Sightseeing Cruises

Thames Sightseeing Cruise with Flexible Time and Departure Pier

Name: Thames Sightseeing Cruise with Flexible Time and Departure Pier
Start: 2026-07-09T10:00:00
End: 2026-07-09T18:00:00
Location: London

Sightseeing cruise passengers view the Tower of London from the Thames River.

Group enjoying a selfie on a London sightseeing cruise with Big Ben in the background.

People on a Thames River cruise with views of The Shard and City Hall in London.

Sightseeing cruise on River Thames passing under Millennium Bridge, London.

Explore at your pace

Choose your entry time, stay as long as you like

Free cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience

Book now, pay later

Book now without paying anything. Cancel for free if your plans change.

4.6/5(1,470)

Susan E

Family

Verified booking

Yesterday

I loved the lively and amusing explanations of the sites along the Thames delivered by a crew member (rather than an audio guide). It was also nice that we could purchase drinks and snacks on the boat.

Moga I

Family

Verified booking

4 days ago

A fantastic way to experience London from a different perspective. Great views, a relaxing journey, and friendly staff. Highly recommended for anyone visiting the city.

Kaveen M

Couple

Verified booking

Last week

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I had an amazing experience on the Thames Sightseeing Cruise from Westminster to Greenwich. The journey offered stunning views of London’s iconic landmarks along the River Thames, and the live commentary was both informative and entertaining. The boat was clean, comfortable, and well-organized, with plenty of space to enjoy the scenery. The staff were friendly, professional, and made the trip even more enjoyable. Greenwich is a beautiful destination, and arriving by river made the experience extra special. I highly recommend this cruise to anyone visiting London or even locals looking for a relaxing and memorable day out. It was excellent value for money and one of the highlights of my trip.

Mrs Alison K

Group

Verified booking

Last week

It wasn't too busy. Commentary was very enjoyable. Rather irritating that the 'guide' kept telling us he wasn't a trained guide but a volunteer and acted at the time of asking for tips like providing 'all that information' was a favour rather than his job. We'd booked a sight seeing river cruise with commentary so I would expect there to be a trained guide and that tipping should be relative to the quality of the commentary (which to be fair was good) and not because commentary was provided.

Catherine B

Solo

Verified booking

2 weeks ago

I had a fabulous time on the cruise. I appreciated the flexible departure times - I simply walked up and got on the very next available boat, which made planning my whole travel day stress-free! The crew member who served as the "guide" was especially entertaining, sharing interesting facts with a dry sense of humor that had me laughing the whole time.

Laurie K

Couple

Verified booking

Jun 2026

The cruise was relaxing and entertaining with opportunities to hop off and further explore sites on land. The commentator was knowledgable and funny and kept the passengers engaged. We ordered lunch from our seats and it was served promptly with friendly service. Be careful not to confuse the London Bridge with the London Tower Bridge!

Set sail along the Thames with City Cruises, boarding from Westminster, London Eye, Tower, or Greenwich Pier anytime on your selected day for a one-way cruise.

Ideal for spontaneous travellers or busy schedules, enjoy London from open-air decks or heated indoor cabins without following a fixed route.

Learn fascinating stories about London’s history and landmarks through live English commentary or a multilingual audio guide while you cruise the river.

Children receive a complimentary activity book and colouring sheets, keeping young explorers entertained while learning about London from the river.

Upgrade to a hop-on-hop-off ticket for unlimited cruises all day, hopping on or off at any pier to explore London at your pace.

