Dozens of "cruises" sail through central London, and most of them are a handful of operators sold under different names. This is the honest version: the real sailings you can book right now, from the hour-long Westminster to Greenwich run to a three-hour dinner, afternoon tea at cake-stand pace, and a 30-knot speedboat to the Thames Barrier. Compared by what each one actually gives you.
About 48,000 traveller reviews across the 15 cruises here, and most listings cancel free up to 24 hours before departure.
Short answer
For most first-timers the Westminster to Greenwich sightseeing cruise (from £17.20, over 25,000 reviews) does the job: an hour on the water past St Paul's, the Tower and Tower Bridge with live commentary. Counting pennies? The Tower Bridge circular is £14. Want a meal on board? Lunch runs from £36, the classic dinner cruise from £87. Want your heart rate up instead? The Thames Rockets speedboat holds a 5.0 rating across more than 4,200 reviews. Everything boards at the central piers between Westminster and the Tower.
Start from what you want the boat to do, not from the brand on the ticket. Seven kinds of sailing run this river, and the fork that matters is speed and whether you want a meal: a landmark run to Greenwich, a full day on the hop-on hop-off pass, dinner or tea on the water, a glass of bubbly at dusk, or twelve seats on a RIB doing 30 knots. Each type below says who it suits.
Sightseeing cruises
Best for first-timers and anyone who wants the landmark run without a meal
Hop-on hop-off river pass
Best for a full day of riverside sights at your own pace
Dinner cruises
Best for date nights, celebrations and a slow evening on the water
Evening & sunset cruises
Best for a shorter night out built around the view
Lunch & afternoon tea cruises
Best for a midday break that doubles as sightseeing
Speedboats & RIBs
Best for thrill-seekers and anyone who has already done the slow cruise
Private charter
Best for small groups, birthdays and proposals
The workhorses of the river, and the reviews show it: the Westminster to Greenwich run alone carries more than 25,000 of them. An hour each way through the whole postcard, the short London Eye circular for the Westminster stretch, and a £14 circular that turns under Tower Bridge. No meal, no dress code, commentary included.
1 hour one-way · Thames River Sightseeing
The river's most-booked cruise by a wide margin: an hour downstream past St Paul's, the Tower and Tower Bridge to maritime Greenwich, with live commentary.
from £17.20 per person
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40-minute circular · The London Eye
The 40-minute circular sail from the foot of the London Eye: Big Ben, Westminster and the South Bank from the water, with a guide pointing out what you are passing.
from £15.50 per person
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1-hour circular · Thames River Sightseeing
The cheapest way onto the river: a one-hour circular from Westminster to St Katharine's and back, turning under Tower Bridge before heading home.
from £14 per person
Check Price & Availability →One ticket between four piers, Westminster to Greenwich, hopping off wherever you like for a full day. It is the sightseeing cruise and your transport in one, and at £24.95 it undercuts buying two single runs. Worth knowing: the commuter River Bus does a similar job with more departures but no commentary, so the pass earns its keep when you actually want the guided version and a day of hopping.
24-hour pass · City Cruises
One ticket, four piers, a full day: hop between Westminster, the London Eye, the Tower and Greenwich as often as you like for 24 hours, commentary included.
from £24.95 per person
Check Price & Availability →The dinner boats are the priciest tier because the meal, not the boat, sets the bill. The classic three-hour dinner cruise from Westminster is the volume seller; the jazz night adds a live band; and the Elvis tribute is the novelty that quietly outscores them both on rating. All three board around dusk so the second half of the sailing is the lit city.
3 hours · City Cruises
The classic three-hour evening: dinner served as the lit riverfront slides past, from the Houses of Parliament down to Tower Bridge and back.
from £87 per person
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3 hours · City Cruises
Three hours over dinner with a live jazz band working the room, boarding at Westminster as the lights come on along the Embankment.
from £109 per person
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3 hours · City Cruises
The novelty night that outscores the classic: dinner and a full Elvis tribute set while Tower Bridge and the City glide past the windows.
from £91 per person
Check Price & Availability →Two hours with a glass of bubbly and canapés runs £35, a fraction of any dinner sailing, and the sunset speedboat is the same golden hour at thirty knots. Both are built around the view rather than the plate.
