RELATED LINKS
Rome Toolkit 
Paris Toolkit City Cruises - London's leading operator of River Cruises
London sightseeing cruises by river, hop-hop off river tickets, dinner cruises, speedboat rides...
City Cruises are the leading river sightseeing and leisure operator in London for the visitor. City Cruises' most high profile services are the sightseeing cruises between Westminster and Greenwich with stops including the London Eye and Tower of London. The red and white boats (see image right) of City Cruises are part of the river scene in London, providing frequent services all year round.
You can purchase single tickets or hop-on, hop off style day tickets. The two main hop on, hop off sightseeing buses in London, Tootbus (formerly The Original Tour) and Big Bus also use City Cruises for their river cruises.
Enjoy dinner on the water with friends. With City Cruises you can travel down the River Thames enjoying spectacular sights and have a relaxing meal with City Cruises Dining Cruises. Options are available including brunch, lunch, afternoon tea or dinner, with the evening cruises including entertainment with live performers and the chance for a bit of a dance afterwards.
If dinner cruises are too sedate and you want an adrenaline rush then City Cruises also operate ThamesJet Speedboat experiences for the ultimate high speed experience on the river in London.
Why City Cruises? BOOK City Cruise BOOK London Eye River Cruise Ticket options Hop on buses with river cruise Dining cruises ThamesJet cruises City Cruises cruise with Go City Pass
BOOK A RIVER CRUISE IN LONDON
City Cruises - London's No 1 sightseeing cruise on the Thames
• Hop-on hop-off river pass • Sightseeing cruises • Lunch cruises • Afternoon tea • Showboat dinner cruises • Thamesjet speed boat ride • Themed cruises for Christmas, Jazz, Elvis, Murder Mystery and more...
London Eye River Cruises (circular tour) with fish & chips meal
An alternative cruise along the River Thames is the London Eye River Cruise.
Run by the people who operate London Eye, this circular river cruise lasts for 40-mins and you can see the sights of The Shard, The Tower of London, The Houses of Parliament, Shakespeare's Globe, The Millennium Bridge, St Paul's Cathedral and the Gherkin.
You also have choices where you board from at one of three piers: Westminster, Tower, or Greenwich.
All of the boats include cafés where you can buy hot and cold drinks as well as food, and this particular tour also bundles your London Eye cruise with a delicious meal at Poppie's Fish and Chips.
Note this cruise does not include a flight on the London Eye, however if you book through London Eye direct you can purchase London Eye tickets in conjunction with the river cruise.
What is so good about City Cruises?
Cruises depart every 30 minutes, every day of the week, all year round!
City Cruises gives you the freedom to explore the many sights of the River Thames from four river piers near popular attractions: Westminster, London Eye, Tower of London and Greenwich.
There are several river operators available but City Cruises have a number of facets that when combined make a compelling choice:
- The frequency of the City Cruises boats are only rivaled by the Thames Clipper river service
- The design of the City Cruise boats are geared to the needs of the tourist. Large open viewing areas on the top deck with commentary. The Thames Clipper Service is geared towards being a river bus service with speed in mind and very limited exterior viewing areas.
- A wide choice of different ticketing and cruise options, including dining cruises.
City cruises ticket options
There are many ticket formats and cruise formats to suit your needs ...
- Single or Return Tickets: the most convenient, picturesque way to travel between London landmarks by water. Make a quick hop between piers with a single ticket, or take in a round tour with a return and make the most of the informative and entertaining live commentary, or audio commentary in a number of languages. There are even kids activity books to help kids get more about of their experience by learning about the river as they travel.
- 24-hr hop on, hop-off pass: See more for less with City Cruises hop-on, hop-off sightseeing ticket. 24-hour tickets give you unlimited travel between the four piers. You can get separate tickets for adults and children or a family ticket for 2 adults and up to three children. Children under 4 are free.
- Dining Cruises: A choice of day time or evening cruises are available. A chance to get together with friends and see the Thames in a relaxing setting from a different perspective. More information on City Cruises Dining Experiences
- ThamesJet Speedboat: A different kind of experience entirely from the leisure cruises. Read below for more information on the ThamesJet Speedboat Experience
- Private hire: It is possible to book your City Cruises experience as a private hire, popular for corporate events and private parties. Use banner above to visit City Cruises website for more information.
Hop-on, Hop-off sightseeing buses (with free City Cruises River Cruise)
Two of the top hop-on bus companies in London (Big Bus and Tootbus) offer a free cruise with City Cruises as part of their day ticket. This covers a river cruise in the centre of London giving a different and informative perspective to London's delights.
These buses offer comprehensive coverage covering nearly all the main sights in London and operate at very high frequencies. In the peak summer months just stand at any of the key attractions and there will probably be one in sight.
Tootbus also offer a Changing of the Guard walking tour in addition to the hop-on bus ride and river cruise. There are various ticket options, not all automatically include the river cruise. See links below for more details.
At the bottom of these pages we have a helpful table showing all the different tour options between the three main hop on bus companies.
Dining Cruises (day time and evening)
City Cruises - dining experiences on River Thames
You are treated to the best views of London from the river from Westminster all the way to the Thames Barrier, while enjoying an unrivaled dining experience with great food and entertainment too.
Dinner cruises feature live performers and dancing as well as a welcome drink on arrival.
You have a choice of several dining experiences:
- Sunday brunch
- London dinner
- Lunch cruise
- Afternoon tea
- Jazz dinner cruises
- Special events dinner cruises such as murder mystery, Elvis Tribute or seasonal events
Illuminated River Project - (Dinner Cruises)
The City Cruises London Dinner Cruise allows you to see the spectacle that is the Illuminated River project and experience the artwork from the river. This projects is a public art commission, aiming to transform the capital at night, lighting up to 9 bridges on the River Thames from London to Lambeth Bridge.