Best for: Packed sightseeing itineraries; no need to commit to an exact departure time

Flexible one-way sightseeing cruise on the River Thames

Board and disembark from Westminster Pier, London Eye Pier, Greenwich Pier, or Tower Pier

Arrive at any time on the selected date, no pre-booking required (see timetable)

Live English commentary or recorded commentary in 14 languages

Open-air deck and heated indoors

Complimentary kids' activity book & colouring sheets

Additional paid upgrades:

24-hour hop-on-hop-off sightseeing ticket (view route and timetable [here])

Access to the onboard bar (available at an additional cost)

TOTAL DURATION30 minutes
FREQUENCY40 minutes
MODE OF TRANSFERBoat
4 Boarding points
Westminster Pier
Get direction
London Eye Pier
Get direction
Greenwich Pier
Get direction
Tower Pier
Get direction
Sights covered
Houses of Parliament
London Eye
Royal Festival Hall
Tate Modern
St. Paul's Cathedral
Shakespeare's Globe Theatre
Borough Market
Southwark Cathedral
HMS Belfast
The Shard
Tower of London
Tower Bridge
Canary Wharf
Royal Observatory

You can cancel these tickets up to 24 hours before the experience begins and get a full refund.

1,470 reviews
How do we collect reviews?
These ratings include verified reviews from both Headout guests and our trusted partners who operate this experience locally. All reviews come from real travelers who've taken this experience.
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Guests from United States, France, Germany and over 58 countries have loved this experience
What our guests say
Kaveen M
Couple
Verified booking
Last week
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I had an amazing experience on the Thames Sightseeing Cruise from Westminster to Greenwich. The journey offered stunning views of London’s iconic landmarks along the River Thames, and the live commentary was both informative and entertaining. The boat was clean, comfortable, and well-organized, with plenty of space to enjoy the scenery. The staff were friendly, professional, and made the trip even more enjoyable. Greenwich is a beautiful destination, and arriving by river made the experience extra special. I highly recommend this cruise to anyone visiting London or even locals looking for a relaxing and memorable day out. It was excellent value for money and one of the highlights of my trip.
Mary M
Group
Verified booking
6 days ago
We wanted to travel from The London Eye to Greenwich. There wasn't a long wait for our first boat and the guys working were helpful and friendly when we asked where to wait. Unfortunately when we got onto the boat we were told that we'd have to get off at Tower Bridge and change boats as the boat that we were on was terminating there. This change took about 25 mins which made our trip so much longer to Greenwich. The guys on the boats were helpful and friendly and we very much enjoyed the commentary from both boats. It was informative and funny. We will use the service again and will recommend it to friends and family.
Maud S
Couple
Verified booking
3 weeks ago
The opportunity to get a great explication about the surroundings during the trip is wonderful. And also sitting on top in the sun was lovely. The only thing that wasn't clear is that the boat takes 20 minutes before leaving again. Because of that we weren't able to go to Westminster as well. If people want to use this way of exploring Londen it is better that they have all day in stead of limited time like us. We had from 10 am till 15.30 pm and that was not enough. To go to both Greenwich and Westminster.
Mrs Alison K
Group
Verified booking
Last week
It wasn't too busy. Commentary was very enjoyable. Rather irritating that the 'guide' kept telling us he wasn't a trained guide but a volunteer and acted at the time of asking for tips like providing 'all that information' was a favour rather than his job. We'd booked a sight seeing river cruise with commentary so I would expect there to be a trained guide and that tipping should be relative to the quality of the commentary (which to be fair was good) and not because commentary was provided.
Catherine B
Solo
Verified booking
2 weeks ago
I had a fabulous time on the cruise. I appreciated the flexible departure times - I simply walked up and got on the very next available boat, which made planning my whole travel day stress-free! The crew member who served as the "guide" was especially entertaining, sharing interesting facts with a dry sense of humor that had me laughing the whole time.

What to bring

Have your entry tickets, and ID ready for a seamless experience.

Accessibility

This experience is wheelchair and pram/stroller accessible.

Additional information

Facilities: restrooms and baby changing facilities.

The average cruising time for a Thames sightseeing cruise from one pier to the other is 40 mins, except from Westminster Pier to London Eye Pier, which is 10 mins.

Please note: some circular tours may require a boat change at Tower Pier.

With the 24-hour hop-on hop-off ticket, you're in complete control. Start your boating adventure anytime and enjoy unlimited rides until the boats stop operating for the evening. The next day, you can continue using your ticket until its validity expires.

Your voucher will be emailed to you shortly.

Display the voucher on your mobile phone with a valid photo ID at the starting point.

Please check your final voucher for the starting point details & specific instructions.