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 - 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...
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 below 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.
London Eye River Cruise and Fish & Chips meal (London Eye flight not included)
• 40-min circular river cruise along the River Thames • Meal in Poppie's Fish & Chips restaurant • London in your Pocket app access
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:
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.
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.
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:
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! 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.
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...
Stonehenge Morning Half Day Tour- £64 |
Stonehenge and London Vintage Bus Tour - |
Windsor Castle Windsor Morning & Afternoon Tours - from £79 |
Windsor, Bath & Stonehenge (inc Lunch, no adm Roman Baths) - £139 |
Windsor, Bath & Stonehenge (no Lunch, inc adm Roman Baths) - £139 |
Windsor, Stonehenge & Salisbury - £134 |
Windsor & Bath Day Tour - from £79 |
Windsor, Bath & Stonehenge (Small Group - Max 16 people) - £164 |
Stonehenge & Bath (Stonehenge admission only) - 3.5 hrs in Bath - £90 |
Stonehenge & Bath (Stonehenge & Baths adm) - 3.5 hrs in Bath - £114 |
Stonehenge & Windsor (featuring extended time at Windsor) - £124 |
Stonehenge & Avebury - £109 |
Windsor, Stonehenge & Oxford - £117 |
Stratford, Cotswolds, Bath & Stonehenge - £143 |
Stonehenge, Glastonbury & Avebury (Small Group) - £164 |
Lacock, Bath & Stonehenge (Small Group) - £164 |
Leeds Castle, Dover & Canterbury with river cruise - From £93 |
Dover Castle, White Cliffs & Canterbury - £115 |
Stonehenge Special Access (Walk Among Stones) Tours |
Downton Abbey + Highclere Castle Tours |
Harry Potter Tours |
London Rock Tour |
Beatles Liverpool Day Tour - £189 |
Day Trip to Paris - from £249 |
Day Trip to Edinburgh - from £209 |
2-day Windsor, Stonehenge, Bath & Oxford - from £315 |
2-day private Stonehenge, Bath, Cotswolds & Oxford - from £490 |
3-day Stonehenge, Glastonbury, Bath & SW - from £255 |
3-day Yorkshire Dales & Peak District - from £225 |
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 £679 |
6-12-day tours of Great Britain and Ireland - from £1125 |