• Private Tour
• Instantly Confirmed
• Carbon Neutral

See the best of London in one unforgettable day with a local guide by your side. Visit iconic sights like Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and Trafalgar Square, then dive deeper with hidden gems, local stories, and handpicked spots only a Londoner would know. With personal insights and flexible pacing, this full-day walking tour offers a truly authentic way to experience the city.

Destination

London, England

Category

City Highlight Tours

Duration

8 hours

Transport mode

Walking tour

Available languages

English, العربية, Türkçe, Français, Español

Included

• Private guide
• City orientation
• All Withlocals tours are carbon neutral

Excluded

• Public transport (tube)
• Entrance to attractions
• Meals

What you can expect

Choose your local

Get to know these 6 passionate locals, each bringing unique perspectives and talents. Choose your favorite, check their availability, and book to create an unforgettable adventure tailored to you.

This is the plan

Check out the plan below to see what you'll get up to with your local host. Feel free to personalize this offer with the host of your choice.

1. Meeting point

   Meet at Underneath King Charles Street Arch - London to start your journey

   View on Maps

2. Itinerary

   This is what our experience could look like, but it’s not set in stone! Once you book, you can chat directly with your host to make small tweaks to suit your preferences.

3. City Highlights

   See from Trafalgar Square, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and other landmarks and must-sees of the city. Your local host will take you to the main spots in town so you can get the perfect overview of what makes London so unique

4. Hidden Gems

   Along the way, your local host will show you treasures hidden in plain sight that only the locals know about. Get to know the city through a different perspective, the local way, and discover places and stories that not many tourists experience

5. Magical Storytelling

   Behind every landmark and every stop, there’s a story, and your local host is ready to tell it all. Get ready to listen to incredible stories, one-of-a-kind insights, and fun facts only a knowledgeable local would know!

6. Make it yours

   Want to tweak the itinerary? Book directly & chat afterwards with your host to adjust highlights, skip stops, or make small changes to fit your preferences.

   Book risk-free: Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund.

   Need something special? Personalize your experience for more time, alternative locations or a completely tailored plan.

Flexible cancellation policy

• Feel confident booking

  Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund. Even up to 7 days before your experience, you’ll receive a refund, minus the service fee.

• Change of plans?

  Reschedule your experience to a date and time that works best for you.

• Loved by travelers worldwide

  Simple and flexible – your plans, your way.

Reviews from guests

ingo.toelle🇩🇪 Germany

(About local Naomi )

9 September 2025

What a wonderful experience! The tour with Naomi was spectacular. Her warm and friendly manner captivated us from the very beginning. She showed us London from a very personal perspective, and we saw so many places and heard so many stories we couldn't have lived in ourselves. She personalized the tour to our needs and we felt so welcome. Ideal for travelers who want to experience London intensively in the shortest possible time! Great experience and highly recommended!

Michael🇱🇺 Luxembourg

(About local Chris )

9 September 2025

We went on a tour with Chris and we simply loved it! He showed us Shoreditch, Spitalfields, and also the City of London square mile. Chris is a real storyteller. He knows so much about the history of London and how to present it to his audience. You hang on his every word. He can adapt his tour easily to the needs and wishes of the group. Very flexible. We had an absolute fun time with him. Highly recommendable!Shoreditch tour with Chris

Naomi

(About local Kemal)

7 September 2025

Kemal took my friends and I on fabulous tour today to celebrate a special birthday - it was so interesting and his local knowledge, experience, enthusiasm and genuine love of the Brick Lane area meant that we learnt a lot and had a wonderful time. It was a perfect way to celebrate a birthday!A fabulous birthday walking tour!

Claudia

(About local Sophie)

6 September 2025

Sophie was a wonderful guide for our first day in London. She was friendly, energetic, and very knowledgeable. We walked all over London and were able to choose places we wanted to return to by ourselves on our second day. We appreciated her flexibility with our starting time. Thank you Sophie for a fabulous tour!Great Overview of London

Jenna🇺🇸 United States

(About local Chris )

27 August 2025

Chris gave us a wonderful tour of some of London's highlights! We loved it, and our 8 year old described Chris as "the best tour guide yet!" because of how he explained things for him to understand. Chris was reachable and flexible when our travel delays necessitated slight deviation in start time and location. We were so grateful for his time and expertise, it was a fantastic way to start our time in London!Fantastic!

marc

(About local Chris )

26 August 2025

Wir hatten eine sehr schöne und informative Führung mit Chris. Chris hat uns unter anderem auch den römischen Einfluß auf London aufgezeigt. So haben wir Dinge gesehen, auf die wir sonst nicht gestoßen wären. Die Zeit verging wie im Fluge. Wir würden jederzeit wieder eine Führung bei Chris buchenTolle Führung

Roman🇨🇦 Canada

(About local Chris )

