cruise with a 24-hour pass, recorded and GPS commentary, and easy access to Westminster, Tower Bridge, and Greenwich.
“I thought this was the on-off bus with a cruise option. NO. This was a boat ride only. We had a hard time figuring things out. We traveled to London for first time, had hard time figuring out how to find the pier. Asked for help many times. The information was very limited. It mentions 4 piers. By the time we figured it out, it was 5pm. We got to enjoy a nice ride and narrative. We discovered there are 5 different hop-on hop-off buses. There are a couple different hop-on cruise ships. Big city. Hard to learn in an hour or two, especially with no sleep.”
A 1.5-hour Thames lunch cruise from Tower Pier with a two-course meal, photo stops for big sights, and commentary from the water.
“Excellent cruise and 2 course meal was excellent. Staff were friendly and helpful. Drinks cost extra, but reasonably priced.”
1.5-hour Thames afternoon tea cruise from Tower Pier with unlimited tea and classic British bites, plus landmark views from big windows.
“Really relaxing way to have traditional English high tea while cruising on the Thames. The scones with the clotted cream are yummy and a good selection of sandwiches (egg, salmon, chicken and Chipotle). The sweets were also good. Lots of food for 2 pp. The service was excellent.”
70-minute Thames RIB speedboat from Embankment or Westminster. Life jackets, guide commentary, and Bond-style speed on the river.
“Sightseeing London from the water gives a completely different perspective. Very welcoming staff and competent. Scott, our commentator, was knowledgable and entertaining. The nice warm weather was a plus to the experience!”
High-speed Thames RIB from Tower Bridge. See Tower of London, Cutty Sark, Greenwich Meridian, Canary Wharf in about 45 minutes.
“Fantastic time really helpful and great time ever thing explained and the best river trip I have done done the river”
Every kind of day out in the country, best first.
