Boat Tours

All of London's history and development is linked with the River Thames: This winding ribbon of water connects the city with the sea, from which London first drew its wealth and power. The Thames was London's chief commercial thoroughfare and royal highway. Every royal procession was undertaken on gorgeously painted and gilded barges (which you can still see at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich). Important state prisoners were delivered to the Tower of London by water, eliminating the chance of an ambush in one of the narrow, crooked alleys surrounding the fortress. Much commercial traffic on the water ceased when London's streets were widened enough for horse-drawn coaches to maintain a decent pace.

River Cruises Along the Thames

A trip up or down the river will give you an entirely different view of London than the one you get from land. You'll see how the city grew along and around the Thames and how many of its landmarks turn their faces toward the water. Several companies operate motor launches from the Westminster piers (Tube: Westminster), offering panoramic views of one of Europe's most historic waterways.

Thames River Services, Westminster Pier, Victoria Embankment, SW1 (tel. 020/7930-4097; www.westminsterpier.co.uk), concerns itself only with downriver traffic from Westminster Pier to such destinations as Greenwich. The most popular excursion departs for Greenwich (a 50-min. ride) at half-hour intervals between 10am and 4pm in April, May, September, and October, and between 10am and 5pm from June to August; from November to March, boats depart from Westminster Pier at 40-minute intervals daily from 10:40am to 3:20pm. One-way fares are £7.20 ($14) for adults, £6 ($12) for seniors, £3.60 ($7.20) for children under 16. Round-trip fares are £9.40 ($19) for adults, £8 ($16) for seniors, £4.70 ($9.40) for children. A family ticket for two adults and up to three children under 15 costs £21 ($42) one-way, £25 ($50) round-trip.

Westminster Passenger Association (Upriver) Ltd., Westminster Pier, Victoria Embankment, SW1 (tel. 020/7930-2062 or 020/7930-4721; www.wpsa.co.uk), offers the only riverboat service upstream from Westminster Bridge to Kew, Richmond, and Hampton Court, with regular daily sailings from the Monday before Easter until the end of October on traditional riverboats, all with licensed bars. Trip time, one-way, can be as little as 1 1/2 hours to Kew and between 2 1/2 to 4 hours to Hampton Court, depending on the tide. Cruises from Westminster Pier to Hampton Court via Kew Gardens leave daily at 10:30, 11:15am, and noon. Round-trip tickets are £20 ($40) for adults, £13 ($26) for seniors, £9.75 ($20) for children ages 4 to 14, £49 ($98) for a family ticket; one child under 4 accompanied by an adult goes free.

Thames-Side Sights

The Bridges -- Some of the Thames bridges are household names. London Bridge, contrary to the nursery rhyme, never fell down, but it has been replaced a number of times and is vastly different from the original London Bridge, which was lined with houses and shops. The one that you see now is the ugliest of the versions; the previous incarnation was dismantled and shipped to Lake Havasu, Arizona, in the 1960s.

Also on the Thames, you can visit London's newest park, Thames Barrier Park, SE1, which is the city's first new riverside park in years. It lies on the north bank of the Thames alongside the Thames Barrier, a steel-and-concrete movable flood barrier inaugurated in 1982. The park is spread across 8.8 hectares (22 acres), and has fountains that flow into a channel in the 390m (1,279-ft.) sunken landscaped garden. There's also a riverside promenade and a children's playground here. The park is open daily from sunrise to sunset (reached via the no. 474 bus from the Canning Town Tube station). It's also possible to take the DLR from Canning Town to Pontoon Dock, a 5-minute walk from the park -- travel time is about 15 minutes shorter than the bus.

HMS Belfast -- An 11,500-ton cruiser, the HMS Belfast, Morgan's Lane, Tooley Street, SE1 (tel. 020/7940-6300; www.hmsbelfast.iwm.org.uk; Tube: Tower Hill or London Bridge), is a World War II ship preserved as a floating museum. It's moored opposite the Tower of London, between Tower Bridge and London Bridge. During the Russian convoy period and on D-day, the Belfast saw distinguished service, and in the Korean War it was known as "that straight-shootin' ship." You can explore all its decks, right down to the engine room; exhibits above and below show how sailors lived and fought over the past 50 years. It's open daily from 10am, with last boarding at 5:15pm in summer, 4:15pm in winter. Admission is £10 ($21) adults, seniors and students £7.20 ($14), children under 16 free.

