Using the Thames Clipper for our London itinerary with kids

Disclosure – We were gifted a family river roamer in exchange for an open and honest review. With several weeks of planning what we wanted to do and see whilst on our family mini break to London, we came up with an itinerary with our kids that included the Thames Clipper. We felt it was sensible and achievable as a family of 6 to see lots of sights without all the steps so that’s why we researched using the Thames Clipper.  It was one mode of transport we had never thought of taking before and I really don’t know why we hadn’t, as everyone knows that it is historically the river that towns and cities are built around.  It makes perfect sense that so many landmarks are going to be spotted whilst sat on the Thames Clipper and also so many sights are accessible by hopping on and off their many piers (23 to be exact!).

Using the Thames Clipper for our London Itinerary with Kids

After some exciting sightseeing around Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace and St James’ park we wanted to take in some of the history of Westminster. We wanted to see the South Bank, spot Tower Bridge, visit The Tower of London and see HMS Belfast.  This meant a lot of distance needed to be covered easily.

The Thames Clipper is so practical for so many attractions and landmarks around the city.  Not only is it a hassle free way of travelling it also is an attraction itself. The kids find travelling on a boat so much fun and for us grown ups what better way to travel than one where you can sit in comfy seats and know that your children are all safely in one place and not able to wander off.

Part of our itinerary with the kids in London was to fill up their London eye spy spotting book for their memory box.  We ticked off so many sights whilst sat on the Thames Clipper, something we would have not been able to do without catching an awful lot of buses!

Practicalities of using the Thames Clipper as a family

• Much less walking and much more to see!
• We found the frequency of the boats to be around 20 minutes but we barely felt like we waited before one arrived.
• A family river roamer ticket means you can hop on and off all day long, stopping at nearly every attraction area.  Plus you can park and glide if coming into London for the day by car.
• They are accessible for prams and wheelchairs.  The piers are easy to navigate with a pram as is getting on board the boat.  There is also plenty of helpful staff on hand.
• Toilets – we all made use of their toilets as they were clean and accessible. Larger boats have baby change facilities
• You can use Oyster cards/ buy tickets online and on the day at pier ticket offices.  For us having online tickets is more practical as we have enough to remember, so flashing our online river roamer at each pier is far more preferable than looking around in bags for tickets.
• On board refreshments and snacks.  You can take the opportunity to sit and fuel up the kids leaving more time to sightsee at your chosen attraction.
• I used my time to plan some of our itinerary details for the day on my phone whilst on board.

We have navigated around London using train, tube, bus, taxi and on foot in the past.  All have their pros and cons.  With the Thames clipper I’m really struggling to think of any cons to travelling by boat on the river.  The only thing I would maybe add is if they had a designated picnic area that would be good for families on a budget. We really did enjoy our time on the Thames clipper and definitely wouldn’t have achieved our London itinerary with the kids as easily any other way.  We will definitely be heading back to use it next time we’re in the city.