I took the River Cruise as a part of my Big Bus London Hop On Hop Off ticket (it was part of the price I paid for the Big Bus ticket). I did a one-way cruise. I would recommend bringing layers in case it gets chilly or windy. The best time to go would be Spring/Summer in London! Crowd levels and overall atmosphere - The seating on this cruise is ample. But there are so many tourists that I remember waiting in line for a while to actually get on the boat. There is high energy amongst the crowd as London is a multicultural city that attracts folks from all over. Cruise route highlights - I believe I grabbed this cruise at the Tower of London stop and it goes on the River Thames. Great view of it. Try to sit on the edge by the side of the boat if possible. I sat on the top level (it is a two level boat) which was good for views also. Don't get stuck behind the middle cabin of the boat. Onboard amenities - Apparently there is a bar on board but I never tried it; not sure about restrooms either. Tour guide quality - knowledge, engagement, and narration is decent. Value for price - worth the cost! read more

Did the cruise as it was included in the Big Bus ticket. It was nice and informative. Wish it would've been round trip to where you got on at. So be prepared and plan in advance of where you're trying to be when it drops you off. read more

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Seeing London from the River Thames was very nice. We boarded at the wharf inn Grennwich - headed to London. The scenery from the boat was great but the young man offering a narration was somewhat disappointing. Midway between Greenwich and London, the cruise makes one stop at the Millennium Pier for additional passengers. The first part of our cruise was enjoyable but the second part was somewhat less enjoyable due to a family of five (mom, dad and 3 rather unruly kids) who sat in front of us. The 3 kids was not well behaved and the parents did little to get them to behave. The boat was crowded at this point and moving to another seat was not an option. The views of the city from the water were great and well worth the price of the ticket. But, the narration did not add much value to the tour. And we could have done without the kids. read more

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Even if you can't afford one of the big fancy ones with the dinner, it's really really important to see London from one of the river boats. Find one that has plenty of open airspace and do it in the daytime so you can enjoy the weather if it works that way. Otherwise you'll be down below with windows. I can't explain all the history of London of the things that we saw along the river, but you have to remember that historically everything happened along the Thames river. It was so easy to fill up my camera with beautiful images with the London eye at the London Bridge, the tower of London, Big Bend, Parliament, oh my God. What a delight. And the cruisers so helpful in accommodating on these river cruises, such great uplifting personalities to make the trip totally read more

City Cruises - Top deck row 1 - Boat Charters Near Me - London, XGL

I took a tour down the Thames River and it was awesome. I purchased the ticket online from City Cruises and just showed up for the river cruise. I did have a little trouble finding boarding dock A. It was hiding. I walked right past it. Once on board the boat everything was fine. The captain also pointed out important landmarks of London. For example the London Eye, Big Ben, the House of Parliament and the Tower Bridge. Definitely worth it! read more

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I highly recommend this cruise along the Thames, and can think of no better way to get acclimated to the city of London for first time visitors like us. Starting at Westminster Bridge, pretty much anything London along the Thames is included; Big Ben and Parliament, the Eye, the Globe theater, National Theatre, the Cleopatra Needle which dates back to 1450 BC, a gift from Egypt, the city's tallest building the Shard, Waterloo Bridge, London Bridge, Tower Bridge, the Tower of London, just to name a few highlights. This is a round trip cruise, with a stopover in Greenwich Towne. Reboard when you're ready to return. And of course there is live narration, which is quite humorous at times, if you get someone like Dylan. And though scripted and using the same dialogue, our return guide, unfortunately not Dylan, was, to put it quite bluntly, lame and boring. But it was about a 90 minute round trip course in this city's long history that we thought was well worth the cost. read more

