Tower Hamlets stretches from the Tower of London to the Lea, and from Victoria Park down to the tip of the Isle of Dogs. It has the towers of Canary Wharf, the curry houses of Brick Lane, the market at Spitalfields and some of the oldest streets in the East End. Minibus hire Tower Hamlets customers book reflects all of that, with corporate travel, tours, nights out, weddings and a lot of airport runs to London City, which sits just over the border.
From our base in SE1, the western edge of the borough is ten to fifteen minutes away across Tower Bridge, and Canary Wharf about twenty to thirty.
Canary Wharf and Docklands
Canary Wharf is the borough's business centre, with banks, law firms and tech companies in its towers. Teams there book us for client events, away days and airport runs. The estate has its own rules about where vehicles can stop, so we agree pickup points in advance.
Around Canary Wharf, the Isle of Dogs and Limehouse have thousands of homes in newer developments along the river, and residents book us for family airport runs and celebrations.
Minibus hire Tower Hamlets for tours
The Tower of London is the borough's most famous sight, and tour groups and school trips come from all over the world. Coaches and minibuses drop at set points near Tower Hill, and the driver waits nearby. Tower Bridge is a few minutes' walk. St Katharine Docks, beside the bridge, has restaurants and a marina, and it's a good spot for a group lunch after a morning at the Tower.
Spitalfields Market and Brick Lane, in the west of the borough, are popular for walking tours of the old East End. The Young V&A in Bethnal Green, a museum for children and families, draws school groups.
Brick Lane, Spitalfields and nights out
Columbia Road's Sunday flower market, on the Hackney border, fills the streets around it from early morning. Brick Lane is famous for its curry houses, and stag dos, birthday groups and office parties book us to get there and back. Its bars and the streets around it are busy at weekends, and Sunday's markets fill the area with visitors.
The lane is narrow and gets crowded, so we'll agree a pickup point on Commercial Street or one of the side streets nearby. You'll get a text with the precise location.
Hospitals, universities and weddings
The Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel is one of the biggest hospitals in London, and staff book us for team events and leaving dos. Queen Mary University of London, in Mile End, brings students and staff who book us for sports fixtures and field trips.
Tower Hamlets has a lot of weddings, often with big guest lists and celebrations across more than one day. For those, two or three minibuses running loops, or a mini coach, keep everyone moving. Tell us the numbers and the timings for each event. The East London Mosque on Whitechapel Road and the borough's many places of worship also organise group trips, and we'll plan comfort stops for older passengers on longer runs.
Victoria Park, on the northern edge of the borough, hosts big summer music festivals that close the roads around it. Bow and Mile End are mostly residential, with family pickups and school runs. Wapping, along the river, has warehouse flats and riverside pubs, and some quiet streets that suit a minibus pickup better than the main roads.
London City Airport and the A13
London City Airport is just east of the borough, about fifteen to twenty minutes from Canary Wharf and Whitechapel. Stansted is around an hour, via the A12 and the M11. Heathrow is a long cross-London run of an hour or more.
For early flights, the roads east are clear, and a pickup at 3:30am for a 6am Stansted flight is usually right for a group. The A13 Commercial Road and the A11 Mile End Road are the main roads east, and both are busy at peak times. The Limehouse Link tunnel carries traffic between the City and Docklands under Limehouse.
The Blackwall and Rotherhithe tunnels
Two road tunnels cross the river from Tower Hamlets. The Blackwall Tunnel, from Poplar to the Greenwich peninsula, charges a user fee and queues at peak times. The Rotherhithe Tunnel, from Limehouse to Rotherhithe, has height and width limits that rule out larger minibuses.
The thing to know about minibus hire Tower Hamlets residents book for trips south of the river is that we'll pick the crossing that suits the vehicle and the time of day. Sometimes that's Tower Bridge, sometimes the Blackwall Tunnel, and sometimes a longer route that avoids both.
Give us the addresses and the timings, and the driver will plan the crossing before setting off.
For minibus hire in Tower Hamlets, call 020 7183 0567.