Oxford Sightseeing River Cruise: Enjoy Traditional Afternoon Tea Aboard

Experience a delightful river cruise in Oxford, complete with a lavish traditional afternoon tea served on board. On this 1.5-hour journey, you’ll witness the key features of the stunning River Thames, including Christ Church Meadows and the University College Boat Houses, all while it meanders through this venerable university city.

Duration: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights

This relaxing 1.5-hour cruise starts in the afternoon from central Oxford and sails downstream from Folly Bridge taking in the best known reach of the River Thames in Oxford.
Traveling down the University Regatta Course passing Christ Church Meadows, the University College Boat Houses and other landmarks on the way to Iffley lock. This is often a busy…

What's Included
  • Afternoon tea
  • Driver/guide
  • Live commentary on board
  • Local taxes
What's Not Included
  • Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
  • Gratuities
Additional Information
  • Children must be accompanied by an adult
  • Infant meals not included
  • Any allergies or dietary requirements should contact us directly, as early as possible
  • Not recommended for travellers with severe food allergies
Location
The Folly Restaurant
Folly Bridge
Please 'check-in' at The Folly restaurant reception.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.8
(534 Ratings)
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Rebecca_b
Aug 9, 2025
Yummy Food + Gorgeous Views = A Lovely Afternoon - Had the best afternoon of high tea on the Thames! Every bite from the sandwiches to dessert was amazing. Skipper Nick was so friendly and full of great stories (and his dog totally stole the show). Perfect mix of yummy food, gorgeous views, and good vibes.
Review provided by Viator
Melanieh1966
Aug 8, 2025
Wonderful afternoon tea cruise - Enjoyed an afternoon tea with a friend. Alexis was our guide and he made the trip really interesting. There was an issue at Iffley lock but Alexis kept everyone updated and this did not spoil the trip at all. Would definitely recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Quest68507933229
Aug 7, 2025
Brilliant - Fantastic trip. Food was excellent guide was brilliant. Had a thoroughly enjoyable time doing this Would recommend to friends and would do it again
Review provided by Tripadvisor
H6912xinicolac
Aug 7, 2025
A great birthday celebration - Great value for money. Special Happy Birthday message on our Tea Plate. Our guide Nick, was amusing, knowledgeable and entertaining. The food was delicious and plenty of it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Graham
Aug 1, 2025
Feasting on the views and the afternoon tea… - With the good weather, the open sided boat was ideal to literally get close to the water whilst eating the afternoon tea! Nick - the ‘captain’ was an excellent host, with a sense of humour and local knowledge to provide a commentary along the journey.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Coastal818207
Jul 30, 2025
Afternoon tea river cruise in Oxford - Max, thank you for guiding us through our stunning afternoon tea trip along the river on Tuesday 29 July 2025, loved your knowledge, stories and humour - a fab way to spend an afternoon!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sunayanar2021
Jul 29, 2025
AMAZING and Highly recommended!!! - Stunningly good time. The tour absolutely lived up to its reputation. The boat was really clean and comfortable and the afternoon tea lived up to its billing with the sandwiches, scones and pastries not to mention the great tea and coffee as well. However, the absolute topping on this was our skipper, Max, who was a Oxford local and was able to give us a lot of stories and facts about Oxford, the colleges and their traditions, the rivers, the pubs and their histories and just made the afternoon so entertaining as well as relaxing. Would HIGHLY recommend this experience for anyone interested.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
885sueo
Jul 29, 2025
An ideal way to spend a sunny & warm afternoon in Oxford - Coupled with fantastic warm weather the afternoon tea & short cruise was a joy. Very pleasant host, amusing & friendly. Food was good too as we were hungry & had been looking forward to our cream tea afloat.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Susan_d
Jul 26, 2025
A restful afternoon - Staff at the restaurant before going in the boat were friendly and helpful. Nick our skipper and guide mixed humour and facts during the trip and when then was no need for talking he played some restful music. There was 12 people on the trip and a 20 min stop at Iffley Lock to have a walk around.The afternoon tea was good with a choice of different teas or coffee bags scones were great. Scenery was lovely and nice to see a different side of Oxford. Nick also informed us of other things we could see or do . Do have to be careful about getting on the boat and there are steps to get down from the restaurant to the pier. A lovely afternoon even though the weather was cloudy.
Review provided by Viator
Julie1958
Jul 22, 2025
The icing on the cake ! - This trip completed a lovely couple of days visiting Oxford. After lots of walking around the beautiful and interesting city the afternoon tea boat trip was the icing on the cake. Although we were very fortunate to have such beautiful weather it was the perfect end to the break . We waited to board the boat at the restaurant, and purchased any additional drinks to take on board . When on board we were shown our beautiful laid out table and tucked into one of the nicest and freshest afternoon teas I think I have had. The trip was slow and relaxing, and places of interest were pointed out along the way. I can highly recommend this delightful little trip .
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $73
up to 12 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).