Take it slow

The tickets to buy

If you’re sailing down the Thames, download the Uber Boat by Thames Clippers app for the best tickets. The genius hop-on hop-off ticket for £25 offers an unlimited day’s access to the River Bus services; the £50 family ticket means up to three children travel for free. Helpfully, you can also use contactless and travelcards, the boats are fully accessible and bikes are welcome on board if you fancy taking to some riverside cycle paths.

The best seats

Uber Boat has hosted Kiss, Maroon 5 and Usher’s O2 opening night after-party, so you’re travelling in style, but for the guaranteed best views, head to the back of the boat to enjoy the unobstructed sights of landmarks as you sail past. Make sure you get an iconic shot of Tower Bridge while enjoying a glass of something from the bar.

It’s all in the planning

The full end-to-end journey (Putney to Barking Riverside) takes just under two hours and passes all the headliners: Battersea Power Station, the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, the London Eye, Tate Modern and the Globe Theatre (plan your journey at thamesclippers.com/riverguide). Our favourite is hopping on at Waterloo, heading to London Bridge, then slowly sailing round to North Greenwich Pier to explore Greenwich Peninsula.

The cult foodie shopping destinations

If you’re stepping off at London Bridge, go for flat whites at Monmouth Coffee on Park Street (roasted in nearby Bermondsey). Head to the market for the Insta-famous Bread Ahead Bakery and its signature crème brûlée doughnuts and brioche buns (the queues snake out the door, but they’re worth the wait). Stock up on the best larder essentials at cult foodie stores Spice Mountain, De Calabria and Le Marché du Quartier (the garlic is incredible). On Saturdays and Sundays, walk over to the Flea Market at Vinegar Yard for colourful Penguin classics, vintage fashion and costume jewellery.

The hidden gem for lunch

Jump back on the boat and head to North Greenwich Pier for lunch at Greenwich Peninsula. Caspino is right next to the pier and the perfect spot for laid-back weekend lunches with shared plates of puff pastry, goat’s cheese, thyme, honey and figs as well as saffron chicken thigh with barberry rice, pistachios and almonds with a zesty glass of Antonio Camillo’s orange procanico wine.

Jaw-dropping art by the river

Take a walk along The Tide at Greenwich Peninsula which is designed by the architects who created the famous High Line in New York. It’s currently 1km long but once completed, it will join up the seven districts of Greenwich Peninsula. Its elevated walkway gives you incredible views over the river, where you’ll also find Morag Myerscough’s distinctive Siblings and Allen Jones’s red-painted Head In Wind steel installation and more…

Follow the trail round and you’ll discover Damien Hirst’s 17-foot high Hydra & Kali (the Hindu goddess is fighting a many-headed serpent), The Mermaid, The Diver and the unforgettable Demon with Bowl (our tip: pop into NOW Gallery towards North Greenwich Tube station to pick up a free map and area guide and check out summer pop-up Charity Super.Mkt until the end of August). There’s also Firepit Art Gallery (open Saturdays), where you can explore incredible experimental work and creative workshops.

Sunshine, greenery and wildlife

Head to Central Park, a green-filled space (the size of one and a half football pitches) that also has plenty of seating where you can relax, breathe and be calm. Close by on the river is the Greenwich Peninsula Ecology Park, four acres of freshwater habitat that’s home to frogs, toads, newts, dragonflies and damselflies alongside grebes, plovers, geese, ducks and swans.

Take to the skies with London Cable Cars

See London from a whole new perspective – take a one-way journey to London Docks for £7 or enjoy a round-trip for £13 (go contactless or buy a ticket at the office). You’ll spot St Paul’s Cathedral, The Gherkin, Thames Barrier, Maritime Greenwich and Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park from the sky. At London Docks, there’s the fascinating London Museum Docklands, which has immersive exhibitions exploring London’s slave trade and maritime past (spot all the model rats hidden across the museum…).

An unexpected game of golf

In the mood for a game of urban golf overlooking the river and London’s skyline? Book one of Greenwich Peninsula Golf Driving Range bays and order drinks, or if you’re feeling peckish, go for burgers, hot dogs and nachos from The Joint restaurant (it’s open every day until 11pm); there are also live music sets on Thursday evenings.

Enjoy a well-earned sundowner…

Head back to Caspino for Middle-Eastern twists on cocktails as the sun goes down. Choose from a Cardamom Negroni, Old-fashioned Orange Blossom or a virgin Pomegranate Persia. They also have an extensive wine selection, plus beers, malts and guava juice.