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Thames River Review

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Thames River

Category: Bodies of Water
Location: The Thames Upstream

Fodor's Review:

The twists and turns of the Thames River through the heart of the capital make it London's best thoroughfare and most compelling viewing point. Once famous for sludge, silt, and sewage, the Thames is now the cleanest city river in the world. Every palace, church, theater, wharf, museum, and pub along the bank has a tale to tell, and traveling on or alongside the river is one of the best ways to soak up views of the city.

"On the smallest pretext of holiday or fine weather the mighty population takes to the boats," wrote Henry James in 1877. You can follow in the footsteps of James, who took a boat trip from Westminster to Greenwich, or make up your own itinerary.

Frequent daily tourist-boat services are at their height between April and October.

In most cases you can turn up at a pier, and the next departure won't be far away. However, it never hurts to book ahead if you can.

Westminster and Tower piers are the busiest starting points, usually with boats heading east.

The trip between Westminster Pier and the Tower of London takes about 30 minutes, as does the trip between the Tower and Greenwich.

A full round-trip can take several hours. Ask about flexible fares and hop on/off options at the various piers.

For a rundown of all the options, along with prices and timetables, contact London River Services (020/7222-1234. www.tfl.gov.uk/river), which gives details of all the operators sailing various sections of the river.

offers sightseeing with a twist—amphibious patrol vehicles used in World War II have been painted like rubber duckies and traverse land and sea. Departs from the London Eye (on land). 020/7928-3132. www.londonducktours.co.uk. £19. Weekdays 10:30, noon, and 1:30; weekends 10-3:30 every 30 mins.

The playfully polka-dotted Tate Boat (Departs from the pier at either museum. 020/7887-8888. www.tate.org.uk/tatetotate. £4 one-way. Daily every 40 mins. Approximately 18 mins. one-way) ferries passengers across the river from the Tate Britain to the Tate Modern, with a stop at the London Eye in between the two.

For ultimate glamour (and expense), look into lunch and dinner cruises with Bateaux London (Departs from Embankment Pier. 020/7695-1803. www.bateauxlondon.com. £25-£36 (lunch), £71.50-£115 (dinner). for lunch: Apr.-Nov., Wed.-Sat., noon; Dec.-Mar., Thur.-Sat., noon; for dinner: Apr.-Nov., daily 7:15; Jan.-Mar., Tue.-Sat., 7:15), often formal affairs with surprisingly good two- to five-course meals. Variations include jazz brunch cruises on Sundays.

The London Showboat (Departs from Westminster Pier. 020/7740-0400. www.citycruises.com. £70. Apr.-Oct., Wed.-Sun. 7 PM; Nov., Dec., Mar., Thurs.-Sat. 7 PM; Jan.-Feb., Fri.-Sat. 7 PM (boarding begins 15 mins. prior to departure). Approximately 3½ hour). lives up to its name, with four-course meals, snazzy cabaret acts from West End musicals, and after-dinner dancing.

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