City Cruises Review: 3 Ways to cruise the River Thames with kids

We were invited by City Cruises to experience their sightseeing cruise in exchange for this review. As always, our thoughts and experience are entirely our own.

We’ve done City Cruises’ afternoon tea cruise before with R, but this time we wanted to find out something more useful: which City Cruises route actually works best with a toddler? A 40-minute sightseeing cruise and a full day hopping between Westminster and Greenwich are very different propositions when you’ve got a small child in tow, so we tried the 24-hour hop on hop off boat and broke down three ways to spend a day on the Thames with kids.

Quick comparison

Option	Best for	Journey time	Toddler verdict
Westminster to Tower	First cruise, younger toddlers	~40 mins	Easiest to manage
Westminster to Greenwich	A full day out	~70 mins	Best for napping
24-hour hop-on hop-off pass	Restless toddlers, flexibility	As long or short as you like	Most adaptable

1. City Cruises from Westminster to Tower Bridge, with playground stops

This was our favourite option for a first go with a toddler, short, easy and with plenty to do at either end.

After getting to Westminster we started the fun at Horseferry Playground, a decent riverside play park just off Millbank, before we even went near the boat. It was great for burning off some pre-boat energy and definitely a popular play park with locals.

From Westminster Pier we hopped on board a light and spacious City Cruises boat, heading to Tower Millennium Pier (a journey that took around 40 minutes). I felt it was the perfect length: short enough for a toddler who isn’t going to sit still for long, and you get Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, the Shard and Tower Bridge all in one go, which is more than enough to hold a toddler’s attention and give you a preview of London’s iconic sites.

There’s a live commentary on board, and from what we caught of it, it was genuinely funny in places, though with three toddlers on our boat we weren’t really following it much! When they were awake we were busy pointing things out the window, although at one point three of the little ones had fallen asleep! R stayed awake but seemed to enjoy bobbing along and watching the world go by.

At Tower Millennium Pier you’re right by the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, and we decided to walk over the bridge and start to walk along the South Bank. We stopped for lunch on More London Place (near Hays Galleria), which offered plenty of toddler-friendly options like Pret, Coco Di Mama and Itsu (all with outdoor tables where we fed the little ones while eating sushi).

From here you can get the tube at London Bridge, go back to Tower Millennium dock, or continue walking along South Bank to Waterloo, seeing the likes of the London Eye from the riverbank this time. At Waterloo you can hop back on the boat to Westminster or get a tube. If you’re building a longer trip around this, our full London with a baby or toddler itinerary covers three days including a Greenwich half-day.

Best family activities in the Tower Bridge area:

• Tower Bridge itself has a glass floor walkway and engine rooms, and they run free drop-in family craft activities through school holidays
• Potters Fields Park, right beside the bridge on the south side, is another spot for toddlers to run around between stops
• St Katharine Docks, a short walk past Tower Pier, has a calmer, marina feel if you want a break from crowds

• HMS Belfast is moored nearby if older siblings are along and you want to plan a more serious activity

Depending on how you end this route, it may make more sense to buy a one-way sightseeing ticket which is cheaper than the full hop-on hop-off pass.

2. Get a City Cruises boat all the way to Greenwich

I lived near Greenwich for years before R came along, and it’s the one part of London I know properly, not just as a visitor. I think this is a lovely full-day option that you can do via the river, and not just tick off a sightseeing stop but see a part of London many don’t make time for.

Take the boat all the way from Westminster to Greenwich, a journey of around 70 minutes according to City Cruises’ timetable (and based on our experience it could be worth timing it around a nap if you can!).

Greenwich Park has plenty of open space for toddlers to run, plus a maritime-themed playground in the north east corner of the park with equipment for different ages and abilities.

The Cutty Sark is a good stop if your toddler likes anything with a ship shape – buggies can get around most of the ship using the lifts, but there are steep little steps and rigging on the upper deck that kids love, but your pram – not so much.

