SIGHTSEEINGTheMONUMENTGreat Fire of <strong>London</strong> 1666The River ThamesOpen Now!Following extensiverestoration workAdults: £3.00Children: £1.50Concessions: £2.00Contact: 0845 165 9812for informationOpen: 7 days a weekwww.themonument.infoThe Monument is provided byThe City of <strong>London</strong> Corporation -a uniquely diverse organisation inthat it not only promotes andsupports the City and provides itwith a full range of services, but alsoprovides wider services for <strong>London</strong>and for the nation as a whole.The following information describes some of the majorsightseeing and ferry companies on the River Thames.A booklet giving routes, times and fares is available atcentral <strong>London</strong> piers, Tube stations and <strong>London</strong> TravelInformation Centres, or see tfl.gov.uk/riverMAIN PIERS Nearest underground/rail stations andmap (p. 49-51) references are:Bankside Pier Ë Southwark/Mansion House. Map C8.Embankment Pier Ë Embankment. Map C6.Festival Pier Ë Waterloo. Map C6. Greenwich PierË Cutty Sark/Greenwich for Maritime Greenwich. Mapinset. Millbank Pier Ë Pimlico. Map E6. St. Katharine’sPier Ë Tower Hill. Map C9. Tower Pier Ë Tower Hill.Map C9. Waterloo Pier Ë Waterloo. Map C6.BOAT OPERATORS Bateaux <strong>London</strong> 020 76951800. bateauxlondon.com City Cruises 020 77400400. citycruises.com KPMG Thames Clippers Highspeedcatamarans leave piers every 20 mins. Services fromWaterloo to The O 2 and on to Royal Arsenal Woolwichstop at Embankment, Bankside, Tower, <strong>London</strong> Bridge,Canary Wharf and Greenwich. 08707 815 049. thamesclippers.com Thames River Services 020 7930 4097. thamesriverservices.co.ukWestminster Passenger Service Association (WPSAUpriver Ltd) 020 7930 2062. wpsa.co.ukSIGHTSEEING CRUISES River Red Rover (CityCruises). Unlimited hop-on, hop-off service betweenWestminster, the <strong>London</strong> Eye, Tower and Greenwich Piers.Fare £13.50, child £6.75. 020 7740 0400.LUNCH & DINNER CRUISES (Please book ahead.)From Embankment Pier, Bateaux <strong>London</strong> 020 76951800. Nightly dinner cruises including a four or five-coursedinner and live entertainment, from £76 per person. Lunchcruises Tue-Sat, from £29.50 per person. Sunday LunchJazz Cruise with live jazz music and spectacular views, from£47 per person. The <strong>London</strong> Showboat (City Cruises) 020 7740 0400. See the river at night on this three hour30 min cabaret cruise, with songs from West End musicals,a four-course meal and wine. Wed-Sun, board at 19.15 fora 19.30 sailing. Embark at Westminster Pier. £75 perperson. Discounts available for online bookings. citycruises.comIMAGE © VISITLONDONIMAGES/BRITAINONVIEW/PAWEL LIBERA34 | visitlondon.com|LONDON PLANNER|November 2011
WORLD RUGBYMUSEUM &TWICKENHAM TOURA rugby enthusiast’s dream,this entertaining museumchronicles the sport’scolourful history with anunparalleled collectionof memorabilia, while theexcellent tour gives accessto its most famous stadium.Museum Tues-Sat 10.00-17.00; Sun 11.00-17.00.Tours Mon-Sat 10.30-15.00;Sun 13.00-15.00. Tour andmuseum admission £14,child £8.Twickenham Stadium,Rugby Road, TW1. 020 8892 8877. rfu.com/museumt Twickenham. Off map.ZSL LONDON ZOOImmerse yourself in theanimal kingdom with 750different species. Comeface-to-face with monkeys,sloths and tamanduas inthe Rainforest Life. Lookout for gorilla mummyMjukuu with her son, or thesleek, powerful tigers. Don’tmiss the wonderful recentaddition Penguin Beach,where the lucky penguinsrelax in an incredible poolwith feeding and displayareas. Daily 10.00-16.00.Admission from £17.60,child £13.70.Regent’s Park, NW1. 020 7722 3333. zsl.org Ë CamdenTown. Map A4.Tours – GuidedBIG BUS TOURSDaily open-top doubledeckermultilingual toursaround the city’s very bestsights. A hop-on, hop-offticket also includes a rivercruise and walking tour.Tickets £27, child £12,family £66.48 Buckingham PalaceRoad, SW1. 020 72339533. bigbustours.comË Victoria. Map D4.GHOST BUS TOURSThis tour can only bedescribed as frightfullygood fun. Board the blackdouble-decker Routemasterto discover spooky storiesbehind <strong>London</strong>’s landmarks,but watch out – the bus ishaunted. Tours departWed-Sun 19.30 & 21.00.Tickets £18, child £12.Northumberland Avenue,WC2. 08445 678 666. theghostbustours.comË Charing Cross. Map C6.LONDON DUCK TOURSUnique tours in amphibiousWorld War II DUKW vehicles.Departing near County Hall,they pass all major <strong>London</strong>landmarks (with a highlyengaging commentary),before the thrilling ‘splashdown’moment into theRiver Thames. Multiple dailydepartures from 10.30.6 Nov D-Day Duck Tour.A special World War IIthemed tour. Tickets £23,child £16. 20 Nov JamesBond Tour. Includes Bondfilm locations and specialcommentary. Tickets £23,child £16. Standard tickets£21, child £14.Chicheley Street, SE1. 020 7928 3132. londonducktours.co.ukË Waterloo. Map D6.ORIGINAL LONDONSIGHTSEEING TOURSixty years old this year,these multilingual open-topbus tours take you to thecity’s best attractions witha running commentary, andallow you to hop on and offat over 90 stops. Ticketsare valid for 24 hours andinclude free walking toursand a River Thames cruisepass. Tickets £26, child £13.17-19 Cockspur Street, W1. 020 8877 2120. theoriginaltour.comË Charing Cross. Map C6.SEE LONDON BYNIGHT TOURAtmospheric double-deckerbus tours exploring the WestEnd and City at night, offeringa different perspective.Departs from Green Park dailyfrom 19.15 until 22.25 (andregular intervals in-between),pick-ups include Haymarketand Westminster Bridge.Tickets £15, child £10.Green Park, SW1. 020 7183 4744. seelondonbynight.comË Green Park. Map C5.SIGHTSEEINGA goldenopportunityto visit the Bank’s Museum for a great day out!There are special events and more every day.Find out what the Bank doesLearn about banknote designTry and lift a gold barAudio visual displaysMuseum shopNOW OPEN SATURDAYS, YEAR ROUNDAdmission free10am – 5pm Monday to Friday.Closed weekends and public holidays.Entrance in Bartholomew Lane, <strong>London</strong>EC2R 8AH. Tel: 020 7601 5545www.bankofengland.co.uk/museumInsightful and entertaining 75 minute guided toursOne thousand years of history in one iconic buildingPlease call +44 (0)844 847 1672 for further informationFor groups call +44 (0)844 847 2498 or visit:www.ticketmaster.co.uk/housesofparliamentNovember 2011|LONDON PLANNER|visitlondon.com |35