Guides Thames boat trips 2026 Any time Updated 7 Sep 2026
Fares read off Uber Boat by Thames Clippers in September 2026. The operator says its Oyster and contactless fares hold until 31 October 2026.
Thames boat trips: the fares, and why tapping in beats every ticket
The same boat costs £16.40 or £9.90 depending on how you pay for it. The whole fare table, in one place.
The Thames boats are a commuter service that tourists use, not a tour boat that commuters use, and the fare structure gives it away. There are four different prices for the identical seat on the identical boat, and the gap between the cheapest and the dearest is £6.50 on a central hop.
Every way to pay for the same journey
| Zone | At the pier | Online or app | Tap off-peak | Tap peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East | £9.40 | £7.20 | £6.20 | £7.40 |
| West | £9.40 | £7.20 | £6.20 | £7.40 |
| Central | £16.40 | £11.70 | £9.90 | £11.90 |
| Central and East | £17.70 | £13.50 | £11.40 | £13.70 |
| Central and West | £17.70 | £13.50 | £11.40 | £13.70 |
| All zones | £24.70 | £22.70 | £19.30 | £22.90 |
Adult single fares, Uber Boat by Thames Clippers, September 2026. Tap means a contactless card or an Oyster on the pier reader.
Read the Central row across and the advice writes itself. Buying a ticket at the pier costs £16.40. Buying the same journey online costs £11.70. Tapping a card at the reader costs £9.90 off-peak, and even at peak it is £11.90, which still beats the pier by £4.50. Tapping is cheapest in every single zone, and it is the option nobody is selling you.
When the day ticket is worth it
The River Roamer is £29.30 bought online, or £32.60 at the pier, and gives unlimited travel across all the piers for a day. A two day version is £48.80 and is sold online only.
Against a tapped central fare of £9.90 that is three hops to break even. Two stops and a return journey does not get you there. Four or more, or a day of getting on and off wherever looks interesting, and it pays.
Who pays less
Children aged 5 to 15 travel at half the adult fare, and under 5s go free, up to two per paying adult. A TfL Travelcard gets a third off the standard fares. A 60+ Oyster card or a Freedom Pass halves them, as does veteran or disabled status. Booking online three days or more ahead takes another 15 per cent off.
The catch worth knowing
The operator states that its Oyster and contactless fares hold until 31 October 2026. Fares on this service moved in July 2026 already, so treat any figure here as good until the autumn and check the fares page after that.
Dates and events for 2026 go in as venues confirm them. The guide above is what we know so far; it is rewritten as the list fills.
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What is on right now
All 2207 listingsThis guide is rewritten each year before the dates come round. For what is actually happening this week rather than what happens every year, the listings below are dated, checked against the venue and carry the venue's own link.
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Questions people ask
What is the cheapest way to travel on the Thames Clippers?
Tapping a contactless card or Oyster at the pier reader. On a central journey that is £9.90 off-peak against £11.70 online and £16.40 buying at the pier, for the identical boat.
Is the River Roamer day ticket worth it?
Only above three journeys. It is £29.30 online against a tapped central fare of £9.90, so two hops and a return does not cover it, and four or more does.
Do children pay on the Thames Clippers?
Children aged 5 to 15 pay half the adult fare. Under 5s travel free, up to two per paying adult.
Is the Thames Clipper public transport or a tourist boat?
Both, but it is run as a river bus. It takes Oyster and contactless like a bus or a tube, has a peak and off-peak fare, and is used by commuters as well as visitors.
Every listing on this page is checked against the venue's own page and the page is rewritten each year, usually six to eight weeks before the dates. Times and prices can change on the night; the venue link on each event is the one to trust. How we choose what goes in.