GREAT BRITAIN - Best of Europe 2014 - page 772

Tourist-Oriented Cruises in the City Center
London offers many made-for-tourist cruises, most on slow-moving, open-top boats accom-
panied by commentary about passing sights.
City Cruises runs boats from Westminster Pier across the river to Waterloo Pier, then
downrivertoTowerPierandontoGreenwich(tel.[phone], www.citycruises.com ) .If
youwantjustasample,hopontheir30-minutecruiseonlyasfarasTowerPier(£9one-way,
£10.50 round-trip, daily April-Oct roughly 10:00-19:00, until 21:00 in mid-July-mid-Sept,
until 18:00 in winter, 2/hour). City Cruises also offers a £15.50 River Red Rover ticket good
for all-day hop-on, hop-off travel—though the line's limited stops in the city center make
this a lesser deal than it might seem.
Thames River Services runs a similar trip with even fewer stops: Westminster to St.
Katharine's Pier to Greenwich (tel. [phone], www.thamesriverservices.co.uk ). They
have classic boats and feel a little friendlier and more old-fashioned.
The Circular Cruise offered by Crown River Services is a handy hop-on, hop-off route
with stops at the Westminster, Festival, Embankment, Bankside, London Bridge, and St.
Katharine's piers (£3 to go one stop, £8.50 one-way for a longer trip, £11 round-trip, daily
11:00-18:30,every30minuteslateMay-earlySept,fewerstopsandlessfrequentoff-season,
tel. [phone], www.crownriver.com ) .
The London Eye operates its own river cruise, offering a 40-minute live-guided circular
tour from Waterloo Pier. As it's much pricier than the alternatives for just a short loop,
it's a poor value (£12.50, reservations recommended, 10 percent discount if you pre-book
online, no Travelcard discounts, departures daily generally at :45 past the hour, April-
Oct 10:45-18:45, Nov-March 11:45-16:45, closed mid-Jan-mid-Feb, tel. [phone],
www.londoneye.com ).
Careening at Top Speed Along the Thames: Two competing companies invite you
aboard a small, 12-person, high-speed rigid inflatable boat (RIB—similar to a Zodiac) for
an adrenaline-fueled tour of the city (London RIB Voyages: stand-up comedian guides,
£42/50 minutes, £49/1.25 hours, tel. [phone], www.londonribvoyages.com ; Thames
RIB Experience: £34/50 minutes, £48/1.25 hours, tel. [phone],
www.thamesribexperience.com ).
Away from the Thames, on Regent's Canal: Consider exploring London's canals by
taking a cruise on historic Regent's Canal in north London. The good ship Jenny Wren of-
fers1.5-hourguidedcanalboatcruisesfromWalker'sQuayinCamdenTownthroughscenic
Regent's Park to Little Venice (£9.50; Aug daily at 10:30, 12:30, and 16:30, Sat-Sun also
at 14:30; April-July and Sept-Oct daily at 12:30 and 14:30, Sat-Sun also at 16:30; Walk-
er's Quay, 250 Camden High Street, 3-minute walk from Tube: Camden Town; tel. 020/
7485-4433, www.walkersquay.com ) . While in Camden Town, stop by the popular, punky