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London City Tour: Highlights of England's Capital
4.3
2,509 Ratings
Greater London
Immerse yourself in the rich history and iconic landmarks of London on a full-day city tour. Experience the Changing of the Guard, explore the Tower of London, and cruise down the River Thames. Upgrade for a cream tea at Harrods or a London Eye flight!
Immerse yourself in the rich history and iconic landmarks of London on a full-day city tour. Experience the Changing of the Guard, explore the Tower of London, and cruise down the River Thames. Upgrade for a cream tea at Harrods or a London Eye flight!
Duration:
9 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Buckingham Palace - Stop for a photo outside Buckingham Palace and witness the iconic Changing the Guard ceremony. Note: The ceremony currently takes place on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday (subject to availability). On Wednesdays when St. Paul’s opens late (10am), the tour will not include the Guard Change but will instead feature a photo…
- Buckingham Palace - Stop for a photo outside Buckingham Palace and witness the iconic Changing the Guard ceremony. Note: The ceremony currently takes place on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday (subject to availability). On Wednesdays when St. Paul’s opens late (10am), the tour will not include the Guard Change but will instead feature a photo stop outside Buckingham Palace first thing in the morning.
- Westminster Abbey - Capture a photo outside this World Heritage Site with over a thousand years of history.
- Houses of Parliament - Take a photo opportunity outside The Palace of Westminster, including the Great Clock Tower where Big Ben (Great Bell) resides.
- Whitehall - Drive up Whitehall and see Downing Street, home to the official residences and offices of the Prime Minister.
- Trafalgar Square - Drive past this iconic public square.
- Royal Courts of Justice - Drive past the Law Courts of England and Wales. This large grey stone edifice in the Victorian Gothic Revival style was built in the 1870s and opened by Queen Victoria in 1882. It is one of the largest courts in Europe.
- St. Paul’s Cathedral - Be the first group to enter this magnificent cathedral, rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren after the Great Fire of 1666.
- Tower of London - Explore London’s iconic castle and World Heritage Site. Get up close to the Crown Jewels, and meet the legendary Yeoman Warders and ravens.
- Tower Bridge - Built in 1894, the bridge crosses the River Thames close to the Tower of London and has become an iconic symbol of London. Enjoy the view from under the bridge!
- Thames River - Enjoy a guided boat trip on the River Thames from Tower Pier to the London Eye. See the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, The Shard, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Shakespeare’s Globe, and the Houses of Parliament—all from the river!
- London Eye - Enjoy magnificent views of London from The London Eye (if the London Eye upgrade option is selected). The London Eye is Europe’s tallest observation wheel.
- Harrods - Harrods is one of the largest and most famous department stores in the world and is currently owned by the state of Qatar. Enjoy quintessentially English cream tea here (if/when the Cream Tea upgrade option is selected). After tea, the rest of the afternoon is yours to explore the store.
What's Included
- London Eye Standard Ticket (if upgrade option selected)
- Private cruise on the River Thames
- Friendly professional guide and air-conditioned vehicle
- Entry to Tower of London
- Cream tea including a glass of Sparkling wine at Harrods restaurant (if upgrade option selected)
- Changing of the Guard ceremony (selected dates only) and photo stop outside Buckingham Palace
- Entry to St. Paul’s Cathedral
- London Eye Standard Ticket (if upgrade option selected)
- Private cruise on the River Thames
- Friendly professional guide and air-conditioned vehicle
- Entry to Tower of London
- Cream tea including a glass of Sparkling wine at Harrods restaurant (if upgrade option selected)
- Changing of the Guard ceremony (selected dates only) and photo stop outside Buckingham Palace
- Entry to St. Paul’s Cathedral
What's Not Included
- Hotel pick-up & drop-off
- Gratuities
- Food and drinks
- Hotel pick-up & drop-off
- Gratuities
- Food and drinks
Additional Information
Discover the prime attractions of London on an all-day city exploration! Visit St Paul’s Cathedral guided tour, followed by a photoshoot at Westminster Abbey. Don’t miss the essential Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace and take some time to relish lunch around the UNESCO-recognized Tower of London. Wrap your day with a cruising…
Discover the prime attractions of London on an all-day city exploration! Visit St Paul’s Cathedral guided tour, followed by a photoshoot at Westminster Abbey. Don’t miss the essential Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace and take some time to relish lunch around the UNESCO-recognized Tower of London. Wrap your day with a cruising experience on the River Thames. For a more enriched experience, consider upgrading to either enjoying a cream tea at Harrods restaurant or taking a flight on the London Eye.
