Boat Trips in and near London

One of the most relaxing ways to explore London’s myriad attractions is a boat trip on the River Thames. City Cruises takes visitors on a boat trip past London’s most famous landmarks, such as Westminster Abbey. You can also take a boat trip down London’s historic canals: London Canal Cruises offers a narrowboat trip down the Regents Canal.

London Canal Cruises

Our most popular cruise takes you from City Road in North London to the North Circular Aqueduct, and back to Camden. Allowing for a visit to the London Canal Museum and stopping for meals this lasts about eight hours ... more

Boat trips are the ultimate in relaxing, enjoyable sightseeing: all you have to do is sit back and appreciate the sights on the banks of the river or canal, as expert guides tell you fascinating stories of the area. A web of rivers and canals criss-crosses England's beautiful landscapes, which provides countless opportunities for some wonderful boat trips along these historic and lovely waterways.

Skipton, near Leeds, is known as the 'gateway' to the spectacular natural beauty of the Yorkshire Dales, and is also famous for its 900-year-old castle. The town is situated on one of England's most beautiful canals, the Leeds and Liverpool canal, and there are many boat trip providers who will take you on a cruise on this waterway, on traditional narrowboats, so that you can admire the scenic Dales surrounding it. The Leeds and Liverpool canal is Britain's longest, and was originally used for transporting coal, stone, cloth and other cargo after its completion in 1816. The canal is no longer used for industrial transport, but now provides a perfect way to explore the Yorkshire Dales area.

Pennine Cruisers take visitors on cruises up the historic Springs Branch of the canal to see the wonderfully preserved medieval castle of Skipton. If you think you'd like to give fun-filled narrow boating a try yourself, they also allow visitors to hire boats for the day, so you can take a leisurely trip up the canal, enjoying the wildlife and nature along the way and stopping off at cosy pubs for refreshment.

A really fascinating canal can be visited at the Stanedge Tunnel near Manchester, which has the prestigious claim of being the highest, longest and deepest canal tunnel in Britain. It's an amazing feat of engineering, especially since it was started in the 18th century. You can take a guided boat tour of the tunnel in a special glass roofed boat, so you can admire the work that went into making this impressive canal, which was built during the 'Canal Mania' period in the late 1700's with the assistance of a famous British civil engineer, Thomas Telford.

Most of the English towns set on rivers have the opportunity to take a boat trip, which is a wonderful way to get an overview of a town's history and main attractions. In the magnificent cathedral town of York, for instance, you can take guided river trips along the River Ouse, and see where the Saxons fought the Vikings and where witches were ducked in Medieval Times.

Since London is cut through by the mighty Thames, as well as several canals, going on a boat trip is the ideal way to explore the capital city. Taking a tour on the Thames is a fantastic way to view the famous landmarks crowding its banks, there are many tour companies that provide sight seein cruises on different sections of the great river, all packed with history. Many cruise boats provide refreshment along the way, and you can enjoy a relaxing boat trip with informative commentary as you take in sights such as Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament, the Tower of London, the many historic bridges and the maritime attractions at Greenwich. Another great option is hop-on hop-off boat tours that allow you to travel as much as you like during a day, and stop off at London's highlight attractions at your leisure.

The Thames is not the only London waterway worth exploring. The Grand Union and Regent's Canals, as well as the Rivers Lee and Stort, wind through central London, and taking a boat trip on these waters provides a unique view of London. If you're looking to really experience all that London's waterways have to offer, you can even go on an all day cruise of the canals with the London Waterbus Company, where you can explore the architecture and industrial history of the waterways, including Regents Canal, the Limehouse Cut and the Hertford Union Canal. Like many of the London canal trips, they start and end at the historic and scenic Camden Lock. Another popular area to explore by canal boat is Little Venice, on the Regent's Canal.

Whatever floats your boat, whether it's history, scenery, or architecture, a cruise on one of England's beautiful waterways will be a fantastic experience to include in your holiday.