Is a Thames River Cruise Worth It?
Is a Thames river cruise worth it? For a first visit, yes: an hour from Westminster passes most of London's landmarks for US$23. Who should take a meal cruise instead, and who can skip the boat.
Yes, for most first-time visitors: an hour on a sightseeing boat from Westminster passes most of London’s famous riverside buildings, sitting down, for US$23. It is worth less if you only need transport, have already walked the South Bank, or want a great meal more than a great view. Then the Uber Boat, or a lunch cruise instead of dinner, is the better buy.
What you actually see
London grew along the river, so its landmarks face it. From Westminster Pier the Greenwich cruise passes the Houses of Parliament, the London Eye, the National Theatre, the Millennium Bridge with St Paul’s behind it, Tate Modern and Shakespeare’s Globe, the Shard, Tower Bridge and the Tower of London, then the towers of Canary Wharf before Greenwich. The crew’s commentary is the other part of the value: reviewers keep mentioning it, as “informative and entertaining” or told “in a somewhat humorous way”.
Who it suits
- First-time visitors who want the landmarks in order, with names, in an hour.
- Families: children under five ride free to Greenwich, and the boats have toilets and a bar.
- Anyone with tired legs, or a wet day: the boats have heated indoor saloons as well as the open deck.
- A day trip to Greenwich, where the boat is the scenic way there and a return ticket brings you back.
Who can skip it
If you only need to get to Greenwich, Canary Wharf or the O2, the Uber Boat river bus is faster and is paid by contactless or Oyster, with no booking. It has no commentary, and the boats are commuter catamarans, so the trade is speed for the view and the stories. Uber Boat or a cruise? compares them.
If you have already walked from Westminster to Tower Bridge, a 30-minute boat over the same stretch adds less. The Greenwich boat carries on past Tower Bridge and through the Docklands, which is a reason to pick it over the shorter one.
If a fine meal matters more than the view, the dinner cruise is not the best of London’s restaurants: guests rate its views, music and staff above the food. It is worth it as an evening out on the river; the lunch cruise rates higher, at 4.5, and costs less.
Which Thames cruise is best?
It depends on what you want from the hour:
Westminster to Greenwich
The whole central river in about an hour, with live commentary, and Greenwich at the end.
Check times →Tower of London River Tour
40 minutes from Tower Bridge Quay on an electric boat, with stories curated with Historic Royal Palaces.
See the river tour →Lunch Cruise from Tower Pier
Two courses in 105 minutes, the best rated of the big meal cruises.
See the lunch cruise →Prices, ratings and review counts as listed on GetYourGuide in October 2026, not a quote.
Is hop-on hop-off worth it on the river?
Only if you will use it. City Cruises’ 24-hour hop-on hop-off cruise at US$33 covers Westminster, the London Eye, Tower and Greenwich, so it pays off if you plan two or three legs in a day, say to the Tower in the morning and Greenwich in the afternoon. For one trip, a single ticket is cheaper, and the one-day river pass at US$13 covers the same four piers. Reviewers on the hop-on hop-off boats warn that the last sailing back is not guaranteed, so do not leave your return to the final boat.
The calendar below is for the Westminster to Greenwich cruise:
An Hour Past Every Landmark on the River
The Westminster to Greenwich cruise passes Parliament, the London Eye, St Paul's, the Globe, the Shard and Tower Bridge on its way to Greenwich, with live commentary. Rated 4.5 from 25,699 reviews, from US$23 a person as of October 2026, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Check Greenwich Boat Times