Boat & Bus Charter

in connection with events at the museum

Venue Hire

There are few venues in London at which you can arrive by boat for your function. A boat trip ads an extra dimension to many types of function and the appeal of boats seems to transcend all ages and cultures. We have our own mooring immediately behind the building, with a distance from boat to door of only a few feet. If boat travel is not practicable, you can still enjoy a transport of delight by booking a heritage bus.

Boat trips

A boat trip on the Regent's Canal is a terrific addition to many types of event. Boats can bring guests from Islington or Hackney to the East, Camden or Little Venice (Paddington), to the west. Canal travel is slow - an hour to two hours is needed for the trip depending on your route. The route from Little Venice is via the picturesque permitter of Regent's Park, then past the bustle of Camden. There are four locks on the journey. The route from the east also has locks. What is more, if you come from the east, or make a diversion, you travel through a long canal tunnel - something many guests may never have done before. The canal is mainly industrial with lots of reminders of our heritage. Notes on the history can be provided by the museum if you wish.

Dinner or drinks reception cruises can also be arranged following on after a business or social event in the museum. Why not end your conference at the museum by cruising into the sunset?

There are four companies offering boat charter on the Regent's Canal for groups. Narrowboats are of the traditional long narrow shape and are normally suitable for a larger number of passengers but not for more than light catering. Restaurant boats can be used for passenger carrying and are larger, with a kitchen on board. They can accommodate a dinner cruise.

Recommended Boats

Click on small picture for larger picture	Boat Name(s)	Base location	Boat Operator	Capacity	Description
	My Fair Lady	Camden	Walker's Quay	98	A fully enclosed, heated, all-year-round hospitality boat with full kitchen facilities. Can be chartered to bring large groups of guests to the museum for a function, or can provide a restaurant cruise departing from or arriving at the museum for a smaller number of guests.
	The Prince Regent	Paddington	The Floating Boater	80	Enclosed luxury hospitality boat with full kitchen for dinners etc. Can be chartered to bring large groups of guests to the museum for a function, or can provide a restaurant cruise departing from or arriving at the museum for a smaller number of guests. An open air deck is provided at the front.
	Jenny Wren	Camden	Walker's Quay	72	A traditional narrowboat with open accommodation perfect for summer trips, but with protection in the event of rain.
	Lapwing	Paddington	The Floating Boater	30	A fully enclosed historic narrowboat with hospitality facilities
	Jason	Paddington	Jason's Trip	Approx 48	One of the oldest working narrowboats on the canal system, Jason is a traditional boat with open accommodation perfect for summer trips, but with protection in the event of rain.
	Tarporley	King's Cross	Camden Canals and Narrowboat Association	12	A historic narrowboat with a small open deck at the front.
	Angel II	Islington	Islington Community Canal Boat Trust	12	A modern narrowboat with a small open deck at the front.
	Pirate Viscount and Pride of Sandwell	Camden (west)	The Pirate Club	12 each	A pair of narrowboats with a small open decks at the front. Pride of Sandwell is wheelchair accessible.
	Lady Mildmay and Opportunity	Hackney	Laburnum Boat Club	12 each	A pair of smaller narrowboats that have both enclosed cabins and large open decks at the front, making them versatile in unpredictable weather. Lady Mildmay (pictured) is wheelchair accessible.
	Beauchamp	Paddington	The Beauchamp Lodge Settlement	60	A large electric barge designed as a floating classroom. This boat tends to be slower than other boats so plenty of time has to be allowed for trips on board. It is fully enclosed with heating.

Boat Journeys

Boats can bring passengers from any point on the Regent's Canal to the museum. Remember that you generally have to pay for the time the boat spends running empty before or after your trip as well as the time during which you are on board. The most popular starting points are, from west to east:

• Paddington. Boats can pick passengers up from Little Venice or from the arm of the canal that leads down to Paddington Basin, which is very easily reached on foot from Paddington Station. Cruise to the museum in about 2 1/4 hours through four locks.
• Regent's Park. An attractive walk across the park from Westminster Registry Office at Marylebone, the journey from here will be about 2 hours.
• Camden Town. Camden locks and the surrounding markets are famous and busy. The journey time from here to the museum depends on where exactly you start, because of the three locks. Approximately 45 minutes to 1 1/4 hours.
• Islington. Just to the east of the Angel, Islington, a path leads down to the canalside and you can board your boat for a trip of about 40 minutes to the museum, including a long tunnel. Islington Registry Office, in the Town Hall, is about a 15 minute walk from here.
• Hackney. The canal passes under Mare Street, Hackney, and Hackney Registry Office in Hackney Town Hall is about a 15 minute walk along Mare Street from here. Allow about 1 3/4 hours for the journey through several locks and a long tunnel.

You should always plan your function so that it will not matter too much if there is a delay during your boat journey. Boat journeys cannot be timed exactly because the time taken will be affected by other boats using the locks and the tunnel. You may have to wait for the tunnel to be clear or for boats travelling through locks in the opposite direction.

Boat Discos

You can have a disco on a boat any night of the week provided you leave the museum early enough to reach your destination at a reasonable time. Boats must always leave the museum before 2200. The times suggested below are approximate and should be confirmed with the boat company.

Boat Name	Museum dep.	Camden arr.	Paddington arr.
The Prince Regent	2100		2330

Bus hire

Timebus offer a variety of classic London buses that can bring your guests right to the museum's door. (link opens new window)

We help you plan

If you need advice about planning your itinerary, by water or by road, we are happy to help. We do not take commission from boat or bus companies and are therefore impartial. Please remember to tell us about your plans. Our mooring needs to be booked for your use if you arrive by boat. There is no charge for this if you are hiring the museum.