River Thames

At 215 miles, the River Thames is the longest river in all of England and the second-longest in the UK. Its unmistakable winding path, the London Bridge connecting its two banks and the numerous attractions alongside make it a destination in itself when you are in London.

Location:

River Thames flows through all of London and also other counties, such as Oxford, Reading, Henley and Windsor.

Timings:

The River Thames will always be there for you to experience. If you are looking for cruises on the river, there are hop-on, hop-off boats that sail every 40 minutes.

Highlights:

When in London, you must go on a sightseeing cruise on the River Thames. The experience is glorious, and you will come back with numerous memories. The complete stretch is 180 miles from Gloucestershire to East London. However, since we’re only considering London, the short journey is from Richmond to Greenwich.

As you walk or cruise along the river, you will cross various bridges and will see some great spots, including typical touristy hangouts, popular art galleries, bars and pubs, and garden oases as well. While there is no way you can do it all in one day, here are a few things that you can expect to be able to experience.

1.Become one with nature at the Kew Gardens.

2.Stop for a meal at Banyon on the Thames.

3.Spend a few hours at Battersea Park and Peace Pagoda.

4.Try your hand putting in the Park.

5.Stop at the Tate Britain and see some fine art.

6.Wander through Victoria Tower Gardens.

7.Explore Westminster on foot.

8.Take selfies against Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, etc. You are a tourist, remember?

9.Stroll along the Southbank with your special someone.

10.Stop at the London Eye, visit the aquarium, and peer into the London dungeons

11.Walk along Victoria Embankment.

12.View the neoclassical Somerset House.

13.Stroll past the National Theatre and the OXO Tower.

14.Quench your thirst with a cocktail at the Rumpus Room.

15.Spend a few hours admiring modern art at the Tate Modern.

16.Step back in time at Shakespeare’s Globe.

17.View one of London’s most notorious prisons, the Clink Prison Museum.

18.Pick up some knick-knacks at Borough Market

19.Head over to the Sky Garden and take in the magnificent views of the city.

20.Explore St Dunstan’s in the East on foot.

21.Walk up to the Tower of London and take some selfies against the Tower Bridge.

22.Wander around St Katharine Docks.

23.Reward yourself with a pint at The Dicken’s Inn or unwind at the Medieval Banquet.

24.Go pub hopping (you’re on vacation) and get yourself another pint at The Prospect of Whitby in Wapping, one of London’s oldest pubs.

25.Step away from all the hustle-bustle at the Crossrail Place Roof Garden

Price:

There are cruises on the River Thames every 40 minutes. Your ticket price depends on whether you take a single ticket, a return or a rover for 24 hours.

Single

Return

Rover

Adult (16+): £19.50

Child (5-15): £12.75

Infant (0-4): £0.00

Family (2A + 3C): £39.00

Recommended for:

The River Thames is one of the highlights of London. If you like floating along a river and watching the city glide past slowly, then we recommend the river cruise. Else you can walk along its banks and take in the wonders of one of the cleanest rivers of the world.

Interesting facts about the River Thames

Whether you manage to get on to a River Thames cruise or not, the river will accompany you on many of your other trips around London. Here are a few interesting nuggets about the water body that you might not know.

• It is thought that the name Thames finds its origins from the Celtic name Tamesas, meaning ‘dark’.
• About 2/3 of all of London’s drinking water comes from the Thames.
• The river originates in a meadow in Gloucestershire.
• There are 45 locks along the entire length of the river.
• You can cross from one side of the river to the other using any of the over 200 bridges.
• The longest bridge is the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, at 812 metres.
• Back in the summer of 1858 Parliament had to be suspended because the smell of the sewage in the river was terrible. But at least that finally propelled the politicians into constructing London’s sewer system.
• There are about 125 species of fish in the tidal Thames alone.
• Dolphins and porpoises have often been seen in central London, where they travel in search of food.
• The river sees a species of critically endangered European eels migrate up every summer.
• Did you know that the boat chase scene from ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’ was filmed at Tilbury Docks in Essex, even though the movie was set in Venice?
• King Henry III was given a polar bear as a gift from Norway in 1252. He kept it in the Tower of London, and it was often let out to swim and catch fish in the Thames.
• In 2006, a Northern Bottlenose Whale swam up the Thames and got the whole city excited.
• The Thames used to freeze quite often. In 1607 London organised its first ‘Frost Fair’ with food stalls, sideshows and games too.
• Back in 1683-84, during ‘The Great Frost’, the river was frozen for two months, with the ice growing 11 inches.
• French Impressionist Claude Monet has painted The River Thames three times.
• A rare breed of seahorse has been spotted in the Thames giving environmentalists hope that more may be living near Greenwich.
• It is believed that the author of ‘The Wind in the Willows’ was inspired by the river.
• The famous shape of the river has also been its undoing when, during the Blitz, Luftwaffe bombers used this very shape to locate prime targets in London.
• The stretch of the river running through Oxford is called the River Isis.