Length: varies

Time: Please note: Departure time shown on availability calendar is for booking purposes only. The first boat of the day departs at 10:00 am and you are free to hop on, hop off at your leisure during the rest of the day's operating hours.

Summary: 48 HOURS MINIMUM ADVANCED BOOKING REQUIRED. Rates are per person in US dollars. Child rate applies to ages 5 to 16, children 4 and under are free. Please reserve online, or call us toll-free at 800-719-1403.

There are no refunds. All sales are final.

If changes are allowed on a tour or activity, a $20.00 per reservation change fee will be applied for any change to a reservation. Please note that some tours and activities do not allow any changes. Date changes can only be made only if we can confirm availability on the new date. While we cannot guarantee any changes can be made, all change requests must be submitted a minimum of 24 hours prior to the tour departure and must be handled on an individual basis through our Reservations Center.

As the River Thames weaves its way through the heart of London, there is history around every bend. Your journey through history begins at Westminster Pier, in the shadow of Big Ben's tower and just a few steps away from Westminster Abbey, where kings and queens have been crowned for almost 1,000 years. This is also the pier closest to the Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms off Whitehall, the centre of national government, and the Banqueting House, the last remaining building from the old Palace of Whitehall.

Across the river, County Hall, once the headquarters of the London County Council and then the Greater London Council, no longer echoes to the cries of councilors. Down below, the London Aquarium reveals the secrets of the deep while, above, visitors and business people relax in the comfort of the Marriott Hotel.

A few yards downstream you'll see the Millennium Wheel, better known as the London Eye. In a 25-minute ride it offers spectacular views across London and far beyond.

Through the Jubilee and Hungerford foot bridges and Charing Cross railway bridge, the Royal Festival Hall recalls the post-war days when the river carried some six million people to celebrate the Festival of Britain at this very site.

To the north, the stunning office development above Charing Cross station echoes the arched roof of the original Victorian terminus - and testifies to the property value of "air rights" above the platforms, making a significant contribution to the railway's income.

Beyond Waterloo Bridge comes Somerset House, the grand building on the north bank that was once the home of various government departments and is now a vibrant arts, heritage and entertainments centre.

Just beyond, on the opposite (south) bank, the OXO tower has recently gained a new lease of life with studios, restaurants and flats. The design was a clever - and successful - attempt to circumvent the ban on advertising along the riverside. Continuing the domestic theme, on the north side of Blackfriars Bridge, in the square mile of the "real" City of London, lies the home of Persil and many other household products, the head offices of the Anglo-Dutch commercial giant Unilever, next to the old City of London school for boys.

Beyond Blackfriars, look up the steps on the north bank for a view of St. Paul's Cathedral as you pass beneath the new Millennium Footbidge, which provides a pedestrian link with Bankside, part of the South Bank regeneration development. Among the attractions in this area are the Tate Modern art gallery and Sam Wannamaker's re-creation of Shakespeare's Globe theatre, the first building with a thatched roof to have been built in London since the great fire of 1666.

The South Bank here is the heart of historic Southwark, famed for its riverside pubs and the smallest of the capital's three cathedrals. Through London Bridge a thrilling vista unfolds: the Tower of London, Tower Bridge and the retired battle-cruiser HMS Belfast.

Tower Bridge is one of London's newer bridges, opened in 1894 by Prince Albert after more than half a century of clamor by the City. All proposals for a bridge were resisted vigorously by the shipowners and merchants who needed free passage through the Pool of London. The resulting design is a typically British compromise, the upper level providing uninterrupted foot passage when the lower bascules, carrying the roadway, are lifted to allow tall ships to pass.

On into Docklands: historic Wapping and Limehouse to the north, Bermondsey and Rotherhithe to the south. Many of the old docks have disappeared while those that remain now play host to yachtsmen, weekend sailors and narrowboats.

The riverside pubs, once the haunts of seafarers, lightermen and dockers, now play host to local families, tourists and City workers escaping from the Square Mile. Among the pubs which retain their traditional charm are the Mayflower, where the Pilgrim Fathers moored their ship of the same name before setting off for the New World, the Angel, well known to Samuel Pepys in his days as head of the Admiralty, and the Grapes, one of Charles Dickens's favorite watering holes.

As you approach Canary Wharf the new commercial face of Docklands is revealed. Canary Wharf and its neighboring developments are bringing thousands of new jobs to the area. Along the river banks new residential, commercial and leisure developments continue apace. And so to historic Greenwich, the home of time itself. The Naval College and Seamen's Hospital have taken on a new role as the main campus of Greenwich University and Trinity College of Music.

The National Maritime Museum, with its new Neptune Court and galleries, offers a fascinating and entertaining visit for all the family. These, together with the historic clipper ship Cutty Sark, the Old Royal Observatory, Queen's House, Fan Museum, traditional covered market and many more attractions form the World Heritage Site of Greenwich.

Whilst the sightseeing services go no further downstream than Greenwich, the London Showboat continues past the O2 (previously known as the Millennium Dome) and on to and through (in normal circumstances) the Thames Barrier which has protected London from the worst effects of tidal storm surges for over a quarter of a century.

Tour does not operate on December 25.

48 HOURS MINIMUM ADVANCED BOOKING REQUIRED. Rates are per person in US dollars. Child rate applies to ages 5 to 16, children 4 and under are free. Please reserve online, or call us toll-free at 800-719-1403.

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