Thames Cruise, Westminster to Tower Bridge: Deck or Heated Saloon

A boat rather than a tour of the fortress: this ticket runs down the Thames from Westminster and puts you off at Butler's Wharf Pier, next to Tower Bridge. It comes as one way or return.

Thirty minutes or so, with live commentary naming what goes past: the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, the London Eye, St Paul's Cathedral, Shakespeare's Globe and the Tower of London. Sitting down for the length of it covers ground that would otherwise take an afternoon on foot, and the view of the bank from the water is one the streets do not give you.

You choose where to sit. The open-air deck is the one for photographs; the heated saloon is the one for a cold morning. Audio commentary in several languages runs through the app if you would rather have it in your own. There is a bar on board.

Landing at Butler's Wharf leaves you beside Tower Bridge and the attractions around it.