St James', a Private Walking Tour of London's Royal Village
5.0
18 Ratings
Greater London
Discover the royal connections of St James', London's Royal Village, on a private walking tour. Explore Buckingham Palace, St James' Palace, royal parks, and more. Don't miss the Changing of the Guard!
Duration:
3 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
learn more
Highlights
- Green Park - Legend has it that the park is green because Charles II’s wife Catherine de Braganza ordered all its flowers to be removed. Why you might ask? You’ll find out on the tour!
- St. James’s Palace - Built by Henry VIII on the site of a women’s leper hospital, this palace was originally built for the son promised to Henry by his second wife, Anne Boleyn. But things didn’t turn out quite as planned!
- Changing of the Guard - One of London’s ancient ceremonies, this is pageantry not to be missed BUT IT DOES NOT GO AHEAD EVERY DAY. We will need to check if the ceremony is scheduled for the morning of your tour. If it is, you’re in for a treat as we view different parts of the ceremony from three different places - we’ll need to move fast to get from one to another! EVEN IF THE CEREMONY IS SCHEDULED TO GO AHEAD, IT CAN BE CANCELLED AT THE LAST MOMENT SO THERE IS NO GUARANTEE THAT YOU WILL SEE THE CEREMONY.
- Clarence House - A chance to see where King Charles III and the Queen Camilla, call home.
- Lancaster House - Built from beautiful Bath stone, this building stood in for Buckingham Palace during the filming of Downton Abbey, the Netflix series the Crown and the film, the King’s Speech.
- Buckingham Palace - One of the London’s most iconic buildings, with its world famous balcony, Buckingham Palace is the office of the monarchy and one of the few working palaces in the world. Queen Elizabeth II lived here Monday - Friday but her son Charles has yet to decide where he is going to live. The palace is currently undergoing an extensive refurbishment so we’ll have to wait and see what he decides to do.
- Wellington Barracks - Home to the Queens’ Life Guards, responsible for the security of the monarch since 1660. The new guard leave from here during the Changing of the Guard ceremony.
- St. James’s Park - One of the prettiest Royal parks with an abundance of wild life and a gorgeous ornamental lake, England’s most extravagant king George IV, made it what it is today. A few other monarchs before him had their say too - I will reveal all on our tour!
- Horse Guards Parade at Whitehall - Originally used for jousting during Tudor times, Horse Guards Parade is now home to two of London’s ancient ceremonies dating back to the 1600s, the Changing of the Guard and Trooping the Colour. The parade ring was also used during the London Olympics in 2012 - I wonder if anyone can remember which sport took place here?
- Paxton & Whitfield - This shop began life centuries ago as a market stall; how it has changed wince then as it now displays over 90 artisan cheeses from all over Europe.
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Floris - Originally a barber’s, Juan Floris quickly changed his shop into a perfumery which is still thriving nearly 300 years later.
It still produces Lily of the Valley perfume which was one of the shop’s first creations but there are many others well worth a sniff! - Fortnum & Mason - The most sophisticated department store in London - the hamper began here! As we take a quick walk arund the ground floor of the store, you will find out what unusual feature is up on the roof as well as the nature of a competition sponsored by the store. Intriguing!
What's Included
- Experienced, local guide accredited by top institutions
- Guidance by Sandy, a member of the City of Westminster Guide Lecturer’s Association
What's Not Included
- Food and drinks
- Food sampling
- Gratuities - optional
- Transportation to/from the start and end points of the walk
Additional Information
St James’ region, unofficially recognized as the Royal Village of London owing to its numerous royal ties, offers an exceptional experience. Our tour encompasses the exteriors of the distinguished Buckingham Palace and St James’ Palace, in addition to the lush royal terrain of Green Park and St James’ Park. Known for its historic Gentlemen’s Clubs that continue to operate even two centuries later, St James’ is a fascinating district. The clubs are surrounded by high-end shops purveying everything a gentleman might require, from fine cheeses and wines to quality garments and footwear. Given the right timing, you might get to witness the traditional Changing of the Guard ceremony, a true representation of regal grandeur. This is an unmissable journey, replete with surprises at every turn. As evidenced by the Excellent ratings on Trip Advisor, I must be delivering a top-notch service!
- When your booking is confirmed, you will receive contact details for me (Sandy) and I will be your guide on this tour. My aim is to give you, my client, the best experience you could possibly have so if you have any special requests, be sure to tell me what they are! If you need to stop for a break midway through the tour, that will be fine with me.
- The tour will last up to 3 hours depending on the walking pace of the group, the number of questions asked and if the Changing of the Guard ceremony is going ahead on the day of the tour.
- The tour will cover roughly 2 miles in total.
- The tour will go ahead come rain or shine so please don’t be put off by the weather. Do wear comfortable shoes and clothing and, if needs be, bring waterproofs and an umbrella.
- Due to the distances involved, and the speed at which we may have to walk between events, this tour is not recommended for those with walking difficulties.
- Morning tours start at 09.45 under the Colonnade of the Ritz Hotel, Piccadilly
- Unlike some other guides, I specialise in just five areas of London, St James’ being one of them. This means that I have detailed knowledge of the area which I pass on to my clients in a fun and interesting way.
- 100% of my Trip Advisor/Viator reviews are graded ‘excellent’ and as I now have over 100 reviews in total, I must be doing something right!
- I prefer to guide small groups of up to five family or friends so that everyone can hear what I am saying above the usual street noises of a busy city. Also, everyone can ask as many questions as they like.
