Private Guided Walking Tours of London
Private Walking Tours of London
We listen very hard to you when you ask us to help plan your private tours in London, then depending on how much time you have for touring, and what your interests are, we’ll customize a tour just for you.
We’ll then ‘matchmake’ you with one of our superb Blue Badge Guides… the very best in London (and other towns around England). Our hand picked guides are highly qualified, yes, but our emphasis is on working with guides who can bring to life London and its colourful history through entertaining stories and anecdotes, and are great company too.
Whether you’d like to hit the highlights, or have been to London before, we like to make you smile at Experience England, and to provide good, old fashioned, personal service and customer care.
Highlights of London Walking Tours
If you are a first time visitor, or have not done a guided walking tour of London before, we’d suggest hitting at least some of the main attractions and sights on one of our fun ‘Highlights Tours’, packed full of sights but light on history.
Places you can explore with your guide include:
· Big Ben and The Houses of Parliament
· Westminster Abbey
· Buckingham Palace and St James’ Palace
· The Changing of the Guard Ceremony (not every day)
· Royal Parks
· Horse Guards Parade
· Churchill’s War Rooms
· Trafalgar Square
· The London Eye
· St Paul’s Cathedral
· Tower Bridge and The Tower of London
and many more sights… Just Ask
We can tailor your tour to suit you, and help you make the very most of your time; so for instance, if all you have time for is a half day tour of up to four hours, we’d suggest having no interior visits so that you can see nearly all of the above sights as possible in a fast, fun, whizbang tour of London.
Or, for instance, if you have two full days, as well as showing you some off the beaten path gems, your guide can show you all the above and take you inside some of them for guided interior visits.
If you have been to London before…
and have already seen the highlights (having said that, seeing them with a great guide will be a VERY different experience than seeing them by yourself) then we can customize your walking tour accordingly. Perhaps you’d like a private guided tour of one of the world’s greatest museums, art galleries, customize a tour for the kids, or to go off the beaten path in central London.
Or for very special VIP experiences, ask us about visiting some of the attractions below when they’re closed to the public… Imagine giving the surprise of having a whole museum, castle or gallery all to yourself! Or if walking is not your scene, many of the tours below can be done with your own iconic London black taxi.
Half day tours of up to 4 hours:
· The Westminster ‘Safari’
This tour is great for first timers and those who have been to London before because we ‘hunt’ for large game like London’s famous attractions, but your blue badge guide will tell you the stranger, funnier stories about them, proving that the English can be rather quirky! But with no interior visits, you’ll also be on the lookout for ‘small game’, such as streets that prove why we drive on the correct side of the road here, royal warrant shops that provide ‘posh’ services to royalty, and beautiful old residential streets.
· The City of London ‘Safari’
As above, this fun guided tour takes in some big game, such as The Roman Wall. The Tower of London, The River Thames and St Paul’s Cathedral, but also takes you off-piste to see ancient alleys, tiny streets, where modern banking was born, amazing old church ruins now dedicated as peace gardens, as well as stunning modern architecture. A really fun way to get to know London.
· Royal London Walking Tour
This popular tour takes you to see Buckingham Palace, St James’ Palace, King Charles III’s house (his London home), beautiful aristocratic houses, a few royal shops and providers, Big Ben and The Palace of Westminster – all from the outside. Then your guide can take you for a 90 minute interior tour of The Royal Coronation Church, Westminster Abbey.
· Guided Tours of Westminster Abbey
Entry with one of our guides allows you to skip the line, before touring the stunning, one thousand year old, Royal Coronation Church, where Kings and Queens have been crowned, married and buried from its earliest years. Walking through here with a knowledgeable Blue Badge Guide is like a walk through British history. A must-see when in London.
· Private Tours of The Tower of London
Visiting London’s palace, prison and fortress with a great guide transforms your tour from baffling to fascinating. See The Crown Jewels, The White Tower, the execution places, meet the famous ravens. And this, by the way, is also one of the best places in London to get up close to the royal guards… great for photos and memories.
· Guided Tours of St Paul’s Cathedral, London
There has been a church on this site for well over a thousand years, and this latest version was built, famously, by Sir Christopher Wren to replace the previous version which was destroyed in The Great Fire of London. An interior guided tour here can also be combined with The City of London Safari. Just Ask!
· Private Tours of The British Museum
or the Natural History Museum, or… any one of the dozens of amazing museums in London. We have guides who are particularly good at leading walking tours of London’s museums, using storytelling to bring alive these world class collections. The British Museum and the Natural History Museum are huge, so it would be easy to miss the most important items, so allow us to match you with the perfect person to lead your private guided highlights tour.
(Do ask about some of the more niche museums too if interested.)
· Tours of Churchill’s War Rooms
An interior private guided tour of Churchill’s War Rooms with one of our guides, followed by seeing some beautiful old streets nearby that somehow survived the intense bombing in this area and still show the marks of WWII. This makes for a fascinating London At War Tour, that can be a half day, or extended to also incorporate a guided tour of The Imperial War Rooms just across the river.
