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Free tour

London Essentials - London in under two hours Free Walking Tour

Duration: 2h
Languages: English
Guru: Theodore
Quality Verified Registered on October 18, 2021

Hi there, I'm Theo and I've been a full-time professional guide for nine years. I love my job and I consider it a real privilege to show people around the city I love. Tours performed by me personally have accrued just over one thousand 5-star reviews across the various review sites, so you're in safe hands. I look forward to meeting you!

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  • No minimum number of attendees
    No minimum number of attendees is required for the tour
  • Free booking and cancellation
    Free payment tour, no set price, booking and cancellation are free

Tour description

Would you like to see the city with a native English-speaking tour guide who has had the honor of being a full-time tour guide in multiple European cities since 2014? Then read on. 👇

Through years of experience, I have learned that these tours are most enjoyable for you if I hone it down to just the most exciting stops and the most interesting stories.

Alfred Hitchcock once said "the length of a film should be directly related to the endurance of the human bladder," and I think that applies doubly so to a tour. You're on holiday, I appreciate that. You want to see the main sites, take the best photos, maybe laugh a little, and then head off on to the next adventure.

With that in mind, I keep the tour to an entertaining one hour and fifty minutes. During that time we will see the main sites, allowing you to take photos of:

  • Buckingham Palace
  • Houses of Parliament
  • "Big Ben"
  • Westminster Abbey
  • Trafalgar Square and Nelson's Column
  • Horse Guards Parade
  • Wellington Arch 
  • St Martin's In The Field
  • National Gallery
  • Apsley House
  • RAF Bomber Command Memorial
  • The Commonwealth Gates
  • St James' Palace
  • The Mall and Pall Mall
  • Crimean War/Nightingale Memorial
  • Waterloo Place
  • 10 Downing Street
  • Churchill War Rooms

  • On Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday the 11am tour will see and hear the army band march by us for the Changing of the Guard ceremony. Unless it is cancelled due to rain.


More important than the sites themselves are the stories. Little insightful or interesting anecdotes; what the little horse steps are at Waterloo Place, why Constitution Hill is called that when we don't... um.. have one, tales from the Battle of Britain, the Gunpowder Plot, what the Queen did when she woke up to find a drunken man had climbed the walls of Buckingham Palace and broken into her bedroom at 7am, etc, etc.

Having done these tours for the better part of a decade, I can usually field any history question you may have about the nation or the city, and can also offer suggestions of the best places in the city for gin, pretentious coffee (my vice), or the most memorable dining experiences with something unique to them.
I hope to see you soon,
Theo

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Highlights

What will we visit on this tour?

  • Meeting point:
    Apsley Way, London W1J 7JZ, UK
    Apsley Way, London W1J 7JZ, UK
    View on map

    I will be in the middle of Hyde Park Corner, on the raised grass fifty feet from the Wellington Arch (a triumphal arch with a four horse chariot and a goddess atop it). I will be carrying a black umbrella and wearing a name tag that reads Theo. I look a lot like me. IMPORTANT - Please go to the right arch, the Victorians liked arches. Please go to the Wellington Arch NOT Marble Arch, it's an easy mistake to make..

  • 1
    Outside visit
    Wellington Arch
  • 2
    Outside visit
    Buckingham Palace
  • 3
    Outside visit
    St James’ Palace
  • 4
    Outside visit
    Trafalgar Square
  • 5
    Outside visit
    Horse Guards Parade
  • 6
    Outside visit
    Downing Street
  • 7
    Outside visit
    Big Ben
  • 8
    Outside visit
    Westminster Abbey

How much does this tour cost?

Free tours do not have a set price, instead, each person gives the guru at the end of the tour the amount that he or she considers appropriate (these usually range from €10 to $50 depending on satisfaction with the tour).

Tour opinions

4.83
Excellent
(3,853 ratings)
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Professionalism
4.76
Entertainment
4.78
Expression
4.78
Information
4.87
Route
4.88
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Who is this tour for?

Accessibility
Non suitable for people with reduced mobility.
Groups
Does not accept large group reservations.
Pets
Suitable for carrying pets.

What should you know?

Additional costs:
The tour does not require the payment of entrance fees or additional expenses.
Free cancellation
If you will not be able to attend the tour, please cancel your booking, otherwise the guide will be waiting for you.
Payment methods
Only cash payment is accepted.
When do you want to go?
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