Westminster to Hampton Court River Cruise: 22 Miles by Boat

Thames River Boats operates the longest regular scheduled boat service from London: 35 kilometres, or 22 miles, from Westminster Millennium Pier on Victoria Embankment, SW1A 2JH, upstream past Kew and Richmond to Hampton Court Palace. The full run takes three hours and a quarter to three and a half hours, and an adult single to Hampton Court is £27.00. One thing to know before you plan: the operator's upcoming-sailings page shows no sailings from Westminster until 2027, so this is a river cruise to book for spring.

For the week of 28 October to 1 November 2026, the official upcoming-sailings page lists no departures from Westminster, Chiswick or Kew until 2027. The upper river was still active that week. Boats left Richmond at 11:00 and 14:00 for Kingston and Hampton Court, Kingston had departures toward Hampton Court and back toward Richmond, and Hampton Court sent boats down to Kingston and Richmond at 12:45 and 16:00.

So if you are in London this autumn and want this particular river, take the train to Richmond and board at Richmond Landing Stage, which sits just above Richmond Bridge, a short walk from Richmond station. An adult single from Richmond to Hampton Court is £15.00 and a return is £19.50, with the ride taking an hour to an hour and a half. Save the full Westminster voyage for next season, when the operator's timetable runs again from the city.

This is not a modern catamaran service. The fleet is made up of historic Thames boats, and the operator publishes their stories. M.V. Connaught was built by Salter Brothers of Oxford in 1911 for the businessman Joseph Mears and has been cruising between Westminster and Hampton Court for more than 100 years. She can carry up to 193 passengers and has open decks, carpets and polished wooden panelling.

Princess Freda was built in 1926 on the Isle of Wight and carries a plaque as a Dunkirk Little Ship, having crossed the Channel in June 1940 to help rescue troops from the beaches. Her saloon is lined with oak and mahogany. M.V. Cockney Sparrow was built at Eel Pie Island in Twickenham and often works the Westminster and Kew services. Ask the crew which boat you are on, and you may be sitting in the same saloon that sailed to France.

The route follows what the operator calls the Royal Barge Route, used by Henry VIII and other monarchs to travel between Westminster and the palaces upriver. After the city stretch, the river narrows past Chiswick and the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, then passes through the locks at Richmond and Teddington before the last bends to Hampton Court.

The published guidance times from Westminster are 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes to Kew, 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours 30 minutes to Richmond, and 3 hours 15 minutes to 3 hours 30 minutes to Hampton Court. The range exists because the Thames is fiercely tidal. The operator explains that it plans each timetable around the tides, travelling with the flood upstream and the ebb downstream, and that Richmond Lock can add time between Kew and Richmond. Treat arrival times as approximate and do not book a timed palace entry too tightly.

The fares table on the official site is unusually detailed. From Westminster, an adult single is £20.00 to Kew, £22.00 to Richmond and £27.00 to Hampton Court, with returns at £27.00, £33.00 and £36.00. Seniors over 60 pay £21.00 single to Hampton Court, children aged 5 to 15 pay £13.50, and a family ticket for two adults and two children is £67.50 single or £90.00 return to Hampton Court.

Here is the honest call. The full return to Hampton Court is around seven hours on the water. Unless the boat itself is the point of your day, skip the return. Sail up in the morning, spend the afternoon at the palace, and take the train back. The operator's own Hampton Court page notes South Western Railway trains reach London Waterloo in 34 minutes from Hampton Court station, which is a short walk across Hampton Court Bridge from the landing stage.

The operator is upfront that its historic boats were not designed for modern accessibility. Motorised wheelchairs cannot be taken on board. A lightweight manual chair can come aboard if the user can leave it and step onto the boat with the crew's help, and the crew will then lift the chair on and rearrange seating. Toilets on every vessel are not wheelchair accessible, and the decks are reached by steps.

Pier access varies too. Westminster has a ramp, but at low tide its gradient becomes very steep. Richmond Landing Stage is reached from the towpath by a very low step. If anyone in your group has limited mobility, the Richmond to Hampton Court leg is the gentler place to start.

At Hampton Court the landing stage is next to the palace that Cardinal Wolsey built in 1515 and gave to Henry VIII in 1529. The gardens hold the famous maze and the Great Vine, planted in 1769. At Richmond, the riverside below the landing stage is lined with pubs, cafés and boutiques, and the operator suggests riverside detours to Marble Hill House, the Palladian villa now run by English Heritage, and to Ham House, the National Trust's Stuart mansion across the water.

At Kew, the pier puts you close to the Royal Botanic Gardens, which is worth a full afternoon on its own. Plan B if a sailing is full or the tide shifts the timetable: Richmond and Hampton Court both have rail links back to Waterloo, so you never need to wait on the bank for the next boat.

Home pier: Westminster Millennium Pier, Victoria Embankment, London SW1A 2JH. Westminster, Chiswick and Kew departures are paused until 2027 according to the upcoming-sailings page. Westminster to Hampton Court: 22 miles, adult single £27.00, return £36.00. Richmond to Hampton Court: adult single £15.00, return £19.50. Journey times depend on the tide. Motorised wheelchairs cannot board. Use the Karpo APP to set a reminder for spring sailings and to plan a palace lunch.