· A Highlights Tour of The National Art Gallery
From Van Dyke to Van Gough, and Monet, Degas, Renoir and Rembrandt… this stunning collection is best seen with a Blue Badge Guide who can not only explain why particular paintings are so important, but also give persepective and context to the subject or time they were created.
Extend your arty tour to include The National Portrait Gallery, The Courtauld Gallery, or The Tate Britain. There are many other smaller art galleries too for the real art hunter, and we have wonderful guides who are passionate about art…Just Ask.
· Tate Modern Guided Walking Tours
The Tate Modern Art Gallery is an amazing place to visit even before you start enjoying the modern art! Housed in a huge old power station, your guide can show you the very best of this world class modern art collection on the South Bank in London in a completely private tour on foot, designed just for you.
We can also create an itinerary to combine this with other nearby sights if you like, such as The Globe Theatre, The Shard or St Paul’s Cathedral.
· Neighbourhoods of London
Get your walking shoes on, hop on the tube with your guide and explore one or more of London’s beautiful neighbourhoods, such as Notting Hill, Kensington, Marylebone, along with their great shops, markets and beautiful residences.
Or see one of the ‘up and coming’ areas like The East End with the wonderful Spitalfields Market and in your face street art. This was also Jack The Ripper’s hunting ground, and although we don’t like to provide tours detailing these awful real-life killings of women, this area was and still is in some ways, gritty and fascinating. Oh, and the best fish and chip shop in London is here!
These neighbourhood tours also work very well as Private Taxi Tours.
· Street Art Walking Tours in London
Many of our blue badge guides are ‘in the know’ about exactly where to find the best street art in London. Can be a dedicated street art tour or as part of a general tour of that area.
· Vintage Fashion Outlets in London Tour
London is on the cutting edge when it comes to fashion of all types, but Vintage is particularly strong. We have guides who can take you to all the best shops in central London and out to some nearby neighbourhoods too… some of the best are literally underground! So let your black cab driver whisk you around and help you with all those bags while your guide gets you into the best of the best Vintage shops.
· VIP Special Access Tours
We can also provide ‘out of hours’ tours at many galleries and museums, so you would have a great guide and the whole place to yourselves! More information HERE
· Tours for Children and Families in London
No matter what their age, we have a specialist tour designer, Sarah, for kids’ tours in London, and guides who adore doing kids’ tours for visiting families. It could be a treasure hunt in one of the museums and galleries, or simply to see the highlights of London but with the tour very much customized to appeal to a younger audience. Just let us know, when contacting us, the age of your children, what their interests are and leave the rest to us. We find that happy children = happy parents.
· Design Your Own Tour…
Tell us if you have a particular interest such as vintage fashion, literature, Shakespeare, menswear, food… and we’ll tailor-make a tour for you with your perfect private guide.
· Walking Tours In England and Scotland
It’s not just London… we can arrange guided walking tours in towns and cities all over England, such as around Bath, or Canterbury, or Oxford. And we have partners in Scotland, Wales and Ireland who can help with your tours there too.
We’d be delighted to help, so please Contact Us now to start planning your trip!
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“John, a thousand thank yous for all your insight and experience. We had such an enlightening and unforgettable time. We could never begin to peel as much skin off of London if we were not guided by such wise and eloquent companions.”
– Janet Dahl, Chicago, USA
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FAQ’s
How long does these walking tours last?
We provide half day tours, full day tours, and multiple day tours.
If you choose a full day tour, we’ll suggest and book a nice old pub, restaurant or café for lunch, so you can refuel and rest. But even on shorter tours, we’ll go at your pace and you can take breaks whenever you like.
How do we get around?
On foot for the most part. But your guide will usually meet you at your hotel or accommodation and, depending on where you’re staying, will help you cover longer distances to and between areas and attractions on public transport, such as The Tube, London Red Double Decker Buses, or Riverboats. Follow the links to our blogs for more information.
Or if you prefer the idea of being driven, we highly recommend considering having your own private London Black Taxi Tour. We have superb, highly trained taxi cab drivers, with top of the range, glass roofed, electric vehicles, just waiting to ‘show off’ London to you.
Are the tours above private?
Yes. These tours are just for you and your friends / family. Ours is a very personal service, from meeting you at your hotel (or other specified location if that works better for you), until your guide drops you wherever you’d like to finish the tour.
Are entry tickets included?
Entry tickets are included. So do let us know how many of you there are, and whether there are any children (with ages) or seniors, so that we can quote accurately.
Can the tour be customised?
Yes. We can for instance tailor the tour for kids, or for those who like taking photos. Or we can do a deep dive into history. Or let us know your interests and we’ll customize a tour just for you. Just ask!
We find a wonderful guide is what people remember most! So do tell us about yourselves and your tastes and interests when you contact us, and we’ll ‘matchmake’ you with your ideal guide.
What is, and is not, included?
Included are: Your guide, fuel, parking, entry fees.
Not included are: Public Transport, your refreshments, meals, gratuities.
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