Docklands -- What was a dilapidated wasteland surrounded by water -- some 89km (55 miles) of waterfront acreage within a sailor's cry of London's major attractions -- has been reclaimed, restored, and rejuvenated. London Docklands is coming into its own as a leisure, residential, and commercial lure.

Next to the Tower of London, St. Katharine's Dock was the first of the docks to be given an entirely new role. Originally built from 1827 to 1828, this was for many years a leading dock, with the advantage of being closest to the City. Today, as a residential center and yacht marina, St. Katharine's again profits from its proximity to the City. The modern World Trade Centre looks down on the brick-brown sails of barges and gleaming hulls of moored luxury yachts. Blocks of fashionable Manhattan-style loft apartments sit between the docks and the river.

Canary Wharf, on the Isle of Dogs, is the heart of Docklands. This huge site is dominated by a 240m (787-ft.) tower, the tallest building in the United Kingdom, designed by César Pelli. The Piazza is lined with shops and restaurants. A visit to the Exhibition Centre gives you an overview of the Docklands -- past, present, and future. Already the area has provided welcome space for the overflow from the City of London's square mile, and its development is more than promising.

On the south side of the river at Surrey Docks, the Victorian warehouses of Butler's Wharf have been converted into offices, houses, shops, and restaurants; this area is home to the Design Museum.

Docklands can be reached via the Docklands Light Railway, which links the Isle of Dogs to two London Underground stations. If you're coming from the Tower of London, you can pick up the DLR at the Tower Hill station. To see the whole complex, take the railway at Tower Gateway near Tower Bridge for a short journey through Wapping and the Isle of Dogs. You can get off at Island Gardens and then cross through the 100-year-old Greenwich Tunnel under the Thames to see the attractions at Greenwich.

The other DLR terminal in central London is Bank, which has even better Tube connections than Tower Hill. (It has links to 5 lines rather than 2.) Also, to visit Canary Wharf/Greenwich, it is better to go from Bank as it offers direct trains. From Tower Gateway, it is necessary to change trains at Westferry.

Exploring London's Canals by Boat

Boat trips on London's canals, especially Regent's Canal in London's canal-laced "Little Venice," are an increasingly popular way to seeing the city. Bus no. 6 takes you to Little Venice, where you can board one of several boats for a tour along the canals. You can return either by boat or by Tube at the end of a one-way trip -- Warwick Avenue on the Bakerloo line is only a couple of minutes walk from where the canal boats dock.

Since the Festival of Britain in 1951, some of the traditional painted canal boats have been resurrected for Venetian-style trips through the waterways. One of them is Jason, which takes you on a 90-minute round-trip ride from Bloomfield Road in Little Venice through the long Maida Hill tunnel under Edgeware Road, through Regent's Park, past the Mosque, the London Zoo, Lord Snowdon's Aviary, and the Pirate's Castle, to Camden Lock, and finally back to Little Venice. Passengers who opt to make the 45-minute one-way journey disembark at Camden Lock.

The season runs from April through October, with daily trips at 12:30 and 2:30pm. A canalside seafood specialty restaurant/cafe at Jason's mooring offers lunches, dinners, and teas, all freshly made. The round-trip fare is £7.50 ($15) for adults, £6.50 ($13) for seniors and children (14 and under), 4 and under free. One-way fares are £6.50 ($13) for adults, £5.50 ($11) for seniors and children (14 and under). Family tickets cost £20 to £22 ($40-$44). For reservations, contact Jason's, Jason's Wharf, opposite 60 Bloomfield Rd., Little Venice, London W9 (tel. 020/7286-3428; www.jasons.co.uk; Tube: Warwick Ave.).