Sightseeing Cruise with Commentary
Westminster to Greenwich with a guide on the microphone. Pleasant, unhurried, slightly overpriced.
£22/ person
Check availability Viator
Is Thames River Cruise worth booking?
28 SCORE
Maybe — it depends. Can Wait
Turn up and get on. The river bus is a commuter service that happens to run past everything, and it costs about a tenner. Only the dinner cruises need booking.
Quick facts
- BOOK AHEAD?
- Optional
- Same-day usually fine
- SELL-OUT RISK
- Low
- Rarely an issue
- BOOKING WINDOW
- 1–3 days
- Late afternoon
- TYPICAL PRICE
- £11–£89
- Cruise
- TIME NEEDED
- 1–3 hours
- Late afternoon
- AT THE DOOR?
- Usually fine
- Small queue at most
Best for
- Tired legs on day three, when walking has stopped being fun
- Getting from Westminster to Greenwich without going underground
- A clear late afternoon, sitting outside at the back
- Anyone who wants the skyline without paying for a viewpoint
Skip if
- It is raining sideways. The good seats are outside
- You want commentary. The river bus has none and the tour boats' is thin
- You are short on time — it is slow, which is rather the point
- You have already crossed the river four times today on foot
THE BIG QUESTION
Guided tour or solo visit?
We compared both, factor by factor.
FACTOR Solo visit · £11 Our pick Guided tour · £89
Price Solo visit € — ticket only Guided tour €€ — ticket + guide
Flexibility Solo visit High — your own pace Guided tour Medium — some structure
Historical context Solo visit Low — you are on your own Guided tour Medium — signage or audio guide
Ease of entry Solo visit High — entry handled for you Guided tour High — entry handled for you
Best for Solo visit Tight budgets Guided tour Travellers short on time
Our pick
Do it yourself. The single best value on this entire page is the Uber Boat river bus: it takes contactless, costs about the same as two tube journeys, and passes the Houses of Parliament, the Tate, St Paul's, the Shard and Tower Bridge on the way to Greenwich. A guided sightseeing cruise covers the same water more slowly for double. Book a boat only if you want dinner on it.
See the tour →Frequently asked
Do I need to book a Thames river cruise in advance?
No. Sightseeing boats run every 30 to 40 minutes and the river bus every 20, and both take walk-ups all day. Book only for a dinner cruise or a special event sailing.
Is a Thames river cruise worth it?
The £11 river bus, absolutely. The £22 tour boat, only if you want the commentary and the wider deck. Both show you the same river.
Which Thames cruise is best for sightseeing?
Westminster to Greenwich, going east, in the late afternoon. You pass almost every landmark in the correct order and end up somewhere worth being.
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