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We had an amazing experience hopping on and off throughout the day. We opted to sit on the top, and although it was raining off and on, it was worth the view. They do have inside as well, with bathroom access. The guide was interesting and hilarious, narrating the sites along the river. The staff were exceptional, giving my son some colored pencils and coloring pages during the ride, and just overall friendly. I would recommend buying your pass ahead of time, so you don't have to wait in line, and make sure you are in line at least 10 minutes before departure. We didn't do our research, but if I were to do it again, I'd ride all the way from Westminster to Greenwich first, then from Greenwich to the Tower, then the Tower to the Eye, and walk across the bridge back to Westminster. We hopped on and off too many times, but still had fun! read more

City Cruises - Leaving Greenwich - Boat Charters Near Me - London, XGL

In a roundabout way we found ourselves creating a wonderful evening date. Looking for a river cruise she found the "dinner" cruise and decided that was it. So...C booked us online about 4 or 5 hours prior and that worked ok and off we went. Its raining in London go figure... arriving a tad early to the dock at Westminster, yep right there by the big clock. The "que" grew behind us, glad we were early. They check you in upon boarding and walk you to your table, wow vip table. The wine and cocktails were ordered and we looked around thought H.S. this is great. Dinner was lovely, live music, and a great perspective from the Thames. Quite the date, thanks babe. So open the wallet and take the special someone out for a spectacular evening and a memory for ever. Cheers Foodguy CA, martin read more

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The cruise itself was relaxing, the boat they used was spacious, and the services provided on the boat where useful (those included the purchase of food and drink). What I found a little lacking was the tour itself and the media system on the boat. Let's start with the media system - the volume to the speakers or maybe it was the speakers themselves were very low. I could barely hear and at times couldn't hear it what they were saying at all. The tour, though it did cover pretty much everything you saw on the tour was less than impressive. For the price you get on this, I expected a bit more. So, is it worth it? Yeah, I say it is. The trip from one end to the other was relaxing and it was unique to see the city from the perspective of the river itself. read more

Don't take this boat. Worst ever. They leave late every time and don't care. Crew are just chatting and lied about the timing of boats arriving and leaving. Boats are old and slow. Saw multiple uber boats arrive and leave while they had us sitting at the dock. Waste of the day read more

We were greeted with a glass of sparkling wine which was nice. The bread and butter was good, as was the salmon pate appetizer. The main plate was mediocre at best with very dry turkey and bland gravy. The quantity was generous with baked root vegetables, fried potatoes, sausage wrapped in bacon and dry stuffing balls. There was a side of cranberry relish. read more

City Cruises - Christmas day turkey lunch. - Boat Charters Near Me - London, XGL

We did the Afternoon Tea on the Thames with City Cruises London. On the positive side the tour was on time and seating was organized. The food was well prepared. The crumpets and deserts were the highlights. Unfortunately the staff was highly unorganized. Two tables including ours were not provided any tea! We had to track down the staff as we realized everyone around us was well into their meals. We had a reservation for four and when the staff realized their mistake they proceeded to bring us only two orders of tea. Very frustrating and disappointing. I would look into another tour company for your afternoon tea cruises. read more

A City Cruise was one of the things included on our London pass and it was a great way to see the city on a sunny afternoon. This boat company stops at Westminster, Tower Bridge and Greenwich. You can get on/off wherever and whenever you like with a day pass. We took the boat all the way down to Greenwich (takes an hour or so) - along the way you'll see Canary Wharf, a bunch of repurposed warehouses and perhaps some celebrity homes. We hopped out at Greenwich and spent a few hours exploring - there's the Cutty Sark, a nice market and the Royal Naval College & Observatory, plus the cute town center itself. If you do this make sure you arrive in plenty of time to get the boat back as they do get crowded and definitely know when the last boat leaves. On board, each boat varies in terms of seating (some have an upper deck, etc). All have a bar (yay!) and toilets. Staff were generally very nice too! read more

