Westminster → Greenwich Thames Cruise: Skip-the-Line Guide 2025

The Westminster and Greenwich piers are two of London’s busiest. On sunny weekends and school holidays the ticket-office line can reach 10–30 minutes, and boarding queues swell around 11:00–15:00. The easy win is a mobile e-ticket you buy in advance: go straight to the pier’s boarding gate for scanning and skip the ticket desk. You’ll still join the short boarding line, but you avoid the slowest queue entirely.

The best ways to ride without waiting

1) Sightseeing cruise (City Cruises–style)

• Timed mobile ticket, live or recorded commentary, indoor lounge plus open top deck.

• Choose one-way Westminster → Greenwich or return. Great if you want narration and photos.

2) Fast, frequent commuter boats (Uber Boat by Thames Clippers)

• Think river metro: very frequent, tap-in/ticket scan, minimal commentary.

• Best for speed and avoiding crowds at peak times.

3) 24-hour hop-on hop-off river pass

• Board any time, multiple piers, commentary on most legs. Good value if you’ll cruise more than once that day.

Crowd-beating plan

• Book a mobile ticket and head straight to the boarding gate at Westminster Pier or Greenwich Pier.

• Arrive 10 to 15 minutes early; earlier for the last boats or big events.

• Sail before 11:00 or after 16:00 for smaller crowds and softer light.

• If the boarding queue looks long, check the live board for the next departure, boats are frequent and the next one is often quieter.

What you’ll see en route

Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, the London Eye, Victoria Embankment, St Paul’s, Tate Modern, Shakespeare’s Globe, the City skyline, HMS Belfast, Tower Bridge, the Tower of London, Canary Wharf, then Cutty Sark and the classic terraces of Greenwich.

One-way or return?

• One-way to Greenwich: cruise east, then explore Cutty Sark, National Maritime Museum, Greenwich Market, Royal Observatory and the park. Return by boat or by DLR/rail.

• Return: sit on the opposite side for different views and stay flexible with time.

Practical tips that save time

• Seats are unassigned; open deck fills first, board early for top-deck views.

• Audio commentary/app: download before boarding; some boats have live guides.

• Weather: cruises run rain or shine; bring a layer for the breeze on deck.

• Strollers/wheelchairs: most boats accept folded buggies; wheelchair access varies with tide and vessel, ask staff at the pier if you need assistance.

• Bar and toilets: available on most sightseeing boats.

• Photography: move between decks, best shots of Tower Bridge are from the bow as you pass beneath.

Are the lines long?

• Ticket-office lines: moderate to long on weekends, holidays and sunny afternoons.

• Boarding lines: move quickly but spike at midday; far shorter early morning and late afternoon.

• With a mobile ticket you skip the ticket office and usually board on the next or following departure.