Views From The Cruise

The boat trip along the River Thames is a great way of seeing a lot of historical London without walking miles or using public transport. The London tube system is an easy way to travel around London but you do miss a lot of famous sights whilst travelling underground. With the City Cruises Red Rover ticket (all thrown in for free with the London Pass) I was able to see these famous places and have a better idea of where they are in relation to each other (maps do tend to confuse me!).

As you board the boat at the Tower Pier, you are surrounded by a mixture of old and new with the Tower of London to one side, Tower Bridge behind and, on the other side of the river, a group of very modern, glass fronted buildings which include City Hall, home of the Greater London Authority (on left of picture above).

Further down the river on the left is the Tate Modern gallery. Once a power station, this is not the most beautiful of buildings along the River Thames but it houses some of the best international modern art in Britain. Unfortunately, the tourists sharing this boat trip with me probably assumed it was a disused building of no interest and kept their eyes fixed firmly ahead! (See picture left).

At various points along the river, you can see the Dome of St Paul’s Cathedral peeking through the skyline. I got the impression that this imposing building was meant to be seen throughout the City and hope that London doesn’t lose this wonderful sight by building too many more unnecessary skyscrapers. In the right foreground of this picture is the City of London Boys School.

The OXO Tower is on your left and, since the 1990s, this iconic building has been home to boutique shops, cafes, restaurants and galleries. The famous red lights which come on as daylight fades are, in fact, windows which were incorporated into the design by the OXO brand owners to avoid the ban on sky advertising in the 1920s.

There’s more to come but don't forget you can see all my London sightseeing photos on flickr