Reconnect with the capital
Find things to do in London this February
Covid rules may have relaxed but please bear in mind that all events listed are subject to change, check whether they are going ahead and book in advance where possible. Remember, you must still wear a face-covering aboard our services and measures are in place for the safety of our staff and fellow customers. We continue to review our travel guidance in line with Transport for London and government advice.
Half-term adventures
Sail through the school break, check out some of the kid-friendly goings-on along our route:
Imagine Children's Festival
The 20th Imagine Children's Festival takes place at the Southbank Centre Wednesday 9 - Sunday 20 February. The largest festival of its kind in the UK, this year's Imagine Children’s Festival features over 160 events including theatre shows, dance, pop-up projects, comedy, literature and cosmic kids yoga!
Nearest pier: London Eye (Waterloo)
Find out more
Origami Boats
Fold a fleet of origami boats with your family and then sail them under Tower Bridge!
Origami Boat activities take place in Tower Bridge's Engine Rooms, 10:00 - 16:00, on Tuesday 15 and Saturday 19 February and is included in the price of admission to the Tower Bridge Experience.
Nearest pier: Tower or London Bridge City
Find out more
UNIQLO Tate Play: Holiday Make Studio
Sail to Bankside Pier and discover Tate Modern's free upcycling studio! Throughout half-term, Tate invites you to make and create with others and use everyday materials to build something that has never been seen before. The studio is open daily 10:00 - 18:00, Saturday 12 – Sunday 20 February.
Nearest pier: Bankside
Find out more
Half-term at The O2
Climb London's most iconic roof, see a film at the city's biggest cinema or bounce around a trampoline park! Home to Hollywood Bowl, Icon Outlet shopping, restaurants, Sky Studios and more, The O2 is the perfect place to kickstart your half-term adventure.
Nearest pier: North Greenwich
Do more at The O2
Aboard HMS Belfast
Earn your sea legs in a series of interactive experiences aboard HMS Belfast! In D-Day Family Mission, you'll find hidden messages and discover ship life as you learn about the biggest invasion in history, while Sea Legs tests how well you can steady the ship on choppy seas. Both activities take place 10:00 - 15:00 every day from Saturday 12 to Sunday 20 February.
Nearest pier: London Bridge City
Find out more
The Little Match Girl
See a brand new family musical performed in the grounds of the Old Royal Naval College this February half-term. Based on the short story by Hans Christian Andersen, performances of The Little Match Girl last about 30 minutes and take place Thursday 17 - Sunday 20 February at 13:30, 14:30 and 15:30.
Nearest pier: Greenwich
Find out more
Child-friendly places to eat
The reborn Battersea Power Station is famously foody but where's best to take the kids?
Check out this helpful blog about family-favourite dining experiences beside Battersea Power Station Pier.
Nearest pier: Battersea Power Station
Find out more
Learning the Ropes
How well do you know the River Thames?
Keep the kids entertained on board and learn something new about the Thames with our complimentary activity book! Speak to a member of staff at our piers to receive a copy or download and print your own copy at home.
Learn the ropes
All of February is LGBTQ+ History Month.
Throughout the month, Royal Museums Greenwich will host a series of events at Queen's House, the National Maritime Museum and online that explore queer histories associated with the sites. Highlights include Out at Sea, a family-friendly free festival that takes place at the National Maritime Museum on Saturday 19 February and explores the lives of gay mariners; Fierce Queens, a queer takeover of The Queen's House and Rainbow Week; a series of family workshops that coincide with half-term.
Nearest pier: Greenwich
Light up the long winter nights
London's brightest lights are best explored by boat.
City Lights
Head to the Square Mile to explore five historic sites as you've never seen them before!
Interactive light artworks transform St Paul’s Churchyard, St Mary Aldermary Church, St Mary le Bow Churchyard Square, Bloomberg Public Plaza and Guildhall Yard from Friday 11 to Sunday 20 February. The lights are free to explore and the City Information Centre (located between St Paul's Cathedral and Millennium Bridge) will stay open later to help visitors see all the lights.
Nearest piers: Tower, Blackfriars or Bankside
Find out more
Illuminated River Official Boat Tours
They're back, and brighter than ever!
Our hugely popular tours of the vast Illuminated River project are taking place on 3, 12, 17 and 26 February and you can book your tour up until March. Sail with us through London's beautifully bright bridges and uncover the histories of the famous crossings from City of London and City of Westminster Guides as you sail beneath their vivid night-time transformations.
Nearest pier: Tower
Book your tour
The Light Festival at Battersea Power Station
Explore six unique displays dotted around Battersea Power Station. The Light Festival takes place every night until Sunday 27 February and has been curated in partnership with the Light Art Collection, founded by the Amsterdam Light Festival. LAVA's 'Digital Origami Tigers' (pictured) will be the perfect selfie spot to celebrate the start of the Year of the Tiger on Chinese New Year, which takes place Tuesday 1 February.
Nearest pier: Battersea Power Station
Find out more
Winter Light at The Southbank Centre
See The Southbank Centre shine! Discover dazzling displays around The Southbank Centre until Sunday 20 February. Created by world-leading light artists, the unique pieces use light and colour to explore ideas about nature, time, politics, society and the act of looking.
Nearest pier: London Eye (Waterloo)
Find out moreAt the Museum of London Docklands
Sail to Canary Wharf Pier to learn more about London's historic docklands.
Celebrate the start of the Year of the Tiger, a year that is said to bring about new changes and encourage people to overcome challenges, at the Museum of London Docklands.
On Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 February, the museum will host a weekend of free family-friendly drop-in activities including performances, community activities and Lion Dancing to celebrate the start of the Lunar New Year. The festivities take place 11:00 - 16:30.
London: Port City
The Museum of London Docklands' major exhibition 'London: Port City' is now open!