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City Cruises is one of the many boating companies operating on the James river which visits various places, from the London Tower all the way to Greenwich. Decided to come here with the London Pass and it was a phenomenal experience. The boat itself is double deckers. The top floor had open viewing so it can get a bit chilly at times because of the wind. The bottom floor, depending on the boat you were on, was fairly new and had an abundant of seating. There is a tour guide who will talk about all the major attractions in English on the ride. The information itself is actually pretty good and entertaining and helps you really understand the life next to the James river. They also introduce a variety of stuff from celebrity houses to house prices to famous landmarks. Amazing transportation with an amazing tour guide equals to an amazing experience. Highly recommend! Also the views don't hurt either. read more

City Cruises - Boat Charters Near Me - London, XGL

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Loved our city cruise from Westminster Bridge to Tower Bridge. We hopped on fairly early in the morning (around 10) on a weekday and there was plenty of space on both decks for everyone. I was very impressed that we both left and arrived exactly on schedule. The views from the water were fantastic and we were able to get some incredible photos of Big Ben and the Tower Bridge. What I did not expect was for one of the deckhands to share interesting historical and cultural stories about the buildings as we passed by. He did a great job of entertaining us and making the trip feel more personal. read more

A great way to see all of the highlights of London at one time, without the crowds. There is (very spirited!) commentary on the different landmarks, and the narrator/guide is absolutely hilarious! While you enjoy your ride, there is a concession stand on board that serves beer, wine, cocktails, sandwiches and assorted snacks. There is both indoor and outdoor seating available. Be sure to wear layers, because they have the heat set on "Hades" inside. Fortunately, the windows have minimal glare, so it's easy to take really good pictures while seated comfortably (and warmly) inside. The boat goes back and forth between Greenwich and London Eye Pier. The entire cruise takes about 2 hours, and passengers are welcome to disembark and reboard at any point along the boat's route. read more

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Don't take the City Delta, as the toilet is not working. A subtle fact not shared with the world. I would rate this higher but I find it appalling that the toilet is out of service. At least for the 2 days that I am aware. Otherwise this is a good view of the city and generally good information. Hopefully management fixes the toilet. read more

City Cruises - Boat Charters Near Me - London, XGL

Go for the Tower Bridge at night. The food is so-so. Parma ham wrapped chicken breast was over cooked, the fresh vegetables were blanched right. The potatoes were a little under cooked. We had an entertainer who sang karaoke songs and we ended up dancing at the front of the boat. Go up top deck for breathtaking views of the Millennium Bridge, the Tower Bridge, and the river views of Paris at night. read more

Very cheesy cheapy cruise. Cheap wine. Cheap food. It's a tourist trap. Very expensive for what you get.

If you have a few hours and the weather isn't too terribly cold then I highly recommend City Cruises. Besides being able to hop on and hop off the boat, the live tour/commentary was outstanding. Each of the Captains (tour guides) really made the boat ride entertaining and interactive. A nice bonus is the snack bar down below where you can grab a glass of wine or beer. TIP: I recommend getting your ticket online ahead of time (via Viator). The price is cheaper --- BUT you still have to check in with the ticket office. read more

City Cruises - Amazing view of Tower Bridge - Boat Charters Near Me - London, XGL

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09/12/17 This was amazing. Loved the history from the employee as we traveled along the Thames river. This boat goes to Greenwich. This boat leaves from London Tower and goes to Greenwich. Cruising London's oldest thoroughfare and passing by some of the most historic landmarks such as London Tower, Tower Bridge, Docklands, Canary Wharf,London Eye, Cleopatra's Needle, Greenwich and so much more. Views and sights are remarkable! Boat is clean and has bathrooms and a nice little snack bar that includes sandwiches and drinks. You can't beat the views from the top deck. Employee's are kind and knowledgeable. It really is a must do! read more

City Cruises - Boat Charters Near Me - London, XGL

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It's absolutely a tourist stuff and it included in London Pass. After a long day of walking around, we enjoyed a lot the cruise from London Eye, Tower bridge to Big Ben! If you don't have sun block on, pls stay inside to enjoy the view. Otherwise, get the hat and camera to go upper deck for more different views from the city and monuments and buildings. I would recommend if you get London pass it's worth it. read more