- Sunday tours are unable to include a tour of St Paul’s cathedral due to the weekly service taking place; you will still be able to go inside the cathedral but there will be no guided tour
- Tour itinerary may change subject to St. Paul’s Cathedral and Tower of London opening times as well as on the day that Changing the Guard does not take place
- The Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace currently takes place on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday (subject to availability). When there is no Changing of the Guards we still stop for a photo outside/near the Palace.
- On Wednesdays when St. Paul’s opens late (10am) the tour will not include the Guard Change but instead will have a photo stop outside Buckingham Palace first thing in the morning.
- London Eye generally closes during January for annual maintenance work. 2025 closure dates: January 6 - 19 inclusive.
- Until the 31st March 2025 the cream tea (same offering) will be served in the Harrods Café located on the lower ground floor.
- Children under 16 years must be accompanied by an adult
Location
Victoria Coach Station
Buckingham Palace Road
Located on 164 Buckingham Palace Road, Victoria, London, SW1W 9TP, approximately 7 minute walk from Victoria Underground and Railway station. Tour departs inside the building at Gate 19 at 7:45am (Boarding starts at 7.30am)
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.3
(2509 Ratings)
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Vondastauffer
May 16, 2025
The perfect Day in London tour - Frank was our tour guide and he was a gem. He was so knowledgeable about London and had so many stories to tell about each place we stopped. He made sure the rather large group stayed together when we walked and gave us plenty of time for bathroom breaks. He pointed out a couple reasonable restaurants that we could grab lunch before we toured the Tower of London. Anyone who has a short amount of time in London should book this tour. We saw so many sights and were given such a depth of information. I highly recommend this tour and ask for Frank.
Review provided by Viator
J_b
May 15, 2025
Highly recommend - Great day seeing all the sights in London. Derek was our very knowledgable guide. The meeting place was very organized and the bus was comfortable. It was a large group--57 people--and Derek did a great job keeping us together. The river cruise was nice and provided a great way to take pictures. We chose the cream tea at Harrods and enjoyed it so much! We met up with another group and John took all of us on a bus to Harrods. It was the end of the day and he could have just ridden the bus but he also spoke of different notable sights on the way. One recommendation: This tour did have a little more walking than I would have imagined from the description. It was difficult for the two people with mobility issues on my tour, and I would not recommend it for people unable to walk far. I had 10,310 steps that day according to my activity tracker.
Review provided by Viator
Lindsey_b
May 14, 2025
Easy walks thru the city... - Easy walks thru the city with a very knowledgeable guide. Wonderful tour bus. Enjoyed lunch near the Tower of London eating delicious traditional fish and chips.
Review provided by Viator
Cathy_m
May 13, 2025
John was our tour guide... - John was our tour guide and Sean was our driver. Two of the nicest men! John knew so much about the area and was easy to listen to. He was very helpful!
Review provided by Viator
Margaret_t
May 11, 2025
Great pace. ... - Great pace. Knowledgeable guide. Good way to see many sites in a limited amount of time. Good amount of walking vs. riding as well as free time to explore.
Review provided by Viator
Adventure43459702294
May 11, 2025
Informative and fun tour. - We did the “Magic of London” tour with John as our guide. I cannot put into words how amazing he was but will try. From the start he was so knowledgeable and funny. We learned so much just driving through London and having him point out little bits and bobs that we never would have noticed. He was also very clear about times and expectations for when to be back. Johanna was our driver and she was also fantastic. We ended our day with tea at Harrods which was so romantic and an absolute dream. I would highly recommend that over the London Eye option having done both.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Marcus_w
May 8, 2025
Great London Tour Adventure - Tour guide, John R., was fabulous- so informative!! Great experience seeing so much. Had to find our own way back, which was not clear, but also not a big deal! Highly recommend!
