Limehouse Basin
where the canal meets the river
A tranquil marina where the Regent's Canal meets the Thames, free, full of yachts and narrowboats ringed by old Docklands warehouses turned apartments.
Free to visit · Limehouse · Limehouse (DLR) · E14 7HA
Opening: Open access · waterside always
Limehouse Basin is the point where the Regent's Canal, having crossed the whole of north London, finally drops down into the River Thames. Once a thunderously busy dock transferring coal and cargo between seagoing ships and canal barges, it is now a calm, sheltered marina.
Today the basin is full of yachts and narrowboats, ringed by converted warehouses and modern apartments, with a lock still connecting it to the tidal river. It is free to wander, and the waterside walkways make a peaceful spot to watch the boats and the reflections.
It works beautifully as the eastern bookend to a Regent's Canal walk, or as a quiet detour from the Thames Path. A free, watery pause in a part of east London thick with Docklands history.
Getting there: A couple of minutes from Limehouse on the DLR and the Overground, east of the City.
Best time to go: A clear afternoon for the light on the water, or as a peaceful start or end point for a Regent's Canal walk.
Insider tip: Use it as the start or finish of a Regent's Canal walk, the towpath runs from here all the way to Little Venice. The lock down to the Thames is worth lingering at to watch boats lifting between the canal and the river.
Free things to do in London · London Free Guide