Our verdict
Best overall
London: Dinner Cruise on the River Thames
The standard Thames dinner cruise — three courses, a live performer and dancing as the floodlit landmarks go by, for about £79. 2,500+ reviews at 4.3★.
4.3★ · 2,538from £79 GetYourGuide →
Best value
London: Lunch Cruise on the River Thames
A two-course lunch with tea and coffee for about £53, in daylight, when you can actually see the buildings. 4.5★ from 2,200+ reviews.
4.5★ · 2,276from £53 GetYourGuide →
Best with kids
London: Afternoon Tea Cruise on the River Thames
Ninety minutes of sandwiches, scones and cakes with casual dress — easier with children than a three-hour dinner, and 4.4★ from almost 4,000 reviews.
4.4★ · 3,975from £49 GetYourGuide →
Skip it if
You mainly want the views
You’re paying for the meal. A £10 sightseeing day pass or an Uber Boat ride shows you the same river, and London has better restaurants on dry land.
How much does a Thames dinner cruise cost?
A London dinner cruise on the Thames costs from about £79 per person for the standard three-hour sailing with three courses, a live singer and dancing. Lunch is about £53, afternoon tea about £49, and a two-hour evening cruise with a glass of bubbly and canapés about £40. Themed nights — jazz, Elvis, murder mystery — run from about £109 to £139. All of these are per person and, unlike a private tour, you share the boat with other diners.
City Cruises sells dinner, lunch, afternoon tea, evening, jazz, Elvis tribute and murder mystery cruises under its own name, and the same formats appear on GetYourGuide and Headout — usually at the same price, sometimes with different cancellation terms.
Dinner, lunch and tea cruises side by side
| Cruise | Length | From (pp) | What’s included | Rating | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dinner cruise | 3 h | ~£79 | 3 courses, live performer, dancing | 4.3★ (2,500+) | Anniversaries, a big night out |
| Sunset dinner cruise (Headout) | — | ~£87 | Dinner with drinks | 4.6★ (1,600+) | Couples who want drinks included |
| Dinner with live jazz | 3 h | ~£109 | Dinner and live jazz | 4.1★ (245) | A quieter, grown-up evening |
| Elvis tribute dinner | 3 h | ~£125 | 3 courses, tribute act | 4.6★ (50) | Fans, hen and stag groups |
| Murder mystery dinner | 3 h | ~£139 | 3 courses, interactive mystery | 4.1★ (19) | Groups that like a game |
| Lunch cruise | 1 h 45 | ~£53 | 2 courses, tea and coffee | 4.5★ (2,200+) | Seeing the sights while you eat |
| Afternoon tea cruise | 1.5 h | ~£49 | Tea, sandwiches, cakes, scones | 4.4★ (3,900+) | Families, grandparents |
| Evening bubbly cruise | 2 h | ~£40 | Bubbly, canapés, live music | 4.4★ (2,800+) | The lights without a full dinner |
| Tea, coffee or dinner (choose) | 1.5–2.5 h | ~£22 | Top-deck coffee, tea or 2-course dinner | 4.6★ (184) | Flexible, cheapest entry price |
Prices and ratings are from our partner feed today. The ~£22 “from” price on the last row is for the coffee cruise; the tea and dinner options cost more.
Thames dining cruises you can book now
London: Afternoon Tea Cruise on the River Thames
from £49
See on GetYourGuide
London: River Thames Evening Cruise with Bubbly and Canapés
from £40
See on GetYourGuide
Thames River Lunch Cruise with 2-Course Meal, Coffee & Tea
from £53per person
See on Headout
London: Dinner Cruise on the River Thames
from £79
See on GetYourGuide
London: Lunch Cruise on the River Thames
from £53
See on GetYourGuide
Thames River Dinner Cruise with Sunset Views and Drinks
from £87per person
See on Headout
London: River Thames Dinner Cruise with Live Jazz
from £109
See on GetYourGuide
London: Thames Cruise with Afternoon Tea, Coffee or Dinner
from £22
See on GetYourGuide
London: Dinner Cruise with Elvis Tribute on the River Thames
from £125
See on GetYourGuidePrices and ratings checked 21 Oct 2026; they change daily.
Lunch cruise: same boat, two platforms
| Platform | From | Rating | Check price & dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| GetYourGuideLondon: Lunch Cruise on the River Thames | £53 Lowest today | 4.5★ 2,276 | GetYourGuide → |
| HeadoutThames River Lunch Cruise with 2-Course Meal, Coffee & Tea | £53 Lowest today | 4.5★ 2,647 | Headout → |
The price is the same on both today, so pick on cancellation terms and whichever account you already have.
What the menus and the night are actually like
Dinner is a set menu served while the boat runs a slow loop through central London; City Cruises says there’s a live singer and room to dance, and its window tables for two sell out first. The point is the floodlit skyline — Tower Bridge, the Houses of Parliament, St Paul’s — rather than restaurant-grade cooking.
Lunch is the better sightseeing deal. City Cruises’ lunch route runs from Tower Bridge up to Westminster and down towards Canary Wharf, depending on the tide, and you see it all in daylight.
Afternoon tea boards at Tower Millennium Pier (boarding 15:15, sailing 15:30, about 90 minutes) with unlimited tea and coffee, sandwiches, cakes and scones. Dress is casual. If tea is the main event rather than the river, compare it with the afternoon tea bus, or Bustronome for a sit-down dinner on wheels.
Is a Thames dinner cruise worth it?
For an occasion, yes: three hours on the river at night, a meal and a band is a pleasant evening that’s hard to copy on land. As value for money, less so — the price is mostly for the setting. Two people can do a £40 evening bubbly cruise and then eat at a riverside restaurant for less than two dinner-cruise tickets, and see the same lights.
If you want the river by day and food by night, take a sightseeing cruise or Uber Boat in the afternoon and book dinner ashore. For food-first ideas, see our London food tours.
Questions people ask
How much is a dinner cruise in London?
What is the best dinner cruise in London?
Is there a dress code on Thames dinner cruises?
Where do Thames lunch and dinner cruises leave from?
Is a lunch cruise better than a dinner cruise?
Can children go on a Thames dinner cruise?
Sources
- City Cruises — London Dinner Cruise (checked 21 Oct 2026)
- City Cruises — Lunch Cruise (checked 21 Oct 2026)
- City Cruises — Afternoon Tea Cruise (checked 21 Oct 2026)
- City Cruises — Evening Cruise (checked 21 Oct 2026)
- City Cruises London — all cruises and one-day river pass (checked 21 Oct 2026)
- GetYourGuide — dinner and lunch cruises in London (partner feed)
Written and checked by the Private Tours London desk