London’s attractions are many, and once you’ve ticked off your list of the big sights it can be difficult to choose where to go next or how to focus your sightseeing day.
Luckily there are a number of day tours in London to ensure you get to see all the sights, and a few quirky hotspots along the way.
Here’s a list of some of the best day tours in London:
A load of hot air
The first of our day tours in London show off the city from above. With both historic buildings and modern architecture shooting up to the sky, a hot air balloon flight is the ultimate way to see the city.
Look out below!
London’s skyline is a mix of the ancient, old and new. Float over the Tower of London, Canary Wharf, St Paul’s Cathedral, Buckingham Palace, the Olympic Stadium and the Houses of Parliament.
You need to be a morning person for hot air balloon flights as they take off at sunrise, and for safety, only if the weather’s right. Adventure Balloons is your ticket to ride over the city.
Take to the TARDIS
For more than 50 years Doctor Who has been saving the earth. Well he has on our TV screens anyway, and London has been the iconic setting for many of his great adventures.
Capital Taxi Tours take you to the streets in a London black cab to visit Dr Who’s film locations. It even provides one of the best photo opportunities in London when you have your photo take with a TARDIS. It’s the last remaining police box in London. 😉
This day tour provides a number of stories and facts about the Daleks, Cybermen, The Silence, and the Weeping Angels, as well as stories about all the individual doctors, their assistants and popular characters like River Song. If you’re a fan of Doctor Who, then this will be three hours of Who heaven.
It’s Elementary
You don’t need to be a super sleuth to enjoy the Sherlock Holmes Tour. Some people even dress up as characters Holmes and Watson themselves, but there’s no need to wear a deerstalker hat unless you really want to. 😉
This day tour in London is a must for all Sherlock fans as it explores places in the original books, film and TV series including Baker Street, one of London’s famous thoroughfares.
The tour also includes the gentlemen’s clubs and grand hotels featured in the novels, as well as those that inspired author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The locations from the most recent television series, featuring Benedict Cumberbatch are also visited.
East London Walking Tour
This walking tour explores East London but rather than focusing on just the history, you get to taste the East End! This London tour visits multiple mouth-watering destinations and you get to sample from restaurants and markets along the way.
East London Tour, graffiti
Starting in the Old Spitalfields Market, the four-hour tour includes enough food for both breakfast and lunch. You’ll see famous East London sites such as Brick Lane, the Old Truman Brewery, local street art and Jack the Ripper sites. And that’s in between tastings including fine French cheeses, bagels, fish & chips and a traditional Indian curry!
Cheers!
Street Art Tour & Workshop
This is not your usual city tour, but a whole lot of fun just the same. The Alternative London street art tour and workshop is a chance to discover the history, culture, and creativity of this popular corner.
You’ll be guided around by a local expert and shown some of London’s, if not the world’s greatest street art. Works by Banksy, ROA, Shepard Fairey, Jimmy C, Invader, Stik and many more are included in the tour. If you’ve ever thought of yourself as the next big thing in street art you can flex your creative muscle in a workshop at Alternative London.
Celebrity London
The Celebrity Walking Tour of London not only takes you to the homes of the rich and famous, it also gives you the low down on London’s celebrity history of scandals and gossip.
Stroll through exclusive addresses where the likes of Madonna, Simon Cowell and Paul McCartney live and where Jimi Hendrix once resided. You’ll also see famous locations where films such as Love Actually, Harry Potter, Notting Hill and various James Bond classics were shot.
Notting Hill
The partying haunts of rock legends such as the Beatles and Pink Floyd are also part of the tour. Plus there’s the chance to see the Abbey Road Studios and step onto the world famous zebra crossing seen on the Beatles Abbey Road album.
Whether you go for something character based or history-focused, London will keep you enthralled, excited, and informed. With so many different ways to see the city, if you plan to go on day tours in London, your hardest decision will be which tour not to take.
Have you been walking around London? Share your travel tips below