Thames River Cruises

Thames River Cruises are perfect for relaxing vacations. With many ports to stop off at, there is more then enough enjoyment for everyone. Even take one of the short River Thames Boat Trips that are perfect when you have younger children, or just wish for a quick getaway. You can also enjoy Thames Dinner Cruises where you are served some of the best food you could hope for. So when you’re planning your next trip, ask your agent about a Thames River Cruise. Also ask your Travel Agent about the price and possible discounts of Thames Cruises.

Info about the River Thames

Old Father Thames is famous for its history, its culture and its amazing variety. Based on its size, a mere 215 miles, from its source in the Cotswolds through to the estuary at Southend it should hardly evoke great passions.

But ask a Londoner what is the city’s greatest asset, or one of the many boaters in a punt or cruiser, or a man from rural Oxford what they think and you will be find a great number of reasons to spend time by the Thames.

The river has something for everyone. If you enjoy peace and natural beauty, then the gentle and often remote stretches of the upper Thames will suit you. At Oxford , the river - locally known as Isis - springs to life. Here you can take a cruise, hire a punt or motor launch, or just sit at a riverside pub and watch the scullers from the world famous University Clubs in training or competing.

The Thames then meanders its way through beautiful countryside reaches and historic settlements with an enormous variety of places to visit, pubs and restaurants to nourish both body and soul. For the energetic, there is the Thames Path which stretches from the source at Thames Head down to the Barrier. Alternatively, experience the river from the water - you will be surprised how different your experience of the river will be when on board a boat rather than standing on dry land! Passenger boats can be found in many towns including Oxford , Abingdon, Henley , Reading , Maidenhead, Windsor , Walton, Hampton Court and Kingston . Historic sites of interest abound from tiny hamlets such as Mapledurham with its working water mill to grand castles and palaces of Windsor and Hampton Court. Many riverside pubs and eating places are themselves part of the river's history, a reminder of the days when this was truly a Royal River Highway.

The London River Downstream of Teddington, the river changes its rhythm. Though still 60 miles from Southend and the sea, the Thames becomes tidal. Twice a day the river flows "the wrong way" towards its source as the sea pushes up the estuary. With the falling tide, the foreshore - or river bed - is revealed, a neglected and unappreciated part of the river, whose mud and shingle conceals fascinating clues to London’s rich past. The river changes character many times as it flows to the nation’s capital: suburban gardens and parks rub shoulders with Georgian mansions set alongside new luxurious riverside homes built on former industrial wharves. Passenger boats coming upriver from Westminster stop at Richmond , Kew , Chiswick and Putney en route for Kingston and Hampton Court . In central London you will find a wide choice of passenger boats plying the piers between Westminster and the Thames barrier.

In central London every foot of river has a tale to tell of former days - palaces, docks, cathedrals and churches, fine bridges, theatres, museums all jostle for attention. Here you can spend many happy days exploring the city’s past both on foot or by boat, shopping in the luxurious malls along the river and sampling fine foods at the numerous riverside pubs and restaurants.

Past London Bridge , the river widens as it sweeps down to Greenwich , a town rich in naval tradition and maritime history .... and hostelries! The working wharves upstream and downstream of here remind us that the Port of London (which includes the Port of Tilbury). A river cruise downstream takes you past the Millennium Site on the Greenwich Peninsula and onto the Thames Barrier, whose glittering stainless steel casings, reminiscent of the Sydney Opera House, form a fitting gateway to the sea beyond.

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