Visitor - ways to transit along the Thames in London?

Posted by flimsypantaloon@reddit | AskABrit | View on Reddit | 34 comments

Hi UK.

I'm visiting London in a few weeks.

I will be staying near Westminster Bridge.

What's the best way to travel up and back along the Thames, say between Westminster and Greenwich?

I've found one service that is a hop on / hop off deal for around 20 pounds per person per day but it doesn't seem to stop at some of the piers.

Are there better options?

Cheers.

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flimsypantaloon@reddit (OP)

Thanks. I'll go research the clippers.

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actualinsomnia531@reddit

They are called "Uber boat by Thames Clippers" now and the river roamer ticket is expensive, but by FAR the best way to get up and down the river.

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Upbeat_Branch_4231@reddit

I agree. The boat is a delight. It has an onboard cafe, toilets, and you can sit on deck and take photos if you like. Much more pleasant than the tube (which is efficient, and fast but no fun).

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Pricklestickle@reddit

You want the TfL river bus, also known as Uberboat or Thames clippers. They are the most frequent and stop at the most piers.

If you have time, I'd recommend riding it all the way out to Woolwich, past the O2 dome and the Thames Flood barrier.

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Familiarsophie@reddit

Greenwich to Westminster is absolutely best done by boat. Use the Uber boats it’s not crazy expensive and worth the trip.

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snavej1@reddit

If you have an Oyster card, you can get a 33% discount on river boat fares - the boats operated by Transport for London.

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I would say take the tube and DLR one-way, do the cable car And do the boat the other way. That's good with the kids as well because you can try and get the front seat on the DLR and feel like you're driving the train. But you get to go through some of the more modern scenery, especially around Canary wharf

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hogglespikelet@reddit

This is only based on one experience, but I once planned DLR > cablecar > boat and we gave up waiting for a boat with space and took the screechy Jubilee line back to the centre instead. Some tickets seemed to have priority boarding? Would be interested to know if that is still the case. Something like day rover tickets taking priority over those just wanting one way.

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Illustrious-Divide95@reddit

Take a boat.

Thames Clipper or TFL River Bus

By far the most enjoyable way to travel, get to see lots of sights along the way and no traffic!!

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actualinsomnia531@reddit

They're the same thing I believe. TC operate the river bus service under license to TfL.

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llynglas@reddit

You could also consider a trip West - Kew Gardens and Hampton Court

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JonTravel@reddit

As well as riding the boats, you can walk some (or all) of it along the Thames Path.

https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/walking/thames-path

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mom0007@reddit

Uber boat or the Thames Clipper we found starting from Greenwich the first trip gave us good options and insights. Always sit outside unless it's raining as you get to see loads

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firefly232@reddit

River - Transport for London

https://share.google/1SzHqebMsqfiWOGKr

TFL river boat services, some of them look like they might have contact less or oyster payment which should have a daily cap. Check the map, not all routes go everywhere but you should be able to go quite far upstream from Westminster.

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Icy-Rough-2990@reddit

I'm led to believe that the stops depend on the tide - I've not checked that though. I stayed at Westminster Bridge and we walked to the Tower of London a couple of months ago and the walk is actually quite pleasant.

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Pricklestickle@reddit

You can pay with oyster/contactless on the TFL boats but they are not part of the broader TFL fare structure and the daily cap does NOT apply.

If you're planning to hop on/off it's best to buy a day ticket as single fares will stack up very quickly.

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firefly232@reddit

Oh thank you, I'll edit that.

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Dense_Bad3146@reddit

Uber boat, go both directions, so if you wanted to see Battersea Power Station at one end, Greenwich is at the other.

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etzpcm@reddit

The Uber/clipper boats are good and they stop at lots of the piers. It's a great way to see the sights, Tower bridge etc. I think the tickets are cheaper if you buy them in advance or use the Uber app.

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Time-Mode-9@reddit

Iirc, ours cheaper just to tap in/out with credit/debit card.

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hime-633@reddit

I would say - and this is assuming you have ambling time / capacity - walking. E.g. walk along north bank then hop on the DLR (torrent gateway).

Or cross Westminster bridge and walk along southbank (see above: no idea if you can do that) then cross back over tower bridge and get on the DLR.

Or cross back and forth as you walk. River cities always (often?) have interesting stuff on the river banks.

The DLR is also a fun ride through more modern London scenery.

Boats go from tower pier to Greenwich. £11-odd for a single (outrageous imo but whatever).

It all depends on wants (casual journey seeing things vs get there quickly, etc) and needs (accessibility)....

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Slight-Brush@reddit

Hopping on and off boats is rarely as convenient as you think - what exactly were you planning to do with the day? But an all-day hop-on-hop-off is only marginally more expensive than a return from Westminster to Greenwich so you might as well hve the flexibility.

Or get the boat there (£11.40) and the Jubilee line back from North Greenwich (£3.10)?

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Horror-Kumquat@reddit

Train from Charing Cross to Greenwich (may have to change at London Bridge, but it’ll just be to a an adjacent platform). Takes about 15-20 minutes.

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flimsypantaloon@reddit (OP)

Thank you

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ragsters-millions@reddit

Just commenting to agree with those who recommend the river boats/Thames clipper.

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Cheese_on_yourtoast@reddit

I know when my wife watched me doing the marathon, she saw me go past at Cutty Sark in Greenwich, then hopped on the boat and got off somewhere near Tower Bridge. It’s then a nice enough walk along the river to Westminster but I’m sure you can get the boats near Westminster bridge as well.

It’s a nice way of getting between the two areas, just depends how often you’d want to be getting off and on

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flimsypantaloon@reddit (OP)

Thanks, that's what we're chasing.

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chrisridd@reddit

Underground?

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flimsypantaloon@reddit (OP)

Thanks, yep we'll be using that as well, just wanted a ferry experience.

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zibafu@reddit

I would paste a screenshot but it won't let me

You could use the buses, it takes 1hour 30 minutes according to Google maps, but account for traffic

Alternately you could walk, that takes 3 ISH hours.

Alternately you could probably hire a bicycle and ride, which can be done in 50 minutes

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flimsypantaloon@reddit (OP)

Thanks, we're interested in doing it via the river this time.

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