Choosing a Thames afternoon tea cruise
A Thames afternoon tea cruise makes the journey part of an afternoon meal. Instead of travelling between piers simply to reach another place, you can sit down for tea while the riverside passes by. The two choices here are distinct products, and one also offers other kinds of cruise. Check that you have selected afternoon tea before confirming your date.
Think about where your day begins, which pier the chosen departure uses and how much time you want on the water. A relaxed meal afloat is a different choice from a flexible sightseeing pass or a quick journey between stops. The river cruise guide explains those ticket choices, while the tours guide compares a wider range of experiences.
Afternoon tea cruises
Choose the tea option on the multi-option cruise or a traditional tea with sandwiches and scones. Check the selected option before booking.
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Central London afternoon tea cruise
- Selection of sandwiches
- Scones with clotted cream
- Unlimited tea and coffee
Traditional afternoon tea is served on a central London cruise. Champagne is part of the upgrade option.
Check availability →
Tea, coffee or dinner cruise
- Afternoon tea cruise if selected
- Evening dinner cruise if selected
Choose a 90-minute tea or coffee cruise, or a 2.5-hour dinner cruise.
Check availability →Afternoon tea cruises on the Thames
Compare the tea choices and check the option and departure you select.
What is included in the tea choices?
The afternoon tea cruise departing from Tower Pier lasts 90 minutes. It includes a selection of sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam, cakes, and unlimited tea and coffee. A child menu is available. Commentary is live or recorded, so you can enjoy the surroundings while spending time at the table. There is also a bar where additional drinks can be purchased.
A welcome glass of champagne, still or sparkling water and an extra savoury item belong to the upgrade option. Choose that upgrade if those additions matter to you and check its details for your date. They are not part of the standard tea simply because the product page describes both choices. Other drinks at the bar are an additional purchase.
The alternative departure from Butler's Wharf Pier is offered with a selection of experiences. Its afternoon tea option is a 90 minute cruise. The same product also lists a coffee cruise and an evening dinner cruise, but those are separate choices. Select afternoon tea explicitly and check the total and the details shown for that option before completing the reservation.
Make the pier part of your plan
Tower Pier and Butler's Wharf Pier are different departure points. Look at the meeting instructions for your selected cruise and leave enough time to reach the correct boarding point. A plan that ends at the river is not yet a complete arrival plan: check the pier name, boarding instructions and the route from your previous stop. Our getting there guide helps you arrange the wider journey.
Keep the cruise time separate from travel to and from the pier. If you are combining the outing with a visit elsewhere, check the return arrangements before filling the rest of the afternoon. The river bus can be useful for journeys on its own routes, but its ticket is a separate choice from an afternoon tea booking.
Light and weather can change the view. Choose a departure for the experience and time that suit your plans, rather than assuming a particular view or a particular seat. If the precise seating arrangement, an ingredient or accessibility is important to you, check the details for your selected departure and ask the operator before booking.
Tea afloat or another riverside outing?
An afternoon tea cruise is suited to a day when the meal and the boat ride are the main activity. If you prefer an evening meal, compare the separate choices in the dinner cruise guide. For illuminated riverside views or a different pace, see the evening guide. The time of sunset changes, so an evening departure can begin before darkness falls.
Greenwich is another place to plan a riverside visit, with its own sights and transport choices. Tea beneath the moored Cutty Sark is an experience on land, not a river cruise. See our Greenwich guide if you want to combine a local visit with a separate journey on the water. Check each reservation independently, especially its date, meeting point and inclusions.
Afternoon tea cruise questions
How long is the tea cruise?
The Tower Pier tea cruise lasts 90 minutes. The alternative afternoon tea option from Butler's Wharf Pier also lasts 90 minutes.
Is champagne included?
On the Tower Pier cruise a welcome glass is part of the selected upgrade. Check the option before booking.
Is the coffee cruise the same as afternoon tea?
No. The product from Butler's Wharf offers separate tea, coffee and dinner options. Choose the afternoon tea option if that is the experience you want.
Where should I board?
Use the meeting details for the specific departure you book. The two tea choices described here leave from different piers.