26 August 2025

Chris was very personable and knowledgeable. He customized the tour perfectly to match our interests.Knowledgeable Local

carlos🇺🇸 United States

(About local Chris )

18 August 2025

Chris was fantastic! Lot of insightful tidbits of the city's history and landmarks during an almost 6 mile trek around the heart of London. Just what we where looking for and that will help us dive deeper exploring London on the remaining days of our trip. I would highly reccomend Chris if you want to learn about London. Great introduction to London

Megan

(About local umar)

15 August 2025

Voyumar was a fantastic guide! He is very knowledgeable and we learned so much on our guided tour today. He has a warm personality and made everyone feel welcome and included. I would highly recommend this tour, Uma has great energy.Warm and friendly guide makes for a fantastic experience!

Cindy

(About local Kemal)

9 August 2025

We had originally booked another guide but due to personal reasons, he had to transfer this booking to Kemal who flew especially from Istanbul to accommodate us! Kemal was very knowledgeable regarding all of London's history and works as a professional photographer to boot so we had amazing photos!! We managed to see Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, a traditional English pub, St. James royal park, .... all within 3 hours!!! Kemal is a definite guide we will recommend to friends!!!London in a nutshell

Seric

(About local umar)

9 August 2025

Phenomenal tour of the royal grounds around St. James. Umar was such a nice man with an amazing personality. So many random people along the tour stopped him and gave him so much grief claiming to be a part of the tour and he handled it all with such grace and resilience. Honestly, he’s an inspiration on how to handle insufferable, entitled people. I felt terrible for him to be dealing with that while he’s just trying to work. All in all, amazing experience. Umar was very informative. He has such a good sense of humor, and was an absolute pleasure to meet and be toured around by. Best guide ever

Larry🇺🇸 United States

(About local Chris )

3 August 2025

Chris was extremely pleasant and knowledgeable. He showed us many hidden sight and out of the way gems. We’d never know this side of London otherwise. He was great and it was a perfect way to get acquainted with this wonderful city.Super knowledgable

Steven

(About local Kemal)

26 July 2025

Full of knowledge of the history and the aria. Took us to all the hole in the wall bars that we enjoyed very much.Fantastic guide

Bonnie

(About local Sophie)

22 July 2025

I truly appreciate how patient she was with all four of us. She guided us with breeze and knowledge of London! And tolerated all my kids! We had a great afternoon with Sophie!Sophie was fantastic!

Shana

(About local umar)

21 July 2025

Amazing time. Voyumar was super engaging and witty. One of the best tours I have been on and highly recommend for all ages! Amazing time

Colin🇳🇿 New Zealand

(About local Kemal)

16 July 2025

We booked Kemal when we were home in New Zealand, having reviewed other reviews about Kemal and having checked out his photography online and in instagram. This man is so modest about his accomplishments- everything online is understated. He has a great ability to engage with locals in Turkey in such a warm and genuine manner- people seem to do anything for him, allow him places and are happy for him/us to photograph them, showing their story and humanity. He has travelled to and knows so many countries- it’s not for nothing he was a staff photographer ( and executive editor) for National Geographic for many years. I don’t think we could ask him anything about Istanbul and the surrounding area ( we did two of his tours) which he didn’t know. He organised a car, and made recommendations for meals/ drinks (which were spot on- and we had as part of the tours). Not only that, he is very flexible to fit in with exactly what you want- just guiding, or going to places specifically for photographic opportunities. He met us at our hotel- really takes away any hassle- and you really do get to see a lot more than if left to your own devices. He also has a “voice map” guided out of the Galata area of Istanbul- we didn’t know about that- suggest checking it out. We weren’t sure if Kemal was the same person as “Kemal Nuraydin” in instagram- he is. He is the same Kemal in “Terra Photos tours” ( website and instagram) as well. Also, to remove any potential confusion, he actually lives in London, doing the same work there, but has friends and family in Istanbul, so is always happy to fly over to do your guiding or tour. Sounds like we are advertising him, which we are- only because we think he is so good at what he does. Thanks Kemal! Colin Brown and Ruth Bijl , Auckland, New ZealandTHE BEST GUIDE and PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDE

Nick🇬🇧 United Kingdom

(About local Chris )

14 July 2025

We spent a great few hours with Chris discovering parts of London we didn't know existed. His historical knowledge was fascinating but he also tuned the tour to our interests by showing us multiple places to eat, markets and generally places of interest. He was easy company and had many interesting stories to tell. We have already discussed returning for a tour of another part of London.History of London

Jon🇺🇸 United States

(About local Chris )

12 July 2025

Chris was a wonderful guide. He was very energetic, knowledgeable and great with our kids (girls, ages 8 and 9). We did the walking tour the day we arrived, middle afternoon. This was a great way to get some exercise after a long flight and we couldn’t check-in yet anyway. Chris is a great guide and host - highly recommended!!Great way to start a London trip!