City Cruises - Boat Charters Near Me - London, XGL

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We received free passes to the City Cruise and thought it would be a fun idea to explore and see the Thames by water. We arrived and found our way to the line for the boat. We waited in line for over an hour for a boat that we were told by staff that our boat was coming over and over. Boats came and left, but we were not so lucky and waited and waited. We finally gave up and left after 1.5 hours and no response from staff, they seemed to start avoiding us after awhile. We could have walked to the London Bridge in a shorter amount of time. read more

Really neat boat tour that goes along the Thames and visits nearly every major sight along both sides of the river. We took the tour until it dropped us off at the Tower of London. We went to see that place, took a picture in front of the Tower Bridge, then took the boat back to Westminster Pier. It was a cool experience except for the dreary, chilly December weather. read more

I usually don't do touristy stuff like this, but it ended up being a really great option to pack in a lot of sight seeing at once without hoofing it on both sides of the river for an entire day! Tickets for the river cruise are affordable, and you get to see everything from the Tower of London to West Minster, with a bunch of stuff in between (Eye, Shard, Big Ben, various schools, churches, and bridges, etc.) during a half-hour tour. The commentary was entertaining and informative, and spoken clearly. Bathrooms and a small cafe are below deck. TIP: They also offer dinner cruises for a date night experience! read more

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Very convenient locations. Close to lots major tourist destination. The boats they use is very comfortable with snacks bar and drinks available! City Cruises is use the boats with upper and lower decks. The upper deck is open top without any cover! This is little problem on a rainy day. I have saw many people running down when the weather suddenly changed! The views are excellent on the upper level. Limited if you are setting at the lower level. But more convenient for the snacks and drinks. Price for the drinks and snacks are reasonable. The coffees are very good. I enjoyed the ride with City Cruises and the Beautiful views on River Thames! read more

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Great company and cruise! Although my ticket was for a certain time, I was allowed to board an earlier trip at no additional cost. I purchased a one way cruise from the Tower Pier to the Westminster Pier. This is probably the cheapest and quickest way to see many of the sites in London. The weather was cold and rainy, but I was determined to brave sitting at the top of the boat. The views were amazing and I was able to take some great pictures. While on the cruise, a recording plays to explain the various sites. I really enjoyed it! read more

City Cruises - View from the top - Boat Charters Near Me - London, XGL

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You pay a few hundred pounds for a London Pass and want to go on a river cruise, and you make your way to the pier and they say "no more London passes today, come back tomorrow". The London Pass is purchased on a daily basis, you would need another day to ride this cruise. The fat ginger bearded man at Tower pier is yelling "no more" like you're stupid. Meanwhile they're letting people on the boat? Clearly there is a priority system and London Pass is low on that list. In the few minutes we were standing there looking for something else to do, they turned a hundred people away who had "London Pass". Would not recommend, avoid, and take your business elsewhere. read more

City Cruises - Boat Charters Near Me - London, XGL

Another great way to sightseeing London is to take the river cruise. You have great view for many architecture. The board ride is about 30 minutes one way. It moves very slow so you have plenty of time to take pictures. Actually it is better way to take pictures distance away so you can see the whole architecture. There are double decks. Upper deck are open air. More popular because better views. There is tour guide on the boat giving you information of all the major architecture you pass by. Very informative! read more

City Cruises - Boat Charters Near Me - London, XGL

We were on this as part of a package deal with Big Bus; we later used again to get to Greenwich. So two separate tours...both excellent. Live guides provide commentary that is witty, relatable, and informative. There are snacks and bathrooms. What more could we need? It's warm inside on hot days; outside is lovely. We thoroughly enjoyed, and the teen in our group was much more engaged with the live commentary (laughing along, swiveling his head in all directions to see what was being pointed out to us) than he was with any recorded devices we experienced in so many aspects of our London trip. read more

