• Westminster Abbey - Westminster is home to the Houses of Parliament, also known as the Palace of Westminster. In the popular BBC TV series ‘Sherlock,’ Parliament is nearly destroyed by a bomb placed on an underground train, but fortunately, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are there to save the day. While in Westminster, you will learn how the BBC TV series managed to film in one of the most secure locations in the country, and how the train scene might not be as it seems.
• Victoria Embankment - Victoria Embankment is a place Detective Lestrade would be very familiar with, as it is home to New Scotland Yard. Even the modern Detective Lestrade would recognize this area of London, as it is now where the new headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service is located. From Victoria Embankment, we will explore what was once New Scotland Yard, and your guide will explain the history of the building, the Metropolitan Police Service, its new nearby home, and why, although Lestrade is considered one of the best in the Met, he always seems comical next to Sherlock Holmes.
• Downing Street - As is well known, Downing Street is home to the Prime Minister, and occasionally, the Prime Minister has needed to call on the greatest consulting detective of all time, Mr. Sherlock Holmes. While outside Downing Street, you will hear how Sherlock has served Queen and country, and how this sense of duty crosses from the Conan Doyle books into many portrayals of the great detective on stage and screen.

Next to Downing Street is the Cabinet Office, the perfect place to explain the Holmes family’s links to the British government. Here, outside the Cabinet Office, you will learn all about Sherlock Holmes’s elder brother, Mycroft Holmes, and how it is said that ‘he is the British government.’

• Old Admiralty Building - The Old Admiralty Building has housed the U.K.’s leading politicians and is traditionally home to the First Lord of the Admiralty. As you walk past this historic building, your guide will explain how the Sherlock Holmes story, “The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans,” is considered the earliest spy thriller, and how this classic inspired spy thriller writers such as Ian Fleming.
• The Athenaeum Club - The Athenaeum Club is Conan Doyle’s old club and served as inspiration for the famous Diogenes Club. But why were these clubs so important when Conan Doyle was writing? Why are they important now? And do any of them really have ‘Stranger’s Rooms’? Find out on our tour.

From outside the Athenaeum Club, you will also see the statue of Edward VII and discover from your guide a surprising link between this scandalous monarch and Sherlock Holmes.

As you walk towards Piccadilly, you will also hear how Cox and Co played an important (if fictional) role in Dr. Watson’s Chronicles of Sherlock Holmes cases.

• Piccadilly Circus - Stand outside The Criterion Bar and Restaurant and learn about how this former London institution celebrates its links to Sherlock Holmes, even though it is now an Italian restaurant.
• Trafalgar Square - Trafalgar Square is one of the most famous landmarks in the United Kingdom and an incredibly popular filming location. Seen in both ‘Elementary’ and ‘Sherlock,’ you will learn how these two modern dress versions of Sherlock Holmes came to film in the same location, and discover the history of this famous square and why it is of national and historic importance.
• Sherlock Holmes - The Sherlock Holmes pub is a London landmark unlike any other. Originally the Northumberland Arms, believed to have inspired the Northumberland Hotel in the Sherlock novel “The Hound of the Baskervilles,” today this pub is a must-visit for any Sherlock Holmes enthusiast. Inside, the pub contains numerous artifacts related to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes, and Dr. Watson. The pub even includes a replica of the 221B apartments as described in the short stories and novels, which you will see as part of the tour.

Should you wish to sample Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson ale, which this pub offers, please let your guide know, as you will be able to stop for a quick pint before continuing with our tour. Other alcoholic beverages are available, and soft drinks are available for those under 18 and those who do not wish to drink.

• Barts - St. Bartholomew’s Hospital is the oldest hospital in Europe, founded in 1123. While outside this historic and very famous hospital, your guide will reveal its impressive history and why Conan Doyle chose this hospital as the alma mater of Dr. John Watson. While here, you will hear how Sherlock Holmes first meets Dr. Watson in the short story “A Study in Scarlet” and why the BBC TV series chose this building as a substitute for the Reichenbach Falls in their series two finale.

Want to know what it’s like to study at Barts Hospital? If so, you can request a guide who studied their Masters of Science at Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry in the Wolfson Institute of Population Health. (Please note this guide may not always be available, please message us for more details.)

• Speedy’s Sandwich Bar & Cafe - Sadly, Speedy’s Sandwich Bar and Cafe was a victim of the global COVID-19 pandemic. However, Sherlock’s front door is still there, and this is the perfect place to stop for pictures that will make your friends back home envious. While here, your guide will explain why North Gower Street was chosen for Baker Street in the hit TV series ‘Sherlock’ starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. Your guide will also explain that while some locations in London were used, many of the locations seen in the hit TV series are over 200 miles away. Why did they film so far away? The answer is ‘elementary, my dear tourist,’ and all will be explained while you soak up the atmosphere of this iconic filming location.
• Baker Street - Everyone who loves Sherlock Holmes knows that he lives with his companion Dr. Watson and their housekeeper Mrs. Hudson at 221B Baker Street. While on this most famous street, your guide will explain why Conan Doyle chose this address as Sherlock Holmes’ residence and the problems it caused one of Britain’s leading banks. It is here on Baker Street that you will also learn how the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle inspired one of Britain’s most secret and clandestine intelligence agencies during the Second World War, and you will briefly hear about their most famous and daring raid to disrupt the Nazi atomic weapons program.

The tour will finish outside the Sherlock Holmes Museum on Baker Street, where you can queue to explore the only museum in London dedicated to a fictional character. (Entry to the museum is not included as part of this tour.)

• Private tour with a personal guide

• Gratuities

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.