In this guide
Westminster to Greenwich by narrated boat costs £14.62 to £15 one way online, and City Cruises sells a one-day hop-on hop-off pass for £9. That pass is the cheapest way onto a sightseeing boat on the Thames, cheaper than tapping a card on the commuter Uber Boat. Everything else, from a £43 lunch to a £59.95 speedboat, is a question of what you want to be doing while you look at Tower Bridge.
💡 The Short Version: Sightseeing: Thames River Sightseeing Westminster to Greenwich from £14.62 online, about an hour, live commentary from the crew; City Cruises £15 single, £21 return, online only, or its £9 one-day pass. Cheap and fast: Uber Boat, £13.70 by contactless, no commentary. Meals: City Cruises lunch from £43, afternoon tea from £55, dinner from £99, all booked ahead. Speed: Thames Rockets from £59.95 for 50 minutes; no pregnant passengers. Upriver: one boat a day to Kew, Richmond and Hampton Court, £27 one way. Winter: the big sightseeing boats run all year; last City Cruises sailing to Greenwich drops to 14:40 from 26 October. Or book on GetYourGuide: the Westminster to Greenwich cruise there has 25,506 reviews at 4.5, from £17. Prices September 2026.
Which cruise to pick
| If you want | Book | Adult price | What decides it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landmarks with a guide, cheapest | City Cruises one-day pass | £9 online | Unlimited trips between Westminster, London Eye, Tower and Greenwich piers until the last boat; captain’s commentary in English, app in 14 languages |
| Westminster to Greenwich, one way | Thames River Sightseeing | from £14.62 online | An hour with the skipper talking; tickets also sold at the pier, and good on any sailing that day |
| Just to get there | Uber Boat | £13.70 contactless | Every 10 to 20 minutes, faster, indoor seats; no commentary |
| A sit-down meal | City Cruises lunch or dinner | from £43 / £99 | Fixed boarding time, pre-booked only; window tables seat two |
| Speed | Thames Rockets | from £59.95 | 50 minutes, 35mph past Canary Wharf; not for pregnant passengers or bad backs |
| The Thames Barrier | Thames Rockets Thames Barrier Voyage | from £79.95 | 80 minutes from London Eye Pier, out to the Barrier and back |
| Kew, Richmond or Hampton Court | Thames River Boats | £20 / £22 / £27 single | One departure a day from Westminster at 11:00; three and a quarter hours to Hampton Court |
| London lit up at night | Illuminated River tour, Uber Boat | £16.50 | Saturdays only at 21:30 from Tower Pier, until 8 May 2027 |
Book a cruise direct
The cruises that cover most people, bookable on GetYourGuide:
- £9 — City Cruises one-day unlimited river pass — the same £9 pass as on City Cruises’ own site: Westminster, London Eye, Tower and Greenwich piers, captain’s commentary, 4.5 from 816 reviews
- £17 — Westminster to Greenwich cruise, one way or return — the most reviewed Thames cruise on GetYourGuide, 4.5 from 25,506 reviews, with a downloadable audio commentary
- £16 — 45-minute circular cruise from the London Eye, with an optional London Eye ticket — live commentary, back where you started, 4.5 from 4,463 reviews
- £25 — Hop-on hop-off sightseeing cruise — Westminster, London Eye, Tower and Greenwich piers, 4.4 from 3,297 reviews
Sightseeing cruises
The two main narrated services between Westminster and Greenwich both pass the Houses of Parliament, the London Eye, St Paul’s, the Shard and the Tower, go under Tower Bridge and finish at the Cutty Sark. The difference is the piers and how you buy.
City Cruises
Boats leave Westminster Pier every 40 minutes from 10:00, calling at London Eye Pier, Tower Pier and Greenwich. The captain gives a commentary in English, and the City Experiences app carries it in 14 other languages. Each boat has an open upper deck, a heated saloon, a bar and toilets with baby changing and disabled facilities.
- Tickets (September 2026): single £15, return £21; children 5 to 15 £10.25 and £15; under-5s free. A 24-hour hop-on hop-off pass is £24.95 (family of two adults and three children £49), and the one-day pass is £9, child £7.50.
- Online only. The sightseeing ticket cannot be bought at the piers.
- Journey times: Westminster to Tower 40 minutes, Westminster to Greenwich 70 minutes, Tower to Greenwich 30 minutes.