Fun boat ride - free ride for dogs We've been in London before but somehow never did a quick River Cruise before. Well, not this time. We boarded at the Tower and drove along until Westminster Pier. Lots of sights on the way on this perfect sunny day! Staff was nice and information during the cruise interesting and funny! Costs us 10£ each for about 30min, which we thought is a fair offer. We had our dog with, who was welcome! Not just that, she got to ride for free even. Take that, Paris! (dog-unfriendly city). Leaving about every 30mins there are no long waits. There are some waiting lines, but they move quickly, even on busy days. We would have gone longer and further, but we still had lots of plans. Maybe another time. We surely will City Cruises again when we come back here. read more

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My girlfriend and I took a sightseeing cruise from the Westminster pier to the Greenwich pier. It's not bad, especially for the price, but there are a couple things you should know ahead of time. Things to know beforehand: 1. First and foremost, It's painfully slow. It took us about 1 hour and 20 minutes from the Westminster pier to Greenwich (see below for the reason and what you can do). 2. One of the crew members gives you a "tour" (on a loud speaker) but it's bare minimum (see below for details). TOUR The person who give you the tour is not an official guide. Our "guide" was funny and entertaining, but not very informative. If you are just looking for a fun boat ride, this may not be a big issue. In any case, there isn't much to see after the London Tour pier (see my recommendation). TIME It takes a long time for the boat to make stops. On top of it, there seems to be a very unnecessary stop. After leaving the Westminster pier, the boat stops at the London Eye, which is directly across the river. RECOMMENDATION To maximize your time and experience, I suggest that you do the following two things: + Boarding: Go onboard at the London Eye pier, not at the Westminster pier (otherwise you would waste the first 10~15 minutes). + Disembarking: There's a lot to see between the London Eye pier and the Tower pier. So, get off at the Tower pier. If you want to go to Greenwich, consider a different means of transportation as it would be faster and more frequent. ****************************** If you found something useful in my review, please hit "useful" so that I can improve my reviews. If you love food and traveling, follow me, or better yet, let's become friends on Yelp! Thank you and happy Yelping! read more

Trying to do as much for as little as possible was my goal on my latest trip abroad. My sister and I found that Groupon was available in London so we looked and we found a hop-on hop-off boat cruise that lasted for three days. It was only 12 Pounds, 10 off the regular price so we thought it would be a nice way to travel around. We only used it for two days because the third day we went on a tour out of the city on the third day. For the two days we used it, we found City Cruises to be a great way to get between Westminster Pier, Tower Bridge Pier and Greenwich. We went to Greenwich on both days we used the pass and it made getting there much more relaxing and we got to see some great sights. Depending on the crew you get, the experience can be a little different. I think all together we used the boats 6 times and on two, we had a recording telling us about the city with horrific noises added in and terrible theatrics. On the other cruises, the boat operators took the time to tell us of THEIR knowledge of what we were seeing and told us facts they had learned, they also threw in some jokes and tried to make the ride much more enjoyable. We sat up on the top deck for a cruise but actually enjoyed the lower deck more as it was very hot and it wasn't as crowded so we were able to just sit back and hang out for the journey. The boats run about every 40 minutes or so, we found it very convenient and never had a long wait. The boats also hold a lot more people than expected so there was only one time we had to wait for a second boat to arrive but they actually had another ready to board by the time the first was completed. Overall, I found this to be a great deal and a different way to see the city on the River Thames. I am glad we did it. read more

We did a Christmas Day lunch cruise so the review is for the overall experience not the great sights that you see while on the cruise. We were packed in like sardines. 12 people to each rectangular banquet table and just a few inches between chairs. There was hardly any room to push your chair back before hitting the chair behind you. The food was cafeteria like, no flavor and not hot. The musical performers were ok but very loud. The only saving grace was the wonderful sights and the people we met while on the cruise. Overall I would take the sightseeing cruise and skip the lunch cruise. read more

