Does anyone have experience with hiring tour guides in London and nearby areas? With just three days to spend, we ( 2 people) are looking for a guide who really knows and loves English history and the city .
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
14818 posts
With just 3 days (is one day your arrival day from an international flight?) I’d not spend time doing a day trip but of course it’s up to you.
London is pretty easy to get around but you’ll need to do some research on what sights you want to see. Rick’s got a good book with all the basic sights listed.
You might want to consider a walk or 2 from London Walks if there is something interesting on the days you’ll be there. No reservations needed, just show up at the appointed time and pay the guide.
Posted by
Chicago
1334 posts
I agree with the above, consider London Walks for a good guided 2 hour walking tour. All of their guides are excellent, and you can read their profiles on the website.
I know Rick usually has a segment with a guide on his tv shows, but they're not at all necessary in Western Europe. While they may be necessary in developing countries, they're not at all needed in a place like London, especially if you're just hitting the usual tourist spots. Of course, I'd suggest the guides at various attractions, the Beefeater tours are free at the Tower of London, the verger guide at about 5 pounds at Westminster Abbey, and the guides and lectures at the National Gallery are free and excellent.
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
14818 posts
Dale, good point about the Beefeater/Yeoman Warder free tours at the Tower. I love the Verger tours at Westminster Abbey as well. I also like that at the Abbey you can download the audio tour to your phone and (IF you remember to take your ear buds with you!!!) can listen that way instead of carrying around the Audio Tour. Churchill War Rooms has an excellent audio guide that comes with admission as well.
Also depending on when you are traveling, you might consider touring the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace. They are only open for a short time during the year (end of July to end of Sept) but are very interesting.
Posted by
Florida/London
26 posts
If I were you I would look into London Walks: http://www.walks.com/
I have used London Walks since 1986 and every time I go to London I use them. They have both general overview tours and specific ones. Look through their calendar and select a topic you are interested in and go for it. It’s 2 hours long with no prebooking at all. All the tours are run by experts in their field and/or are Blue Badge holders. Not a bad one in the bunch. If you are more interested in a private tour, contact David, who runs the company, and he’ll get you sorted.
Enjoy!,