London Thames Cruise Prices

One of the most beautiful landscapes you will see during your trip to London is the Thames River crossing the heart of the city. On both sides of its banks rise several of the most famous monuments of the British capital that have transformed its skyline to become a tourist attraction in itself.

If the idea of navigating the waters of the Thames by boat like a sailor appeals to you, the first thing you will need to know to plan the activity is how much the tickets for a Thames cruise cost, where to buy them and if there is any way to save a little on the tickets. All that and more I tell you below!

If you feel like doing a cruise on the Thames but you are traveling to London on a tight budget or do not want to invest too much money in the activity, from 15 € you can get a ticket to ride on a boat with which to sail the waters of the river.

It is the cheapest option and you will make a closed tour of one hour on the Thames seeing many of the tourist attractions that are scattered along its course:

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

However, if you want to take a cruise on the Thames but you are looking for a little more flexibility in the activity, for a little more money**(from 23 €** in Hellotickets) you can take a river cruise with free stops to get on and off anywhere along the route as if it were one of the tourist buses of the city.

Price comparison table

Whether you want to treat yourself during your stay in London or if you are traveling with your partner and want to surprise her with a romantic plan, from 40 ¤ you can get in Hellotickets a ticket for one of the premium Thames cruises that usually include the boat ride 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 that are performed on the tour.

For example, "afternoon tea" cruises (the classic English afternoon tea) are less expensive than those multi-course dinner cruises where there are also live music performances and smart-casual etiquette is required to attend.

That's right! For example from 74 ¤ you can get the London Pass in Hellotickets, which will allow you to make a cruise on the river Thames with a 1 day River Roamer pass. That is, you can enjoy a cruise with free stops on the River Thames.

This way, you can embark at any of the piers available along the river to make the boat cruise in full or to move between the different tourist attractions that are in the surroundings, getting on and off at the stop you want to explore each site on your own.

In the case of the London Pass you pay for days of use. It is an option that I recommend you to consider if you plan to see many different places during your getaway because these tourist cards will help you save time and money. If you are interested in this tourist card and you would like to buy it, in the post The best London tourist card you have a detailed analysis to see everything you can do with it.

Yes, it is possible to buy tickets to ride a Thames river cruise at the ticket offices you will find at the piers. However, I recommend you to buy tickets online to avoid the queues that form there and to do it well in advance, as it is one of the most popular activities among tourists going to 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 one-way ticket but you can find options starting at €13 for adults over 16. Children between the ages of 5 and 15 pay less and tickets start from €8.

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

With a tourist card

One way to save money is to buy a London Tourist Card, specifically the London Pass**(from 74 €** at Hellotickets) which will allow you to visit more than 80 attractions in the city in addition to taking a river cruise.

With a combined ticket to several attractions

Another is to buy a combined ticket to two tourist attractions on the river bank. The most popular option is the cruise on the Thames and the London Eye.

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

If you want to know more about this option, I recommend you to read the post London Eye and Thames cruise: the perfect combination on your trip to London.

With the Oyster Card

If to move around London using public transport you have taken the Oyster Card (a rechargeable wallet card that lowers the price of the single ticket) you are in luck because you can ride with it on the River Bus, the boat operated by the company Uber Boat by Thames Clippers that allows you to move from one side of the city to another by water instead of by road with the bus or underground with the subway.

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

In my opinion, the subway is the fastest means of transport to move as a tourist between the attractions of London and to take it you can buy a single ticket from 6 € depending on the area of the city where you move.

Before riding, I recommend you to check the fare on the London Transport website by entering the departure station and destination to calculate the approximate cost of the ticket.

If you are getting on the Thames cruise at Westminster Pier or London Eye Pier you can get off at Westminster tube station, the closest station to both places.

To save a little money when using public transport, which is not exactly cheap, I advise you to get a ticket for the London sightseeing bus (which will allow you to move around the city while enjoying the sights of the cityscape) or get one of the Travelcard or Oyster Card.