Boat ride on the Thames

Best idea: take the boat from Westminster Pier to Kew Gardens. Of course, that's a long trip. I did not like the short ones in London itself.

I love the boat trip from Westminster to Greenwich. Definitely a day trip if you want to see the city from the river. Stop at Greenwich, for lunch and visit the Royal Observatory and the Meridian Line. I like to do the round trip on the boat but you can come back by public transport. Could combine with a stop at the Tower of London.

They all follow the same “route” (the Thames River) so it is a question of which part you want to see and what type of craft you want to ride.

We like the regular public transport Thames Clippers, aka Uber boats.

https://www.thamesclippers.com/plan-your-journey/route-map

We like to start upriver at least as far as St. George’s Wharf, and ride all the way to Canary Wharf, cruising under numerous attractive bridges, and passing iconic sights such as MI6 (very interesting building), MI 5, the Parliament Buildings and Elizabeth Tower, Tate Modern, St.Paul’s ( set back from the river but you may see the dome), HMS Belfast, and others. After Tower Bridge, the buildings become more modern, and you’ll see the Shard, the Cheese Grater, the Gherkin, and others.

At Canary Wharf we like to ride the little ferry across the river (check the schedule as they may take a break at mid-day) and walk the Thames path back. But we like to walk.

I don’t think that dining aboard adds anything at all, and actually detracts from the scenery. But some of the “cruise” boats may offer narration which could be informative.

We often visit Kew Gardens, so the boat back was a nice change from the Tube. Can book up in peak season, but we did fine as a walk-up customer. I think they may have sold a few items onboard, like bottled beer. No commentary. Quite a small boat for a ferry-like service, maybe capacity of 20 inside, 20 outside.

If you've been to London before, I second the boat to Kew. Relaxing hour on the river, and Kew Gardens itself is something we do every time we're there. If first time to London, the Kew route doesn't go by central London, so you may want Westminster-Tower Pier.

They're all here: https://tfl.gov.uk/maps/river?intcmp=40403

Is this your first time in London? Although I love Kew and have done the boat trip back to London if you just have 3 days I'd probably not go to Kew unless you are really interested in gardens. Your trip, your choice!

Are you visiting Tower of London as well as Westminster Abbey? Taking the Thames Clipper/Uber boat between the 2 is a short trip that gets you on the water but doesn't take much more time than regular transportation to get between the 2.

What time of year are you visiting?

@kernow 1300, I'm hoping the OP meant they were staying at the Leicester SQUARE PI.

If you do a boat trip, I would only do the boat one way and do the other (either out or return) on public transport, ie tube or other public transport. +It can get very cold, even in summer, on the river.

As mentioned above, I hope you mean you have booked Leicester Square PI, and not one in Leicester. It can be important not to abbreviate place names.

Yes, it is our first time in London. Yes, its the Leicester Square Premier Inn. We are going in June. TY

Well, the plus thing about June travel is that you'll have lots of daylight...unless you wanted to do a night cruise to see lights!

London sunrise/sunset times for June 15:

Twi: 3:55am
Sunrise: 4:43am
Sunset: 9:19pm
Twi: 10:06pm

Several years ago, London friends gave us a 90 minute Thames luncheon cruise as a gift. We enjoy river cruises as a good way to get oriented to a city. The lunch feature would not have been my choice, but it was a gift. The food was forgettable and as others have mentioned, the meal service distracted from the scenery. So, a “no” vote from me on a meal adding value.

I second the idea to take a boat from Westminster to Greenwich. We did that and had a great day in Greenwich.

No worries, Uber does not operate the boats. They are regular scheduled boats that are part of the London transport system. Pay with your Oyster card or contactless credit card.

As it was explained to us, Uber provided some useful software, in exchange for which they have their name on the Thames Clippers..

Here is how I like to incorporate a Thames boat ride into my day.

Go to the Tower of London the moment it opens. Spend the morning there. When finished, walk outside to Tower Pier and catch an Uber boat to Greenwich. Eat lunch at Greenwich and spend the afternoon exploring there. Catch an Uber boat back to Westminster and take a break at the hotel. In the evening, go to a West End Show.

It is a full day but the boat ride gives you two nice rest breaks.

As I stood on the Millennium Bridge looking up and down the river I wondered it I would want to take a cruise and decided no. London doesn't seem to be a city where being on the river helps you see the city, unlike say Paris.

phred, where it does let you see more from the water is on a boat ride from Tower Pier to Greenwich. You see the docklands, pubs, and old buildings; always interesting. The Thames Clipper/Uber boats are always the way to go, not the boats serving lunch.
You tap in with your Oyster card when you get on, tap out with Oyster when you exit the boat. That's if Oyster is how you're paying.

As you leave Tower Hill Pier, look on the south side of the river for some ancient warehouses that have been turned into condos, shops & restaurants.(Shad Thames) As you move along the river and it begins to curve to the left, look on the south bank for The Mayflower pub. It backs up to the river's edge. You can spot the original 1620 mooring point of the Pilgrim Fathers' Mayflower ship. They departed from here bound for America.

As you continue along a bend in the river, look left to see Canary Wharf--an old warehouse section plus new buildings--that includes hotels, condos, offices and restaurants. (Plus the Museum of London Docklands) Finally you arrive in Greenwich, getting a great view of the historic buildings from the water.

As you have noted, one needs to be specific when referring to locations, using full names, to avoid confusion. We only took a daytime boat ride from I believe Tower Hill to Greenwich. That was sufficient for us.

London Walks appears to have a river cruise taking place summer or winter. It may be worth checking out the information at their website. I have always enjoyed their walks and daytrips.

@Debbie! That looks like an excellent London Walk offering!