Private London Tours by Car
London tours with your own private guide and car – also walking tours and public transport tours.
I have split my ‘London by Car’ tours into the two separate halves of central London. Traffic congestion makes it very difficult to see the whole of central London in just 4 hours, although it is just about possible if you don’t want to make any stops or visits. The location of your hotel will have an influence on how much can be seen. But there’s lots of scope for flexibility if you particularly want to see certain things.
Private London Tour by Car – Westminster & the West End
(4 hours)
During a 4 hour tour by car you would see the major sights of Westminster & the West End –
the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Whitehall, the Horseguards, Downing Street, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, the main shopping areas, the theatre district, and some of the museums and galleries.
We could make short stops for photographs, and we might also stop to see the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace OR to visit Westminster Abbey.
This tour would give you an overview of the western side of central London.
Private London Tour by Car – The City
(8 hours)
In 8 hours it’s possible to see both sides of central London. As well as everything included in a 4 hour tour, we’d see St Paul’s Cathedral, London Bridge, Tower Bridge, the Roman and medieval parts of London and the modern financial district. No tour of this area is complete without a visit to the Tower of London to see the Crown Jewels.
For lunch you could try fish & chips, a pub, or a gourmet restaurant. And if you have a special interest, eg gardens, the advantage of a private tour is that you choose what you prefer to do and see.
During a full day tour, you will have time to make two visits (or three at a gallop!). Here are some suggestions –
Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower of London, the Royal Mews, Kensington Palace, Tower Bridge, the British Museum, the National Gallery, the Tate Galleries.
Private Tours of London - by Car
London Walking Tours – or on a Red London Bus
Westminster and the West End
This is a leisurely-paced walking tour that takes in the royal residences, government buildings, theatre, shopping and restaurant areas – an excellent introduction to London that can finish with the Changing of the Guard.
The City – Old and New
We’ll see the remains of the old Roman City walls, explore the lanes that Shakespeare knew, see William the Conqueror’s Tower of London & Sir Christopher Wren’s St Paul’s Cathedral – as well as some of London’s most modern architecture in today’s financial district, The City.
These two walks can be joined together to form a full day introduction to London.
Private Tours of London - Walking or Using Public Transport
Special Interest London Walking Tours
Special Interest walking tours can vary in length, and can be tailored to your own requirements.
Here are some examples:
- The River Thames as Muse – explores the inspiration that artists, writers and musicians have taken from London’s river.
- City Gardens Walk – visiting small, hidden and rather special gardens.
- Blackfriars – discover why this area was so attractive to artists and writers in the past, including William Shakespeare and Sir Anthony Van Dyck.
- Fitzrovia, Bloomsbury & Camden Town – areas that were home to many artists and writers in the early 20th century, including the Bloomsbury Group, the Camden Town Group, Charles Dickens, George Bernard Shaw, WB Yeats, & Roger Fry and the Omega Workshop.
- Artists in Covent Garden – one of London’s liveliest areas was once home to great 18th & 19th century artists such as Sir Peter Lely, Sir Godfrey Kneller, Sir James Thornhill, Sir Joshua Reynolds, William Hogarth and JMW Turner. Van Gogh worked here as an art dealer, and Picasso designed theatre sets in a studio here.
- City Churches – follow the history of London through its churches, and see the work of great architects and sculptors.
- Exclusive Shopping in Mayfair & St James’s – art dealers, couturiers and fashion designers, gentlemen’s tailors, hatters, shoemakers, perfumiers, jewellers, many of whom have been trading on the same spot for 300 years or more. On this walk you can discover where to buy your Coronation robes, where to buy a wedding ring for a future queen, or where James Bond does his shopping!