Sightseeing Thames River Cruise

Once you board the London boat cruise, it’s time to sit back, relax and enjoy the view. Listen to the commentary, grab a drink or snack from the cafe-bars and enjoy the spectacular views of London from the Thames.

There are four piers across the whole route which include Westminster Pier, Tower Pier, London Eye Pier and Greenwich Pier. The Thames boat trips travel from Westminster Pier to Greenwich Pier but the routes you can take depend on which bus ticket you have purchased. To validate your ticket and begin your tour, just show your ID and email voucher to a member of The Original Tour staff.

24 hour ticket holders can take a Thames boat ride between Westminster Pier (next to “Big Ben”) and Tower Pier (next to the Tower of London).

48 or 72 hour ticket holders can also enjoy a Thames cruise between Westminster Pier (next to “Big Ben”) and Tower Pier (next to the Tower of London), with the addition of an extended Greenwich boat ride.

Departure Times

Begin your London cruise from Westminster Pier or Tower Pier by giving your cruise ticket to City Cruises’ staff. For all subsequent journeys, just show your bus ticket.

Westminster Pier

Westminster Pier is next to Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Bridge. Take the tube to Westminster or use your Original Tour bus ticket to take our Yellow Route to stop 17.

London Eye Pier

London Eye Pier is next to the Coca-Cola London Eye, The London Dungeons and Jubilee Gardens. You can’t board here but you will be able to get off and hop onto The Original Tour Yellow Route at stop 7 or the Red or Blue Route 32.

Tower Pier

Tower Pier is close to the Tower of London and Tower Bridge at Tower Hill. Take the tube to Tower Hill or take our Yellow Route bus to stop 15

Greenwich Pier

You can only take the extended Greenwich river Thames cruise with our 48 or 72 hour bus tickets. Greenwich is further outside of the city and our bus tours do not go this far. So, take The Original Tour bus to Tower Hill and begin your Greenwich boat trip from Tower Pier.

Thames boat cruises depart every 40 minutes from each of the departure piers.

What will I see on the London river cruise?

From the comfort of your Thames boat trip, you will see some magnificent attractions in London with a completely different view from the river. These include:

• Tower of London

• Tower Bridge

• Coca-Cola London Eye

• Shakespeare’s Globe

• Houses of Parliament

• Big Ben

• Millenium Bridge

The extended cruise to historic Greenwich is only included with our 48 and 72 hour bus tickets. Hop off the boat at Greenwich to visit the following attractions:

• Royal Observatory

• The Cutty Sark

• The Old Royal Naval College

• Greenwich Park

• National Maritime Museum

• This Thames River Cruise is operated by City Cruises and you can view their timetable here

• When you arrive at Westminster Pier or Tower Pier, give your cruise ticket to City Cruises' staff and show your valid Original Tour bus ticket for subsequent journeys

• The cruise is operated by City Cruises Ltd and is offered as strictly subject to availability