London Guided Tours and Excursions

Like any major city that prides itself, London offers visitors a huge variety of attractions and tours of all types and styles. In the following article, I will present several recommended tours: a food tour in various restaurants in the East End, a fascinating bike tour, and for various sports fans, tours of the Olympic Park, Wembley Stadium, and the tennis courts of Wimbledon.

Recommended Hotels in London:

Cheval Three Quays at The Tower of London
A 5-star apartment hotel located near the Tower of London, overlooking the River Thames. The hotel offers modern and well-equipped apartments

Knightsbridge Hotel
A luxurious 5-star hotel on a quiet street yet in a central location near Hyde Park and London's upscale shopping streets.

Apex City Of London Hotel
A modern 4-star hotel near Tower Bridge with rooms suitable for 2-4 guests, including family rooms.

Premier Inn London St.Pancras
A large 266-room 3-star hotel in a convenient location, close to Kings Cross railway station, belonging to the Premier Inn chain. The hotel also offers family rooms for four guests.

Park Lane Apartments/Shaw House
A luxury apartment hotel in the heart of Mayfair, located near Hyde Park and Oxford Street. The hotel features 10 apartments of various sizes ranging from 1 bedroom and a living room up to 4 bedrooms designed for up to 9 guests. The upscale apartments include a modern fully equipped kitchen with a microwave, dishwasher, and washing machine.

Search for a Hotel on Booking via the London Map:

Booking.com

Recommended Guided Tours, Tickets and Transfers in London from Viator:

Transfers:

East End Food Tour

As a food lover who has already experienced food tours all over the world, from Madrid and Budapest to Thailand and Hawaii, I decided to see what London could offer me gastronomically.
The East End is a neighborhood with character, a neighborhood that has experienced waves of immigration over the years, from the Irish, through Jews, to Indians and Sri Lankans. Each group left its gastronomic imprint in the area, making a food tour here unusually diverse. In three and a half hours, you visit ten different restaurants/eateries, tasting the signature dish (or dishes) at each one. From the most delicious fish and chips in London, through a curry house where even Prince Charles dined, a Jewish bagel bakery, an Irish pub, a gourmet cheese deli, and even a pizzeria whose dessert you will not soon forget. The tour begins in a bustling market with a variety of stalls and cafes and includes, in addition to food, fascinating explanations about the area, its residents, its architecture, and more.

You will leave very full and also a bit more knowledgeable...

♦ Booking the East End Food Tour from the reliable Viator website: - London East End Food Tour

Lasts about 3.5 hours, includes 10 tasting dishes.

After eating, it's also advisable to burn some calories. A successful way to do this is by cycling between the better-known (and lesser-known) tourist sites of London. Highly recommended:

Secret Bike Tour of London

This tour, which lasts about three and a half hours, combines riding through historic sites alongside modern contemporary buildings, down narrow alleys of crowded neighborhoods, among murals and graffiti, across famous bridges, inside markets, and even at Harry Potter filming locations. You will see London from a different angle and learn a lot about its famous residents (including infamous ones like Jack the Ripper), hear urban legends, and all while riding comfortably and safely with an entertaining and knowledgeable guide.

♦ Booking a bike tour from the reliable Viator website passing through famous destinations in the city:
London Classic Landmarks Bike Tour with a Local Guide

Sports and stadium fans can spend a pleasant time in London on three completely different tours:

Olympic Park Tour

The 2012 London Olympic Games brought great pride to the city. This was the third time London hosted the Olympic Games, following the 1908 and 1948 Olympics. This time, it was an impressive display of infrastructure, security, and of course, sports competitions that riveted millions around the world to their TV screens.
The Olympics took place across 34 venues, most of them around London, some new and some existing structures, as well as symbolic locations in the heart of the city, such as Wembley Stadium, Horse Guards Parade (adjacent to the Prime Minister's residence, 10 Downing Street), the Wimbledon tennis courts, Hyde Park, and more.

