Medieval History Walking Tour from The Tower of London
Description
This wonderful walking tour along London's River Thames gets you up close with some of London's oldest sights (as well as some of its newest) with an expert historian guide! From the 11th-Century Tower of London, we’ll take you across the iconic Tower Bridge and along the banks of the Thames, to step back in time and discover London’s forgotten history – from the ancient Romans to the modern day! Hear the secrets of this amazing place and of the river itself, as we pass sights both famous and obscure - from the 15th-Century Southwark Cathedral and 12th-Century Winchester Palace, the ancient Borough Market, Shakespeare’s Globe, the Millennium Bridge, and the majestic St. Paul’s Cathedral to name but a few. Be captivated by your guide's in-depth knowledge, marvel at the sights, and hear the stories of those who walked here centuries ago! Passing world-famous landmarks that only a few other tours visit, this unique walking tour is an unmissable experience for your next trip to London.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Pass by the infamous Tower of London, and learn of its 900+ year history, from the time of William the Conqueror to the modern day! Originally built in 1078, The Tower is one of history's most infamous and notorious buildings, and has been the scene for countless historical events throughout its history.
Cross The Thames on the iconic Tower Bridge, and learn how it was built!
See the famous WW2 battleship, that saw action in various conflicts and took part in the D-Day landings!
Learn the history of London Bridge from its beginnings in the year 43AD, through medieval times and the 1212 Great Fire of Southwark, the English Civil War of the 1640s, and up to the modern day!
Pass the 900 year-old Borough Market, beneath early Victorian railway arches and through the oldest food market in the world.
Southwark Cathedral has stood exactly as you'll see it since 1420, although a site of worship has existed here since the year 606. Numerous historical figures now lie at rest inside the building, and the cathedral was used, in the 1550s, as a site for countless heresy trials by 'Bloody Mary' - the notorious daughter of Henry VIII.
Standing at St. Mary Overie dock, learn of Sir Francis Drake's famous 1577 round-the-world voyage, and the controversies that surrounded it!
See the ruins of the 12-century Winchester palace, originally one of medieval London's most important and spectacular buildings. It played host to various Kings and Queens in centuries gone, stood in the centre of the notorious 'Liberty of the Clink', and features the country's oldest prison!
Painstakingly rebuilt after a cannon-related fire in 1613, the beautiful Shakespeare's Globe Theatre stands immediately by the banks of the Thames, directly opposite St. Paul's Cathedral, and is like stepping back in time to 16th-century London!
Learn of the 30-million-year history of the Thames, and of the horrors and unpleasantness that took place here between the 11th century and Victorian times!
Cross The Thames once more on London's famous Millennium Bridge and marvel at fantastic views along the river on your way to St. Paul's!
The masterpiece of legendary British architect Sir Christopher Wren, St. Paul's cathedral is one of the most spectacular buildings in the world, and has stood majestically atop Ludgate Hill since the 1670s. It is an unrivalled display of 17th-century architecture, and, with a site of worship having stood here since the 7th century, countless historical events have taken place here and continue to do so!
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- We will only stop by on each itinerary for the allotted time.
Reviews(272)
This walking tour was incredible; our guide really told the medieval history of London very well. We really enjoyed this visit; we discovered a lot of places that we would never have been able to visit on our own due to a lack of knowledge. Thank you again for the photos; these are the memories of a lifetime that you are giving us ☺️
Our tour guide Mick was an absolute delight. The depth of his knowledge was impressive and it was very clear he was passionate about medieval history. He was very entertaining and I would highly recommend this tour.
Mick was absolutely amazing! He was an expert on so many facets of medieval history! His enthusiasm and knowledge were engaging; I found myself hanging on his every word. His use of props and images was helpful in bringing the past to life! 100/10 would recommend.
Absaloutly excellent walking tour, our guide was incredibly knowledgeable and happy to answer any of our questions. He took us to all the key sites that were listed in the tour guide and made the whole afternoon loads of fun with his witty tales of history.
We were so excited for the tour and Mick did not disappoint! He was so informative and engaging! We really felt like we were back in that time! A true historian.
Mick was a delightful tour guide and very knowledgeable. He had lots of interesting history tidbits and always made sure he didn’t lose anyone!
The guide was great using humor to provide so much information that helped frame my understanding of London over time. Tower Hill was the start and then so many fun stops and stories along the way. At the end a great recommendation for an old historic pub. Great tour!
This tour is truly a hidden gem. (I am so thankful to Anthropic‘s Claude for finding it and recommending it to me!) I have been to London many times and taken many tours and I wanted to do something different this time. Of course seeing Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and Buckingham Palace is great, but once you’ve done that, it’s fun to see something different. (Even if you do that “standard” tour and it’s your first time to London, I highly recommend this walking tour as well because you really do get to see a different part of London that many walking tours do not cover.) Our tour guide Mick was so knowledgeable. I was truly impressed. He couldn’t be stumped with any medieval question. His passion for the subject really shone through and was contagious. The tour had a very well thought out flow and the narrative was cohesive, starting with an execution site that we would learn more about throughout the tour. Our tour group was small, which added to the pleasant, engaging nature of it. There were only seven of us, plus Mick, which was really nice because we were all able to ask questions (I admittedly asked a lot!) and interact with each other. As a history lover and an Anglophile, this was a fabulous afternoon. Also, Mick knows all the best angles for picture taking. Make sure you get him to take a picture of you at the end of the tour, including the iconic red London phone booth and Saint Paul’s dome. The picture can’t be beat! TL;DR: I highly recommend this tour. It’s a great use of two hours in London. :)
We had a wonderful time on the walking tour. Our guide was very personable and engaged in conversation with all in our group.- shared photos and great insight. history lesson - very knowledge as related to the sights visited. We enjoyed it immensely.
It's just over 2 hours long with frequent stops by the guide to give you information on the history. Very interesting and good pace kept by the friendly guide.
