London in a Day: Westminster & the City

You don’t have much time in London? Or perhaps you just don’t know where to start? This lovely day out will give you an overview of the major London sites and sights (what a great set of homophones!), and plenty of ideas on what you would like to do next in this ever-changing, exciting city of ours!

We will start in the morning — I will pick you up wherever you are staying and we will make our way to one of the most glamorous part of town: Westminster, the land of Royals and Jesters, full of palaces and theatres and home to landmarks such as Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the Palace of Westminster, Trafalgar Square, 10 Downing Street (our Prime Minister’s home!) the Horse Guards and Westminster Abbey (an optional private visit of the Abbey can be incorporated in the tour). On our way, we will catch the world-famous Changing of the Guards ceremony**, follow troop movements and enjoy a little stroll in the cutest Royal Park: St James’s Park!

After all these adventures, you will be longing for a hearty lunch! Luckily, this is part of the plan! So we will stop for lunch*** then make our way, on foot or on public transport, to the City of London! “Hang on”, I hear you say, “isn’t the whole tour in London?”. Well yes, but the City of London is actually a small, very special part of Greater London.

The oldest part of town, it is where the Romans built their settlement, Londinium, almost 2000 years ago! Ironically, it is also one of the newest, most modern parts of town. So in the true spirit of London, you can literally walk across 2000 years of history in the City of London, where interesting-looking skyscrapers such as the Gherkin and the so-named “Cheese-Grater” rub shoulders with Saxon churches and roman ruins.

It is also in the City of London that you will find St Paul’s Cathedral and its stunning dome (an optional private visit of the Cathedral can be incorporated in the tour). We will walk around the City, see some of its best skyscrapers and walk around St Paul’s Cathedral (an optional private of the Cathedral can also be added to the tour).

We will then cross the Millennium Bridge - also affectionately known as the wobbly bridge - which offers fantastic views of the London skyline and of the famous Tate Modern museum. We will finish on Bankside, near the reconstruction of Shakespeare’s 16th century thatched-roof theatre, the Globe. This is a lovely place to end the day, as it offers plenty of choice for further entertainment and/or refreshments.

*This is a sample route, I will of course adapt the tour to your own personal needs and interests.

**Please be aware that The Changing of the Guard is a military ceremony, subject to potential changes in date & time, and occasional cancellations (announced on the morning of the ceremony in case of very bad weather). Depending on the date, we will be seeing either the Foot Guards or the Horse Guards.

***The cost of lunch is not included in the tour but I can arrange to pre-book a table for the group at a convenient pub or restaurant.

• Westminster Walk

• Big Ben

• 10 Downing Street

• Royal Parks and views of Buckingham Palace

• Changing of the Guard (optional)

• Horse Guards Parade

• Westminster Abbey

• Lunch

• Trafalgar Square

• St Paul’s Cathedral

• City walk: the skyscrapers

• Wobbly Bridge

• Bankside

• Tate Modern

Shakespeare’s Globe