River Thames Cruise

The best way to appreciate the majestic beauty of London is from the waters. The river cruises in London offer wonderful views of the iconic landmarks that we identify with London.

Our River Thames cruise came free with our Original Bus Tour tickets. The cruise is conducted through the popular City Cruises. If you are looking to book a separate tour for yourself, you can do so through their website www.citycruises.com. Cruises depart every 30 minutes from Westminster Pier, London Eye Pier, Tower Pier and Greenwich Pier throughout the year. They also have combination tickets with some of the popular attractions of London.

The Tower Bridge

 

The Tower Bridge opened up to let a boat in

By chance, we took the cruise in the best time of the day. Our 24-hour bus ticket was expiring around noon. So we decided to start our day with a lovely river cruise on a cold morning. All the pictures that we took during the cruise have a slight grey tone to them, because of the steady mist that enveloped the air. Our cruise was from Tower Pier – Westminster pier, and we got on an almost-empty cruise boat.

London Eye as seen from the cruise

As the name suggests, the tower pier is pretty close to the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge. You get GREAT views of the Tower Bridge from the cruise and you will pass through the famous London Bridge on the way. We even saw the tower bridge opening to let a boat go through. This route passes through The Shard, the tallest building in London and as you approach the Westminster pier, you get great views of the Palace of Westminster (Big Ben!), London Eye and other prominent landmarks.

The shard - you cannot see the top because of the mist

If you are using the cruise as a means of transport to London’s sightseeing spots, Westminster pier is THE stop. This stop lets you explore the Houses of Parliament, Tate Britain, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, Churchill Museum, Westminster Abbey, Cabinet War Rooms, Buckingham Palace and Big Ben.

The cruise also sells coffee and snacks, to satiate your hunger pangs. You can also have an English tea while cruising, propose to your sweetheart…the options are limitless to say the truth. I would suggest that you explore different options based on what you hope to experience from the cruise.

Big Ben and the House of Parliament as seen from the cruise, the mist is slowly starting to clear now

Expenses:

Ticket from Tower Pier to Westminster pier - £8.78 for one way, if you buy the ticket online

(ours came free)