City Cruises - Christmas lunch cruise - Boat Charters Near Me - London, XGL

I had a non refundable whale watching tour in Boston scheduled but my flight got delayed 13 hours and I would miss my tour. Amy with customer service was amazing and she got me rescheduled for a couple days later! She was a really sweet lady! read more

What a fantastic way to get around! My sister and I were looking on Groupon for things to do in London. She came across the Hop-on Hop-off boat tour along the River Thames. For 12 Pounds we received 3 days of rides. There are three stops along the River Thames. The first is at Westminster Pier, second is at the Tower of London and the third is in Greenwich. For our purposes this was perfect and we were able to get around easily. The boats ran on time, about every 40 minutes or so. We experienced one time where there were more people than could fit on the boat. The company brought out another boat to ensure everyone got to their destination in a timely manner. The crew for the most part provided commentary for the trip up river. The only time they played a recording was from Greenwich to Tower of London. The recording really was quite boring and the commentary the crew gave was much more entertaining and appreciated. Overall we really enjoyed our time with City Cruises. Especially since it was so hot when we visited. The water was a much nicer way to get around. read more

Super cool cruise on the water. You get a close up of the London eye and some really cool info about other historical buildings and bridges. The live commentary is fun and engaging. The boats are very nice. They have a sky deck but if you want to sit in the A/C the bottom deck has it and comfy chairs as well as large windows so you don't miss anything. There is a bar with snacks and hard and soft drinks. The crew is great. Oh and bathrooms on board. Can get pretty pricy for a ticket though. But you can get one for 24 hours to 3 days so you can go on several boat trips around different areas. read more

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Pleasant experience looking at the town from the river. Suggestions- Check the time table so, you don't have to wait awhile. Also, purchase the London Pass. Moose Out read more

As part of my Big Bus Tour we were given a cruise up the River Thames. We hopped on at Westminster Pier and it makes stops at Waterloo Pier, Tower Pier and Greenwich Pier. It's a fairly large boat with seating on the deck as well as down below. There is a bar where you can order beer, wine and other drinks as well as snack items. It's a great opportunity to take photos of many historical buildings as well as new architectural buildings. read more

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I really enjoyed how the two activities were coordinated together. I think a cruise coordinated with the Tower of London is a great way to spend your time. The Thames River cruise was relaxing and the crew was nice. Although they are not tour guides, the member of the crew that conducted the tour was informative and funny. I was actually surprised that they don't get paid for the commentary, so please tip well because we wouldn't have enjoyed the cruise as much without it! We got on at the Tower of London which appeared to be the best option as many people got on at Westminster. Prior to them getting on, we were able to take photos unobstructed. So get on at the Tower of London to start the cruise to Westminster then ride back to the Tower of London (30 minutes each way then a 20-30 min wait at Westminster). I believe there was an option from there to continue on to Manchester. When we arrived at the Tower of London, we had to exchange our printed voucher for an actual ticket (be sure to print it out ahead of time). Then you may have to wait in a line to get in. We didn't have a line as it was later in the day (2 pm) but there was a cue set up. I think early afternoon is the best time to go as I've seen in a lot of reviews there are long lines in the morning. We went straight to the Crown Jewels line and had to wait for about 45min. Once inside we spent another 45 min. It was spectacular to see the jewels. After this, we only had time to see one more thing so we went to the White Tower and spent another 45 min. You can easily do the White Tower in 45 minutes without rushing. We also spent some time sitting in the Chapel which was really peaceful. Honestly, you can spend the whole day at the Tower of London, we just didn't have the time. So be sure to check out the must sees at least: Crown Jewels, White Tower, Medieval Tower, Medieval palace and the free Yaoman tours. All in all, I recommend this combo tour. My only critique is the additional time that must be allotted docking at Winchester and converting the vouchers to get the actual tickets for the cruise and the Tower of London. At this point in technology, the tickets purchased online should be scannable. read more