London is enjoying superb weather for this weekend’s annual Mayor’s Thames Festival as you can see from this photo. It was taken yesterday in The Scoop and you can see Tower Bridge in the background. And it’s not over! I’ll be heading down to the river later to enjoy today’s festivities and the spectacular parade and fireworks this evening. The event coincides with the Paralympic Games Closing Ceremony.

Have you ever been to the Mayor’s Thames Festival? What was your highlight?

One thousand ships will parade along the river during the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant in June, and during the Olympic Games,  the spectacular tall ships of Sail Royal Greenwich will transport guests up and down the Thames.

Here’s a preview of tall ship Thalassa sailing on the Thames. You’ll be able to see more during the Parade of Sail on 25 July when 20 tall ships and 200 smaller vessels will take to the Thames and sail to Greenwich.

After that, keep an eye out for Sail Royal Greenwich’s 15 tall ships, which can be spotted on the Thames until 12 August 2012.

Here’s a fantastic film from Tate, showing one family’s adventure as they start the day at Tate Britain, then take a trip down the Thames to enjoy all there is to see and do at Tate Modern.

Tate even have a website dedicated to kids: kids.tate.org.uk

To find out more fabulous family-friendly things to do in London this summer, check out our family section

Following in Bon Jovi’s footsteps, London visitor J Jackley took a high-speed boat tour along the river Thames. Here’s his description of the day…

Last week I went on the London RIB river trip and what a great experience it was!  Once protective waterproofs and safety jackets had been issued we went aboard at the London Eye pier for the ride of a lifetime. 

As we were taken at a leisurely rate past the Houses of Parliament and under the bridges towards the Tower of London, we were given a talk about the history of the Thames by an informative and witty guide. 

Passing the river police station, we gained speed up to an exhilarating 30 knots until we reached Canary Wharf and the Isle of Dogs, where we turned for the return trip. 

As we picked up speed past Tower Bridge, the Bond theme music kicked in, which made the whole experience even better as we sped down the Thames. 

The crew were great and certainly knew their stuff, and I would recommend London RIB Voyages to anyone. What a fantastic way to see London!

Visit London would like to wish everyone a very happy and prosperous 2011!

Here’s five ideas for new year’s resolutions from us:

• Get fit by taking advantage of the huge range of London sports on offer (or just practice your spectator skills in preparation for the London 2012 Olympics!)
• Take in some of the finest sights of the capital with our Top 10 London Panoramic Views
• Explore a new area by visiting one of London’s many villages
• Throw a party for the Royal Wedding or, better yet, plan your own “Royal” wedding in London
• Go natural – make the most of London’s many parks and outdoor spaces as well as its fantastic river and waterways

What’s your 2011 got in store? Tell us your new year’s resolution in the comments below…

London’s iconic river Thames has won the prestigious International Theiss River Prize in Perth, Australia this week. The prize recognises outstanding achievement in river management and restoration.

The Thames has undergone an extensive recovery programme that has seen it go from a biologically dead river in the 1950s to today’s thriving waterway; teeming with fish, and with returning salmon, otter and sea trout populations.

Water quality has also improved, with rivers in the Thames catchment rising from 53% rated chemically “Good” or “Very Good” in 1990 to 80% in 2008.

Alastair Driver, the Environment Agency‘s national conservation manager, said: “In the last 150 years the Thames has been to hell and back, and it has taken thousands of people many decades to restore it to this point. … [Now] we and all of the people and organisations we work with are [are working to] ensure that the Thames remains an iconic river for many centuries to come.”

The photo above is from the Environment Agency’s flickr Pool. Add your Thames pics to Visit London’s flickr pool here.

Read more about the London’s River Thames

A couple of weeks ago I visited the Brunel Museum in Rotherhithe and did a tour of the Thames Tunnel and Grand Entrance Hall. It was fascinating.

Father and son team Marc and Isambard Kingdom Brunel began construction on the Thames tunnel in 1825. It was meant to take three years. It took 18 and was described by tunnel workers as “the worst job in the world”.

When it finally opened, the Thames Tunnel represented a feat of engineering never before seen in the world. It was the first under-river tunnel of its kind, the birthplace of the Tube (globally, as London’s was the first underground railway system).

Although intended for transporting goods off ships beneath the Thames, due to a lack of pulleys, the tunnel’s first use, explained our thoroughly entertaining tour guide Robert Hulse (director of the Brunel Museum), was as an underwater “shopping mall”. And, while the stalls and “Underwater Fancy Fair” attracted astonishing numbers of visitors from day one, the tunnel eventually became a place for shady dealings and, if you’ll pardon the pun, underworld characters.

I won’t say more, because you should see it for yourself. Even better – join a Brunel Museum tour of the tunnel by train (the newly opened East London line goes right through Brunel’s tunnel) and/or take the Thamesside Walk through Bermondsey and Rotherhithe this Bank Holiday Weekend, which includes a tour of the Grand Entrance Hall.

Brunel Museum: www.brunel-museum.org.uk
Thamesside Walk: Meet at Bermondsey Tube Station Monday 30 August 2010 at 1.30pm (£8, concs. £6)

The Brunel Museum’s nearest station is Rotherhithe on the new East London line. The Brunel is one  of the Culture Line museums www.cultureline.org.uk

London’s long-anticipated Cycle Hire Scheme launched on Friday. Have you signed up yet? Tell us about your maiden voyage!

Whether you’ve joined the Cycle Hire Scheme or not, Visit London wants to know where you enjoy riding in London. Do you like to cycle by London’s waterways, are you an urban road rider, or do you take advantage of the bike paths of London’s many parks and open spaces?

Tell us about your favourite cycle routes in London.

Bon Jovi took a break from their latest tour with a London RIB Voyage on the Thames last week.

We wonder if they found it Slippery When Wet…

Charlie Matheson, owner of London RIB said, “They all enjoyed themselves. It really is the best way to see London in 50 minutes!

“We have to pick up some serious speed to get out past Canary Wharf and back in such a short amount of time; powering through London as you “pull G” past Tower Bridge is exciting by anybody’s standards.

“Jon Bon Jovi said it was a seriously James Bond-like experience.”

Charlie also revealed they’ve got Rod Stewart booked for later this month, and have recently taken out Sharon Osborne, Kings of Leon, Boris Johnson and Joanna Lumley!  

If you want to join the speedboat-crazy celebs, book a London RIB Voyage today. Tours start on the hour from the London Eye

With the recent warm weather, I decided there was no better time to see London by speedboat along the Thames!

We headed off to Embankment Pier in Central London for the Thames RIB Experience which offers a thrilling guided boat tour of the Thames with a dash of James Bond to indulge the thrill seekers out there.

Equipped with life jackets we boarded the boat and it sped by popular London sights including the London Eye, the Houses of Parliament, the Tower of London and Canary Wharf. Our hilarious guide Dean provided useful and funny facts about London.  

The real action began as the RIB tore up the Thames providing screams, laughter and an exhilarating experience for all!

Tours depart daily in rain or shine taking groups of up to 12 people.  Book tickets