London Thames Cruise Prices

One of the most beautiful sights you will see during your trip to London is the River Thames flowing through the heart of the city. On both sides of its banks stand some of the British capital's most famous monuments, which have transformed its skyline into a tourist attraction in itself.

If you like the idea of sailing the waters of the Thames like a true sailor, the first thing you'll need to know in order to plan your activity is how much tickets for a Thames cruise cost, where to buy them and whether there's any way to save a little money on tickets. I'll tell you all that and more below!

If you fancy taking a cruise on the Thames but are travelling to London on a tight budget or don't want to spend too much money on the activity, you can get a ticket to ride on a boat and sail the waters of the river from €15.

This is the most economical option and you will take a one-hour closed tour of the Thames, seeing many of the tourist attractions scattered along its course:

• Big Ben.
• The Palace of Westminster.
• The London Eye.
• The Tower of London.
• Tower Bridge.

However, if you want to take a cruise on the Thames but are looking for a little more flexibility, for a little more money (from £23 at Hellotickets) you can take a river cruise with free stops to hop on and off anywhere along the route, just like one of the city's tourist buses.

Price comparison table

Whether you want to treat yourself during your stay in London or you are travelling with your partner and want to surprise them with a romantic plan, from £35 you can get a ticket on Hellotickets for one of the premium Thames cruises, which usually include the boat trip and a snack or dinner with entertainment on board.

Within the premium cruises on the Thames, there are also different price ranges depending on the type of activities offered on the tour.

For example, cruises with afternoon tea (the classic English afternoon tea) are cheaper than those cruises with a multi-course dinner, which also feature live music shows and require smart-casual dress code.

Yes, you can! For example, from £74 you can get the London Pass at Hellotickets, which will allow you to take a cruise on the River Thames with a 1-day River Roamer pass. This means you can enjoy a hop-on hop-off cruise on the River Thames.

This way, you can board at any of the available piers along the river to take the entire boat cruise or to move between the different tourist attractions in the surrounding area, getting on and off at any stop you like so you can explore each place on your own.

In the case of the London Pass, you pay for the days you use it. I recommend considering this option if you plan to see many different places during your trip, as these tourist cards will help you save time and money. If you are interested in this tourist card and would like to purchase it, the post The best tourist card in London provides a detailed analysis so you can see everything you can do with it.

Yes, it is possible to buy tickets for a Thames cruise at the ticket offices located on the quays. However, I recommend purchasing tickets online to avoid the queues that form there and doing so well in advance, as it is one of the most popular activities among tourists visiting London and tickets can sell out quickly.

The price varies depending on the cruise operator, the length of the route and whether or not it is a return ticket, but you can find options starting at £13 for adults over 16 years of age. Children between 5 and 15 years of age pay less, with tickets starting at £8.

No, it is not possible to take a free cruise on the Thames. However, when purchasing your tickets to enjoy this experience, there are ways to save money.

With a tourist card

One way to save money is to purchase a London tourist card, specifically the London Pass (from £74 at Hellotickets), which allows you to visit more than 80 attractions in the city as well as take a river cruise.

With a combined ticket for several attractions

Another way is to purchase a combined ticket for two tourist attractions on the riverbank. The most popular option is the Thames cruise and the London Eye.

From £15, you can book an adult ticket on the London Eye website, but if you pay a little more, from £22, you can get a ticket with priority seating in the front row of the boat for unobstructed views of the river landscape.

If you would like to know more about this option, I recommend reading the post London Eye and Thames cruise: the perfect combination for your trip to London before purchasing your tickets.

With the Oyster Card

If you've bought an Oyster Card (a rechargeable cash card that reduces the price of single tickets) to get around London using public transport, you're in luck because you can use it on the River Bus, the boat operated by Uber Boat by Thames Clippers that allows you to travel from one side of the city to the other by water instead of by road with the bus or underground with the Tube.

If you want to take a short cruise on the Thames without spending a lot of money, simply for the pleasure of sailing on a boat, using the Oyster Card is a good way to fulfil your wish while saving a little money, as you won't need to buy a general admission ticket to board.

In my opinion, the underground is the fastest way to get around London's attractions as a tourist. You can buy a single ticket from £6, depending on the area of the city you are travelling to.

Before boarding, I recommend checking the fare on the London transport website by entering your departure and destination stations to calculate the approximate cost of the ticket.

If you are going on a Thames cruise from Westminster Pier or London Eye Pier, you can get off at Westminster underground station, which is the closest to both places.

To save a little money when using public transport, which is not exactly cheap, I recommend buying a ticket for the London tourist bus (which will allow you to travel around the city while enjoying the views of the urban landscape) or purchasing a Travelcard or Oyster Card.