"It was a fun way to see the city at night. The food was fairly decent and the entertainment was great! Would recommend!"
3 Hours · 3 Courses · From US$106 (Oct 2026)
Thames Dinner Cruise
City Cruises' evening sailing: a glass of sparkling wine as you board, a 3-course dinner, a live singer and a dance floor, with Parliament, Tower Bridge and Canary Wharf lit up outside.
Certified by GetYourGuide
From
US$106
per person (3-course dinner and a glass of fizz; checked October 2026)
Free cancellation
- 4.3 / 5 2542+ Reviews
- 3 hours Evening Sailing
- 3 courses + Live Music
- Free Cancellation
The Experience
What the Dinner Cruise Includes
Three courses, one glass of fizz, tea and coffee, and live music for three hours.
Highlights
- Experience London’s original dinner cruise on the Thames
- Enjoy a glass of wine as you cruise along the Thames
- Pass by the modern sights of the O2 Arena and Canary Wharf
- Dance to live music and entertainment
- Enjoy a 3-course menu of traditional British cuisine
What's Included
- Live music and optional dancing
- Boat cruise
- 1 glass of sparkling wine per person on arrival
- 3-course dinner
- Tea and coffee
Good to know: Please arrive 15 minutes before your starting time to board the boat · The tour provider does not guarantee that the food products are free from nuts or traces of nuts. Gluten-free meals are available with 24-hour advance notice. Please note that the Vegetarian Menu must be pre-ordered at least 1 day before the tour takes place · Dress code is smart casual · Some tables are situated in close proximity to other diners · Not suitable for: Children under 13 years · Not Included: Additional drinks (available at an extra cost)
How a Thames Dinner Cruise Works
Book the date, dress smart casual, and board 15 minutes before the sailing.
Order Special Meals Early
Vegetarian meals must be ordered at least a day ahead and gluten-free meals with 24 hours' notice. The kitchen does not guarantee food free of nuts.
Dress Smart Casual
The listing gives smart casual as the dress code. Some resellers say trainers are refused, so smarter shoes are the safe choice.
Board 15 Minutes Early
Visit London gives boarding at 7.30pm for a 7.45pm sailing from Westminster Pier. The pier and time are on your ticket; check them, as the schedule can change by season.
Dinner, Then Dancing
The meal is served as the boat runs downriver past the O2 and Canary Wharf, then a singer takes over. You are back at the pier about three hours after you left.
Photo Gallery
The Dinner Cruise
Photos from the dinner cruise listing: the dining deck, the table settings and the river at night.
Book Your Experience
Check Availability & Prices
Select your preferred date and time. Instant confirmation — free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure.
Three Ways to Spend an Evening on the Thames
The dinner cruise against a lighter evening sailing and a smaller dinner boat. Prices as listed on GetYourGuide in October 2026.
| Feature | 3 COURSES City Cruises Dinner Cruise | Evening Cruise With Bubbly | Tea on the Thames Dinner |
|---|---|---|---|
| From (October 2026) | US$106 per person | US$54 per person | US$29 per person (its lowest-priced option) |
| Time on the water | 3 hours | 2 hours | 2.5 hours for dinner |
| Food | 3-course dinner | Canapés | 2-course dinner |
| Drinks included | 1 glass of sparkling wine, tea, coffee | 1 glass of sparkling wine or a soft drink | None (bar on board) |
| Music | Live singer and dancing | Live performers | Soft live music |
| Leaves from | Westminster Pier (Visit London) | Tower Millennium Pier | Butler's Wharf Pier |
| Ages | 13 and over | 13 and over | Adults only for dinner |
| Check Availability | See the Evening Cruise | See Tea on the Thames |
Other Evening Cruises
More Ways to Eat on the Thames
A smaller boat with a 2.5-hour dinner, a 2-hour evening cruise with bubbly and canapés, and lunch in daylight.
SMALLER BOATLondon: Thames Cruise with Afternoon Tea, Coffee or Dinner
Choose between a classic English afternoon tea on a 90-minute cruise or a sumptuous 2.5-hour evening dinner cruise with live music.
NO SIT-DOWN MEALLondon: River Thames Evening Cruise with Bubbly and Canapés
As the sun goes down and the lights come on, see London's riverside landmarks at in the evening light as you cruise down the Thames River.
IN DAYLIGHTLondon: Lunch Cruise on the River Thames
Enjoy a London lunch venue with a difference on this 105-minute cruise down the River Thames from Tower Pier.
The Guide
What You Get on a Thames Dinner Cruise, and What You Don't
The river at night is the star. The meal is good, not the reason to go.
A Thames dinner cruise is a three-hour evening on a restaurant boat, and on GetYourGuide the one most people book is City Cruises’ Dinner Cruise on the River Thames: three courses, a glass of sparkling wine as you board, tea and coffee, and a live singer, from US$106 a person (checked October 2026). It is rated 4.3 out of 5 from 2,542 reviews, and City Cruises calls it London’s original dinner cruise.
The boat sails downriver in the dark, past the Houses of Parliament, City Hall, the O2 and Canary Wharf, and the views carry the evening. In summer the sun sets while you eat. The music is the other half of it: a singer works through songs old and new, and people get up to dance during and after the set.
What the reviews say about the food
Guests are warmer about the views, the staff and the music than about the meal. Recent reviews say “the food was fairly decent and the entertainment was great” and “perfect music, amazing food, good wine list”, and the 4.3 average sits below the lunch cruise’s 4.5. Expect a set three-course menu of British dishes, served while the boat moves, rather than a restaurant dinner. Only the first glass of fizz is included; the rest of the drinks list is paid at the table.
