Up and Down the River: 

City Cruises are the answer to a fun day out and it makes a change from the pesky bus. You can hop on from Greenwich-Westminster/Waterloo Pier. From Tower Bridge to Westminster...and beyond. Check out the website www.citycruises.com

Other cruises to look out for are the Turks Launches, www.turks.co.uk; and the Westminster Passengers Service Association www.wpsa.co.uk

London Eye River Cruise, Sightseeing tour taking in Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, St. Paul's and Tower Bridge. Pretend you're a tourist, it is actually really fun. www.ba-londoneye.com

Thames Clippers: The Tate to Tate Service is a must.  Damian Hirst's spotty boats run the 30-minute trip every 40 minutes daily between Millbank Pier and Bankside Pier. www.thamesclippers.com 

Regents Canal Boat Trips are great, through Little Venice, Camden Market and past London Zoo. Jenny Wren 7485 4433.  London Waterbus Company: 7482 2550/2660 or Jason's Wharf 7286 3428 

The Regent's Park and The Serpentine Boating Lakes are perfect to play about in a pedalos or rowing boat and pretend you're in the Med.

For Extreme Thrills:

London Rib Voyages www.londonribvoyages.com is totally thrilling with trips such as The Ultimate James Bond Theme adventure, Captain Kids Voyage, and the Thames Barrier Explorers Voyage.

Further afield is the John Battleday Waterski and Wakeboard Centre.  www.jbski.com where your children can learn to wakeboard alongside the boat, or even try their legs at the real thing.