Boat Tours

One ideal way to see the Thames region is from the water. Water-based tours can range from 30 minutes to all day. Hobbs and Sons covers the Henley Reach and also rents boats if you want to take the active approach. Salter's Steamers runs daily steamer cruises, mid-May to mid-September from Windsor, Oxford, Abingdon, Henley, Marlow, and Reading. Thames River Cruises conducts outings from Caversham Bridge in Reading, Easter through September. French Brothers operates river trips from the Promenade in Windsor, and from Runnymede going as far as Hampton Court.

The Environment Agency's Visit Thames Web site and telephone hotline provide information about boating, fishing, and walking the Thames.

Information

Environment Agency Visit Thames (0845/601-5336. www.visitthames.com). French Brothers (The Promenade, Windsor. 01753/851900. www.boat-trips.co.uk). Hobbs and Sons (Station Rd., Henley-on-Thames. 01491/572035. www.hobbs-of-henley.com). Salter's Steamers (Folly Bridge, Oxford. 01865/243421. www.salterssteamers.co.uk). Thames River Cruises (Caversham Bridge, Reading. 0118/948-1088. www.thamesrivercruise.co.uk).

Bus Tours

City Sightseeing runs guided, open-top bus tours of Windsor for £6 (daily mid-March-October, weekends only November-late December) and of Oxford for £9 (year-round).

Information

City Sightseeing (01865/790522. www.city-sightseeing.com).

Walking Tours

Two-hour guided walking tours leave the Oxford Tourist Information Centre at 11 and 4 daily. Tickets (£6.50, £7.50 on Saturday) include admission to some colleges. Saturday tours include Christ Church. An Inspector Morse walking tour is offered at 1:30 on Saturday (£7), and ghost tours (£5.50) run June-September and October 31 on Friday and Saturday at 8 PM. The information center also sells pamphlets detailing walking tours.

Blue Badge guides provide theme walking tours (£4) of Windsor and Eton that start at the Windsor Tourist Information Centre. Tours run mid-April-August on weekends at 10:30 AM. You can also purchase self-guided walking pamphlets for 50p each.

For a memorably different way to tour Windsor, take a 30-minute (£19) or one-hour (£38) horse-drawn carriage tour run by Orchard Poyle. Tours leave from the Harte & Garter Hotel in central Windsor and tour the town and Windsor Great Park.

Information

Orchard Poyle Carriage Rides (South Gates, Wick La., Englefield Green, TW20 0XA. 01784/435983. www.orchardpoyle.co.uk).