- Last boat to Greenwich from Westminster: 16:00 until 25 October 2026, 14:40 from 26 October. The timetable lists every departure.
- Some circular trips change boats at Tower Pier.
Thames River Sightseeing
A family-run operator using Westminster Pier, Tower Bridge (Butler’s Wharf Pier) on the south bank, and Greenwich. Its hop-on hop-off pass adds Embankment, Festival and Bankside piers. The skipper and crew do the commentary live.
- Tickets (September 2026, online): Westminster to Greenwich from £14.62 one way and £19.12 return, child from £9.60 and £12.92; Westminster to Tower Bridge from £11.90. The 1-Day River Pass gives a second day free, from £21.21, child £14.41, family £49.90.
- Buy online or at the pier. Student and senior (60+) tickets are sold only at the ticket office. Refunds up to 24 hours before.
- Any boat that day. A ticket is accepted on any sailing on its date, so a missed boat costs nothing.
- Timing: Westminster to Greenwich about an hour; departures run between 10:00 and 17:00. The winter timetable starts on 2 November, with no boats on 24, 25 and 26 December.
- Dogs are welcome on board.
The London Eye circular cruise
A 40 to 45-minute loop from London Eye Pier and back, with live commentary. It suits anyone combining it with the wheel on the same afternoon; our London Eye guide covers the combined tickets.
Bus tickets that include a boat
Golden Tours and Big Bus sell hop-on hop-off bus tickets with a river cruise bundled in. If you were going to take both, our comparison of London tour buses sets out which tickets include the boat.
Uber Boat: the cheap alternative
Uber Boat by Thames Clippers is the river’s commuter service, not a cruise. It runs every 10 to 20 minutes at the central piers, faster than the sightseeing boats, with indoor seats and a small open deck at the back.
- Westminster to Greenwich (Central and East zones): £13.70 by contactless or Oyster at weekends and after 09:27 on weekdays, £13.50 online, £17.70 at the pier.
- Hop-on Hop-off day ticket: £29.30 online, £32.60 at the pier; child £14.65; family £58.70. Online singles, returns and day tickets bought at least three days ahead are 15% off.
- No commentary, but a £2.50 audio guide narrated by Rory Bremner plays over the boat Wi-Fi. Bring headphones.
- River fares do not count towards the Tube’s daily cap. These contactless fares run until 31 October 2026.
Zones, piers, touching in and out and the Travelcard discount are in our guide to using London’s river boats.
Lunch, afternoon tea and dinner cruises
City Cruises runs London’s daily dining sailings. Every one is booked ahead online and prices change by date. Window tables seat two and sell out first, so a group of four will not get one. On the evening sailings the commentary is in the City Experiences app, not over the speakers. Prices below are the adult range for late September and early October 2026.
| Cruise | Pier and time | Length | Adult price | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lunch | Tower Millennium Pier, 11:45 | 1h 45m | £43–£73 | Lunch and a bar; the route runs up to Westminster and down towards Canary Wharf depending on the tide; family ticket from £158 for two adults and two children aged 2 to 12 |
| Afternoon tea | Tower Millennium Pier, board 15:15, sail 15:30 | 1h 30m | £55–£79 | Sandwiches, scones with clotted cream, cakes, unlimited tea and coffee; casual dress |
| Evening cruise | Tower Millennium Pier, 18:30 | 2h | £37–£67 | Canapés and live music, no fixed seats, smart casual |
| Dinner | Westminster Pier, 19:45 | 3h | £99–£137 | Three British courses, a live singer and dancing, smart casual (no ripped jeans or flip-flops); VIP from £144 adds Champagne, front seats and a cheeseboard |
| Jazz dinner | Westminster Pier, selected evenings | 3h | £119 | Three courses with a live jazz band |
| Murder mystery | Tower Millennium Pier, selected evenings | 3h | £141 | Three courses with actors running a whodunnit you solve at the table |
Dinner and a Show in London sets the dinner and jazz cruises beside the jazz clubs and cabaret dinners on land.
The lunch sees the same landmarks as the dinner for well under half the price. The dinner’s case is the lights: in October the sun sets before it sails.
Lunch and afternoon tea add a £25 VIP upgrade for priority service and front seats. Our afternoon tea guide compares the boat with the London hotels and the Routemaster tea bus.
