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Easter Holidays 2019

There’s just a few weeks until Easter & we’ve listed some of our top picks for family days out on the River Thames. All of the attractions below are a short walk from one of our piers making it easy to travel between the different options.

From the 1st April Thames River Services will be operating the Low Summer Timetable with departures every 30-minutes. Cruises through the Thames barrier will also be available five times each day.

Easter Events & Attractions

1. Visit Parliament

New Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament)

 

Known as the ‘Houses of Parliament’, the new palace was built between 1840-1870 after the original palace was damaged during a fire. The palace is the home of UK Parliament & the iconic Elizabeth Tower (known as Big Ben).

Explore the New Palace with an audio tour & discover the rich history of the home of UK Parliament.

After the tour you can indulge in afternoon tea in a room with a River Thames view.

2. Easter Architour at St. Katharine Docks

St. Katharine Docks

 

The annual St. Katharine Dock Easter Egg Hunt returns this Easter but with an architectural twist. The Easter Architour takes place in the historic docks & explores the engineering & architectural history of the dock area. The tour takes place around the docks historic warehouses including Ivory House, Commodity Quay, the Coronarium & Marble Quay.

Walking Distance  0 Min / 0 Feet from St. Katharine Pier.

 11:00-16:00, 19th April – 22nd April 2019

3. Tower of London

Tower of London

 

Visit the Tower of London & marvel at over 1000 years of history. View the Crown Jewels, hear stories from the guardians of the Tower the Yeoman Warders & see the armour of Kings Henry VIII, Charles I & James II.

Travel back in time to 1671 & join an interactive story telling of Colonel Blood’s attempt to steal the Crown Jewels. Expect hands on activities & immersive story telling in Historic Royal Palaces latest Family Trail at the Tower of London.

4. Easter On-Board Cutty Sark

Cutty Sark, Royal Borough of Greenwich | Viscount Cruises

 

Cutty Sark have a range of Easter activies throughout April including storytelling & character performances. Children can learn how to send a coded message using code flags & can design their own flag in the family workshop ‘Fly The Flag’.

5. Mask Making at Greenwich Park

Greenwich Park, Royal Borough of Greenwich | Viscount Cruises

 

On Sunday 14th April you can keep your tounger children entertained at a mask making & arts & crafts day in Greenwich Park. The mask making will take place in a tent next to the bandstand.

Thames River Services, Easter Weekend Timetable

(Operating 1st April-28th October 2019)

On Good Friday (19th April), Easter Sunday (21st April) & Easter Monday (22nd April) Thames River Services will be operating an extra departure from Greenwich Pier to St. Katharine Pier & Westminster at 16:45. This will be in addition to the usual departures at 16:00, 16:30 & 17:00.

Destinations

Westminster Pier is located on the North shore of the River Thames in the City of Westminster. The pier is a short walk from the Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament), Westminster Abbey & St. Margaret’s Church (A UNESCO World Heritage Site). Numerous museums & landmarks are within walking distance of Westminster Pier including the Banqueting House, Household Cavalry Museum, the National Gallery & the London Eye.

St. Katharine Dock was constructed by Thomas Telford & opened in 1828. The docks became popular with expensive cargo’s from around the world including ivory, shells, sugar, marble, wines, fragrant spices & perfumes. Today St. Katharine’s is a haven for yachts & historic vessels including traditional Thames sailing barges. A wide range of cafes, bars & restaurants are located at St. Katharine’s & regular food markets also take place throughout the week.

Greenwich Pier is located on the South shore of the River Thames in Maritime Greenwich, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The pier sits between the famous tea clipper Cutty Sark & Sir Christopher Wren’s Riverside Masterpiece, the Old Royal Naval College. Today the Royal Borough of Greenwich is an eclectic mix of historical & modern buildings. Greenwich town centre is home to a collection of museums, pubs, restaurants, markets & shops.

A visit to London isn’t complete without a cruise on the River Thames. Thames River Sightseeing operate regular services from six piers on the River Thames including Westminster Pier, Embankment Pier, Tower Bridge Quay (St. Katharine Pier) & Greenwich Pier. Thames River Sightseeing cruise 361 days a year & operate a fleet of all-weather vessels with spacious open decks perfect for the summer months & heated saloons with panoramic windows for the colder months. The vessels range from more traditional River Thames passenger boats (London Rose) to more modern vessels purposefully built for the River Thames (Thomas Doggett). A cruise between Westminster & Tower Bridge Quay takes just 30-40 minutes & passes numerous London landmarks including the New Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament), the London Eye, the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, the Shard, London Bridge & Tower Bridge.

Passengers can embark at Westminster Pier, Embankment Pier, Festival Pier, Bankside Pier, Tower Bridge Quay or Greenwich & take advantage of a range of ticketing options. Single tickets are suited for day trippers or passengers travelling in or out of London & return tickets allow passengers to disembark & explore before joining a return sailing later the same day. A 2 Day River Pass is the perfect option for anyone visiting London over multiple days. A River Pass allows unlimited travel on our services for just £21.00 per adult, a family River Pass is just £42.00 (for 2 Adults + 3 Children).

Thames River Sightseeing also offer excellent group rates & discounts which are perfect for families, tour companies or travel trade. Toilet facilities & a Multilingual Audio Guide are available on all sailings. The Multilingual Audio Guide is an informative commentary available through our onboard Wi-Fi in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish or Mandarin (Smart device & headphones are not provided, Read More).

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