Shakespeare, Dickens & London's Greatest Stories Free Walking Tour (90 minutes)

This is the only tour of London that takes you directly in the footsteps of both Shakespeare and Dickens and is led by contemporary writers working in the city today. Welcome… to the London’s Greatest Stories tour!

London has been home to some of the greatest writers who have ever lived: Shakespeare, Dickens, Chaucer, Keats and more. The city has provided inspiration for some of the greatest stories ever told. On the London's Greatest Stories tour, you will be guided in those footsteps by local writers living and working in London today. 

Bookmarked London is a collective of local writers and actors who run tours focussing exclusively on London's rich bookish and literary history. 

This is our longest-running and most popular tour. 

This is not a dry or dull history tour. It’s a fast-paced, story-driven walk through the lives, scandals and streets of Shakespeare, Dickens and the writers who have shaped this city.

It's ⭐️ rated 4.9+ for storytelling, fun and overall experience.

We will walk in the footsteps of the greats - from Dickens’ childhood to Shakespeare's Globe via Chaucer's Canterbury - and uncover the stories behind the stories, the fights, the struggles, and the moments that changed literary history.

Along the way, you’ll hear live readings, surprising anecdotes, and the hidden stories that most tours miss...

Round every corner, down every backstreet and in (almost) every pub in London is inspiration for one of the greatest stories ever written... we look forward to showing you!

Duration: 90 minutes | Small groups | Ends by Shakespeare’s Globe

The Route

Join us and you will visit:

• London's last surviving galleried coaching inn 🍺

• The exact spot that Chaucer's pilgrims began their Canterbury Tales 🥾

• John Keats' old workplace 👨‍⚕️

• The old debtors' prison that kept Dickens captive until his death 💰

• A magical old unconsecrated burial ground 🪦

• A funky mural of William Shakespeare 🎨

• The site of the original Globe Theatre (both versions) 🎭

• The site of the old Rose Theatre 🌹

• Shakespeare's Globe (the modern theatre) 🌎

All tours begin at The George, the most literary pub in London, and we conclude the tour in Shakespeare's old stomping ground with the tour ending just outside the Globe by the River Thames. 

The London's Greatest Stories Tour is not an ordinary history tour. It combines classic history tour with readings and excerpts from some of the finest writing ever put to page, all guided by local writers and poets.