2 hours · City Cruises
The lit city without the dinner bill: two hours from Tower Pier with a glass of sparkling wine, canapés and live music as the bridges light up.
from £35 per person
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50 minutes · Thames Rockets
Sunset at 30 knots: the adults-only evening speedboat run from the London Eye, timed so the city lights come on as you fly back upriver.
from £64.95 per person
Check Price & Availability →The daytime meal sailings are the value play: the same boats and the same skyline as the dinner cruises, in full daylight, for less than half the money. The two-course lunch is £36, the afternoon tea with its sandwiches and scones £40, and both leave from Tower Pier with tables seating four.
1.5 hours · City Cruises
Ninety minutes of sandwiches, scones and tea from Tower Pier, with Tower Bridge, the Shard and the South Bank passing at cake-stand pace.
from £40 per person
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105 minutes · City Cruises
A two-course lunch over an hour and three quarters on the water, the whole skyline in full daylight and a lower bill than any dinner sailing.
from £36 per person
Check Price & Availability →Twelve seats, a briefing, and the throttle opens east of Tower Bridge. The Thames Rockets 50-minute run is the best-rated experience on the entire river, a 5.0 across more than 4,200 reviews. The 70-minute RIB goes the furthest, all the way to the Thames Barrier, and the 20-minute Tower blast is the cheapest way to find out whether you love this.
50 minutes · Thames Rockets
The best-rated experience on the river: a sedate glide through the bridge zone, then up to 30 knots down to Canary Wharf with the guide on the mic.
from £69.95 per person
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70 minutes · Thames RIB Experience
The longest fast run: seventy minutes from central London all the way east to the Thames Barrier and back, the full length of the working river at speed.
from £75.48 per person
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20 minutes · Thames RIB Experience
The entry-price adrenaline hit: twenty minutes flat-out from Tower Pier to Canary Wharf and back, under Tower Bridge both ways.
from £37.74 per person
Check Price & Availability →The private hire runs the same Barrier route with the same skippers, priced per boat for up to twelve. For a group of eight or more it can beat buying seats.
70 minutes · Thames RIB Experience
The whole boat to yourselves: a private 70-minute Barrier run for up to twelve, priced per boat when you pick the date and group.
Live price on the listing
Check Price & Availability →The river is cheaper than most visitors expect, and the meal decides the price far more than the boat does. Every from-price below is the current lowest figure on the live listing, per person in pounds. Prices move with the date, so the live page always wins on the exact number.
| What you are booking | From | What that buys |
|---|---|---|
| Tower Bridge circular (1 hour) | £14 | The cheapest seat on the river: Westminster to St Katharine's and back, turning under Tower Bridge. |
| London Eye circular (40 min) | £15.50 | The Westminster stretch from the foot of the Eye: Big Ben and the South Bank in under an hour. |
| Westminster to Greenwich (1 hour) | £17.20 | The most-booked cruise on the Thames: the full landmark run downstream with live commentary. |
| Hop-on hop-off pass (24 hours) | £24.95 | Unlimited hops between Westminster, London Eye, Tower and Greenwich piers for a full day. |
| Evening bubbly & canapés (2 hours) | £35 | The lit city with a glass of sparkling wine and live music, no dinner bill attached. |
| Lunch cruise (105 min) | £36 | A two-course lunch with the whole skyline in daylight. The afternoon tea version is £40. |
| Speedboat & RIB runs (20-70 min) | £37.74 | From the 20-minute Tower blast to the 70-minute Thames Barrier run at £75.48. The 5.0-rated Rockets classic is £69.95. |
| Dinner cruise (3 hours) | £87 | The classic evening: dinner served while the lit riverfront slides past. The jazz version is £109. |
| Private speedboat hire (70 min) | Per boat | The whole RIB for up to twelve. Priced per boat when you pick the date and group size. |
Almost everything boards on the north bank between Westminster and the Tower, with Greenwich as the far end of the sightseeing runs. Knowing which pier your ticket uses saves the classic ten-minute panic before boarding closes.
| Westminster Pier | Beside Westminster Bridge, under Big Ben. The Greenwich sightseeing run, the Tower Bridge circular, the dinner and jazz cruises and the hop-on hop-off pass all call here. |
|---|---|
| London Eye Pier | South bank, at the foot of the Eye. The London Eye circular cruise and the Thames Rockets speedboats, including the sunset run. |
| Embankment Pier | North bank by Embankment station. The 70-minute Thames Barrier RIB and the private speedboat hire start here or at Westminster. |
| Tower Millennium Pier | Beside the Tower of London. The lunch, afternoon tea, evening bubbly and Elvis tribute cruises, plus the 20-minute Tower RIB blast. |
| Greenwich Pier | The far end of the sightseeing runs, by the Cutty Sark. Hop off here for maritime Greenwich and ride a later boat back. |
Arrive early: the operators ask for 10 to 15 minutes before departure, and boarding closes before the advertised time. Some routes flex with the tide, so departure times can shift by a few minutes day to day. The open decks are colder than the street in any season; bring a layer for an evening sailing.
