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-   -   Tour co for river trip to Hampton Court (https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/tour-co-for-river-trip-to-hampton-court-633201/)

dee20002 Jul 23rd, 2006 06:52 AM

Tour co for river trip to Hampton Court
 
Going to get to have 2 full days in London.
One day, definitely want to go by river up to Richmond and then to Hampton Court. I realize this may take the better part of a day. Fine. But I have been unable to find any tour groups that do this (searching online only). Anyone know a company?
Thanks in advance!

poutine Jul 23rd, 2006 07:14 AM

London Walks does this tour, however only on certain dates.

http://london.walks.com/

thursdaysd Jul 23rd, 2006 08:21 AM

You don't have to take a tour. Just go down to Westminster pier and catch a boat. See http://www.wpsa.co.uk/

alanRow Jul 23rd, 2006 08:25 AM

Are you talking about a tour that includes a guided tour of Hampton Court?

If not then try
http://www.londontoolkit.com/whattod...ttingthere.htm
then get the guided tour from Hampton Court
www.hrp.org.uk/webcode/content.asp?ID=7

thursdaysd Jul 23rd, 2006 09:08 AM

Word of warning - if you do this on a sunny day, take a hat and sunscreen. I was in London for the early July heatwave and did the river trip to Kew mostly to cool off. I was surprised to find the boat was smaller and more open than the last time I went, on a grey day in Sept 03. Luckily, many of my fellow passengers seemed to WANT to sit in the sun, so I snagged the last shady seat, but you might not be so lucky.

janisj Jul 23rd, 2006 12:24 PM

No tour necessary - why pay someone to take you some where you can get to just as easily on your own.

Take the train to Hampton court (If you take the boat to the Palace you won't get there untill mid afternoon) So - take the train to HCP in the morning, tour the palace, then as the place starts to get crowded - jump on the boat to head down river to Richmond and on to London.

djkbooks Jul 23rd, 2006 02:54 PM

We did exactly what janisj recommends and it worked out just fine.

First stop was the "Travel Office" at Victoria Station, where the clerk found us the most economical package for the train/admission to Hampton Court/cruise back to London. The audio tour of the palace was nicely done. We prefer to tour at our own pace rather than with a group...

We enjoyed a terrific lunch across the street from the palace. (River's Edge Bar & Grill with beautiful and comfortable indoor dining areas, along with a huge two-level terrace, right a water's edge, with nicely priced salads, sandwiches, desserts. We went upstairs where there was a more formal dining room and an incredibly appealing gourmet menu. £15.50 for 2 courses, £18.50 for 3 courses. The food was outstanding. Portions were so generous we had only two courses.)

The cruise back to London with a stop first at Kew Gardens, then in Richmond, was fabulous.

dee20002 Jul 25th, 2006 05:07 AM

Thanks, all. The reason for going by boat is, well, I just would like to approach by boat which is how they would have way back. Even though I won't arrive till late. Then train back. I wrote to London walks. They don't do it then. So I'll try some of these other sites. I don't necessarily need a tour of Hampton Ct but would be surprised if there is no organized tour for it (and did anyone mention Richmond also?)
Dee

briggl Jul 25th, 2006 05:49 AM

When I was in London in 1995, Trafalgar Tours had a day trip that included an old church (can't remember the town,) a boat trip on the Thames, through a lock, including lunch, Windsor Castle and Hampton Court. I don't know if they still offer that tour or not.

GeoffHamer Jul 25th, 2006 06:08 AM

Why to you want an organized tour? You can take a boat from Westminster most days (www.wpsa.co.uk, check carefully because there are days when the tides make it impractical), or there are boats every day from Richmond or Kingston (www.turks.co.uk, www.parrboats.co.uk). It's easy to get the train back from Hampton Court.


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