See London from the Thames

One way to see London is from the Thames. The Thames is the river that runs through London and many of the great sights are right on the river. You can go on hop-on-hop-off boat cruises and see some of the major sights on the river as well as see London from this perspective.

Touring London from the River Thames offers a great alternative to other transportation.

I recommend two different ways see the river sights using the Thames as your transportation. One is from the city ferries called the Thames Clippers. You can get unlimited hop-on-hop-off tickets at 9:00 on this public transportation. But remember that it is public transportation so you will not get any narration. The second one and the one that I prefer is the tourist boat that offers hop-on-hop-off tours. River Red Rover cruises offers unlimited daily access to their boats and there are four different docks that you can get off at. They also offer really good narration that makes taking the tourist boat worth it. Westminster Pier This is a great place to start the trip. Here you can see Parliament, Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. Make sure that you take the time to go into Westminster Abbey, this historical church is an incredible place to visit and is worth taking your time. The London Eye The next stop and another not miss thing to do is to go on the London Eye. Make sure that you buy your tickets before hand or buy it as a combo with your boat cruise. Lines can be long and you can come back later which is not a bad idea especially in the summer when lines are really long and it stays light late.

A newer addition to the River Thames sights, the London Eye offers amazing views of the city.

Cruising down the river you will pass by St. Paul's Cathedral, Tate Modern and Shakespeare's globe theater. You will go under many bridges including the Millennium Bridge and the London Bridge (not the one that is falling down.)

One of the great things about seeing London from a boat is going under if iconic bridges. This London Bridge was built in the 70s as the older bridge was sold and transported to Arizona.

One of the great things about seeing London from a boat is going under its iconic bridges. This London Bridge was built in the 70s as the older bridge was sold and transported to Arizona.

The City and Tower Bridge One of the most famous bridges in the world, is the Tower Bridge. Get off here and you can also tour the Tower of London. This is something everyone should see once, with its historic residence, prison and the crown jewels. Across the river is the Shard which is the tallest building in Europe.

The Tower of London can be seen from the Thames River. Get off and see it if you can.

Royal Greenwich If you are not planning a separate tour of Greenwich, be sure to stay on the boat to at least see Greenwich from the boat. There is a lot to see there so it should take you about a half a day to see these sights. If you are planning on doing all of these things in one day, I recommend going on the Eye after everything else is closed. There are many Royal Museums in Greenwich, naval museums and the Greenwich Meridian which is point 0 for all time zones. This area is worth at least a half day visit and you might be better off coming back to it or doing other sights on a different day. Enjoy traveling around London on the river!