The Boat Race in short

When

Saturday, 3 April 2027 (expected, not yet confirmed by the organiser)

Where

Thames from Putney to Mortlake, London, United Kingdom, about 7 km from the centre

Free time

Gaps of two to four hours between screenings or shows, and whole days for companions.

Best base

South Bank and Bloomsbury: Walk to the museums, theatres and the river.

Getting there

Heathrow (LHR) has the Elizabeth line to central London in 35 to 45 minutes and the Heathrow Express to Paddington in 15 minutes.

Weather

In April, London averages highs of about 14°C and lows of 4°C, with roughly 42 mm of rain in the month. Expect about 12 h 59 min of daylight.

Top things to do

Tower of London and Crown Jewels; Warner Bros Studio Tour: The Making of Harry Potter; Thames river cruise

Know before you go

• Free to watch from the riverbanks; Putney and Hammersmith are the busiest spots.

Weather during The Boat Race

In April, London averages highs of about 14°C and lows of 4°C, with roughly 42 mm of rain in the month. Expect about 12 h 59 min of daylight.

What to pack

• A warm layer for the evenings.
• A light rain jacket, just in case.
• Comfortable walking shoes and a small day bag.

Monthly averages for 2001 to 2025 from NASA POWER. Check the forecast a few days before you travel.

Airport to Thames from Putney to Mortlake

Heathrow (LHR) has the Elizabeth line to central London in 35 to 45 minutes and the Heathrow Express to Paddington in 15 minutes. Gatwick (LGW) has the Gatwick Express to Victoria in 30 minutes. Stansted and Luton have trains to Liverpool Street and St Pancras.

District line to Putney Bridge.

Public transport directions to Thames from Putney to Mortlake

Where to stay by budget

Three hotels we would book

• Budget: Premier Inn London King's Cross
• Mid-range: Hub by Premier Inn London Covent Garden
• Splurge: The Savoy

Links search the nights from 2 April to 4 April. Event weekends sell out early and prices rise as the date gets closer: book a cancellable room as soon as you know you are going.

Day plans for the free hours

Built around the usual festival stay schedule for Saturday, 3 April 2027. Session times change: check the official timetable and move the blocks around.

Family-friendly picks

• Natural History Museum dinosaurs.
• Science Museum.
• Diana Memorial Playground in Kensington Gardens.
• London Zoo.

Evening and day-trip tours

After dark

• Soho and Shoreditch bars.
• Rooftop bars in the City.

Ten tours worth booking for The Boat Race

Event weeks sell out. Book tours with free cancellation as soon as the session times are published.

Where to eat

• Borough Market Food stalls under the railway
• Dishoom Bombay café; queues at peak times
• Padella Fresh pasta at Borough
• Flat Iron Cheap good steak
• Mercato Metropolitano Big food hall in Elephant and Castle
• Rules London's oldest restaurant, game and pies
• Brick Lane Bagels and curry houses
• Dishoom King's Cross Breakfast bacon naan

Reserve dinner for the nights around the event: restaurants near the venue fill up days ahead.

Rainy-day backups

• British Museum.
• V&A.
• Churchill War Rooms.

Getting around on event days

• The Tube, Overground and Elizabeth line run on contactless with a daily cap. Some lines run all night on Fridays and Saturdays.
• Twickenham: trains from Waterloo; Wembley: Jubilee and Metropolitan lines or Chiltern trains; Wimbledon: District line to Southfields.
• Tap in with a contactless card on buses, trams and most urban trains.
• Book long-distance trains early on the operator app or Trainline: walk-up fares are expensive.
• Uber works in most UK cities; local black cabs are metered.

Day trips from London

• Windsor: 35 minutes by train
• Oxford: 1 hour by train
• Brighton: 1 hour by train

Organiser of The Boat Race? Add this guide to your website.

Questions people ask

How we put this guide together: dates come from the organiser's published calendar or, when not yet announced, from the event's usual pattern; weather from NASA POWER monthly averages 2001 to 2025; venue access and city tips from our own research. Last checked 2 November 2026. How we research.

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