Curated by the museum, and the Port of London Authority, the exhibition is free to visit and traces more than 200 years of history, examining the port's essential role in London's enduring success and survival. Specifically, the exhibition will focus on the port's complex operations from the docklands' peak, in the final days of the 18th century, to the port's move downstream and the creation of the London Gateway ‘mega port’.
Sail to Somerset House and take a trip into Beanotown! 'Beano: the art of breaking the rules' explores how The Beano comics have inspired successive generations to break the rules while uncovering artists who have pushed boundaries. The exhibition takes place until Sunday 6 March and features highlights from The Beano's archive as well as artefacts relating to artists they have inspired.
Nearest pier: Embankment
Visit NOW Gallery and enter Lydia Chan's bright and colourful world.
'Your Ship Has Landed' at Greenwich Peninsula is an augmented reality experience that explores themes of science-fiction, fantasy and adulthood. When creating the exhibition, Chan envisioned a portal between digital and physical spaces with high-contrast saturated colours that provide the perfect backdrop for socials!
Your Ship Has Landed is open until Sunday 6 March.
Nearest pier: North Greenwich
Legacies: London Transport’s Caribbean Workforce
During the 1950s, many Caribbean people were encouraged to relocate to the UK by active campaigns run by London Transport (Transport for London's predecessor). New Caribbean recruits arrived with high hopes of life in Britain but were shocked to be faced with hostility and racism and struggled to find places to live.
Opening Thursday 11 February at the London Transport Museum 'Legacies: London Transport’s Caribbean Workforce' celebrates the contribution that Caribbean people have made to transport and culture in London and the UK. The exhibition also documents the struggles that individuals and their families endured, especially at the start of their new lives in the capital.
Nearest pier: Embankment
In the mid-1700s, Europe entered a period of peace, stability and economic prosperity that created new opportunities. Artists became less reliant on money from the church, state and aristocracy giving them greater freedom to comment, choose their subject matter and address audiences directly.
William Hogarth became famous for paintings and prints that captured the new modern experience with wit in the UK, but he was not alone. Across Europe, artists were creating vivid images of contemporary life and social commentary.
For the first time, Tate Britain's latest exhibition brings together Hogarth’s greatest works with those of his peers across the continent – including Pietro Longhi in Venice, Chardin in Paris and Cornelis Troost in Amsterdam, examining parallels and sympathies that crossed borders.
Nearest pier: Millbank
Parks and open spaces along our route
Some of London's most stunning green spaces line the banks of the River Thames. Sail with us to:
Battersea Park
Grade II listed on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens, Battersea Park lies on the south bank of the River Thames between Chelsea and Albert bridges. The park has stunning river views, a children's zoo and an adventure playground that kids love! But if you are in need of some quiet time head to the Peace Pagoda, located right by the river it’s the perfect place to relax and forget your worries.
Nearest pier: Battersea Power Station
Find out more
Greenwich Park
A short walk from Greenwich Pier, gorgeous Greenwich Park offers outstanding views of Canary Wharf and the City on a clear day. As one of London's largest Royal Parks, Greenwich Park offers a wide range of facilities and is home to the Royal Observatory and the Meridian line, as well as the National Maritime Museum and the Queen’s House. Greenwich Park used to be a hunting ground for Henry VIII and provides an urban sanctuary for red and fallow deer.
Nearest pier: Greenwich
Find out more
St James’s Park
The oldest of London's Royal Parks, St James's Park is at the heart of Westminster. The Mall, the procession route between Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square, forms the park's north border, Horseguard's Parade, Downing Street and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office straddle the park's eastern edge.
The park's artificial lake, flowers, trees and birds will make you forget that you are actually in the heart of London. It has breathtaking views of Buckingham Palace but don't forget to say hello to the pelicans!
Nearest pier: Westminster
Find out more
Thames Barrier Park
One of London’s newest parks, Thames Barrier Park offers the best view from the land of London's impressive flood defence, the Thames Barrier. Discover the delights of this urban oasis and its most creative feature 'The Green Dock' that provides a wind-protected microclimate for a variety of plants and butterflies.
Nearest pier: Royal Wharf
Find out more
Mudchute Park and Farm
Llamas, in London?! Mudchute Park and Farm is located on the Isle of Dogs, a short walk from Masthouse Terrace Pier.
Set in 32 acres, the farm brings a touch of the countryside to Tower Hamlets and is home to pigs, sheep, cows, donkeys and chickens as well as llamas.
Nearest pier: Masthouse Terrace
Find out more
St Dunstan in the East Church Garden
A 6-minute walk from Tower Pier lies the former church of St Dunstan in the East. A truly unique place in London, this peaceful green oasis is an escape from the hustle and bustle of the City. St Dunstan in the East Church Garden is set within the ruins of a Wren church which was bombed during the Blitz. The tower and steeple survived the bombing and the rest of the site was converted into a park featuring benches, a fountain, trees growing through windows and vines winding themselves around the walls.
Nearest pier: Tower
Find out more
Chelsea Physic Garden
Founded in 1673, Chelsea Physic Garden is London’s oldest botanical garden. An oasis in the city, the tranquil garden was established to supply medicinal plants for scientific study and was only opened to the public in the 1980s.
Nowadays visitors are welcomed to learn more about fauna from around the world. Please note the site is compact so booking in advance is essential.
Nearest pier: Cadogan
Find out more
Bishop's Park
Across Putney Bridge from Putney Pier lies Bishop’s Park which has been awarded Grade II status by English Heritage.
The park houses Fulham Palace, the historic home of the Bishops of London, a beautiful walled garden and an ornamental lake. Bordering the north bank of the River Thames, Bishop's Park provides one of the best views of the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race.
Nearest pier: Putney
Find out more