A Christmas Carol and Charles Dickens Old London Walking Tour
Description
Treat yourself to a private and bespoke tour at your own pace to the sites immortalised by one of the most famous authors in the world, Charles Dickens. This tour takes you on a journey through Dickens London, focusing on the story "A Christmas Carol" perfect to get you in the festive spirit. See the very sites that still survive much as Ebeneezer Scrooge would have remembered them. Your guide will bring to life the Hidden Courts, Alleys and Taverns featured in Dickens work. The tour includes a stop at one of London's oldest pubs, with a fire to warm you as you find a cosy corner and perhaps enjoy a mulled wine. Charles himself was known to be a regular, as was the notorious Hellfire Club. • Get into the festive spirit and follow in Scrooges Footsteps • Real locations featured in the stories • Explore hidden Alleys, Courts, and Taverns • A private tour at your leisure - No rushing or strict schedule! • Met direct at your London accommodation • Includes hidden sites
Tour Options
Itinerary
On our journey towards the locations featured in A Christmas Carol we will take in some other Dickens sights. Let's explore the area where Dicken's worked as a junior Clerk. From the mysterious Inns of Court he took inspiration that would later find it's way in to David Copperfield, Great Expectations, and Martin Chuzzlewit.
A Tavern with Cellars dating to the 13th Century. This Pub was a haunt of Dickens and a meeting place for the Hellfire Club. David Copperfield drinks here in the Novel of the same name. Shall we rest by the fire and warm up with some Mulled Wine?
Right next to the Bank of England, the Royal Exchange is where the Ghost of Christmas yet to come takes Scrooge to see his colleagues discussing his funeral. The steps of the Exchange are the traditional spot where Royal announcements are made. Today you can cross the trading floor, but the bankers are long gone. Now designer shops, and Champagne bars attract the visitors attention.
Let's get off the beaten path and head deep into the world of Ebeneezer Scrooge and 'A Christmas Carol' as we visit Scrooge's Counting House, the place where he took supper on Christmas Eve, and Charles Dickens favourite Chop House the George and Vulture. If Dickens was on this tour with us, he would be able to go in to the George and Vulture, find his favourite table, and even order his favourite meal. Not a lot has changed. This atmospheric old tavern was the meeting place of the Pickwick Club and is mentioned over 20 times in the Pickwick Papers. The equally unchanged Tavern round the corner, Simpsons is most likely Scrooge's favourite eating spot. Your guide will explain why!
One of Charles Dickens favorite restaurants and Chop Houses. Mr Pickwick and his famous Club met here. As did the notorious Hellfire Club. The interior of this fine establishment is unchanged since the time of Dickens.
Was this Scrooges Dismal Tavern?
In recent years this beautiful market has been used in the Harry Potter Films. But Charles Dickens used this location in A Christmas Carol. It was here that Scrooge sent the boy to fetch the largest Turkey on Christmas morning when he awoke as a reformed man.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
Reviews(13)
Richard provides a tour that goes well beyond the inspiration for Dickens Christmas Carol..His account takes you back almost 200 years to many of the very images and places that Charles Dickens would have frequented.. Richard also provided a wonderful lesson on the Inns of Court and their role in the administration of justice emanating from the Westminster area …excellent educator…
Thank you for this great review. I really appreciate it, and I am so happy that you enjoyed the tour. Hope to see you again for one of my other London Tours.
We booked a Charles Dickens tour with Richard and it was a highlight of our London trip. He really has a gift for blending history, geography, and literature in his storytelling.
Thank you so much! What a great review, and I really appreciate you taking the time to leave it. I hope to see you again on a future trip. Thanks again.
This tour was by far the best experience during our entire stay! Richard was so knowledgeable about Old London and Charles Dickens he literally made the streets, shops, taverns, and buildings come to life!
This is so great to read Brenda! Thank you so much for this wonderful review. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas, and it would be great to see you again on one of my other trips.
Great tour. I can imagine it would be even better round holidays. Lots of good information about the history squeezed in with all the dickens info you ever wanted to know. Kids (9 & 11) years old are inspired to dive into their first Charles Dickens novel when we get home.
Thank you so much for this lovely review. It really means a lot to me, and I am so glad you enjoyed it. I hope the rest of your trip was fantastic, and it would be great to see you all again.
My husband was NOT looking forward to my choice of the Christmas Carol Tour in London, thinking it would be stodgy and boring. Boy was he wrong and he (and I) absolutely loved it! Richard, our tour guide, made this tour festive, humorous, and full of facts we never knew about Dickens, London, the historical times, and more, while showing us places old Scrooge may have worked and lived. Very fun tour - highly recommend Richard!
Thank you so much for this super review! I am so glad I managed to change your Husbands mind and prove your choice of tour was the right one! I hope you had a great Christmas, and happy New Year!
I’m sorry I don’t remember our guides name but he had a green jacket and grey bag and an umbrella. The tour took us through the most beautiful parts of London and our guide made The Christmas Carol come to life. It was amazing.
Many thanks William. That green jacket, grey bag, and black umbrella guy was me! (Richard) Thank you for joining the tour, and taking the time to leave your great review. I am so glad you had a great time. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas!
Richard was an amazing and knowledgeable guide. He knew so much and showed us even more. I would recommend the tour and Richard anytime.
Thank you so much! What a lovely review. Pleasure to meet you and share this part of historic London. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas, and that my tour helped kick off the festive period for you! Thank you once again.
The tour and story telling by our host Richard were unbelievable. He was so knowledgeable and took the time to really make the experience amazing for us. I would highly recommend this tour and especially with our tour guide Richard. Just amazing!!!
This is so nice to read! Thank you so much for the great review. It was a real pleasure to meet you and your family, and I hope that the next time you read "A Christmas Carol" you will be able to visualise the places we visited. Hope to see you on a future trip!
Richard was a great guide and I learned about the great City of London Dickens sites, with an emphasis on “ A Christmas Carol” for the Holidays! This is an excellent Experience with plenty of walking. We visited a few Pubs as well, all part of the Dickens education. Cheers Richard, from Los Angeles!
Thank you so much! So glad you enjoyed your tour. Pleasure to meet you. I would love some LA sunshine right now!
We thought it would be interesting to learn more about Charles Dickens and see some of the locations from A Christmas Carol during our recent trip to London and this tour did not disappoint! Richard is an incredible guide and is so well versed in Dickens and London. I enjoyed hearing his stories not only about Dickens but also why he believed that the locations he was showing us were the actual locations that Dickens referenced in A Christmas Carol. Being on this tour really made me feel like I was experiencing the book - it was an incredible experience and I cannot recommend this tour enough!!
Such a great review, and very much appreciated! So happy that you enjoyed the tour, and that I managed to bring the book to life. Hope we meet again on your next trip.