Greenwich Market is worth a wander for food (although if you’re a tourist trying Goddard’s pie and mash is a must!), and there’s enough green space around the Old Royal Naval College and the river path to let a toddler stretch their legs after the boat.

Best family activities in Greenwich:

• Greenwich Park playground, a maritime-themed play area in the north east corner of the park, free and open to all ages
• The Cove, an outdoor sea-themed playground at the National Maritime Museum, with cargo nets, balance beams and a slide shaped like a shark’s mouth
• Cutty Sark, with lift access and interactive exhibits below deck
• The Royal Observatory, at the top of a steep hill in Greenwich Park, worth leaving the pram at the bottom for
• The National Maritime Museum, free entry, with interactive galleries aimed at younger children
• Greenwich Market for food and browsing if you catch it at a quiet time

3. Maximising City Cruises’ 24 hour hop-on hop-off pass

If your toddler can’t sit still for a full crossing, this is an option that works around that instead of against it. City Cruises’ 24 Hour Hop-On Hop-Off River Pass lets you get on and off as many times as you like across four piers along the Thames: Westminster, London Eye, Tower and Greenwich.

This means you can break your trip into short bursts rather than one long stretch. For example you could start at Westminster with the same playground stop at Horseferry, cruise to Tower for Tower Bridge and a run around Potters Fields Park, hop back on for London Eye Pier and the South Bank, with Jubilee Gardens Playground right there if you need another burn-off stop. As the ticket is valid for 24 hours from first use, you could visit Greenwich the next day!

Best family activities near London Eye Pier and the South Bank:

• Jubilee Gardens Playground, right behind the London Eye, with a toddler-specific play area alongside the bigger adventure structures
• Sea Life London Aquarium, a short walk from the pier, worth checking current under-fives pricing before you go
• Shrek’s Adventure, next door to Sea Life, a good option if your toddler is a little older and up for something more interactive
• The London Dungeon, also on the same stretch, better suited to older kids than toddlers but worth knowing about if you’ve got a mixed-age group
• The Southbank Centre and the riverside walkway itself, good for a slow wander if your toddler’s had enough structured activities for the day

This stretch of the South Bank also connects into our full 3-day London itinerary, which covers Borough Market and Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall a bit further along, both step-free and easy with a pram if you want to extend the day beyond the piers. Read the full itinerary for the complete route and timings.

Is City Cruises worth it with kids?

Yes and particularly so with toddlers, because you can shape the day to be as long or short as your child can handle with the 24 hour pass.

• Westminster to Tower is the safest first choice if you’re not sure how your toddler will cope with a boat
• Greenwich is the best full-day option, and the one I’d pick if your little one will stay on the boat for over an hour each way
• The 24-hour pass is best if your toddler struggles to sit still, since you can break the day into short bursts instead of one long crossing

As a former Londoner I can say that there is so much to see in this fabulous city, but it’s important to make it enjoyable for the whole family and that may mean skipping the tube or doing a few shorter activities if you’re short on time. City Cruises offers an experience that does all of this and we really enjoyed our day trip with our toddler. If you’re staying overnight, our family-friendly London hotels guide covers 16 options across every budget.

Allie, Jack & R x

Discount code T&Cs: This offer applies to the base fare of all sightseeing cruises and selected dining cruises and does not apply to optional enhancements. This offer is not valid on packages or upgrades. Cannot be redeemed for cash or combined with any other offers. Valid on all sightseeing cruises and selected dining cruises including Lunch, Afternoon Tea, Evening with Canapes and Music, Dinner, Jazz, Murder Mystery and Elvis Cruises. Gift card purchases are excluded from this offer. Prices & offers are subject to availability, are capacity controlled, and may change or be withdrawn at any time without notice. Offer excludes Festive Cruises and Special Events, and seasonal events such as Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Eve. Void where prohibited. Additional terms & conditions may apply.

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