Thames River Cruises

A Thames river cruise is a boat trip through central London, and the real choice is between a sightseeing boat, from about US$19 for half an hour, and a meal cruise of one and a half to three hours. The sightseeing boats run from Westminster Pier and the London Eye to Tower Bridge and on to Greenwich, with commentary and an open deck. The meal cruises sail a loop and come back to the pier they left from, with lunch, afternoon tea or dinner served at your table. The cruise this page puts first is City Cruises’ Dinner Cruise on the River Thames: three hours in the evening, three courses, a glass of sparkling wine and a live singer. It is from US$106 a person (checked October 2026) and rated 4.3 out of 5 from 2,542 reviews.

The dinner cruise suits a night out more than a sightseeing trip. Recent guests call it “a fun way to see the city at night” and praise the staff and the music; the food draws more mixed comments than the views. It sails past the Houses of Parliament, the O2 and Canary Wharf, lit up after dark, and in summer you watch the sun go down from the water first.

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A sightseeing boat or a meal cruise?

They are different things that share the same river. A sightseeing boat is a short ride with a purpose: you board at one pier, listen to the crew’s commentary, and get off at Tower Bridge or Greenwich, often with a return ticket in your pocket. Times move with the tide, the boats are frequent, and the open deck is where everyone stands.

A meal cruise is booked for a fixed sailing and a fixed table. You sit behind panoramic windows, the boat runs down the river and back, and the meal sets the pace. The lunch and dinner cruises ask for smart casual dress, and City Cruises’ meal cruises can be cancelled free only up to three days before, against 24 hours for most sightseeing tickets.

Pick the one that fits your day:

Prices and review counts as listed on GetYourGuide in October 2026, not a quote.

The sightseeing routes and how long they take

Most sightseeing tickets cover one of three stretches: Westminster to Tower Bridge, a circular trip from the London Eye, or the longer run downriver to Greenwich. The times below are the operators’ own.

The Greenwich boat has 25,699 reviews, far more than any other cruise on the river, and one return ticket covers a day out in Greenwich, with the Cutty Sark and the Royal Observatory a short walk from the pier. The London Eye cruise is the easy add-on if you are riding the wheel the same day; its ticket can include the Eye. The Tower of London River Tour runs on an electric boat with a script curated with Historic Royal Palaces, and at 4.8 it is the best rated of the lot. The pier guide has the nearest station for each pier, and how long each cruise takes sets the routes side by side.

The meal cruises

City Cruises runs the three big ones, all with tables allocated before you board.

The lunch cruise leaves Tower Pier, beside the Tower of London, for 105 minutes and two courses with tea or coffee; alcohol is from the bar. The dress code is smart casual, and sportswear and trainers are on the not-allowed list. The afternoon tea cruise also leaves Tower Pier, for 90 minutes of sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and cakes, with unlimited tea and coffee; the upgrade adds a glass of champagne and front-row seats. The lunch cruise page and the afternoon tea page compare the alternatives.

The dinner cruise is the long one, at three hours, and the only one with a singer and a dance floor. It is not for children under 13, and gluten-free or vegetarian meals have to be ordered at least a day ahead. For something lighter in the evening, the evening cruise with bubbly and canapés spends two hours on the river from Tower Millennium Pier, with a glass of sparkling wine and live music but no sit-down meal. The dinner cruise page covers both, and dinner versus lunch helps if you are torn.

Smaller and run by a different company, Tea on the Thames sails from Butler’s Wharf Pier, on the south side of Tower Bridge, with an afternoon tea, a coffee cruise or a 2.5-hour dinner. Its largest tables seat eight, and the boat has no lift.

Before you book

The sailing times on a sightseeing ticket are a guide, because the tide sets the river timetable and a boat can run a few minutes off. If a boat fills before you reach the front of the queue, you are asked to take the next one. On the meal cruises you board at a fixed time, about 15 minutes before departure.

Children under five travel free on the Greenwich boat, and infants up to two on the London Eye cruise. GetYourGuide lists the dinner, afternoon tea and main sightseeing cruises as wheelchair accessible; Tea on the Thames is the exception. Every price on this site is the starting price on GetYourGuide in October 2026, shown in US dollars as the listings show it; the prices guide has the full range.

The Uber Boat, the river bus run by Thames Clippers, uses the same piers but is a commuter service paid by contactless or Oyster, with no commentary. It is the quicker way to get somewhere; the Uber Boat comparison shows when it is the better buy. If your day is built around the Tower of London, toweroflondon-tour.com covers the cruises that leave from Tower Pier in front of it.

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