Tired of Tourist Crowds? Try a Private Tour of London Instead

Tired of Tourist Crowds? Try a Private Tour of London Instead

Depending on the time of year and the time of day, London’s most famous areas and attractions can get very busy… not surprisingly as London was recently voted the No 1 Destination on the whole planet by Tripadvisor users.

But don’t worry… help is at hand if you’d like to avoid the crowds and to truly enjoy London at its best…

How Can Doing a Private Tour of London Help with Crowds?

I think those who have explored cities both ways, with and without a private guide, know the answer to this…
Having a friendly local tourist guide means that local knowledge comes into play. For instance, did you know that if you go to watch the Changing of the Guard Ceremony at Buckingham Palace, you won’t see much if you join the thousands who stand right in front of Buckingham Palace? On a private tour, especially if you have asked for private London tours for families, a good guide will move you to very specific places at specific times during the ceremony, so that even little ones can see the soldiers marching past… you can even march with them for a time if you like. Very British!

This is just one example of how being on a private tour will transform your experience… excitement, rather than frustration.

Your ‘Unique London Private Tours’? Are They Genuinely Unique and Private?

Bespoke is a word often used to describe hand made clothing, made specifically to fit the client. The same word can be used to describe tours… at Experience England Tours, we listen hard to what you want to see, how you like to travel (foot tours, taxi tours, lots of photo stops, not much history, deep dive history… you get the picture…) and tailor make the tours to suit you. So yes, each tour is unique… bespoke… customised… to you. We know how to plan, for instance the best time to arrive at The Tower of London to avoid the line to see The Crown Jewel collection. If you get here at the wrong time, it can lead to mighty frustration. With good planning, you’re out of there by the time the crowds start arriving.

Finally, to be clear, private means private… there will be nobody on your tour but you and your loved ones. Be careful, some companies ‘seem’ to provide private tours, then you find that they’re actually small group tours and people you don’t know will join you!

 What Exactly Are Luxury Private Tours of London?

Good question. In the Oxford English Dictionary, Luxury is defined as follows:
- A Pleasure or Advantage, obtained only rarely,
and…
- A State of great comfort or elegance!

We probably can’t help with the elegance, (although some of our Blue Badge Guides are very dapper!) but we believe the best private tour of London would certainly involve more comfort in terms of elbow room (we can either plan your tour around the places you want to see being quieter at that time of day, or we can even organise special access tours at many attractions, museums and galleries so you visit when they’re closed, or go behind the scenes when they’re open… a rare pleasure or advantage indeed.

Another way to add ‘a state of comfort’ to your London tour is to tour London by car:

Tour London By Car? Are The Roads Not Too Busy?

London private tours by car are a wonderful way to see the capital city.
Again, it’s all in the timing and… in the choice of car and driver.
If you were, for instance, to ask an UBER driver to take you around London, the chances are they will not tailor the experience at all. They will get stuck in lines and because they use an app to find their way, once you’re in that line, that’s it.

But with regard to our London Black Taxi Tours, the drivers have done ‘The Knowledge,’ a hugely challenging training that takes YEARS to make sure they know all the alternative ways to get pretty much anywhere in London. AND… this is important, our Black Taxis can use the bus lanes, so in many places they can simply sail past the lines! 
Car tours of London can also mean being able to see more in the time available… getting around on The Tube is great, and we do recommend trying that with or without your guide on one of your tours, but getting around above ground can mean two things:

-             Seeing more of London as you travel

-             Being able to go and see neighbourhoods and market and local area where there is no tube station nearby.

Actually, there is a third… you’ll use your legs less!

Should I Always Book a Taxi To Get Around Then?

If all you need is to get, say from your hotel to the theatre, or to  a restaurant, you can either ask your hotel to phone for one, or you can hail them on the street.

But if you plan to use one to tour, then yes, book one of our Electric Black Taxis: they are spotlessly clean, have a panoramic glass sunroof which is great for sightseeing, and our drivers really know how to look after you. Customer care is their thing… some of our clients even hire one for the day, with no guide, just to take them shopping, browsing and exploring by themselves.

We’d also recommend using one of our electric taxis if you plan on doing our Windsor Castle private tour or the Hampton Court private tour from London. They take up to six passengers, so five plus your guide. Three face forward, three face back, which is fine for these shorter journies…

However we would suggest that for longer distances, for instance if you would like to do the private tour of Oxford from London, we would provide a luxurious Mercedes and driver, suitable for your group size; perhaps the S Class for just two people, the V Class for up to six and the Sprinter for up to 16.

We hope this is all clear, but do Contact Us if you have any questions; we’d be delighted to help.

John