Cindy🇺🇸 United States

(About local Sophie)

6 July 2025

Our walking tour with Sophie was great! She is very kind and patient with my kids, and also was very knowledgeable and animated about London. I would highly recommend Sophie !Wonderful tour

Adrienne🇨🇦 Canada

(About local Sophie)

26 June 2025

Sophie was energetic and enthusiastic! She kept our group entertained with great stories, insight, and knowledgeGreat walking tour

Gary

(About local umar)

26 June 2025

Fun and facts Very informative and fun guide. Lots of fun. Very quick to find alternatives to see when things didn't go to plan, like the guards.Fun facts

TAra

(About local umar)

24 June 2025

Umar is a wonderful guide to any adventure you wish to take. He's very knowledgeable and will make sure you have the time of your life. He is attentive to the needs of all the travelers in the group; everyone will feel valued and included. He took us around Scotland and England and adults and students had an amazing time. I would not only go on another tour with him again, I consider him a friend.You can't go wrong with Umar!

David🇺🇸 United States

(About local Chris )

20 June 2025

We had a wonderful tour with Chris. He is so knowledgeable and clearly is passionate about the City and its history. During the tour, he made sure to check with us about how the pacing of the tour felt. We especially appreciated his ability to tailor the tour to our interests — we asked for a focus on architecture and Chris delivered. I learned a lot and had fun doing it. Thank you Chris! Brilliant Tour of the City

Marc🇩🇪 Germany

(About local Kemal)

16 June 2025

Kemal was a great teacher for us. He helped us take our photography to the next level or even to the level above that. We loved every second of it and truly appreciate him coming to Istanbul for us. Yes it is pricy but for us it was worth it, as we now have a new approach to taking fotos of the people on the streets, so thank you very much Kemal!Awesome Streetphoto Tour/Lesson in Galata

Charlotte

(About local umar)

14 June 2025

Umar is the best! He will make sure you have the best experience possible and gain a friend in the process. I would recommend him to anyone for any kind of trip - you will not be disappointed!Unforgettable

Thomas🇧🇪 Belgium

(About local Sophie)

10 June 2025

Sophie is a great guide Very enthousiastic about the city. Many historical references and anecdote makes the tour with Sophie always fascinating. We spend 3 hours with her and enjoyed every seconds. Sophie is also very kind All in all, I recommend her with no hesitation Enthousiatic

Eugene 🇺🇸 United States

(About local Chris )

2 June 2025

Chris was a wonderfully friendly and knowledgeable guide. We covered from Roman times to the present, all within the few blocks enclosed by St Paul’s Cathedral, Guildhall and the Royal Exchange. We learned a lot! We had not appreciated until then that London City is just a small part of London. Great historical tour of London City

Jonathan🇺🇸 United States

(About local Chris )

29 May 2025

Chris did a great job with our full day tour. He clearly knows London quite well and was able to answer all of our questions. He was also very mindful of my two kids and tailored the tour to suit our needs. I highly recommend him for those looking for a tour.Knowlegable, polite and patient!

Bailey🇺🇸 United States

(About local Chris )

26 May 2025

I booked a private tour with Chris for our group of 11 adults & 1 baby. Chris was a fantastic guide! He is very knowledgeable and was able to answer all of our questions. We learned a lot on our tour and it was overall the highlight of our time in London! He was also very accommodating to our group, especially the baby. I highly recommend booking a tour with Chris!Great experience! Highly recommend.

Terri🇺🇸 United States

(About local Chris )

25 May 2025

Chris was a great guide! We had planned an afternoon Kickstart tour and had some check in issues at our Airbnb so we were a bit late getting started. Chris was very adaptable - waited for us while we grabbed a quick bite to eat and re-arranged some of his planned tour. He provided a great overview of London - particularly in the government area and gave us useful recommendations as to travel and restaurants too. Definitely a 5 star.London visit

Beth

(About local umar)

24 May 2025

Voyumar was fabulous! We learned a ton - all of us ranging from age 9 to 75. He took us to all the best spots and the time flew by. We felt like we got a unique experience seeing a bunch of great views of London as well as the changing guards.Engaging entertaining

Patty🇺🇸 United States

(About local Chris )

22 May 2025

We had the absolute pleasure of spending our first day in London with Chris as our tour guide, and it was the perfect introduction to this incredible city. Not only did he teach us how to navigate the Tube like locals, but he also took us to some of London’s most iconic spots: Parliament, Covent Garden, the financial district, and so much more. What truly set Chris apart was his extraordinary knowledge and the fascinating historical stories he shared at every stop. His passion for the city is contagious, and we left the tour feeling more connected to London’s rich past and vibrant present. Whether it’s your first visit or your tenth, booking a tour with Chris is a must. Highly recommend!A fantastic day in London with Chris!

