3 days after RS 7-Day tour

London Walks. www.walks.com

I take one each London trip. Last year it was Inns Of the Court.

Inexpensive, Stellar guides and small group size.

Been visiting London for decades. Learned about these London Walks nearly 20 years ago. Well run and IMHO a great way to see London sites.

I agree with Claudia, London Walks is excellent. I have taken tours from them more than a dozen times over the years. The other recommendations are Eating Europe London East Side Food Tour and the docent tour from the British Museum.

Another vote for London Walks. One of Europe's greatest bargains, and a large variety of tours offered every day. The guides are all licensed, so you don't get made-up stories. They'll make it clear if they share something that's more legend than fact.

Many people like the verger tours offered by Westminster Abbey and the yeoman wander tours offered by the Tower of London. I haven't taken either of those.

If you're art lovers, check the websites of the major art museums (National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, Tate Modern, Tate Britain, and Victoria and Albert for decorative art) to see what sort of docent tours are on offer during your visit. London has many other good art venues, but I'm guessing the smaller museums offer tours less frequently.

The British Museum is usually massively crowded. I've been told the crowding is worst on weekends, Fridays and rainy days. The ground floor is usually noticeably worse than the upper floor. The latter can be quite pleasant late in the day. Showing up at about opening time (10 AM) will probably put you in a 30+ minute security line. It might be worth getting there at 9:30 or so, but I've never tried that myself and make no guarantee. Although a tour will probably get you through the entry line faster and the guide will know exactly how to move you from exhibit to exhibit, you'll still be part of a mob.

We are at LHR waiting to return from 9 days in London and surrounding areas. I hope to post a trip report soon, but just saw this post. One of the best things we did on our last day in London was taking the Thames River cruise from Westminster Pier to Tower Quay. Extreme bang for the buck! 12 pounds and change. We sat up top and had a delightful “guide” who talked the whole way through pointing out landmarks and giving funny quips. Of course you can offer a bit extra on the way off, which we happily did! Great 30 minutes of seeing London from the Thames!! I highly recommend!

I just spent 12 days there and took a few London Walks. Have to admit I don't know the Royal ladder of heirarchy so a lot of it was lost on me. I did however take the day trip (bus) to Cotswolds which was fantastic.

Thank you everyone for your suggestions and info! We booked an all day tour of London (which includes a Thames cruise) and also a food tour.

😀 Happy travels!