London is a hugely rewarding destination for those eager to explore on foot, thanks to ample pedestrianised spaces and opportunities for almost endless sightseeing. The city provides a wide range of fantastic tours, situated all over London.
Whether you want to join a guided walking tour, walk an established self-guided route or create your own, this blog should set you on the right path…
Build Your Own Tour
There’s nothing as exciting as discovering a city for yourself, and by devising a walking tour, you’ll soon be well on your way to discovering some of the best places in the city while staying at 5 star luxury hotels in London. Before
letting you know about a few of the established tours currently running throughout the city, we have some top tips for devising your own unique tour during your stay:
- Choose a location which suits every guest – as a solo traveller, you have the freedom to decide entirely on where your tour will begin and where it will take you. If you’re travelling as a duo or a group, it helps to have a chat about some of the key locations you’d like to visit, and begin planning how to get to each venue in a fun and convenient way.
- Plan plenty of time to explore – there’s nothing worse than having to rush from venue to venue without stopping to really experience each location on your tour. Be sure your timings are realistic, and if in doubt, set aside a whole day for sightseeing.
- Check distances and routes on a map – this will give you a clearer indication of how long it will take to get to each place on your tour, and ensure they are a walkable distance from one another. This approach can also help you avoid areas of high congestion for a more relaxing journey
Royal London Tour
This tour takes you on a trip through some of the places and palaces associated most heavily with the Royal Family, and along the way you’ll find out lots about the history of the city. As one of the most popular London walking tours, the Royal London Tour is a real journey of discovery which passes by everything from Big Ben to Trafalgar Square, as well as taking you on a trip to Winston Churchill’s wartime bunker.
This is a great way to see some of the top tourist attractions in London in a whole new light, and discovering some of the hidden stories of the city.
Greenwich Walking Tour (Self-Guided)
This tour takes in many of the key sights in historic Greenwich. The area has a delightfully village-like feel, which draws visitors from all over the world eager to see the sights while staying at luxury suites in London.
The tour takes around half a day to complete, ensuring you still have plenty of time to explore different areas on one day of your trip – or can lengthen your journey around Greenwich by returning to a few of the destinations featured in the tour.
Starting at the Greenwich Foot Tunnel (opened in 1902), you’ll have a clear view of the Millennium Dome (first opened in 2000), and you’ll also pass by the Cutty Sark, a famed ship built in 1896 and subsequently restored as a visitor attraction. Greenwich Market, situated on a site where a market has stood since 1700, is open Tuesday – Sunday each week, and is also viewable on this tour. Greenwich Park is one of the city’s finest Royal Parks and provides a great space for anyone eager to stop and experience a popular expanse of greenery in central London.
For budding astronomers, a stop at The Royal Observatory makes a great addition to your tour, and a visit to the National Maritime Museum gives you access to more than two million artefacts.
Shoreditch Street Art Tour
A guided tour which takes you into the very heart of Shoreditch, this is a fantastic way to discover more about the city’s vibrant street art scene during your stay at boutique hotels in London UK. Some of the most famous street art talent in the world regularly adorns buildings in Shoreditch, ensuring a steady turnover of artwork to see when you visit, including work by key figures such as Banksy. This tour will not only help you uncover the artists behind each piece, but also ensure you have a better understanding of the context behind the creation of every artwork.
The Ultimate London Sightseeing Tour
While all of the tours on this list offer a special new way to experience London, if you really want to make sure you see as many of the sights as possible, then be sure to try this simple self-guided tour which takes you through London’s best destinations, and can be completed in around two hours (or stretched out for those who prefer a more leisurely pace).
The route begins at Trafalgar Square, home to the Nelson’s column monument and a major gathering place for everything from big events to protests. Walking towards the Mall, you’ll soon find yourself at Buckingham Palace. The palace is open during the summer, so you can either stop here and take a small detour, or continue on along Birdcage Walk until you reach Westminster Abbey.
The abbey has been the site of every coronation since 1066, and has a special place in the city’s history. From here, you’ll be in easy reach of the Houses of Parliament, and by heading across Westminster Bridge, you’ll reach the South Bank and the London Eye. From here you can head for the Tate Modern, before popping across Millennium Bridge to St Paul’s Cathedral. If you’re on the lookout for a route which will ensure you get lots of great photos and experience the major tourism hotspots of the city, this is the tour for you.
