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Cruises on the River Thames offer a different perspective of the city. We took a 50 minute circular cruise from Westminster Pier to Tower Bridge and back. You can sit inside or outside on the boat accompanied by descritions of key London sights. Multi-lingual audio tours are also available.
There are also point to point cruises offering "hop on, hop off" access to various sights around the city.
Adult 7 GBP
Child 5 GBP
Family (up to 2 adults and 3 children) 19.50 GBP Leave a Comment
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A trip to London would not be complete without a THAMES RIVER CRUISE. There is commentary along the way, informing you of the places of interest that you are passing by. On Hans' trip to London for the VT Meeting, he went with Carmen and Stace on the Thames Circular Cruise.
Many of London's tourist sights can be seen from the River. These include the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, the London Eye, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, St. Paul's Cathedral, the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge.
According to the Brochure, "Circular Cruise Fares" are as follows:
Adult 6.80
Child 3.40
Student & Seniors 5.80
Group rate for 10 or more people is available Leave a Comment Address: Westminster Pier
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The best way to see London’s River Thames is possibly to take a boat trip along it. There are several companies offering these, all pretty similar. Trips depart from a number of central London locations along the river, including Charing Cross Pier (by Embankment tube station), Westminster Pier (by Westminster Bridge and the tube station of the same name), Tower Bridge and Waterloo on the south bank. Some trips are quite short and focus on the central stretch of the river, while others go as far west as Kew Gardens or as far east as the Thames Barrier.
Depending on how long the trip you chose is, the sights you will see from the boat will probably include
~ London’s bridges, including the iconic Tower Bridge (not to be confused, as some tourists do, with the more mundane London Bridge)
~ great views of some of the most famous sights, such as Parliament, St Paul’s cathedral and the Tower of London
~ the restored warehouses in the eastern part of the city, now among the most sort-after London addresses for those that can afford to live here
You’ll also get a good insight into all the activity on the river itself, with other sightseeing boats, river police, barges and privately-owned vessels etc. passing regularly. Commentary is usually provided in a number of languages, and refreshments available on board. In the evening some of the companies run dinner or disco cruises, and boats can also be hired out for groups to enjoy a private customised tour. The website below lists a large number of companies offering tours, but the best bet may be simply to turn up at one of the piers and see what’s on offer, though at busy times you may have to wait a while for a place on a tour.
Fares vary depending on the route you choose but are typically between £6 and £10 for an adult, with discounts for children, senior citizens and family groups.
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The Thames is a very long river. It flows through Henley, Reading and various other towns on the way to the sea. At these points it is very much just a normal river. However by the time it reaches East London, the river has become tidal, and when the sea rises, the water rushes back up the Thames. In periods of heavy flow, this can cause major flooding. It has not been unknown for The Houses of Parliament to flood! The Thames Barrier was built to stop the back flow when the tide rises from happening. Most of the time the Barrier appears to just be a series of pillars in the river, but if needed, hidden metal gates rise up from the river bed stopping the surge of water from the sea.
Even though the Barrier is now over 20 years old, I still find it quite futuristic looking and a sight often missed by tourists that visit London (partly because it is a fair way from the centre). Some people reckon it is best seen by boat, but I like the side on view as seen here, where you can see the boat "City of London" sailing through one of the central gates in the barier. The birds in the foreground are Cormorants. My second picture just shows the Barrier with no boat.
The Barrier measures over 0.5 km from bank to bank. The four central openings in the barrier are 61m and these are the main navigable openings. The four main gates that fill these four navigable openings are huge and over 20m high and weigh (together with their counterweights around 3700 tonnes each!) Adjacent to the four main gates are two similar but smaller gates (just 31m across). The remaining four gates are not navigable and these are the omes next to the riverbanks.
There's a good web page: http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/regions/thames/323150/335688/341764/ that describes the Thames Barrier in great detail. Leave a Comment Address: Near Millennium DomeDirections: North Greenwich on the Jubilee Line
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HMS Belfast served in WW2, playing a leading part in the Normandy Landings. She is now moored on the Thames near Tower Bridge as a unique reminder of Britain’s naval heritage. A visit to the ship makes a good day out, especially for families – we took a young nephew there many years ago and he loved imagining himself as a sailor!
The ship has been restored to reflect the different the campaigns that she served in, with 9 decks to explore. Areas you can visit include the Boiler Room, Engine Room, Wheelhouse, Ship’s Company Dining Hall, Mess Deck and Admiral’s living quarters.
