CLASSIC LONDON PRIVATE TOUR BY ‘TUBE’
This tour operates Monday to Friday, subject to attraction schedules and guide availability.
Your personal guide will meet you at your central London residence or agreed meeting point at 8:30am. Then, making use of the ‘tube’ (the Londoners’ nickname for the subway transit system), the Classic London Private Tour takes you through the sights, sounds and stories of one of the world’s greatest cities.
The itinerary for each day is dependent on attraction schedules and opening hours. Tickets to all attractions in your itinerary will be pre-booked and added to your tour price.
MONDAY ITINERARY
● Westminster Abbey
● Changing of the Guard
● Churchill’s Bunker
● British Museum
● Other sightseeing highlights include Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament.
TUESDAY ITINERARY
● Tower of London & Crown Jewels
● Westminster Abbey
● Churchill’s Bunker
● British Museum
● Other sightseeing highlights include Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, Tower Bridge and the River Thames.
WEDNESDAY ITINERARY
● Tower of London & Crown Jewels
● Changing of the Guard
● Westminster Abbey
● Churchill’s Bunker or British Museum
● Other sightseeing highlights include Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, Tower Bridge and the River Thames.
THURSDAY ITINERARY
● Tower of London & Crown Jewels
● Westminster Abbey
● Churchill’s Bunker
● British Museum
● Other sightseeing highlights include Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, Tower Bridge and the River Thames.
FRIDAY ITINERARY
● Tower of London & Crown Jewels
● Changing of the Guard
● Westminster Abbey
● Churchill’s Bunker or British Museum
● Other sightseeing highlights include Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, Tower Bridge and the River Thames.
CLASSIC LONDON PRIVATE TOUR
PRICES & PRACTICAL INFORMATION
● Private day tour in London by ‘tube’.
● Monday to Friday, 8:30am-4:30pm.
● Conducted by officially accredited guide.
● Guide will meet at any central London residence.
● Price for 1 to 10 persons: £460.00*
– *plus travel tickets (as needed) at £10 pp.
– *plus pre-booked attraction tickets.
Tower of London
Your personal guide will give you a tour of London’s oldest building and a World Heritage site. Officially known as Her Majesty’s Palace and Fortress but once described by Shakespeare as ‘The Slaughterhouse’. Blood, Bling & Beefeaters! The original ‘Tower’ was built for William the Conqueror almost 1,000 years ago, and as you will see, successive monarchs added their own defences over the years (to demonstrate their popularity!). The tour touches on the tragic tale of Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII. You will discover his cruelty knew no bounds. See the awesome Crown Jewels, king of bling! Seek out the mysterious ravens. Smile with a superb photo opportunity in front of Tower Bridge. And hear how the famous Beefeaters, also known as the Yeoman Warders, with costumes designed in Henry’s reign, look after a London landmark simply drenched in history.
● Not Monday. Standard entry tickets pre-booked.
Changing of the Guard*
Your personal guide will accompany you to Buckingham Palace for a viewing of the Changing of the Guard ceremony. All the King’s horses and all the King’s men in the kind of pomp that only London does best. As we wait for the military marching band to strike up, your guide will explain this centuries-old tradition, run through the regiments that take part, regale you with regal tales, and, as the band marches by, bag you the best spot for photos of this popular pageant of colour.
● Free to view. Usually takes place on Monday, Wednesday and Friday between August and May and daily during June and July. It does not take place at all during wet weather. If cancelled on the tour date, guided tours of other attractions will be extended.
Westminster Abbey
Your personal guide will give you a tour of the one of the world’s greatest churches. A focus for royal events, this tour visits the place where kings and queens have been crowned for a thousand years. Your guide will take you through a Gothic labyrinth where you’ll discover the tombs of the legendary royal women of the past, such as the Virgin Queen, Bloody Mary and Mary Queen of Scots. See too, the magnificent Henry VII Chapel ceiling. In more recent times, the Abbey was the venue for the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Prince William’s grandparents, the Queen and Prince Philip, married here too, as did his great grandparents, George VI and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. It was also the venue for the memorable funeral of Prince William’s mother Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997. Something of a national mausoleum, the Abbey is also the final resting places of Newton, Darwin and Dickens.
