Greenwich cruise embarkation: where ships moor and how to get there

Cruise ships that sail from Greenwich tie up at the Greenwich Ship Tier, a mooring in the Thames. Viking lists these departures as "London (Greenwich)" and Seabourn as "Greenwich (London)". Our schedule has 40 sailings from Greenwich between April 25, 2027 and September 7, 2028.

Greenwich at a glance
Where ships moor	Greenwich Ship Tier, five miles downstream from Tower Bridge
Largest ship it takes	228 meters long, 8.1 meters draft
Boarding point	In your cruise documents
Rail in Greenwich	Greenwich station for Southeastern and Thameslink trains; Cutty Sark and Greenwich on the DLR
River bus	Uber Boat by Thames Clippers to Greenwich Pier
Cruise lines on our schedule	Viking, Seabourn
Trip lengths	11 to 40 nights, all one-way
Lowest starting fare on November 9, 2026	$5,499 per person, taxes and port fees included

Where do cruise ships moor at Greenwich?

At the Greenwich Ship Tier. Capital Cruising, Forth Ports' cruise brand, describes it as central London's deep-water mooring, five miles downstream from Tower Bridge, close to the Old Royal Naval College and in sight of the Cutty Sark. It takes ships up to 228 meters long with a draft of up to 8.1 meters. Capital Cruising says ships moored there are served through what it calls the world's first floating cruise terminal.

Seabourn places the mooring on a broad bend of the Thames southeast of central London.

Who runs the Greenwich cruise moorings?

Capital Cruising says the Port of Tilbury and Thames Clippers share the day-to-day running of three London moorings on behalf of the Port of London Authority: Greenwich Ship Tier, Tower Bridge Upper and George's Stair Tier. The Port of London Authority itself says cruise ships at the Greenwich tier operate under arrangements managed by London Central Cruise Moorings.

The Port of London Authority lists scheduled arrivals and departures at the Greenwich tier on its ship movements page, and says the times can change for operational or weather reasons.

How do passengers board a cruise ship at Greenwich?

We read the Port of London Authority's and Capital Cruising's pages and Viking's and Seabourn's public pages, and none of them says how passengers get from the shore onto a ship at the tier. We won't guess at a pier or a meeting point. Your cruise documents give the boarding point.

Viking's FAQ says the travel documents with the ship's docking location are emailed about two weeks before departure. It also says embarkation begins at 11:00 AM for all cabin categories, and staterooms are ready from 11:00 AM for suites and from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM for veranda staterooms, depending on the category.

If you use a wheelchair or scooter, ask your line how boarding works at Greenwich before you book. Viking's FAQ sends questions about the ports on a specific itinerary to its accessibility team.

Who sails from Greenwich?

Viking and Seabourn. Our schedule has 37 Viking sailings from Greenwich and 3 with Seabourn, all on Seabourn Venture. Every one is one-way. Of those, 25 go around the British Isles and Ireland and end in Bergen or Belfast, and the rest go to Norway, Iceland, Scandinavia and the Baltic, or south to Lisbon and Barcelona.

Trips run 11 to 40 nights. Because none of them comes back to London, book your flight home from the city where the ship ends. The Greenwich sailings page lists every departure, and Viking and Seabourn Venture have their own pages.

Getting to Greenwich by train

Southeastern runs trains from London Bridge and London Cannon Street to Greenwich station. Its page gives about 10 minutes between Greenwich and London Bridge, with the fastest train taking 8 minutes, and tickets from Greenwich to London Bridge started at £3.80 on Southeastern's site on November 9, 2026. Thameslink trains also call at Greenwich station, which Thames Clippers puts a 10-minute walk from Greenwich Pier.

Getting to Greenwich by DLR

The Docklands Light Railway has two stations in Greenwich, Cutty Sark for Maritime Greenwich and Greenwich, both in fare zones 2 and 3. Thames Clippers names Cutty Sark as the closest rail station to Greenwich Pier. Trains from both run to Bank one way and Lewisham the other.

Getting to Greenwich by river: Uber Boat by Thames Clippers

Uber Boat by Thames Clippers calls at Greenwich Pier, King William Walk, London SE10 9HT. The pier is accessible, and you can touch in and out with an Oyster or contactless card, or buy a ticket at the pier, online or in the app. Thames Clippers says boats usually run every 10 to 20 minutes at key London piers, every day except Christmas Day.

Luggage is allowed if it doesn't block the safety equipment, gangways, stairs or passageways and isn't put on a seat. Greenwich Pier is a river bus stop. Don't assume it is where you board the ship; your cruise documents say where to go.

Airport transfers and taxis to Greenwich

Viking includes round-trip airport transfers when you buy your flights from Viking as part of the cruise. If you booked your own flights for the same dates, its FAQ says you can buy Viking's airport transfers up to 30 days before departure. Seabourn guests should check their booking for what Seabourn offers.

A taxi or booked car from a central London hotel avoids carrying bags through stations. Give the driver the boarding point from your cruise documents rather than a general Greenwich address.

Planning the day before

Greenwich is the closest of London's three cruise ports to central London. Where to stay in London before a cruise and flying to London for a cruise cover the rest of the trip, and London cruise ports compares Greenwich with Dover and Tilbury.