ThamesJet speedboat experiences
ThamesJet! A full-on, adrenaline-fuelled ride on the only jet boat fleet on the river (apart from police and military boats which patrol the Thames).
Thamesrush is a 50 minute experience which starts and ends at Westminster Pier. This experience offers fast-paced twists and turns as you head downriver on your way to Canary Wharf.
Look out for top landmarks such as Big Ben, London Eye and the Tower of London as you pass beyond Tower Bridge to Canary Wharf, before turning to head back to Westminster. Buckle up for a thrilling ride.
BOOK A RIVER CRUISE IN LONDON
City Cruises - London's No 1 sightseeing cruise on the Thames
• Hop-on hop-off river pass • Sightseeing cruises • Lunch cruises • Afternoon tea • Showboat dinner cruises • Thamesjet speed boat ride • Themed cruises for Christmas, Jazz, Elvis, Murder Mystery and more...
City Cruises with Go City London Explorer Pass
The Go City London Explorer Pass allows you to enjoy a 24-hour Thames River Cruise with City Cruises, along with up to 6 other different attractions from a choice of a 80.The pass will save you money on paying for attractions separately.
This pass is similar to the London Pass only instead of allowing entry for a set number of days, it gives entry for up to 60 days, and you purchase by the number of attractions you wish to visit.
To purchase the London Explorer Pass follow the banner link below.
GO CITY LONDON PASSES
Save up to 50% on top London attractions
• Choose from two passes: All-Inclusive (unlimited) and Explorer (over 60 days) • Attractions and tours including: Up at The O2, Tower of London, Big Bus hop on, London Zoo, View from the Shard, City Cruises, Westminster Abbey, St Paul's and more...
MOST POPULAR TOURS FROM LONDON 2024
VISITING STONEHENGE AND/OR WINDSOR AND/OR BATH
| Stonehenge Morning Half Day Tour - from £65 |
| Windsor Castle Windsor Morning & Afternoon Tours - from £70 |
| Windsor, Bath & Stonehenge (inc Lunch, no adm Roman Baths) - from £99 |
| Windsor, Bath & Stonehenge (no Lunch, inc adm Roman Baths) - from £92 |
| Windsor, Stonehenge & Salisbury - from £85 |
| Windsor & Bath Day Tour - from £85 |
| Windsor, Bath & Stonehenge (Small Group - Max 16 people) - from £156.60 |
| Stonehenge & Bath (Stonehenge admission only) - 3.5 hrs in Bath - from £88 |
| Stonehenge & Bath (Stonehenge & Baths adm) - 3.5 hrs in Bath - from £116 |
| Stonehenge & Bath (Stonehenge & Jane Austen Centre) - 3.5 hrs in Bath - from £118 |
| Stonehenge & Windsor (featuring extended time at Windsor) - from £85 |
| Stonehenge & Avebury - from £114 |
| Windsor, Stonehenge & Oxford - from £79 |
| Stratford, Cotswolds, Bath & Stonehenge - from £128 |
| Stonehenge, Glastonbury & Avebury (Small Group) - from £156.60 |
| Bath, Cotswolds, Stonehenge & Avebury (Small Group) - from £156.60 |
VISITING COTSWOLDS AND/OR OXFORD AND/OR STRATFORD AND/OR WARWICK
| Oxford, Stratford & Warwick Castle - from £74 |
| Oxford, Cotswolds & County pub lunch (Small Group) - from £156.60 |
| Stratford & Cotswolds (inc Anne Hathaway’s) - from £85 |
| Full-day Cotswolds only Tour (Small Group) - from £127 |
| In-depth Cotswolds Only Tour + Lunch - from £127 |
| Blenheim Palace, Downton Abbey Village & Cotswolds Tour - from £72 |
| Stratford, Cotswolds, Bath & Stonehenge - from £128 |
| Windsor, Stonehenge & Oxford - from £79 |
| Oxford & Cambridge Tour (May-Sep only) - from £97 |
| Downton Abbey & Blenheim Palace (Small Group) - £156.60 |
VISITING CANTERBURY, LEEDS CASTLE & DOVER
| Small group Leeds Castle, Dover & Canterbury with river cruise - from £149 |
| Dover Castle, White Cliffs & Canterbury - from £125 |
| Canterbury, Dover & Kent Villages - £139 |
SPECIAL THEME TOURS
| Stonehenge Special Access (Walk Among Stones) Tours |
| Downton Abbey + Highclere Castle Tours |
| Harry Potter Tours |
| London Rock Tour |
DAY TOURS BY TRAIN TO LIVERPOOL, PARIS & SCOTLAND
| Beatles Liverpool Day Tour - £198 |
| Day Trip to Paris - from £259 |
| Day Trip to Edinburgh - from £225 |
2 TO 12 DAY TOURS COVERING GREAT BRITAIN, IRELAND, PARIS & AMSTERDAM
| 2-day Windsor, Stonehenge, Bath & Oxford - from £349 |
| 3-day Stonehenge, Glastonbury, Bath & SW - from £275 |
| 5-day Peak District, Wales & Yorkshire- from £425 |
| 2-day private Stonehenge, Bath, Cotswolds & Oxford - from £650 |
| Budget 3 days in Paris - from £289 (not currently available) |
| Luxury 2 & 3 days in Paris - from £399 (not currently available) |
| 2-day Edinburgh - from £312 |
| 3-day Edinburgh & Scotland Weekend - from £379 (not currently available) |
| 3-day Edinburgh & Scotland Anytime - from £999 |
| 6-12-day tours of Great Britain and Ireland - from £1425 |