GetYourGuide sells its own set of dining cruises:
- £81 — three-hour dinner cruise with a live performance and dancing — 4.3 from 2,501 reviews
- £36 — 105-minute lunch cruise, two courses with tea and coffee — 4.5 from 2,245 reviews
- £32 — two-hour evening cruise with bubbly, canapés and live singers — 4.4 from 2,841 reviews
- £22 — Tea on the Thames: afternoon tea, top-deck coffee or a two-course dinner — 4.6 from 109 reviews
Speedboats
Thames Rockets runs open speedboats from London Eye Pier, departing hourly all year. Each boat carries a live guide who is an actor or comedian. The central stretch is slow sightseeing; after Tower Bridge the boat opens up to 35mph through the Docklands to a soundtrack. Waterproof coats, ponchos and goggles are available, and it sails in rain.
- Ultimate London Adventure: 50 minutes, adult from £59.95, child from £49.95, all ages.
- Break the Barrier: 45 minutes from Bankside Pier, flat out from the start, from £69.95, recommended for ages 10 and up.
- Thames Barrier Voyage: 80 minutes out to the Barrier and back, from £79.95, child £64.95.
- Thames Lates: 18 and over, with drinks served on board, from £64.95.
Who cannot go: Thames Rockets does not carry pregnant passengers, advises anyone with a back or neck condition not to travel, and asks parents of babies under six months to phone first. Children 14 and under need an adult with them. Check-in is 15 minutes before departure, and wheelchair access depends on the pier, so call before booking.
On GetYourGuide, a 50-minute speedboat tour with a comedian guide is from £65 (4.9 from 1,031 reviews), and a 70-minute Thames Barrier speedboat from Embankment or Westminster Pier is from £75 (4.8 from 362 reviews).
Greenwich, the Thames Barrier, Kew and Hampton Court
Greenwich
Every sightseeing boat above ends at Greenwich Pier beside the Cutty Sark. Get off, see the Royal Observatory and the Painted Hall, and come back on a later boat: return tickets on both sightseeing lines allow it. Our Greenwich area guide plans the day, and the Canary Wharf to Greenwich walk arrives beside the same pier through the foot tunnel. For The O2, the Uber Boat stops at North Greenwich Pier; the O2 travel guide has the last boats after a show.
The Thames Barrier
The Westminster to Greenwich sightseeing boats turn at Greenwich. The choices are the Thames Rockets Thames Barrier Voyage above, or the Uber Boat to Woolwich (Royal Arsenal) Pier, which sails through the Barrier’s gates for an ordinary fare.
Kew, Richmond and Hampton Court
Thames River Boats runs the passenger boats upriver from Westminster. The oldest of its three boats, the Connaught, was built in 1911, and the Princess Freda crossed the Channel to Dunkirk in 1940. Boats to Hampton Court pass through Teddington Lock.
- Fares from Westminster (2026): Kew £20 single, £27 return; Richmond £22 and £33; Hampton Court £27 and £36. Children 5 to 15 half price; seniors 60+ £17 to £21 single; family tickets for two adults and two children.
- Times: one departure a day from Westminster at 11:00 in September 2026, reaching Kew in about 1h 15m to 1h 45m and Hampton Court in about 3h 15m. The return from Hampton Court leaves at 15:00.
- The one thing that decides it: sailings follow the tide and change week to week, and there are no Westminster sailings from 28 September to 6 October 2026. The upcoming sailings page lists every boat for the next fortnight.
- Tickets online or at the pier offices. A bar on board takes cash or card.
Going one way by boat and back by train makes the day workable: Kew Gardens is 1h 15m from Westminster, and Richmond has a direct train to Waterloo. GetYourGuide also sells the Westminster to Hampton Court cruise from £27.
Evening, Christmas and New Year’s Eve cruises
Illuminated River tour. Uber Boat’s Illuminated River Official Boat Tour is a 50-minute loop from Tower Pier under nine lit bridges, with commentary from official City of London and City of Westminster guides. Saturdays at 21:30 only, until 8 May 2027. £16.50, child and concession £9.90, bought online in advance.
Christmas. City Cruises runs the Christmas sailings: party cruises from £75 a head, and on Christmas Day a four-course lunch cruise of about 3h 15m and one-hour sightseeing cruises, both from Westminster Pier. Thames Rockets’ Meet Santa ride, from £69.95, runs on selected December sailings from London Eye Pier with a gift for every child. For the rest of the season see Christmas in London.
