Westminister Abbey

Very briefly tagged onto a Vergers tour last May. Couldn't help it. The Abbey was jammed. Wall to wall mass of humanity and this tour was directly in front of us. Guide was knowledgeable but I felt that the free audio guides that you get with your admission price were quite good. I'd not been inside the Abbey in 5 years. Previous visit we just happened to be passing the side entrance and the deacon (?) was beckoning us to the side door. When he asked "are you here for the services" we nodded and were ushered inside. There we 20 of us in the entire place. Services weren't formal. Some prayer and a choral presentation. We were seated in the Quire. No printed program. 30 minutes in length and then we were allowed to wander around on our own for 45 minutes. Don't think it was evensong, but must have been. I was so surprised there were so few of us. One of those "what just happened," moments in time.

Have not taken the Verger's tour but intend to do so on my next visit. From reports I've seen the few extra pounds it costs are good value and you get to see some places not generally open to the public. Almost as important, you cannot ask an audio guide questions!

I took a verger's tour in August and I would definitely recommend it as you get to go right up to Saint Edward the Confessor's tomb, along with some of the kings of England, which are not accessible to the general visitor. For me, that was the main reason I chose a verger tour. I also prefer to listen to a person speak over an audio guide; that's just me though so you may feel differently.

I had been to Westminster Abbey several times over the years and last May took my first Vergers Tour. I got so much out of it and would really recommend to anyone. The guide was fabulous and we got to do/see things other tourists dont.

To me it was worth every pound, I am very frugal but really enjoyed it.

Wow, what great advice here. I'm definitely taking the Verger's Tour the next time I'm in London! You have sold me on it. ; ) Pam

For those of you who have taken a Verger's Tour, did you reserve ahead of time or show up at the scheduled time? I see they have times listed here: http://www.westminster-abbey.org/visit-us/tours We'll likely visit March 31st, so not really high season. Thanks!

We've visited the Abbey on numerous occasions and I think the Verger tour is a wonderful way to learn about the Abbey and well worth the price if the Abbey is something that you are interested in. If you have only a passing interest, then the audio guides are just fine. I also recommend attending Evensong if possible. We've been several times and it never ceases to impress - the acoustics are truly amazing!

I took the London Walks tour of Westminster Abbey. It was excellent, but at that time the guide spent too much time pointing out mistakes in The Da Vinci Code. The verger tour is the only way to see the Shrine. I would take the verger tour over the London Walks tour.

To get my reservation I just called them the day before and I got right in to the first tour of the day. I was there in late May.

@Jennifer - Re: booking; I tried to book a verger tour two weeks ahead of time - there's no need to call that early! They told me to call back the week I wanted to take the tour, so I booked it a few days ahead of time. This was for August.