Some tables sit close to the next one, and the listing says so. Book for a couple or a small group and you share the room, not the table.
Practical points
- Dress: smart casual. Smarter shoes are the safe choice, as some resellers say trainers are refused.
- Ages: not suitable for children under 13.
- Diets: vegetarian meals must be pre-ordered at least a day ahead, gluten-free with 24 hours’ notice. There is no guarantee against nuts.
- Boarding: Visit London gives 7.30pm at Westminster Pier for a 7.45pm sailing, back around 10.45pm. Your ticket has the pier and time.
- Access: GetYourGuide lists it as wheelchair accessible.
- Cancelling: free up to 3 days before, not 24 hours as on the sightseeing boats.
Lighter evenings on the river
Three hours and three courses of the dinner cruise is a lot of evening. Two alternatives cost less:
- The evening cruise with bubbly and canapés is two hours from Tower Millennium Pier, with a glass of sparkling wine or a soft drink, canapés and live chill-out pop, from US$54 a person . Guests like the views from the open top deck and call the canapés “just ok”. It is also for over-13s.
- Tea on the Thames is a smaller boat from Butler’s Wharf Pier with a 2.5-hour dinner option, two courses and soft live music, rated 4.6. Its dinner is for adults only, and the boat has no lift.
If you are weighing an evening against a daytime sailing, dinner versus lunch compares the two, and the lunch cruise does the same river in daylight in about half the time.
Guest Reviews
What Dinner Cruise Guests Say
4.3/5
from 2542 verified guests
"Absolutely Fantastic. Highly recommend. Food was delicious and staff were terrific."
"Very welcoming, friendly and a lovely experience to enjoy."
"The tour exceeded expectations. Perfect music, amazing food, good wine list! The perfect outing to end the night!!!"
"Lovely experience, surpassing our expectations, food was lovely, only thing was I felt the vegetables were under cooked and too hard to eat, Staff were very friendly and helpful Definitely will come back soon"
"An experience that's out of the ordinary. Really a great tour, where you get to see London from the water and beautifully illuminated after dark (we went at the end of September). I would definitely recommend it. The food was good, but not spectacular. Considering what you can get for DKK 1,800 back home in Denmark for that price for 2 people, the money was certainly not for the food, but more for the experience itself. But it WAS also beautiful, nice, and cozy. In any case, it's an experience you won't easily have again :)"
"Fun time with great views. The singer was talented and a group danced which was fun to see"
"A really great excursion, and I can recommend it to everyone. The food was very good – a 3-course menu – the staff were super nice, and London by night was absolutely amazing. We took great pictures, and the music was also great"
Read all 2,542 verified reviews
See All ReviewsThree Hours, Three Courses and the River at Night
City Cruises' Dinner Cruise on the River Thames serves a 3-course dinner with a glass of sparkling wine on arrival, tea and coffee, and live music, on a 3-hour evening sailing. Rated 4.3 from 2,542 reviews, from US$106 a person as of October 2026, with free cancellation up to 3 days before. Starting from US$106 per person (3-course dinner and a glass of fizz; checked October 2026).
Check Dinner Cruise DatesCan't Make These Dates?
Browse More Available Options
Find a tour that fits your schedule. Check each listing's cancellation terms: some dates are non-refundable.
Thames Dinner Cruise FAQ
Dress code, timings, food and children on the dinner cruises.
The best known is City Cruises' Dinner Cruise on the River Thames: three courses, a glass of sparkling wine, a live singer and three hours on the river, rated 4.3 from 2,542 reviews. For a smaller boat and a shorter evening, Tea on the Thames has a 2.5-hour dinner option from Butler's Wharf, rated 4.6.
Smart casual. The City Cruises listing gives smart casual as the dress code for the dinner cruise, and its lunch cruise names sportswear and sports shoes as not allowed. Some resellers say trainers are refused in the evening too, so smarter shoes are the safe choice.
Three hours. Visit London gives boarding at 7.30pm for a 7.45pm sailing from Westminster Pier, back at about 10.45pm; check the time on your ticket, because the schedule can change by season. The evening cruise with bubbly is 2 hours and the Tea on the Thames dinner 2.5 hours.
A 3-course dinner, one glass of sparkling wine on arrival, tea and coffee, live music and the cruise itself; other drinks cost extra. Vegetarian meals must be ordered at least a day ahead, and gluten-free meals with 24 hours' notice. The kitchen does not guarantee food free of nuts.
No, the City Cruises dinner cruise is not suitable for children under 13, and neither is the evening cruise with bubbly. Families eating on the river do better at lunch or afternoon tea, where the afternoon tea cruise has a children's menu.
Visit London lists Westminster Pier for City Cruises' dinner cruise; the pier is on your ticket, so check it. The evening cruise with bubbly leaves Tower Millennium Pier and Tea on the Thames leaves Butler's Wharf Pier. The pier guide has the nearest station for each.
Yes, free up to 3 days before the City Cruises dinner and evening cruises, and up to 24 hours before Tea on the Thames. After that the ticket is not refunded, so book once your evening is fixed.
For an evening out, yes: guests rate the views, staff and music highly, and the food more modestly. Recent reviewers call it "a fun way to see the city at night". If the meal matters most, the lunch cruise rates higher, at 4.5, and costs less.
Still have questions? Email us at info@thames-river-cruises.com