Private Tour London Highlights, entries Westminster Abbey, The Tower of London





Description
Join us for a full day Highlights tour of London, this tour is designed to show you around some of the most famous sites. Your Blue Badge guide will take you to Buckingham Palace, Parliament Square and Trafalgar Square before heading into Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London to explore inside. This Tour provides a fantastic overview of central London, your guide is packed with stories and information to make for an unforgettable day. You will travel around like a local, using public transport; tube and buses.
Tour Options
Itinerary
The tour begins at Trafalgar Square, the city centre of London. Here we can admire Nelsons Column, maybe take a photo with one of the Lions protecting Lord Nelson.
Walking towards Whitehall, to see where the Prime Minister lives and works. This is also our chance to look around at the many war memorials, hear stories from your guide about the past conflicts that these monuments represent.
Westminster Abbey, this famous church is recognisable from various famous royal weddings, funerals and coronations, it’s hard to ignore the history here! We’ll enter through the cloisters, a great opportunity to appreciate both the age and the scale of this magnificent building. Look around as we walk into the church, you will see many names, some of these you will recognise immediately, others you may remember once your guide links them with stories. Next let’s have a look at one of the oldest pieces of furniture in the United Kingdom. Last used in 1953, the chair patiently waits for the next coronation. Making our way around the church, we will find the sites of many Royal burials around the High alter. Two sisters, step sisters, both Queens but very different personalities. In life they weren’t very fond of each other, yet in death, they are buried here in the same tomb. Westminster Abbey has so much to offer and we will spend about 90 mins here before we move on.
Can you recognise if Her Majesty is home? Buckingham Palace sometimes comes with the chance to see changing of the guards. During certain days and fair weather, we can join the Regiments marching from their Barracks to the Palace. If the guard change is cancelled, don’t panic! This is London, there is always time for traditional pageantry. The horse guards are just around the corner, they are inspected every day, rain or shine.
Walking down The Mall offers a very regal feel and is also a great spot for spectacular pictures. Maybe one palace isn’t enough? St James’s Palace is waiting close by, offering more stories about the Royal Family. If you’ve had enough the Royals, let’s stop by St James’s Park, a beautiful area of serenity in the middle of the city. This is also a great opportunity to spot some local wildlife, with a huge variety of birds and squirrels calling this park home.
Heading now to Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, this provides a great opportunity for iconic pictures of these world renowned sites. How many statues of famous statesman can you recognise? Your Guide will be happy to explain who some of them were and their significance in British history. Next lets ride the bus or tube through the financial district, known as the City of London. This is an ideal opportunity to compare differing architectural styles, both old and new.
Now we visit the area around St Paul’s Cathedral, another beautiful church with its own unique history. Built in just 35 years by one architect in a consistent style, its position in this part of the London skyline is protected by law. Lets walk around the church yard to appreciate this vast structure. Your guide will show you the best spots to take a picture of this church, whether it’s from the Millennium Bridge or the roof terrace at One New Change. There are plenty of places to eat here and its the perfect time to break for lunch. Fancy fish and chips in one of the local pubs?
Lets now continue our journey east towards the Tower of London, a medieval fortress surrounded by modern architecture. We explore this castle both inside and out, meeting the famous ravens of the tower, seeing the Crown Jewels and hearing all the gory stories about this Palace throughout the years. Beefeater, is not just a brand of a gin, it's another name for the Yeoman Warders. You can't miss them, they are always around, proudly wearing their uniforms and always happy to pose for a quick photo.
On exiting the Tower we will have a spectacular view, of the world famous Tower Bridge. Your tour finishes here and your guide will assist you with directions or help you find a taxi to your next adventure. Your tour itinerary will be finalised on the day to make the most of the events on offer and prevailing weather conditions.
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
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
Reviews(101)
Wonderful tour. Learned so much. Tour guide was friendly and very knowledgeable. Highly recommend this tour.
Stephanie, thank you for this. A private London highlights tour covers a lot of ground with Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London. It sounds like your guide made every stop count. Really glad you enjoyed it! Mark Let me show you London
Great tour, lots of walking but covered great sites and our guide Jess was very knowledgeable. Would recommend for knocking out lots of London sites in a single day.
Nathan, we might be biased, but a private London highlights tour really is the best way to cover that much ground in a single day! Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, and everything in between - it's great to hear Jess kept things moving while making sure you got the most out of each stop. We hope you enjoy the rest of your stay in London. Mark Let me show you London
I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Westminster Abbey. We spent enough time to get the highlights and not feel rushed. The guide, Galina, was thorough and informative. She was very professional and made sure to time everything thoroughly while checking about our comfort and needs. You will be happy you did this tour with her.
Coretta, thank you for sharing your experience. Getting the pacing right across a full day like that takes real skill, and it sounds like Galina delivered it perfectly. The time a guide can spend focusing on their guests during a private tour is unparalled, we're delighted you enjoyed it! Mark Let me show you London
our tour guide was awesome and the day was so great. Westminster Abbey was absolutely the best. The whole tour fit exactly what we wanted to be able to fit in in one day in London. And it was 72°.
Sharon, the history we can guarantee. The 72° we'll quietly take credit for. Really pleased the tour covered exactly what you were looking for! Mark Let me show you London
We had a private tour with Lucy and she was the best guide we had in all London. She was so knowledgeable, pleasant and we highly recommend her. She arrived early as did we, and we finished up a bit early.
Sherri, so glad Lucy made such an impression. Having a genuinely private experience makes such a difference, and it sounds like Lucy delivered that beautifully. Mark Let me show you London
Lucy was an excellent guide! We loved our tour with her. She made us laugh - and cry - with her stories. We highly recommend this tour and Lucy as a guide! We even got to meet a Beefeater! Such a fun and educational day!
Cynthia, what a joy to read this. Lucy is wonderful, she has a real talent for bringing history to life in a way that stays with you. And meeting a Beefeater is always a highlight! Mark Let me show you London
Picked up at hotel- transported in cab while Marina entertained us with an educational card game- fabulous! With our characters integrated throughout her conversations- making history more memorable. Personalized experience, educational and fun!
Christina, thank you for this lovely review. Marina's card game is one of her signature touches - she's brilliant at weaving historical characters into the day's storytelling. So glad it helped the history stick with you. Thanks for choosing us for your London visit! Mark Let me show you London
Marina was an excellent, extremely knowledgeable guide. She accommodated our request to tour St. Paul’s Cathedral even though it was not in the tour description. Highly recommend!
Thank you, Dan! Marina's flexibility in adding St. Paul's shows exactly the personalised service we aim for. We're thrilled she made your highlights tour so memorable! Mark Let me show you London
Marina provided an excellent, fun, and informative experience during our tour of Westminster, Parliament Square, the London Tower, and other sites. She answered our many questions and kept the tour enjoyable for the kids, even using a deck of cards to help teach the curious history of royalty. We highly recommend Marina for others who want to learn about British history from a kind, patient, and knowledgeable guide.
Thank you for such a wonderful review, Amy! Using playing cards to bring royal history to life - that's the kind of creative thinking that makes Marina's tours so special. Her ability to balance answering detailed questions whilst keeping children entertained is really remarkable. We're thrilled she made your Westminster and Tower tour both educational and fun for the whole family! Mark Let me show you London
With Marina as a tour guide you can not go wrong she was a wealth of knowledge and a absolute great person to have show us around.
What a joy to read about your experience with Marina, Douglas! Her depth of knowledge really does shine through when she's guiding, and that genuine warmth makes all the difference. We're thrilled she made your London highlights tour so memorable. Mark Let me show you London



