BOOK THAT RIVER CRUISE
Compared and reviewed.
The 15 most popular london tours, compared in one place. What you actually see from the water, how long each sailing runs, what it costs and who to book it through.
See London’s biggest landmarks by hop-on hop-off double-decker bus, with Wi‑Fi and recorded commentary, plus an optional Thames cruise.
Most Popular“We have done this activity virtually every time we visit London. It was a very fun and enjoyable experience as usual!”
Ride a London open-top double-decker hop-on hop-off plus a Thames cruise, with app tracking and flexible stops across top sights.
“This is a really good way to get to see landmarks and areas of the city. It's convenient to get off to walk around and get back on later to continue the tour. An audio track is available to plug into, and headphones are provided. We opted for the river tour as well, and the…”
London in one day by coach: Changing of the Guard, fast-track St. Paul’s, Tower entry, Thames cruise, plus optional London Eye at 6:30pm.
“A great overview of the city. Guide was great at getting us a good view of the changing of the guard at Buckingham. An enjoyable interesting tour.”
Hop aboard a 40-minute Thames cruise from the London Eye Pier. See Big Ben, Tower Bridge and Tate Modern with live guide commentary.
“I was quite bummed that breaking your arm right before the tour started did not qualify as a good enough reason for a refund So just be aware about the refund policy.”
Combine a Thames river cruise with a London Eye ticket for landmark narration, easy transfers, and skyline views from 135 meters.
“The boat ride and London Eye ride were great. The instructions for a meeting spot were terrible. I thought we’d get some direction from a Viator rep, but we had to figure it out by ourselves. No one who worked at the boat or the Eye had any idea about Viator. So I sent two…”
Hop-on hop-off Thames cruise from central London piers with onboard and GPS commentary, flexible 24-hour access, and easy sightseeing without traffic.
“If you have a ticket from Viator you don’t have to wait in ticket line (which we didn’t know) we were not sure which “line” we were supposed to be in at the port loading area (no sign showing city cruises name) so waited in ticket line to get info. It was lane A .…”
1.5-hour Thames lunch cruise from Tower Pier with 2-course meal, panoramic landmarks views, and coffee/tea on board.
“Amazing views of the city and the lunch was lovely. Very restful and a great break from the busyness of the crowds.”
Thames afternoon tea cruise from Tower Pier with unlimited tea or coffee, scones and sandwiches, plus landmark views in 1.5 hours.
“The worst afternoon tea we ever attended. The desserts were not fresh. The level of service was very low. The cruise was not good either. It was very poorly run”
Skip-the-line Westminster Abbey (9AM) and Tower of London, plus a Thames cruise from Embankment to Tower Bridge with headsets.
“We had Alison as our guide and she was excellent! She is so knowledgable and made sure it was engaging for everyone. There were 15 people in our tour and ages ranged from young kids to senior. Def wear good shoes cause it’s a lot of walking. Lunch is only one hour so it is…”
London to Paris by reserved-seat Eurostar, then a hop-on bus and Seine cruise to hit Paris landmarks in one packed day.
“Simon was an EXCELLENT tour guide! The Magic of London guided tour is a good balance of sightseeing and independent time. This was a perfect way for us to see everything we wanted without having to worry about navigating on our own. You do not get to go inside any of the sights (Louvre for…”
Tower of London guided tour with Crown Jewels and a flexible Thames cruise. Small group, prebooked tickets, 2.5 hours.
“This was disappointing. I paid and planned in advance to avoid lines… we were asked to wait in line for 30 min to enter when other groups were allowed in. Because of this we didn’t receive the full tour as planned and we had another reservation. I would like a refund for the Tower of…”
VIP early access Tower of London with the opening ceremony, Crown Jewels first look, and a flexible Thames river cruise pass.
“Kim was our guide and he was exceptional! This is a Walks tour and you just know this tour company sits above the rest. The time, the detail, the amount of knowledge these tour guides have is just the best around. Kim took the time to explain the history of the Tower of London, he…”
London Eye entry plus Big Bus hop-on hop-off and a one-way Thames cruise, with audio in 7 languages and flexible sightseeing.
“Take the river tour first get off at big ben Cross River over to London Eye then onto bus .One more thing the bus can't drive in front of Buckingham Palace. Also waited for 20mins for a bus at Paddington ended up getting underground back to hotel”
Flexible Thames cruise between Westminster, the London Eye, Tower and Greenwich with live commentary and onboard snacks on City Cruises.
“Good I booked wrongly . Easy to booking that nice . When near to london eye it easy to go pier very good”
Vintage Routemaster bus plus a Thames cruise with Westminster and the Changing of the Guard. Departing Victoria. 3.5 hours, $83.
Choose a river by name, or the city it runs through. The Seine in Paris, the Douro from Porto, the Vltava under Charles Bridge – every great waterway, and the boats that work it.