New Year’s Eve. Boats sell out months ahead:
- Thames River Sightseeing: 21:00 to 00:30 from Westminster, moored near Big Ben for the fireworks, £172 a head for adults and children. Fully booked; places may free up in December.
- City Cruises Celestial: from Tower Pier, family-friendly, £390 adult, £345 for ages 5 to 17.
- City Cruises Gala Dinner: from Tower Pier, 18 and over, £629.
- Thames Rockets: 90 minutes on a 12-seat open speedboat, £449.
Party boats and the rest of the night are in our New Year’s Eve in London guide.
Accessibility
- Uber Boat: every boat takes wheelchairs, including electric ones, and mobility scooters; every pier is step-free except Cadogan, London Bridge City and Wandsworth Riverside Quarter, where the ramp can be too steep at some tides. Details on its accessibility page.
- Thames River Sightseeing: most boats are adapted for wheelchairs, but electric wheelchairs are not allowed and you may wait for a suitable boat. Disabled passengers and one carer get 50% off; email 72 hours ahead for the online code (details).
- City Cruises: every sightseeing boat has disabled toilet facilities; state any access needs when booking a festive cruise.
- Thames River Boats: the historic boats cannot take a motorised wheelchair, and the Richmond and Hampton Court piers are reached by steps (policy).
- For step-free routes to the piers, see step-free London.
Walks and sights near the piers
To see the same stretch on foot, our Thames walks include the South Bank walk, which passes London Eye Pier and Bankside Pier on its way from Westminster Bridge to Tower Bridge. The South Bank area guide covers what is around those two piers, and the Tower of London is beside Tower Pier. For the skyline from above, see the best views in London.
Prices, timetables and sailings are from each operator’s own booking pages in September 2026. City Cruises and Thames River Sightseeing change price by date and demand.
Common questions
Which Thames cruise is best?
For sightseeing, a narrated boat from Westminster to Greenwich: Thames River Sightseeing from £14.62 one way online, or City Cruises at £15, both with commentary from the crew. City Cruises' one-day hop-on hop-off pass is £9 online and is the cheapest narrated option on the river. For a meal, City Cruises' lunch cruise from £43 covers the same landmarks as the £99 dinner. For thrills, Thames Rockets' 50-minute speedboat from the London Eye is £59.95.
How much is a Thames river cruise?
Prices in September 2026: Westminster to Greenwich one way £14.62 to £15 online, return £19.12 to £21. Day passes £9 (City Cruises, online) to £29.30 (Uber Boat). Lunch cruise from £43, afternoon tea from £55, dinner from £99, all City Cruises adult prices that rise on busy dates. Speedboats £59.95 to £79.95. Westminster to Hampton Court on the seasonal upriver boat is £27 one way.
Is the Uber Boat cheaper than a cruise?
Only slightly, and not always. Westminster to Greenwich on Uber Boat is £13.70 by contactless at most times, against £14.62 online with Thames River Sightseeing and £15 with City Cruises. The Uber Boat is faster and runs every 10 to 20 minutes, but has no commentary unless you buy its £2.50 audio guide. City Cruises' £9 one-day pass beats all three.
Do Thames cruises run in winter?
Yes. City Cruises sails every day of the year; from 26 October 2026 its last departure from Westminster to Greenwich is 14:40. Thames River Sightseeing runs a winter timetable from 2 November with no service on 24, 25 and 26 December. Uber Boat and Thames Rockets run all year. The upriver boat to Kew, Richmond and Hampton Court is seasonal and tide-dependent.
Can you do a Thames dinner cruise?
City Cruises runs a three-hour dinner cruise from Westminster Pier every evening, boarding for a 19:45 departure: three courses, a live singer, smart casual dress, from £99 an adult (September 2026). There are jazz, Elvis and murder-mystery versions on selected nights from £119, and a two-hour evening cruise with canapés and live music from Tower Pier from £37.
How long is the boat from Westminster to Greenwich?
About an hour on Thames River Sightseeing and 70 minutes on City Cruises, with commentary on both. Uber Boat takes 27 minutes from Tower Pier to Greenwich. A City Cruises return takes around three hours including the stops.
