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Thames RIB Experience, Embankment Pier, Victoria Embankment, London, WC2N 6NU Full details & map

Museums & Attractions

Time Out says 11 Users say 5/5 Rate it

Hurtling about the Thames in a RIB (rigid inflatable boat) at 30 knots (or 35mph) is the closest thing we've got to a white-knuckle ride in central London. Thames RIB Experience is run by a husband-and-wife duo new to the boating business, so everything, including the choice of cap'n, is done with encouraging caution. Lifejackets and waterproofs are provided and you're in for a ticking off should you even think about standing up in the boat. It takes just under 40 minutes to travel from Westminster to Tower Bridge. Then the turbo engines kick in and you're off, bumping about in the open water between Tower Bridge and Canary Wharf, turning in terrifyingly tight figures of eight. It's the quickest, most thrilling way to see Thames London.

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Thames RIB Experience, Embankment Pier, Victoria Embankment, London WC2N 6NU

Thames RIB Experience

Hurtling about the Thames in a RIB (rigid inflatable boat) at 30 knots (or 35mph) is the closest thing we've got to a white-knuckle ride in...

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Transport Embankment 

Telephone

020 7930 5746

http://www.thamesribexperience.com

Daily during daylight hours, with departures on the hour and half hour; booking essential

Prices start at £32, £19 children

Thames RIB Experience map

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Comments & ratings 5/5 (Average of 11 ratings)

By Jackie - Apr 18 2012
5/5

Brilliant time, fun, exciting, professional. If it's cold wrap up warm! Will definitley be back for more...

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By Stephen - Apr 15 2012
5/5

Fantastic and exciting way to see some of the major sites. Great for young and old.
If it is cold dress warmly and wear gloves to hang onto the grab rails.
Staff great and an amusing gide too. I would recommend taking the longer trip to the Thames barrier even though it costs more.
Our party ranged from 9 to 65 and we all have great memories of the trip. I have lived in London for 40 years and only just discovered it and it beats a staid old river cruise hands down.

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By Nick - Apr 10 2012
5/5

A great way to see London, a fantastic thrill and the staff were excellent! i would thoroughly recommend this!! (i'm a Londoner too!!!)

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By Martin Brannigan - Feb 19 2012
5/5

It was little above zero degrees. It was windy. One of our group even turned up witha chest infection.
None of this detracted from the experience that is not to be missed!
We were bought the ride as a gift and booked a group of 6. The staff on the pier were helpful, the safety brief wasn't tedious and we set off on time. A group turned up ten minutes late and they even went back to pier to pick them up. Adding possible 2 minutes to out day but ensuring that good customer service was upheld.
The brief tour up the Thames was very informative and very fun. The guides had good knowledge of the history of the buildings and London.
And then they opened the throttle..... If you want to know how much fun was you'll have to book - you will not be disappointed!!

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By Linda Henry - Feb 15 2012
5/5

This was such great fun. I would reccomend it to everyone. Worth every penny. I took my five year old and it worked for both his age and mine. Fantastic!!!!

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By SAFTravel - Feb 13 2012
5/5

This is a fantastic way to see London and the Thames Barrier (the extra money for the extra time to go down that far is well worth it) in a way you have not seen it before. I did a normal cruise down to Greenwich and back recently and, although better for taking photos, this was SO much better as an Experience – and my friend’s photos were not bad at all.. It was a very cold but dry day and we were well kitted out with jacket/hoods and over trousers, though I would recommend wearing thermal longjohns and decent gloves to be really cosy. Loved the James Bond bit and enjoyed the fun and informative commentary. Well managed and good safety drill. Suitable for all ages. Thrills an no spills and a lot of laughs with coffee bars nearby to fall into afterwards if the weather is cold! There was a bit of problem with the individual photos taken by the crew member which couldn’t be transferred to the computer because of a missing lead but we were all rewarded with a free copy (normally £10) of a photo of us all in the boat so we were not complaining at all!

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By Dave Barrington - Jan 17 2012

An absolute "Must Do" !!!

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By Cheryl - Oct 15 2011 - Oct 17 2011

I bought this for my partner & friend. I have never seen a 34 and 49 year old man so excited about their experience on a boat trip they were like to BIG kids. They talked about it all evening and they are now organising another trip for the rest of the family.
Definately a good buy on my behalf.

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By Victor - Oct 14 2011
5/5

Went with 36 16-17 year olds from Holland with TRE beginning of Oct. It was a great surprise and they had a terrific time, no exceptions. Staff were kind and clear, can surely recommend it to anyone. Next year we'll definitely be back again with a new group from Veluws College in Apeldoorn.

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By Mark - May 23 2011

As a Londoner you tend sometimes to over look some of the attractions but this is one you shouldn't miss. Flying up the Thames with James Bond theme music playing and on top of that some interesting London facts that I didn't know myself. I booked this trip as a Birthday party for my son and his friends and can honestly say I have never seen such big smiles by the time we got off. On of the boys even said 'I don't think I will sleep tonight' as we was so excited. The crew were great and we picked up a couple a great photo's to boot!

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By Joe, (Baltimore,MD USA) - May 23 2011
5/5

What a top notch customer service group. I was looking for something different to do with my 8 year old son and this did not disappoint. The staff went above and beyond to assist us with our reservations and made our experience a talked about highlight of our holiday.

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By Charlotte - Apr 25 2011
5/5

Brilliant fun for all the family

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By Alexandra Gibson - Apr 23 2011
5/5

Brilliant . Especially when he tips the boat ! Alexandra age 9 :-)

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By Ben Cook - Aug 4 2010

Our boat ride formed part of a stag day/night and it was a truly exhilarating event. Seeing London from such a unique perspective was the highlight of the day - all 16 of us loved it!

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By Jackie & Brian Ford - Jul 21 2010

I would like to say we had a wonderful journey to the . The trip was a birthday present for my Husband's 65th, a unique and fun way to see the Thames especially when RIB picked up speed to be recomended.

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By Ed E - Jul 12 2010

On a sunny Sunday afternoon we strolled down the pier at Embankment to be met by the lady who treated us like we were members of the family, very thorough and safety conscious, we then had a great hour on the river, very exciting after going through Tower Bridge and then some Crazy Ivans around Canary Wharf.

Thank you for a great time, TRE.

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By Jay W - Dec 29 2009

I booked this experience for my son on Christmas morning via their website. I then received an email to say they would not be running on Christmas day and my booking was cancelled. Good job I checked my emails, they said they had tried to contact me by phone but I conveniently did not have any missed calls. There was no apologies for the cancellation I was just told their system had experienced an error. This error appeared to be my problem! Terrible service, glad it got cancelled if this is how they treat their customers!

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By ANDREW WHILES - Nov 8 2009

On behalf of my family I would like to thankyou for a wondeful experience
todday. The commentary was first class with a smattering of humour. The
speed and versatility of the boat was exhilarating and we covered an amazing
number of premier london sites from a unique position. A memorable
experience, which I would recommend to anyone who wants to combine sight
seeing and eye watering speed. It is an absolute must for those who only
have a limited amount of time to see historic, present and industrial
london.

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By Sandie Hall - Oct 21 2009

Thanks Thames Rib, had the wildest time, great fun. Theme Parks, eat your heart out !

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