From £14 for the one-hour Tower Bridge circular up to £109 for the three-hour jazz dinner cruise. The middle of the market is the £17 to £40 band: the Greenwich sightseeing run, the 24-hour pass, the evening bubbly cruise and the daytime meal sailings. The speedboats run £37.74 to £75.48. Prices move with the date, so the live listing is always the authority on the exact number.
The Westminster to Greenwich sightseeing cruise. It is the most-reviewed boat on the river by a wide margin, it costs £17.20, and it delivers the full postcard in an hour: Parliament, St Paul's, the Tower and Tower Bridge from the water, with commentary. If you want to hop off along the way, the 24-hour pass covers the same route with four piers.
No. Uber Boat by Thames Clippers is London's commuter river bus: fast catamarans, frequent departures, no commentary, aimed at getting you somewhere. The cruises here are built for the view: slower boats, a guide or a meal, and a route shaped around the landmarks. The river bus is the better pure transport deal; the cruises are the better sightseeing hour.
Only on the sailings sold as meal cruises: the £36 lunch, the £40 afternoon tea and the £87-and-up dinner boats. The sightseeing cruises and the pass are the boat ride, usually with a bar on board. That split is the value lever: eat on land and the river costs £14 to £25; eat on the water and it starts at £36.
Rain by itself rarely stops the big enclosed boats, and the meal cruises have covered, heated seating. The speedboats are more weather-exposed and the operators decide on the day. When an operator cancels a sailing, the platform policy is a full refund. Tides matter more than most visitors expect: some routes shift their departure times day to day with the tide, which is why the calendar on the listing is the only schedule worth trusting.
On the sightseeing boats, yes: the norm on the main operator is under-5s free and child fares for ages 5 to 15. The evening dinner sailings are adult-priced and some set minimum ages, and the standard speedboats take children only above the operator's minimum age, with the sunset speedboat adults-only. The specific listing always states its own age rules, so check it before booking for a family.
Five piers cover everything on this page: Westminster Pier under Big Ben, London Eye Pier across the water, Embankment Pier, Tower Millennium Pier beside the Tower of London, and Greenwich Pier at the far end of the sightseeing runs. Every listing names its pier, and the operators ask you to arrive 10 to 15 minutes before departure because boarding closes early.
Casual is fine on everything except the dinner boats, where smart-casual is the safe read. The one practical rule is a warm layer: the open decks are noticeably colder than the street, especially at dusk, and the speedboats issue waterproofs but reward a windproof underneath. Flat shoes help on deck stairs and pontoon ramps.
The longer answers, written out properly: which boat is really worth it, what the money buys, and how the pier logistics actually work.
Start here
The value winner, the occasion boat and the splurge on London's river, with the review counts most best-of lists skip.
Most searched
What the 40-minute circular from the Eye actually covers, how it pairs with the wheel, and when it beats the longer runs.
The classic
The most-booked route on the river, pier by pier: what you pass, how long it takes and whether to ride back or hop off.
Dinner
Showboat, jazz or Elvis: every real dinner sailing on the river compared on menu, music, price and pier.
Afternoon tea
Scones past the Shard: what the tea actually includes, which seatings sell first and how it compares with lunch.
Lunch
The value meal on the water: two courses in daylight for less than half the dinner price. Here is how it works.
Speedboats
Rockets, RIBs and the Barrier run: every fast boat compared by route, length and which one to book first.
Sightseeing
Circulars, one-ways and the Greenwich run: which daytime boat fits the time you actually have.
River pass
How the hop-on hop-off pass works, when it beats single tickets, and how to plan a full day around four piers.
Evening
Bubbly, sunset speedboat or dinner boat: how to time the lights and which after-dark sailing to pick.
Prices
Every fare from the £14 circular to the £109 jazz dinner, and where the money actually goes.
Decide
The commuter river bus does the same route for less. When that is the smart move, and when it very much is not.
Private
Taking the whole boat: what per-boat pricing means, group maths against per-seat tickets, and what a charter includes.
Beyond London
Windsor, Oxford, Henley and Hampton Court: what sails on the upper river and how it differs from the city runs.
An honest verdict: worth it for the skyline at a low price and small time cost. Skip the buffet unless dinner is the point.
The review data has a clear answer, and it is not the most famous boat on the river.