Review provided by Viator
Cruiser365032
May 12, 2025
Many sites visited and knowledgeable guide. Participants should have been made aware of changes to itenerary in advance - This tour was very interesting and informative. Our guide,John, was very knowledgeable about English history. However, since the tour was on Sunday we didn’t get to go into the church that was in the description and we didn’t get to see the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace which was in the description due to an upcoming holiday.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jim_d
May 15, 2025
Worse experience ever - Worse experience ever. Guide showed up late. Was very disorganized. Claimed we would do things but didn’t. Got us to St. Paul’s only to find it closed. Waited an hour to get in but he forgot tickets. Another delay. Missed changing of the guards. Terrible experience. Better off using hop on hop off bus. Have asked company for a refund.
Review provided by Viator
Robin_s
May 15, 2025
We want a refund!!!! - Disaster!! Worst tour ever!! Guide never showed up on time, A team member Lewis, from the company joined our bus at Victoria station as we just had a bus driver. we missed our stop at Buckingham Palace, due to this, picked up Tour guide across from Abbey did a quick info back on bus. The bus is headed to St Paul’s. He’s on his cell phone trying to work on what’s up App. Complaining to the bus driver that his tour info was sent on what’s up app. As the bus driver Tyreim drives he tries to help tour guide Manus with his phone. We listen to Manus complain, calling the company to say text me how many adults, children, and seniors I have. really? He’s clueless! Meanwhile no explanation of London as we drive through it. I pointed out Trafalgar Square, the art gallery to the Travellers on the bus. Manus was so unprepared, it was ridiculous. Now we get to St Paul’s, he tells the bus driver we will be back on the bus at 10 am. It’s 8:45. He tells us oh I guess it opens at 9 am, but we tell him the sign at the church clearly says opens at 10 am. He says I have to call the company, chat amongst yourself!! So we stand and wait. He tells us to get in the que only to tell us to get out of line and walks us to the other side of St. Paul’s.
So we sat along St Paul’s, waiting. He comes back and says ok they open at 10. So now says let’s walk around. Another disaster! Finally we get in line and wait with all the other groups and as they open and the lines moves he says he doesn’t have our tickets get out of line. He said an associate was to bring them. So once again we are out of line. Hundreds and hundreds are entering and finally he says get back in line so we do and as security checks us and we enter he’s at the back of us. They won’t let us enter without tickets. We have to ask him to come forward. Everyone was complaining. Another disaster! We finally get in and he hardly tells us anything. I showed others the American memorial, the book, explain its meaning. I asked him to show everyone and he just points it out. Terrible!! Almost the entire group were Americans. Then off to the horseman’s guards. We get dropped off and he said you have 1/2 hr and be back on the bus. I showed people that Downing Street was just a couple minutes walk, so I took them. He should have pointed that out. Terrible again.
From there to “lunchtime on our own” before Tower of London. He tells us where to eat in an area but then tells the bus driver to continue down the street to drop us off. Now we had to walk all the way back to that area to eat. Yes we were given an hour but we lost it walking back. Terrible. Even the bus driver said where he usually drops off. We said goodbye to the bus driver and I think everyone tipped him. But most people said they would not tip the tour guide Manus. And we didn’t. Tower of London was on our own and then he walked us to the boat to cruise the river. I know we are not the only people complaining. We never saw Buckingham palace or changing of the guard although he did say in the beginning we would. Time for Manus to retire. We want our money back he gave us nothing but confusion broken promises and disappointment. I should also mention the company had that same person join us, Lewis, just prior to lunch and told us they were concerned. I told him I would write this review. We paid $621. For a very bad tour. I want my money back!
Review provided by Viator
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