There is a café on board where you can get cooked meals, hot and cold drinks, snacks, sandwiches and confectionery.
A few points to note about getting around HMS Belfast:-
Wheelchairs: unfortunately only limited areas of the ship are accessible for wheelchair users, though modifications have been made to provide a limited tour including the Quarterdeck, the Boat Deck and the café. Access to the ship is via a gangway with a wheelchair lift.
Safety: children under 16 have to be accompanied by an adult. Please make sure children (and you!) have suitable footwear – there are lots of narrow metal steps so flip-flops, “heelys” and high heels just wouldn’t be safe.
The ship is also used for corporate events and conferences (hence my recent visit) and if you’re travelling to London with a group of children you might like to know that school classes and youth groups (age 8+) can now sleepover on board. HMS Belfast's sleepover provides the opportunity to experience what it is like to live and sleep in the renovated mess-decks. The children sleep in original bunks, with authentic lockers and shower facilities. Meanwhile, you’ll be pleased to know, there are separate cabins with en-suite for accompanying adults. Breakfast, a session with an Education Officer and exploration of the ship are included in the price.
Open daily (except over Christmas), 10.00am – 6.00pm (till 5.00pm in winter)
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The river Thames runs from the sea to Teddington and is just under 100 miles.
Despite it s murky appearance, it has over a hundred fish species including salmon.
There are plenty of different cruises to do on the Thames, just use seach engine on your server and type "cruises river Thames" and choose the one for you. Leave a Comment
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Cleopatra's needle (you should see the size of her arm) was a gift to Britian, in recognition of Nelson's Victory over the French fleet, at the Battle of the Nile in 1798.
The needle stands on the North bank (Embankment) of the Thames opposite the Royal festival Hall, on the river front.
The needle is flanked by two impressive bronze lions. Their pedestals also enclose various objects including: standard foot and pound, a full set of British Empire coins, Bibles in various languages, a railway guide, an almanac, and copies of contemporary newspapers
There were in fact two of these obelisks, formerly at Alexandria, but one of them is now in New York. They are made of granite, and were originally erected by the Egyptian king Thothmes III in front of the great temple of Heliopolis, where Moses was born.
The New York obelisk was presented to America, and was set up in Central Park in 1881. Leave a Comment Address: North side of ThamesDirections: nearest tube : Embankment and head downstream
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We didn't go on a river cruise on this trip (far too cold brrrrrr) & we couldn't find another 40 people to book with. The cruise costs 8.95 + vat & sails with a minimum of 40 people. A luncheon cruise is available for 27.95. If you prefer to take a bus tour you ticket price will incude a river cruise but on a much more modest vessel.
If you have plenty of cash you can charter the boats for Weddings or Parties check out the website for prices. Leave a Comment Address: River Thames South BankPhone: 020 7623 1805Directions: On the Jubilee Walkway between London Bridge & Tower BridgeWebsite: thamesleisurelimited
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Downstream View
One of my favourite views of the City skyline is from the Hungerford Footbridge facing downstream, this is the left hand side looking from Embankment or the right hand side from the South Bank. I need to explain this because there are in fact two separate bridges running either side of the original 1846 railway bridge. Since 2002 these have been known as the Golden Jubilee Bridges. The downstream view shows Cleopatra's Needle, Somerset House, St Paul's Cathedral, the Oxo Tower and two of the highest buildings in London, the Swiss Re Building (the Gherkin) and Tower 42 (the old Nat West Tower). Great views on a clear day, unfortunately it was a bit overcast when I took these photos but they have come out fairly well. Also at the present time (Jan 06) many of the buildings on the South Bank are being refurbished so the view is not very inspiring. Directions: The bridges run between Charing Cross/Embankment underground station on one side to the South Bank, close to the London Eye, on the other.
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The Thames River runs through the city and splits london into north and south. Along the south bank you can almost walk alongside the whole river and you'll see many sights. I suggest doing this at night time as you'll see all the lights of the city reflecting against the water. Some of the highlights of the river are Tower Bridge (the one the American's thought they were buying when they bought london bridge (which the original now resides in arizona), the tower of london, the millenium bridge leading to st pauls and the city; westminster bridge from which you can see the london eye, big ben and houses of parliament. plus many restaurants and bars along the riverside, the tate modern and a spectactular view from any of the bridges. Leave a Comment Directions: most of the stations on the bottom of the circle line are near the river.
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