Westminster Abbey, Thames Clipper and the Tower of London in a Day

Parliament Sq, London

Meeting point for the morning part of the tour: Meet your guide at the statue of Abraham Lincoln. With Big Ben behind you, go across Parliament Square and cross the street to the statue. A representative will be there holding a sign reading 'The Tour Guy'.

Parliament Square

The guide meets the group in central London and runs through the shape of the day, Westminster at one end and the Tower at the other. Get your bearings here, because the walking starts straight after.

Westminster Abbey

The queue outside is skipped: timed entry puts the group straight inside the church where nearly every English coronation since 1066 has taken place. The guide stops at the Coronation Chair, then at Poets' Corner, where Geoffrey Chaucer and Charles Dickens are buried.

Big Ben

Out of the abbey and Parliament Square opens up, Big Ben on the corner of the Houses of Parliament. A photo stop from the pavement, with a few minutes for Westminster before the group cuts through towards the palace.

Extra fee

10 Downing Street

Exterior visit on Downing Street. Downing Street is where the country's leaders take the decisions that shape it, an address that carries more weight than its size suggests.

Extra fee

Buckingham Palace

St James's Park leads to the gates of Buckingham Palace, the working home of the monarchy. The Changing of the Guard is watched from here, military drill that has been performed for centuries. On days when the ceremony does not take place, the group sees the Horse Guards Parade instead.

Extra fee

St. James's Park

A walk through St James's Park. After the Abbey you cross this park on the way to Buckingham Palace. It is a change of pace from the streets around it, and one of the finest parks in the capital.

Trafalgar Square

The guide takes the group to Trafalgar Square for the break, passing 10 Downing Street from the outside on the way. Lunch is at your own expense, and the streets around the square are full of places to eat.

Changing of the Guard

Witness the Changing of the Guard. These soldiers guard the monarch, and the ceremony is the practical handover from the morning shift, the Old Guard, to the afternoon shift, the New Guard. Please note that the Changing of the Guard currently takes place on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays only. On other days the group sees the Changing of the Guard at Horse Guards Parade instead. In heavy rainfall it does not take place. Afterwards there is a short break for lunch before the afternoon itinerary.

Thames River

Thames river cruise. The group boards a local clipper and runs east along the river. From the water the guide picks out London Bridge, Tower Bridge, City Hall and the Shard, as Westminster gives way to the old port.

London

Free time for a quick lunch around Trafalgar Square before the afternoon starts. Your guide can recommend local places to eat and drink, and the group reconvenes at the same meeting point as the morning.

Tower of London

Guided tour of the Tower of London. The boat docks under the walls of a fortress that has also been a royal palace and a prison, founded by William the Conqueror in 1066. Inside, the guide covers Traitor's Gate, the Beefeaters, and the stories of Guy Fawkes and of Henry VIII's wives. The Jewel House comes after that, and you go in on your own to see the Crown Jewels and the coronation regalia.

The Crown Jewels

The British Crown Jewels. The Jewel House holds a collection of 140 pieces of regalia and symbols, kept here for centuries and set with over 23,000 stones. They remain the working symbols of the British monarchy. As the tour ends you can enter the White Tower on your own and carry on from there. Your guide can also suggest what to do with the rest of your day in London.