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- The nearest stations are Tower Hill (Underground, District and Circle Line) and Tower Gateway (DLR), both a few minutes' walk away.<\/li>\n
- The lock only opens from about 2 hours before to 1.5 hours after high water. When a trip departs or arrives is therefore governed by the tide.<\/li>\n
- For shopping, there is a Tesco Express to the west and a Waitrose to the east of the basins, both within walking distance.<\/li>\n
- Anyone travelling to the United Kingdom without a visa, for example with a German passport, needs an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) in advance. An identity card is not sufficient.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Where is St Katharine Docks?<\/h2>\n
St Katharine Docks lies on the north bank of the Thames in the east of the City of London, between the Tower of London to the west and the Wapping district to the east. The berths are distributed across three basins: the West Dock, the Centre Basin and the East Dock. On the Thames side they are connected by a lock on the south side, through which every yacht enters and leaves.<\/p>\n
The basins were opened in 1828, designed by the engineer Thomas Telford. Between West Dock and East Dock stands the Ivory House, an old warehouse which now houses the marina's reception. Limehouse Marina and South Dock Marina are separate harbours: Limehouse lies about 2.4 kilometres further downstream on the same bank, South Dock Marina about 3 kilometres downstream on the south bank.<\/p>\n
Getting to St Katharine Docks for the start of your trip<\/h2>\n
You can reach St Katharine Docks from all London airports by train and Underground. You walk the last few metres from the station; by taxi you stop right at the lock.<\/p>\n
You apply for the ETA in the UK Home Office app or on the British government website, ideally at least three days before you travel. At the time of writing (November 2026) it costs \u00a320, is valid for two years for any number of stays of up to 180 days each, and expires earlier if your passport expires. Current information is available from the travel and security advice of the Foreign Office (Ausw\u00e4rtiges Amt)<\/a>.<\/p>\n
From the airport to St Katharine Docks<\/h3>\n
The nearest is London City Airport, about 9 kilometres to the east as the crow flies. From there, the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) takes about 20 minutes to Bank, and at the time of writing (November 2026) runs roughly every 8 minutes from Monday to Friday and roughly every 10 minutes at weekends. From Bank, it is just one stop on the Tube from the linked Monument station to Tower Hill.<\/p>\n
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- Heathrow, about 27 kilometres to the west: the Elizabeth Line runs roughly every 20 minutes without a change to Liverpool Street, and from there the Circle Line takes you to Tower Hill in two stops.<\/li>\n
- Gatwick, about 40 kilometres to the south: the Gatwick Express runs roughly every 15 minutes and takes about 30 minutes to London Victoria, where you change to the District or Circle Line to Tower Hill.<\/li>\n
- Stansted, about 47 kilometres to the north-east: the Stansted Express runs roughly every 15 minutes at peak times and takes about 45 minutes to Liverpool Street, then continue as from Heathrow.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
By car, train or boat<\/h3>\n
From Tower Hill Underground station and Tower Gateway DLR station it is a few minutes' walk. From Liverpool Street main line station it is about 26 minutes on foot.<\/p>\n
On the river, line boats (River Bus) run from the Tower Pier landing stage at the Tower of London and from the London Bridge City landing stage on the opposite bank, to Greenwich and the west of the city among other destinations.<\/p>\n
By car the address is 50 St. Katharine's Way, London E1W 1LA. A taxi rank is located at the reception of the Tower Hotel, near the lock, and is normally staffed around the clock.<\/p>\n
Parking<\/h3>\n
The nearest public car park is the City of London's Tower Hill Car and Coach Park at 50 Lower Thames Street, on the other side of the Tower of London, about 750 metres as the crow flies from the marina. It has 110 spaces for cars with a maximum height of 1.98 metres. On weekdays from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 6 a.m. to 1.30 p.m., one hour costs \u00a35.80 for petrol cars from 2005 onwards and diesel cars from 2015 onwards, \u00a34.50 for electric and hybrid cars, and \u00a38.10 for all other cars.<\/p>\n
The car park, like the Tower, lies within the London Congestion Charge zone, in which a daily fee is charged for driving into the area by car.<\/p>\n
Showers and sanitary facilities<\/h3>\n
Washrooms with showers are located in two places: six in the reception building and five in a floating facility in the north-west corner of the East Dock. Both are accessible, and you open the door with your access card. In reception there are two washing machines and two tumble dryers, which are coin-operated. One wash costs \u00a33, and \u00a31 buys 30 minutes of drying (as of November 2026). You bring your own detergent; an iron and ironing board are available.<\/p>\n
Shopping for the trip<\/h3>\n
Two supermarkets are located directly at the docks. To the west, on St Katharine's Way, a Tesco Express opens daily from 6 a.m. to midnight. To the east, on Thomas More Street, there is a larger Waitrose branch, open Monday to Friday from 7.30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday until 9 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.<\/p>\n
A little further away are a Co-op Food about 500 metres as the crow flies northeast of the marina and an Amazon Fresh about 1.2 kilometres northwest towards the City.<\/p>\n
For carrying provisions to your boat, shopping trolleys are available at most pontoon exits; you release them with a \u00a31 or \u20ac1 coin.<\/p>\n
Doctor, pharmacy and emergency services<\/h3>\n
The nearest pharmacy is Towerbridge Wellness Pharmacy, about 400 metres away at the southern end of Tower Bridge. The nearest A&E department is at the Royal London Hospital on Whitechapel Road, about 1.4 kilometres as the crow flies to the northeast.<\/p>\n
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- 999 or 112: emergency number for ambulance, police and fire brigade<\/li>\n
- 111: NHS medical advice when it's urgent but not an emergency<\/li>\n
- On the water: London Coastguard on VHF channel 16<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
What does St Katharine Docks offer?<\/h2>\n
Since February 2020, St Katharine Docks has been operated by IGY Marinas (Island Global Yachting). The marina can accommodate yachts up to 40 metres in length, 12 metres in beam and 3.5 metres in draught. The key details at a glance:<\/p>\n
![\"Tower](\"https:\/\/www.toernfinder.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/toernfinder-tower-bridge-themse-1024x767.jpg\")
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