London Guided Tours

Before heading to London, I checked out some London guided tours as it was Luca’s first time there.  I didn’t want to do the hop-on, hop-off bus as I did that once in London with my sister in summer and we froze when the bus was full and we had to sit on top.

I have also realized that walking around and looking at the sites without knowing the background or history of the place is meaningless.  As a top destination, there are many tours to choose from but the one that stood out for me was the Sandeman’s Free Tour of London.

It was more the concept as it is free to join and then they welcome contributions based on the value you have received after experiencing the tour.  I signed up to see how informative a free tour would be compared to paid tours I have taken in other cities and also took a paid tour from the same company.

It would make sense to take the free tour first before signing up for a paid one but due to our schedule, we took the paid tour first and the next day, we joined the free Royal London Tour.

First let me share with you the experience with the paid tour.

London Guided Tours – Old City Tour

On this tour, there were less than 10 of us and personally, I think this size is just right.  The tour started off at Convent Garden and throughout the tour, he shared many insights and information which was fascinating.  I have been to London before but I didn’t realize there is the City of Westminster and a City of London.

In the past, gates were constructed to divide the two cities and to this day, there are ceremonial traditions which have to be undertaken if the Queen was to pass through the City of London.

The walk was very brisk and it was a challenge to keep up with the guide.  It felt like we were rushing to one attraction and once the information was shared, then off we went to another.

When information was shared, it was excellent. For example, we were shown London Bridge and Tower Bridge as there is always a mistaken identity between the two.  It sure fooled an American entrepreneur who bought the London Bridge thinking it was Tower Bridge.

However, there was very little conversation while going from one site to another. I am not sure if this is due to the route as there is little to share in between two main attractions or just this particular instance.

At the end of the tour which finished at the Tower of London, I somewhat understood the rush.  He was the guide for another tour from the same company which starts at 6.30pm. Overall, I would say the tour is good in terms of what we learned but it definitely felt rushed and indifferent.  If I had to rate it, I would give it a 3 out of 5.

London Guided Tours – Free London Tour

There are two free tours a day starting at either 11am or 1pm that starts at Hyde Park Corner.  We took the 11am tour and we worried about the crowd size.  While we booked our spots online, you can also just show up before the tour starts.

Fortunately, the group was divided into two but there was still about 30 people per group.  At the start of the tour, our guide Victoria, explained how the tour works.  She mentioned that at the end of the tour, she humbly welcomes any contribution and would not bring this up again until the end.

She stayed true to her words and was an outstanding guide. From the second we started the tour and to the end, she was full of energy and animated as she shared stories of each attraction.

Though the information on the website mentioned that on most days you will get to see the Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace we didn’t. However, we got a glimpse of the guards before the start of the tour.

Although I have never been on a tour with over 8 people, somehow Victoria was able to gather us around in a way that she could easily be heard.  It was less of a problem than I had thought.

There were many stops along the way and we had a special treat as there was a St. Patrick’s Day Parade but because of that, we could only get a peek of Trafalgar Square.

This tour was well-paced and there was a lot of information to absorb.  The one that stood out for me was on the Duke of York. Why?  Because when we were kids we learned the song “The Grand Old Duke of York” and now the lyrics make more sense.

The tour ended at Westminster Abbey and we were exhausted.  I was thrilled she shared the history of Guy Fawkes because I had wanted to ask about it during the Old City Tour.  That’s because when we were kids, our school celebrated Bonfire Night on the 5th November and now I have a more detailed background on this.

I was impressed by this free London guided tour and thought it was better than the paid Old City Tour.  At the end, contributions were given but a better way would have been to give us envelopes at the start of the tour in which we could put the contributions.

In my opinion, the guide plays a crucial role and I am thankful that Victoria was passionate about sharing her knowledge of London with us.  I would rate this tour 4 out of 5.

Having read about my experience, would you take either of these London guided tours?