15 Boat Tours in London to Build a Day Around

London: Tootbus Hop-on Hop-off (Optional River Cruise) - Where you board, and how the 46 meeting points help

★★★★★★★★★★3.9 · 7,045 reviews · 1 - 3 days · from $47Our pick

Hop on and off London’s open-top Tootbus with real-time app tracking, self-guided audio, and an optional Thames cruise from Westminster to Tower.

“Good if you aren’t super comfortable finding your own way around the city and would like a detailed tour. We ended up catching the tube a lot since it was very easy to navigate and often had better locations than the bus stops. But overall a good idea for a tourist who wants more of the tour aspect. If you’re only looking to do this for the transportation, use the tube and public busses instead.”

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London: Westminster to Tower Bridge River Thames Cruise

2.Westminster to Tower Bridge River Thames Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 6,127 reviews · 30 minutes - 1 hour · from $18Best value

Thames river cruise from Westminster to Tower Bridge (30-60 min) with open-deck views, live audio, and flexible 1-way or round-trip.

“Absolutely awesome. Very entertaining guide. Good beer on tap. Just watch out, the guide isn’t paid from your ticket. Have some cash to tip him. Its worth it. Also, the ending point is not Tower Bridge Pier but Butler’s Wharf so keep that in mind if yOu plan to visit The Tower Of London right after. It will take you about 20-30 minutes to get there.”

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London: London Eye, River Cruise, & Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tour

3.London Eye, River Cruise, & Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 5,332 reviews · 1 - 2 days · from $74

Hop-on, hop-off double-decker bus plus London Eye and Thames cruise. Great value for first-timers, with flexible timing and easy stops.

“Everything was very well organised and especielly the LondonEye was worth the money! So nice and beautiful to see London from above. We had standard tickets and even if it was a lot of people there everything flow on and the waiting was short. In the cabin it was not crowded and we could really enjoy the ride. Bus and River Cruise was also very nice! Ake Andersson, Taby, Sweden”

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London: Thames River Cruise with Optional London Eye Ticket

4.Thames River Cruise with Optional London Eye Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 3,900 reviews · 45 minutes - 1.5 hours · from $20

See Big Ben, St Paul’s, the Tower and Tower Bridge on a Thames cruise from beneath the London Eye, with live guided commentary.

“Awesome way to see the sites from the water. Dress warm it’s a bit chilly 😉”

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London: Big Bus Hop-on, Hop-off with Optional River Cruise

5.Big Bus Hop-on, Hop-off with Optional River Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 3,875 reviews · 1 - 2 days · from $35

Hop on Big Bus routes across London, then enjoy a live commentary Thames cruise with great views, plus optional walking tours and an evening tour.

“Hop on hop off driving around seeing all the attractions”

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London: Tootbus Must-See Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour with Cruise

6.Tootbus Must-See Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour with Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 3,653 reviews · 1 - 3 days · from $52

Tootbus London hop-on hop-off bus plus Thames cruise, GPS tracking app, and audio in 10 languages for 24 to 72 hours.

“Bus was not overly busy, always managed to get a seat. Cruise along Thames was maggificant”

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London: Afternoon Tea Cruise on the River Thames

7.Afternoon Tea Cruise on the River Thames

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 3,274 reviews · 1.5 hours · from $53

Thames afternoon tea cruise from Tower Pier with sandwiches, scones, cakes, unlimited tea and coffee, plus views of London’s landmarks.

“The afternoon tea cruise was fantastic- it will always be remembered”

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London: River Thames Hop-On Hop-Off Sightseeing Cruise

8.River Thames Hop-On Hop-Off Sightseeing Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 3,112 reviews · 1 day · from $33

Thames hop-on hop-off cruise from Westminster to Greenwich. All-weather boats, live crew commentary, and a 24-hour ticket for photos and breaks.

“Really lovely activity. Good value for money. We stayed on the boat to Greenwich and then got it back after a walk around there. Signage when we arrived to Westminster Pier was a bit poor but there were enough staff there to ask which queue we needed to be in. Would recommend!”

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London: River Thames Evening Cruise with Bubbly and Canapés

9.River Thames Evening Cruise with Bubbly and Canapés

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 2,493 reviews · 2 hours · from $37

A 2-hour Thames evening cruise with a glass of sparkling wine, canapés, and live music, passing Tower Bridge, London Eye, and Canary Wharf.

“Magical sunset on the Thames with a guitar player. Definitely check this out.”

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London: River Thames Dinner Cruise

10.River Thames Dinner Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 2,159 reviews · 3 hours · from $94

3-hour Thames dinner cruise from Westminster to the Thames Barrier, with sparkling wine, 3-course British meal, and live singer.

“It was great. The crew was more than accommodating and the singer was amazing. Absolute best views!”

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London River Thames Lunch Cruise

11.London River Thames Lunch Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 1,817 reviews · from $55

Thames lunch cruise from Tower Pier with 2-course lunch, tea or coffee, and panoramic views of Parliament, the Eye, and the Shard.

“I was delighted with the trip throughout. Being met as I boarded and escorted to my table was a delightful touch. Staff were pleasant and cheerful throughout. The lunch time meal was very good. Sat at the front of the boat meant that I could see all the sights as the boat progressed along the river. Weather was good so visibility fine. Overall I doubt that the weather could detract from the experience. Commentary from the Captain was first class, amusing and informative. He apologised a few times because he wasn’t a tour guide as such but really I don’t think a “professional” could have contributed anymore. Highly recommended, definitely…”

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London: Ghost Walk and River Thames Boat Ride

12.Ghost Walk and River Thames Boat Ride

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 1,251 reviews · 2 hours · from $26

Join a 2-hour London ghost walk from Green Park to the Tower of London, with optional Thames boat ride and eerie evening storytelling.

“John was amazing! You should definitely book this tour”

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London: Canal Boat Ride on Camden Lock

13.Canal Boat Ride on Camden Lock

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 877 reviews · 1.5 hours · from $26

Ride the Jenny Wren from Camden to Little Venice, pass London Zoo and Regent’s Park, and watch a working lock in action.

“It was a great time, our family loved it. It was a little hard to hear the guide at the beginning when in the more crowded Camden dock area. But this improved as we floated away from the crowds. Fun time - highly recommended.”

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London: Warner Bros. Studio Tour and River Thames Cruise

14.Warner Bros. Studio Tour and River Thames Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 845 reviews · 1 day · from $117

Warner Bros. Studio Tour in Leavesden plus a hop-on Thames cruise from Westminster or Tower Pier, timed entry included for one full day.

“We did the London Warner bros studio tour & it was absolutely incredible. Would highly recommend this to anyone as it’s truly a magical experience. We haven’t done the river Thames cruise - we may possibly do this another time, but I bought this due to the tickets being a sell out directly through the Harry Potter studios website. If you are like me & miss the opportunity of buying the Harry Potter studio tours directly with Harry Potter then this was a great opportunity. Our time to enter the tour was 13:30 (no other option available) however we got to the studios at about 11:30 - you can use…”

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London: River Thames Speed Boat Tour

15.River Thames Speed Boat Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 713 reviews · from $80Top rated

A 50-minute Thames speedboat with comedian banter, music onboard, and up-close views of the London Eye, Tower of London, and Tower Bridge.

“Geff our host was excellent very natural and funny. Obviously loves what he does. Our skipper was great too. Great fun and felt safe. Would definitely recommend even on a very windy day”

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