The construction plan for the games included clearing a neglected area in the Stratford suburb in East London, where the main Olympic Park and modern buildings were established. This area forms the core of the tour offered by London Walks. It is fair to say that the Olympic Games revived the area – before that, it was a very neglected area intended mainly for industry, but the Olympics "made the desert bloom": the "Olympic Javelin" train (the railway lines to the Olympic Park) connected the suburb to the city center and turned a 5 km distance into a journey of less than 7 minutes, the Olympic Stadium attracted thousands of spectators to the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics, and many spectators also came to the swimming, diving, synchronized swimming, field hockey, basketball, handball, and fencing competitions. All of these, as mentioned, took place in the Olympic Park in the Stratford suburb. In addition, 3,300 housing units were built for the 17,320 athletes and delegation members. Today, the suburb continues to enjoy the boom brought by the Olympics; the athletes' accommodations were converted into residential units marketed to the general public, and impressive modern student dormitories were established nearby.

The guided tour by London Walks passes near the key points in the Olympic Park and provides a glimpse into the unique planning project of the Olympics. However, as of October 2013, it is still not possible to visit inside the Olympic facilities due to renovations taking place there. The tour includes explanations about the Olympic Park itself, the suburb prior to the Olympics, and allows observation of the main facilities and athletes' accommodations. The estimated opening date of the Olympic Park itself for visitors is October 2014. It is recommended to check the Olympic Park website regarding facilities open to the general public.

If you wish to join the guided tour, it is recommended to check the company's website for tour availability on your travel dates. In the summer months, the tour takes place twice a week. In the winter and spring months – 3 times a week. There is no need to book in advance; simply meet the guide at the meeting point.
The tour is paid and lasts about two and a half hours.

♦ Car rental from the reliable and convenient Booking website: Booking.com

Wembley Stadium Tour

Wembley Stadium is the home stadium of the English national football team. In addition, the stadium hosts the climax stages of the FA Cup and the English League Cup every year. Along with this, over the years the stadium – which is the second largest in Europe – has hosted many other major matches in European and world football in general: Champions League finals, World Cup finals, Euro finals, NFL (American football league) games, and more.

The stadium – seating 90,000 – also hosts many music concerts: George Michael, Madonna, Elton John, Queen, and many other greats have performed there.
Have you always dreamed of shouting HELLO WEMBLEY? Now is your chance!

The stadium tour is also suitable for those who are not die-hard fans of English football. The tour – which lasts about 75 minutes – allows a rare glimpse into areas usually not open to the general public, such as the locker rooms, the players' clinic, the press conference room, the tunnel through which players walk onto the pitch, VIP seating areas, and more. During the tour, you can take a picture while holding – probably for the only time in your life – the FA Cup, the English Cup.
In the locker rooms, you can find original jerseys of famous players who played in the stadium – jerseys of Barcelona and Bayern Munich players who won the Champions League at the stadium in recent years, England national team players, and more.

The tour departs every half hour between 10:00-16:00. It is recommended to book tickets in advance via the stadium's website. The tour is paid. Discounts for seniors, students, and children under 16.
There is also a large shop on-site with a variety of shirts, hats, cheering accessories, and various other souvenirs.

Booking a tour of Wembley Stadium and Wimbledon from the reliable Viator website:

♦ Private small-group guided tour of two out of three stadiums: Wembley (football), Wimbledon (tennis), and Lords (cricket)

Iconic London Sporting Venues Tour - Wembley - Wimbledon - Lords

Includes hotel pickup and underground travel (at an extra charge). Includes admission fees.

Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum Tour

A tour of Wimbledon, a must-visit destination for tennis fans, including a visit to the Centre Court, several other courts, the Millennium Building, the press room, the prize money presentation room, "Henman Hill" with the giant screen from which you can also see the view of London, and more. The guided tour lasts about 90 minutes. It begins at the museum and the giant scoreboards adjacent to it. The tour includes plenty of up-to-date information on the players and more special matches, such as the longest match in the world lasting three days, with special emphasis on British players who achieved success and of course Andy Murray who became the first Briton (Scot) to win Wimbledon after a 77-year drought. The tour ends at the expansive Wimbledon shop brimming with souvenirs, clothing, and tennis equipment.

The tour price also includes admission to the Wimbledon Museum, which displays items from the early days of the tournament to the present day, including trophies, rackets, clothing items, etc. The museum features a film screening as well as interactive exhibits, computerized quizzes, and more. It is recommended to dedicate at least an hour to visiting the museum. Tours take place several times a day between 10:00-17:00. Booking in place in advance is recommended. No tours are held during the championship itself (two weeks at the end of June and early July). Discounts for children, youth, as well as seniors and students.