- I ALWAYS make contact with my clients before a tour so if you have not heard from me one week before your tour, please contact me instead.
- I only accept bookings directly from customers. Any bookings made by a travel agent on behalf of a customer will be cancelled.
Location
The Ritz London
Piccadilly
Under the Colonnade of the Ritz Hotel, Piccadilly at 9.45 a.m.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(18 Ratings)
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1 star
Richardo500
Sep 23, 2023
Fascinating Tour - A really enjoyable tour, so much interesting detail…. I now know why Green Park is called by that name! Sandy was so knowledgable and told us so many background stories it brought the whole tour alive. Highly recommended!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rosemaryo988
Sep 20, 2023
Brilliant tour of St. James’ - Learned so much today, from who’s who at the Changing of the Guard, how St James’ Park became a park, masses about the monarchy from Henry VIII to now, to fun facts about Fortnum’s London honeys and marmalade competitions and men’s clubs! Sandy was a great guide, enthusiastic and very informative, and brought the area to life for me.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Maria_r
Sep 7, 2023
St. James Village Tour, Sept. 3, 2023 - My family of 5 truly enjoyed Sandy's tour of St. James Village. She is so knowledgeable and inspiring to listen to, from her stories of London's Royal history plus more. I highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Viator
Voyage191808
Sep 5, 2023
A living history lesson of the Royal Family! - Sandy’s knowledge of the Royals is so extensive, it was like we had a personal member of the family walking with us! She took her time, explained what was coming up, connected places to people, and people to their place in history. She gave a personal glimpse into what life was like since the beginning of English heritage. Seeing the changing of the guard from the beginning was an added bonus she was able to include!
If you want a walking history lesson, and come out feeling like you “know” the royals, this is the tour and Sandy is your guide!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Melanie
Jul 14, 2023
Sandy’s (Hobnob tours) St. James/ Royal Village tour. - Sandy, our guide for this tour, was prompt and very knowledgeable of St James and the Royal Village. I would highly recommend her, especially for first time London visitors. The walking tour does move fast and is roughly 3 hrs on foot.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Patwhitworth
Jul 11, 2023
Sandy is fantastic! Fascinating. - Sandy, our guide was extremely knowledgeable, energetic and enthusiastic. She made learning about the history of all of the sites we saw fun and interesting. She also had fantastic advice about how to get the most out of the experience, should we want to dig in deeper at any of the spectacular locations she showed us. Would recommend her 100% for anyone touring this area.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
T1080acsusanc
Jun 27, 2023
An intimate tour of Royal St James. - Sandy, our guide for the morning, was already waiting for us at the starting point. There was only 4 of us on this tour, which immediately felt relaxed and just the type of experience we were looking for. After a few facts and figures and explanations on how the the mornings tour would run, we were off. Immediately I could tell we were going to enjoy the experience, Sandy had clearly spent a lot of time preparing the tour and doing her research on Royal St James. We were about to find out not only about the Royals who called St James home but the nobility and local characters that had moved west from the city to establish new lives. Although the history of St James went back to before Henry VIII, we focussed on the last 300 years or so, which was very much what we wanted. Sandy brought to life not only the monarchs of the Georges, the Williams, the Annes and Victoria but also the people that had flocked to the area once the royals were in residence.
A highlight of the tour was the changing of the guard at St James Palace and Buckingham Palace with the Grenadier Guards in all their splendour accompanied by marching bands. Always good to see the crowds jump when the drums start the procession with such a clash when you are only a couple of feet away from them.
Although it was a hot day with Sandy cramming a lot of interesting facts and answering lots of our questions, the tour seemed over in a flash.
If you are looking for a smaller. more personal tour, would highly recommend. We plan to join Sandy on further tours soon, including Hampton Court and Westminster....Can't wait!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Garymcross
Jun 25, 2023
Wonderful Introduction to St James - "The Royal Village" - Tour started promptly, and our guide explained everything we would definitely see and what we would hopefully see. This was a small intimate tour and our guide (Sandy) explained that she only toured with small numbers so that she could be attentive to the group and more importantly answer any questions. Sandy had obviously done plenty of research in support of the tour with plenty of little anecdotes as well as the key historical facts. Being a small group we were able to explore the little alleys, narrow streets and tiny square that were tucked away, each with a story to tell and ones that Sandy brought to life.
Although it wasn't guaranteed we were able to see the changing of the old guard at St James Palace and the new guard at Wellington Barracks. It meant some swift footwork but Sandy had already explained this and checked we were all happy with making a few quick moves to make the most of the spectacular of the Marching Bands and the Grenadier Guards, responsible for protecting the King.
It wasn't all rush and we had time to shade from the sun and have more fun facts and history explained to us, with lots of chances to ask questions.
If you love intimate, historical tours with a friendly and knowledgable host, can't recommend enough and will definitely book more tours with Sandy......Wear comfy shoes!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Martinpi111bd
Jun 14, 2023
Wonderful walk around inner london - The walk around St james was extremely informative. Following a return to London and more specifically this particular area, sandy our guide gave me such a great insight to the extensive history of this place through the detailed descriptions provided throughout the tour
Thoroughly recommend this tour to not only foreign tourist but locals as well
Review provided by Tripadvisor
C7715nmjeanettep
Jun 14, 2023
Walking tour around St James including The changing of the Guards - A very informative tour by our tour guide, Sandy. Really enjoyable and full of amazing facts and anecdotes. Highly recommended. Jan Tomlins
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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