Boat trip from London Eye to Tower of London or Greenwich

I recommend everyone who are on a city break in London to take a boat trip on the river Thames. To experience London from the ‘seaside’ is quite unique and it’s also a good way to combine for example a visit to the London Eye and the Tower of London, which are located at opposite ends of the city.

This is a guide to the boat trip from London Eye – get info on prices and purchase cheap advance tickets online.

Boat trip from London Eye

There are many different companies that sail on the Thames in London. If you want a good, inexpensive sailing trip in London, then you should strongly consider a trip with City Cruises.

I have taken the trip on the Thames three times, most recently just a month ago, and I love the concept. I had my mother with me on a weekend trip to London and I really wanted to show her the London I know and love – including all the major sights in the English capital.

Therefore, we headed out to the London Eye (London’s huge ferris wheel, which is located right next to the River Thames), which offers great views of Palace of Westminster (and “Big Ben“). This time we skipped the ride up the London Eye, but chose instead to board a boat that docks just to the right of the London Eye.

• A trip up the London Eye is highly recommended, but remember to buy your ticket online in advance, so you avoid the long queue. Fast track tickets for London Eye can be purchased online at Getyourguide here.

We chose a trip with City Cruises where boats are sailing every 30 minutes.

City Cruises boats can be boarded from (among others):

• Westminster Pier
• London Eye Pier (the one we chose)
• London Bridge Pier
• Tower Pier
• Greenwich Pier

As I said, we boarded the boat at the London Eye and sailed eastwards to the Tower of London. An excellent trip, where you see sights such as Tower Bridge, The Millennium Bridge, St Paul’s Cathedral and HMS Belfast.

We chose to get off the boat at London Bridge Pier, as we wanted to experience the Borough Market. 

The next stop on the boat trip is the Tower of London.

• If you want to visit the royal building then remember to buy a ticket to the Tower of London in advance – can be purchased here.

Price and where to buy tickets for the boat trip

I always recommend purchasing tickets for attractions in London directly at the VisitBritain Shop for safety reasons. When you buy a ticket for a boat ride in London with Visit Britain you buy the so-called open-date tickets, which means you can use your boat ticket all day and just show up at the dock.

The ticket is a 24-hour ticket, which means you, from the first time you’re boarding a boat can travel unlimited with City Cruises.

Very useful if you for example take a trip from the London Eye to Tower and want to go back again.

I know that most tourists stay in the West End of London – and it’s also where most of my recommended hotels in London are located. 

The price of an adult ticket is £18, children from 5-16 years cost £9 and for people over 60 it will cost £12.60.

Please note that these prices are only valid if you buy the ticket in advance online.

Get more information & buy tickets for a boat tour in London in the Get Your Guide shop right here.

I recommend everyone to buy the ticket online in advance in the VisitBritain shop as it will both save you money and you’ll avoid queuing – it can often be quite a long queue to buy tickets, a queue you can skip if you have booked your tickets for the boat from home.

• Do you have questions about boat tours in London?

As mentioned earlier, I have sailed this trip a few times so please post a comment below if you are in doubt about something – I will gladly help any travelers to London.

Below you can get a taste of what you can experience on a boat trip in London. Recorded by an amateur photographer and put on Youtube, but gives a fine idea of ​​what to expect on your boat trip on the Thames: