The 15 Afternoon Tea Experiences in Britain That Earn Their Price

1.Afternoon Tea Cruise on the River Thames

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 3,274 reviews · 1.5 hours · from $53Our pick

Enjoy a traditional afternoon tea aboard a City Cruises boat from Tower Pier. Over 90 minutes, you’ll pass Tower Bridge, Shakespeare’s Globe, Tate Modern, The Shard, the London Eye, and Parliament while eating sandwiches, warm scones, cakes, and unlimited tea or coffee. Commentary adds context along the way.

“Excellent cruise. Service was impeccable. We were able to see all the major tourist attractions. We had a lovely time as a family of four with 2 kids. Thank you!”

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2.Afternoon Tea Bus Tour – 1960s Routemaster Bus

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 2,032 reviews · 1 hour 25 minutes (approx.) · from $87

Ride a vintage 1960s Routemaster through central London while enjoying tea, sandwiches, scones, cakes, and French-style pastries. Staff such as Alex, Taiwo, Azucere, and Nella serve the meal as recorded commentary points out Harrods, Knightsbridge, Hyde Park, Mayfair, and other sights. Choose from several afternoon departures, but note that top-deck seats are not guaranteed.

“Absolutely amazing - to see the Christmas lights and get the full afternoon tea experience in the dark around the main attractions of London - it was brilliant - thank you. I would highly recommend this.”

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3.Afternoon Tea Bus with a Glass of Prosecco

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 1,853 reviews · 1.5 hours · from $64

Enjoy a 90-minute afternoon tea aboard a traditional double-decker bus, passing the London Eye, Tower of London, and St. Paul’s Cathedral. You’ll get sandwiches, scones, cakes, tea, and Prosecco or a soft drink. Staff such as Ayaan, Dee, and Wumi are warm and attentive, but landmark commentary is limited and sometimes mistimed.

“Great tour lovely staff and great food - excellent value for money and something different to do would recommend”

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4.Edinburgh Afternoon Tea Experience

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 1,275 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $60

Ride a vintage Routemaster bus from Waterloo Place for 70 to 90 minutes while enjoying sandwiches, a warm scone, petit fours, cupcakes, and unlimited tea or coffee. This is a dining experience with city views, music, and friendly hosts such as Stuart, Helen, Ellis, Mark, Jim, and Freya, not a formal guided sightseeing tour.

“What an experience!!! The food was great. The music was fabulous. Everything about the tea tour was a memorable experience! Everyone was extremely nice!!!”

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5.Afternoon Tea River Cruise on the Thames

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 884 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $55

Board at Tower Pier at 3:30 pm for a 90-minute City Cruises tea service along the Thames. You will see the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, the Shard, Shakespeare’s Globe, St Paul’s, the London Eye, and Westminster while enjoying sandwiches, cakes, scones, and unlimited tea or coffee. Tables are assigned in advance.

“This was such a fun and memorable experience for my family! The snacks and cakes were delicious and there were generous portions. The staff were very attentive and the views were spectacular! This was a fun twist on afternoon tea on the river, rather than at a hotel or restaurant.”

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6.London Afternoon Tea Bus with Panoramic Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 763 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $67

Enjoy finger sandwiches, scones, pastries, tea, and a drink while a double-decker bus circles central London for about 90 minutes. You’ll pass Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, the London Eye, Piccadilly Circus, Charing Cross, and Trafalgar Square. This is a scenic tea ride, not a fully narrated tour, and seating is shared.

“Beautiful bus decorated, service was great by both girl Abi and saner. Thankyou for a great experience”

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7.Glasgow Afternoon Tea Experience

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 735 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $61

Ride a vintage Routemaster through Glasgow while enjoying sandwiches, warm scones, petit fours, cupcakes, tea, and coffee. The 70 to 90 minute outing passes George Square, Glasgow Cathedral, the Necropolis, the Clyde, Kelvingrove, and more. Expect a lively dining experience with occasional commentary, not a formal guided tour.

“This was a fantastic afternoon tea experience that I would 100% recommend. The food and drinks were excellent and our host/tour guide Helen was even better!!”

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8.Afternoon Tea at the British Museum

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 511 reviews · 1.5 hours · from $58

Spend 90 minutes at afternoon tea in the British Museum’s Great Court Restaurant. You’ll choose organic loose-leaf or flowering tea, then enjoy sandwiches, handmade cakes, pastries, and scones with clotted cream and jam. The setting is calm and memorable, though you should book ahead and allow time to find the restaurant.

“Everything was delicious, served nicely. Service was good, everybody was friendly. This was my first afternoon tea in UK ever and was very nice experience!”

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9.Afternoon Tea Cruise in North Yorkshire

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 388 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $45Top rated

Settle into a comfortable canal boat at Coach Street in Skipton for a two-hour afternoon tea cruise. You’ll have your own table, sandwiches, scones, desserts, tea or coffee, and views of fields, wildlife, and canal-side villages. The crew, including a server named Harry on some sailings, provides attentive service, while the bar sells alcoholic drinks.

“A great tour and good food with fantastic service would highly recommend. Nice relaxing tour and very great value”

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10.Sightseeing River Cruise with Afternoon Tea

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 328 reviews · 1.5 hours · from $78

Board at The Folly Restaurant for a 1.5-hour Oxford river cruise with tea, sandwiches, scones, jam, clotted cream, cakes, and live English commentary. Follow the University Regatta course past Christ Church Meadows and boat houses, pass through Iffley Lock, and turn at Rose Island. Guides such as Nick, Will, and Rory are known for warm, funny local stories.

“Very knowledgeable skipper. Lovely afternoon tea and blankets were provided as it was a bit overcast and breezy on the day of the cruise.”

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11.Taylor Swift-Inspired Afternoon Tea Bus Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 183 reviews · 1.5 hours · from $66

Ride a pink-striped double-decker bus through London while enjoying sandwiches, scones, pastries, prosecco, and Taylor Swift hits. You can request vegetarian, vegan, halal, or gluten-free food, and some departures feature warm hosts such as Odun and Claudia. Bring your Swiftie era outfit, but leave large bags and high expectations for sightseeing commentary at home.

“The hole tour felt like a big scam the food was not very good and me and my friend where very disappointed by the end of the tour it felt overpriced and the stuff working on the bus where not very nice we felt like if we went on a hop on hop off bus we would have gotten allot more out of the experience it felt more like a party bus not a tour because we didn’t learn anything we just drove around listening to Taylor Swift absolutely not worth the 60 euro.”

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12.Afternoon Tea at Blackpool Tower Ballroom

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 145 reviews

Book a 1.5-hour traditional afternoon tea for two or more in Blackpool Tower Ballroom. You’ll get sandwiches, a fruit scone with clotted cream and jam, cakes, and tea or coffee, plus all-day access to the ballroom, live Wurlitzer music, and dancing on its famous floor.

“Great fun. Was lovely to watch everyone, of varying ability, etc up and dance in all their finery. The ballroom is amazing and Yes the floor is incredibly bouncy!”

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13.Afternoon Tea at The Regency Tea Room

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 136 reviews · 1 hour · from $39Best value

Spend one hour at The Regency Tea Room in Somerset with afternoon tea served in a Jane Austen setting. Expect finger sandwiches, cakes, a warm scone with Dorset clotted cream and seasonal jam, plus tea or coffee. The small group is limited to six, and the experience does not include entry to the Jane Austen Centre.

“had a fabulous time and the food and cakes where loveky. We would definitely recommend giving them a visit .”

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14.Afternoon Tea at The Rubens at the Palace

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 70 reviews · 1.5 hours · from $111

Spend 90 minutes in The Rubens at the Palace’s Palace Lounge with a traditional Royal Afternoon Tea. Expect delicate sandwiches, freshly baked plain, fruit, and cheese scones, seasonal preserves, lemon curd, clotted cream, pastries, and tea from P.M. David Silva & Sons. A Champagne-inclusive option is also available.

“Wonderful royal afternoon tea ! Opulent interiors felt like a real princess 🥰✨ delicious sandwiches & cakes , really recommend 🥰❤️✨”

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15.Royal Hampton Court Guided Tour with Afternoon Tea

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 67 reviews · 2.5 - 3 hours · from $206

Meet your English-speaking guide at Hampton Court Station for a two-hour walk through Tudor courtyards, Anne Boleyn’s Gatehouse, Wren’s Fountain Court, the kitchens, and the gardens. Finish with afternoon tea, then use your full-day palace ticket to explore independently. Guides include Tom, Thomas, Julie, Geraint, and Suzanne.

“Thomas was a superb guide. We were the only two people on the tour so we got a lot of personal attention. There is a lot to see at Hampton Court and Thomas systematically got us from one place to the next with great commentary on what we were seeing. The tea was outstanding. Five different sandwiches, two scones each, and five different desserts as well as a good selection of teas. We recommend this tour as a very nice day trip from London.”

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