Walk London: Big Ben to Tower Bridge (Private or Group City Hike)





Description
Made for travellers who enjoy a good walk and a good story — this is London done properly. Join your fun local guide on an urban hike filled with iconic sights and secret spots, with a lunch stop at the city's best food market and a 250-year-old pub at the finish line. Along the way, great stories bring London's history to life — from Roman walls to the Blitz and beyond. - Famous landmarks AND hidden gems — Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, the Banksy graffiti tunnel, WWII ruins and more - An engaging local guide — knowledgeable, friendly, and full of great stories - Join a small group OR book a Private tour, meaning the tour can be tailored to your walking pace and interests - Stop for lunch at Borough Market - End with a well-earned pint at a favourite local pub near Tower Bridge (optional)
Tour Options
Itinerary
We begin our hike at easy-to-reach Waterloo Station. Meet your friendly hike guide, stretch those legs and off we go! We'll start with a walk to the river through the "Banksy Tunnel" - a graffiti-covered underpass that's a real secret London treat!
Reaching the southern bank of the River Thames, we see the iconic big wheel before crossing Westminster Bridge
Cross the river the Westminster and stop for a photo with Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament
Pass through busy Parliament Square to see the famous statues and take a picture with beautiful Westminster Abbey
Next, we walk up Whitehall past 10 Downing Street (home to the UK Prime Minister) on our way to opulent Horse Guards Parade. See the King's Life Guard on horseback as we pass the grand old buildings and walk through the parade ground.
We hike through stunning St. James's Park on our way to the Palace
We'll make a quick photo stop at the home of the King!
Pass through charming Green Park in the heart of Royal London
We pass by grand St. James's Palace and Clarence House
Our route takes us up The Mall and to the iconic archway
We'll walk through Britain's most famous public square to see Nelson's Column, National Gallery and the beautiful statues and fountains
We walk down to the Victoria Embankment Gardens, and we'll be following the river all the way to St. Paul's Cathedral with lots of great views on route!
We'll head to the iconic St. Paul's Cathedral for a close-up look!
We walk south and cross the river again using the walkway known locally as "Wobbly Bridge"!
Our route continues along the vibrant South Bank of the Thames, passing by the Tate Modern and Shakespeare's Globe Theatre on our way
We'll take a break at London's most famous food market! Here, you'll have around 45 minutes to explore, grab some great food, and have a little rest before the final part of the walk.
Crossing the river again, we'll enjoy amazing views in both directions from London Bridge
Entering the City of London (one of the city's oldest and most important areas), we'll make a quick stop to learn about the Great Fire of 1666.
We'll pass through our favourite secret London park on our way to see one of the last remaining sections of the city's original Roman walls
Our route takes us around the outer wall of the 900-year-old Tower of London!
A real must-do experience.... Our final stretch takes us across the iconic Tower Bridge! We finish near a great local pub - as all good British hikes should! Grab a pint or some pub grub to recharge
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
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- The tour covers a little over 10km on foot. Please let us know in advance if any of your group is uncomfortable walking long distances
- Kids are welcome if they're good walkers! We suggest ages 12 above due to the distance.
- A reasonable fitness level is recommended. We move at around average walking pace for approx. 2.5 hours, take a lunch break, then walk another hour to the finish.
Reviews(27)
I had such a wonderful experience on this walking tour in London. The tour guide was incredibly knowledgeable, engaging, and passionate about the history and stories he shared. Since I was the only person on the tour, I honestly worried it might feel awkward, but he made the experience feel so relaxed, personal, and enjoyable from start to finish. I’m not naturally a very social person, yet he made me feel completely comfortable and genuinely included the entire time. It felt less like a tour and more like exploring the city with someone who truly loves what they do. I learned so much and appreciated the effort and energy he put into making the experience special, even for just one guest.
Thank you! This is very nice to read, and it was an absolute pleasure to show you around London!
I had a fantastic experience with my 2 teenage kids on our Walk London Tour with our wonderful guide, Paul. Paul is a natural storyteller and he made the streets of London come alive for us. He told us countless stories about various landmarks and historical figures in such an interesting manner. My kids thought he was really kind and funny and loved the tour! This really was the best way to get the feel of the city. I would definitely recommend this tour:)
Thank you! Really glad you enjoyed it. It was great to meet you all and I had fun showing you around :)
Amazing experience! Even though there weren’t enough people for the tour, he still gave me a private one, which I really appreciated. He was super flexible, even helped with my luggage, and made the whole tour feel relaxed and personal. Instead of overwhelming me with facts, he kept it light, interesting, and engaging - more like exploring London with a friend. He also took tons of great photos for me!☺️ Highly recommend to anyone visiting London.
Thank you! It was great to meet you and I had fun showing you around London. Glad you enjoyed it :)
Very collegial and great exercise as we hit many of the non-museum/art highlights of London. Lunch at the George pub w/cider & a watch of women’s football on the giant outdoor screen a great backup to the holiday-closed Boroughs Market. Paul was like meeting a friend of a friend who agreed to show us around—very nice.
thank you! It makes my job much more fun when I have such nice people to show around :) I hope the rest of your trip is a hoot
Super overview of many sights of the city. Our guide Paul also shows us some insider tips. Impressive views from the bridges. Visiting a food market and at the end a nice pub. Great tour and nice guide.
thank you! It was great to meet you all and show you around my city - glad you enjoyed it :)
A wonderful and informative tour. Paul accommodated my requests to add a few additional stops enroute and did supplemental research to provide talking points at these stops. His banter was on point and the conversation flowed easily. The pace of the walk was exactly as advertised, and the route has been arranged for maximum visual impact with a surprise around every corner! I took this tour the day after landing and it was the perfect way to get my bearings in the city while shaking off jetlag and was worth every penny of the solo price. Also, a sufficient number of options for washroom breaks, which I had not considered as a selling point prior to booking, but which was incredibly considerate. You need to book with Paul!
Ah thanks! Very kind words and it was an absolute pleasure to show you around. So glad you enjoyed it :)
It was our first time in London. Paul is a very friendly and enthousiastic guide. The tour takes you to a lot of important highlights. We had heard about some of the highlights trough the internet but we learned a lot of new things about the imposing buildings and places, great experience!
Thank you! It was great to meet you all and I'm very happy you enjoyed the experience :)
This is a fast moving walking tour that allows you to see all the major, most well-known London sites. We enjoyed seeing everything and the commentary provided by the tour guide. It was fun that the tour ended at a lovely London pub, where we ate an early dinner and shared drinks together. Anyone taking this tour should be able to walk for 3-4 hours at a normal to fairly quick pace.
Thanks for the review! It was great to meet you and I'm really happy to hear you enjoyed the walk!
London City hike was a great experience with a humble and experience guide, Paul who showed us most of the London iconic landmarks. It was a pleasurable journey and great experience.
Thank you :) It was great to meet you and I'm glad you hear your enjoyed exploring London!
Highly recommend but if you are not used to walking this much it might be tough. Wear good shoes!! We saw so many things I never expected to. A fantastic way to hit all the icons in a relatively short time… we could have never done this on our own. Paul was amazing!!
Thank you! It was really good meeting you all and showing you around my city. I hope you enjoy the rest of your trip!



