Private Boat Hire, Celebrations and Parties on the Thames in Oxford

Oxford River Cruises craft are equally suited to a lazy day with friends enjoying good food and wine or to taking out a hard worked team in need of some space to clear heads and inspire ideas.

All boat charters are fully crewed allowing you to sit back, relax and enjoy your trip. Oxford River Cruises offers a range of river launches for private charter, some suitable for intimate celebrations and others offering a wonderful Oxford party venue for larger groups.

Chartering a classic launch is a unique way of bringing together groups of family and friends. Whether you are celebrating a special occasion, catching up with old friends or simply want a peaceful, relaxing and private break from the pace of modern life for you and your partner we can design a luxurious charter to meet your needs. 

Boat Hire Prices

Entertainment & Decoration

Catering

Venues and Locations

Corporate Charter

Special Charters

Henley Regatta
Mad Hatters Tea Party
Literary History
Wedding Receptions
Hen Parties
Water Taxi
Filming

Booking Request

Corporate Charter

If you wish to make a corporate booking, perhaps for a team away day or to offer visiting clients unique and memorable hospitality we will work with you to put together the best possible package.

Please see our Corporate Events page for more information.

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Special Charters - Mad Hatters Tea Party

Many of our trips follow the same stretch of river that inspired the first telling of the classic story of Alice in Wonderland.

In celebration of this enduring and fantastic tale we are delighted to offer Mad Hatters Tea Parties on board our classic river launch, Bacchanalia. If you have ever dreamt of taking a bite out of an ‘Eat me’ cake, or gulping down a bottle with ‘drink me’ on the side while gliding down the river looking out for that mysterious white rabbit this trip could be for you. Differing versions of the trip are available for children and adults.

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Special Charters - Literary History

Working with local author and historian Mark Davies we offer several guided cruises and walks along the Thames and the Oxford Canal.

Mark is able to give illustrated talks on a number of local themes - waterways, historical crime, and literature. He brings to life the stories behind some of Oxford most celebrated novels, including, of course, Alice in Wonderland.

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Special Charters - Wedding Receptions

Many beautiful churches and hotels lie on the banks of Thames and nothing could be more romantic than arriving at your service or wedding reception in Oxford by river launch.

Beautiful churches at Binsey and Iffley Village and reception venues on Port Meadow, in Oxford City, Sandford and elsewhere are all within Oxford River Cruises area of operation.

Larger boats are also excellent reception venues in their own right and can host groups of up to 150 people. As well as being unusual, romantic venues they are surprisingly cost effective compared to the hire of marquees or hotels.

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Special Charters - Water Taxi

Oxford River Cruises exclusively offers transfers from Oxford City Centre to the The Perch Inn at Binsey and The Trout at Godstow.

The Perch provides exquisite restaurant meals in a wonderful setting and is available for private functions.

The Trout has an admirable setting on the river bank and is family friendly with good food.

The cost of this service is (based on a one way service):

up to 12 people - £130
up to 24 people - £220

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Special Charters - Filming

Bacchanalia and Golden Slumbers, our Edwardian style river launches, are available for filming work on the Thames.

They have featured in media as diverse as The Daily Mail, The Oxford Times and TV Tokyo's Travelogue.

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Catering

Edwardian River Launch Charters (24 people or less)

Oxford's renowned delicatessen, Taylor's of St Giles, provide exquisite picnic menus for our Edwardian Launch charters. They combine the freshest of produce with rich, homemade indulgences.

To view sample menus please click here. (PDF document, 40KB)

Larger Charters (more than 24 people)

A wide variety of catering options are available for larger parties ranging from a delicate finger buffet to a sumptuous 'River Banquet'.

To view our standard menus please click here. (PDF document, 64KB)

Other menus are available by request. Please contact us to discuss your requirements.

For all private charters you are welcome to make your own catering arrangements but a corkage fee will apply if you wish to bring your own alcoholic drinks aboard. An extensive wine list is available and we can organise Champagne or Pimms receptions.

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Entertainment and Decoration

We can organise many different entertainment options to complement your cruise.

Music can enhance the beautiful and relaxed atmosphere of the river whilst a murder mystery or casino night works particularly well to entertain a group of colleagues. If you would like to organise your own entertainment, we can provide power and amplification if needed. If you are interested in the history of the Thames and its connections to some of Oxford's best known literature then you will find the commentary of our historian, Mark Davies, fascinating.  Mark is a published author with unsurpassed knowledge of Oxford's waterways.  Discos, steel bands and karaoke are popular for those organising a wedding reception or larger boat party.

Jazz Bands - £685
Sophisticated, timeless and stylish

Waterways History Guide - £150
Let local historian, author and publisher Mark Davies guide you through the history and many fascinating literary connections of the Thames in and around Oxford.

Music System Hire - £72
Play the music of your taste via CD or Ipod (own cable required)

Discos - £239
Music tailored to your taste by our DJ

Casino Event - £814
A fun casino with croupiers (Blackjack & Roulette tables)

Murder Mystery Cruise - £814
Become a super sleuth in this interactive challenge

Karaoke - £239
For budding stars in their eyes

Steel Bands - £814
Uplifting vibes from the Caribbean. Perfect on a barmy summer evening.

240-Volt Power - £40
Provide your own entertainment

Quotations are based upon three hour hires (please contact us for longer charters or with other entertainment ideas)
Prices include VAT at 17.5%
Some entertainment options are only available on larger charter boats.

Boats can be enhanced further by our decoration service, personalised to suit your taste:

Fresh Cut Flowers

£100 (Edwardian Launches Only)

Beautiful fresh flowers on the dining table, bow and stern. Perfect for a wedding reception or special celebration.  Flowers and colour themes may be specified. We give preference to british grown blooms. Any imported flowers used will always be fair-trade.

Classic Decoration Package
£199 (£120 for Edwardian River launches)

Entrance decorated with balloon clusters and ribbons with ribbon adorning the awning poles. Balloons bedeck the outside perimeter rail & special helium balloons provide a decorative feature for tables. All personalised to your preferences.

Celebration Decoration Package
£249 (£150 for Edwardian River launches)

As "Classic Package" but using special pearlised balloons. Helium balloons bedeck the outside rail as well as the saloon - a lavish decoration package for a special celebration.

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Locations

Small Charters (12 people or less)

Small group charters usually depart from our moorings at The Perch Inn, Binsey on the beautiful Port Meadow reach of the Thames. The moorings can be reached on foot across Port Meadow from the city centre, or by car. Parking is available (NB: Due to a fire at The Perch, Bossoms Boatyard will be used as an alternative embarkation point until approximately July 2008. Bossoms is also located in Binsey village)

We can also arrange departures from other locations in and around Oxford. Possibilities include Folly Bridge, Osney Island (for Oxford train and coach stations), Iffley Village, Godstow (for the Trout Inn) and Sandford-on-Thames.

Larger Charters (more than 12 people)

Larger charters can depart from either Folly Bridge in Oxford City Centre, Donington Bridge (where parking is available) or the Thames Four Pillars Hotel at Sanford-on-Thames (for guests of the hotel). We can also organise departure from Abingdon, Goring, Henley-on-Thames and many other towns on the river. Full directions will be given at the time of booking.

Please contact us to discuss your requirements.

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Prices

High Season - May to September

Low Season - October to April

VAT: Boat hire charges are currently exempted from VAT
*two vessels operating in tandem
† weather and daylight dependent

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Booking Request

Please complete our online booking enquiry form and we will get back to you as soon as possible to confirm your trip.

Alternatively, please complete our downloadable booking form (PDF) which can be completed by hand and posted to us.

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