London Boat Trips

[madnana]

I am taking visitors to london for a few days in June & would like to take them on a boat trip on the Thames. As there are quite a few to choose from I would appreciate any advice on which is the best one to take them on to get full advantage of the sights.
Thanks

[dance2trance]

Word of warning it is cold on the river. Thames is dull beyond Chelsea Bridge. Go to the Barrier. O2 areas. More to see. Go under Tower Bridge. Nice.

[237SJ]

It depends how much time you have to spare and where you want to go. You can go from Westminster to Hampton Court or Kew Gardens. Or you can go downstream http://www.thamesriverboats.co.uk/

[Sycamore3House]

Years ago I did this can't remember where we got on but it was either an Westminster or Embankment and went downstream towards the Thames Barrier. Good commentary and fascinating & reasonable cost.

[New Judge]

The trip to Kew and Hampton Court is good, but it takes upwards of four hours. (There are two locks to negotiate and it takes time). Also, as has been mentioned, there’s not much to see between Chelsea and Kew. After that (once you’re past Brentford Ait) it becomes more picturesque.

The stretch between Greenwich and Westminster is best for the sights and there are plenty of boats plying that route.

[Cloverjo]

The Greenwich area is stunning at night.

[johnny37]

i love Greenwich. Take the boat from Tower Pier or Westminster. A couple of good riverside pubs for lunch and walk up through the park to the observatory. stunning view across London. Take care getting back as i think the last boat is around 7pm but it might have changed. You can get a train or bus back if you need to.

[Buenchico]

The best way to see many of the key sights (Tower Bridge, Tower of London, HMS Belfast, Dome of St Paul's, Cleopatra's Needle, London Monument, Houses of Parliament, HMS Belfast, etc, etc) without taking much time out of your day is to take the short hop from St Katherine's Pier to Westminster Pier (or vice versa). It only takes about 25 minutes (or an hour if you do it as a round trip) but you get to see a lot in that time:
http://www.crownrivercruise.co.uk//bookings.cfm

[Maydup]

We went recently and enjoyed a day in Greenwich having taken CityBoats from Westmister. If you don't want to go all the way to Greenwich, stop at Tower Pier where you can visit The Tower of London or simple get a returing boat back.

Avoid the commuter service which is speedy but has no commentary and stops every 5 minutes.

If you're going to London by train, don't forget to download your 2for1 vouchers before you go. We did this for the boat trip, and use them for entry to all the major attractions.

https://www.daysoutguide.co.uk

[mikey4444]

Go down the river to Greenwich. Wonderful river trip, and you should get a commentary on the way. Lots to see in Greenwich itself. The Royal Hospital and the Royal Observatory are both worth seeing. If there is time, take a another trip down to the Thames Barrage.

But there is lots to see on the river itself, in Town. The South Bank has lots to interest people, and there is Shakespeare's Globe.

There are lots of Pubs right on the river itself, and its nice in the evening and at night. The Hornimans at Hays and the Anchor Bankside are recommended.

[madnana]

Thank you all for the replies, all very helpful.