Thames river cruises
 

Only two full days in London, want a river cruise and see Hampton Court - any specifics on how to do that?

Well with only two days taking the river to or from HCP might not be the best use of your time. The trip up river to the Palace can take up to 4 hours and down river back to London about 3 hours (the difference being going against/with the current). The train trip is less than 30 minutes.<BR><BR>Think about taking a shorter river trip - Westminster to the Tower, Tower to Greenwich, etc. You can go to Greenwich by boat and then walk under the river (a pedestrian tunnel) and take the Docklands light railway back, or you could take the Jubilee line.

If you take the Big Bus Tour, it includes a river cruise on the Thames. We caught the boat at the Tower of London and got off at Westminster -- it was nice, with commentary.

Thanks for the feedback. I read about the maze and thought my 16 year old son would like there. Also traveling with 80 year old fit father, but thought river tour might be a calm way to see and sit.

You can also take a Thames cruise as part of a London Walks tour. Ours started at the Tower and went to Greenwich. A very nice ride, not too long, commentary on the way. Remember to carry a sweater, as it can be chilly on the water. <BR><BR>The tour ends at a little after 1:00 in the afternoon, after which you can eat in Greenwich and take the Docklands Light rail back. As it's above ground (as oppposed to the tube) it also offers a nice view of things (though nobody with do a narration for you).

PD: Definitely go to Hampton Court Palace if that interests you -- not for just the maze tho'. It is a fabulous place but the maze is the LEAST of the attraction there. <BR><BR>The river trip would be "calm" - but 3 to 4 hours of calm when you only have 2 days might be a bit much. Think about the 25 minutes of calm on the train from Waterloo to Hampton instead.<BR><BR>Even the boat to Greenwich will be fairly time consuming when you only have 48 hours total. Take a boat from Westminster to Tower Bridge. That route is a restful way to make the journey w/o fighting the tube crowds and won't take up too much of your time. You would pass the London Eye, St Pauls, Tate Modern, the Millenium Bridge (the "wobbly" one) the Globe, HMS Belfast, the futuristic GLC headquarters, and a lot of other interesting so it is a great sightseeing trip.