● Usually open Monday to Friday. Standard entry tickets pre-booked.
British Museum
Your personal guide will give you a tour of civilization’s hall of fame! The iconic British Museum was founded over 250 years ago in the academic heartland of London known as Bloomsbury. Recently remodelled, this independent institution prides itself on being the world’s first free public museum. Step into the Great Court and marvel at the magnificent glass roof. Below are the seven million objects that make up the greatest collection of antiquities in the world. This tour examines the Museum’s top 10 treasures from major world cultures. From Ancient Egypt, the Mummies, Statue of Ramesses and the famous Rosetta Stone. From Ancient Assyria, the sculptures of King Sargon’s Palace. From Ancient Greece, the Elgin Marbles. From the Pacific, the Easter Island Statues. From Britain, the Roman Vindolanda Tablets, the early Christian Hinton St Mary Mosaic, the Saxon Sutton Hoo Treasure, and the Viking Lewis Chessmen.
● Usually open Monday to Friday. Free entry.
Churchill’s War Rooms
Your personal guide will give you a tour of Winston Churchill’s wartime underground HQ. Here, as the British Prime Minister battled to save civilisation during World War Two, the tensions and drama are laid bare. The bunker were completed just before the outbreak of war, accommodating map rooms, cipher rooms, switchboards and emergency living quarters used for the entire 1,562 nights of the war. From here, many of Churchill’s great speeches were broadcast. Almost all his directives and instructions were dictated in these rooms. Room 63 was a broom cupboard disguised as lavatory where Churchill had his hotline to President Roosevelt. It was set up using a revolutionary encryption device to mask conversation with ‘white noise’. A fascinating time capsule, the bunker closed down in 1945 and was not re-discovered until 1973. It also features the superb Churchill museum, featuring interactive exhibits, mementos from his life and the original door from No.10 Downing Street.
● Usually open Monday to Friday. Standard entry tickets pre-booked.
CLASSIC LONDON PRIVATE TOUR – PRACTICAL INFO
● Private day tour in London by ‘tube’.
● Monday to Friday, 8:30am-4:30pm.
● Personal officially accredited guide.
● Guide will meet at any central London residence.
● Price for 1 to 10 persons: £460.00*
Tour price does not include:
● Tube travel tickets. If required, these are added to the price at £10.00 person.
● Tickets to attractions: usually pre-booked by us at the attraction’s standard rate including any transaction fees.
● Meals or refreshments.
● Gratuities or tips to guide (at client’s discretion).
This tour uses the ‘tube’ (the Londoners’ nickname for the subway transit system). Here are five great advantages:
- Cost-effective: typically, a family of four can save over £150.00 on the previous car option. We can take larger groups too (up to 10).
- Time-effective: usually a faster way to get around the city, giving you more time to enjoy your tour. As London Transport advertising once proclaimed: ‘It’s quicker by tube!‘
- Eco-friendly: kinder to the environment, and healthier too, with a little more walking involved. Not too much, but enough to burn off some excess calories!
- Engaging: interact with the city, just like a local.
- Iconic: adds another dimension to the London visitor experience. As the oldest and largest underground transit system in the world, it’s practically an attraction in itself.
Note: We do not offer this tour by car. The combined increased costs of fuel, parking, road tax, congestion charges and licences means we can no longer effectively provide a product of reasonable value.
Reviews
Our tours covered in the following media:
● Sunday Times Travel magazine: Feature article.
● Travel Agent Central: Feature article.
● London Evening Standard: Feature article.
● Luxury Travel Guide magazine: Awards section.
● BBC News: UK news section of the website.
● Trip Advisor: ‘Things To Do in London’.
● Magna Carta Trails: Tours section of website.
● New York Times: ‘About’ section.
● Time Out London: ‘Around Town’ section.