Hector 🇬🇧 United Kingdom

(About local Kemal)

21 May 2025

Had a fantastic time in the Galata area of Istanbul with Kemal. Local knowledge is a great thing. For someone trying to remember how to find their way around a camera again, it was a fantastic learning experience. I would thoroughly recommend Kemal's tour if you are lucky enough to find him available. He is patient, seeks out great photo opportunities, and willing acomplicies, to help 'get that shot'. We also learned a few tips and tricks to make our phone mobile photography better. An all round great time with an all round great guy! şerefe Kemal. Galata with Kemal

Rianna🇨🇦 Canada

(About local Chris )

19 May 2025

Pat🇺🇸 United States

(About local Chris )

4 May 2025

Chris had us at "Welcome to London." Our biggest disappointment was that we didn't book Chris for all 3 days we were in London. Chris is fabulous, interesting, great sense of humor, and has a wealth of knowledge at his fingertips!!! We'd like to come back just to have Chris show us more of the city he truly loves.Truly a fabulous guide!

Anna🇺🇸 United States

(About local Sophie)

25 April 2025

We loved our tour with Sophie -- it's the second time we've had her give us a tour in London, and she did an amazing job. She made the history very interesting and accessible and guided the tour towards our interests. Highly recommend! Incredible tour guide!

Unknown

(About local Sophie)

19 April 2025

Sophie was infectious with her love and knowledge of London. Loved the tour !Great personable tour!

Erin

(About local Sophie)

18 April 2025

Sophie is LOVELY. So kind and full of facts and seems to genuinely love what she does. Our family loved our tour with her. We hit all of the spots we most wanted to see and she was INFINITELY patient with my son who had endless questions for her. We learned a lot and had so much fun. Wonderful tour

Cassie

(About local Kemal)

16 April 2025

Kemal took my family of 4 to various points around the Galata Tower area. Within the first hour, we already learned a great deal of technique and info. We had no idea what our iPhones were capable of doing. He engaged my kids (12- and 14- y/o) in a natural way and encouraged them to keep taking photos throughout the experience. He sprinkled in historical information to give context of where we were. Highly recommend for beginners like us and I’m sure would be an amazing reliever for experienced photographers.Learned much more than I could imagine.

John🇨🇭 Switzerland

(About local Chris )

14 April 2025

A great experience

Dru🇺🇸 United States

(About local Chris )

7 April 2025

Two words to describe Chris's tour " oh wow"! Chris will take you " behind the scenes " of London and show you things of interest with some great storytelling to go with it! Chris is knowledgeable and personable. If you are looking for a great tour of London..Chris is your guide!Oh Wow

Aneta

(About local Chris )

4 April 2025

Chris was incredibly patient and kind — we had four kids and a grandma in our group, so we weren’t always the fastest or most focused, but he handled it all with such grace and good humor. He shared many interesting facts, and I genuinely believe there’s no question Chris can’t answer. Thank you so much, Chris!Wonderful tour!

Matt🇺🇸 United States

(About local Sophie)

21 March 2025

Sophie was pleasant and knowledgeable. Before meeting her she asked what we were interested in seeing and tailored the stroll to our liking. We went at a casual pace and saw many things that were made more interesting because of Sophie’s commentary. Worth the walk

Christopher🇺🇸 United States

(About local Chris )

2 March 2025

We were in London for a short time, and our tour with Chris was the perfect way to get acquainted with both historical and modern London in just a couple hours. Chris was not only friendly and engaging, but truly a wealth of knowledge about history and life in London. He was also flexible to ensure our tour fit in a pretty compact day of dining and other activities. Our tour with Chris was the highlight of our short time in London and we'd highly recommend him to any future visitors. Thank you Chris!Perfect Intro to London

Gilbert🇱🇺 Luxembourg

(About local Chris )

3 February 2025

Hello We had a fantastic walk starting from Smithfield- st Bartholomeus - Barbican -London Wall - St.Alphage Wall and finished at Guildhall. Chris has brought us a precise tour and responded to the points we had agreed. I will ask him to extend for next year to extend this tour, as I plan to present this to a group of interested visitors. London: 2000 years in 2 hours

Olga🇩🇪 Germany

(About local Chris )

11 January 2025

We had the absolute pleasure of taking a private 2.5-hour tour of London with Chris, and it exceeded all of our expectations! The tour was a birthday gift for my husband, who had lived in London for nearly two years. I thought it might be difficult to surprise him, but Chris did an incredible job of curating a unique and highly personalised experience that catered to his interests and needs. Chris shared so many fascinating facts and little-known details about London that even my husband, with his familiarity with the city, was thoroughly impressed and delighted. His passion for the city's history and culture really shone through, and his engaging storytelling made the experience truly unforgettable. He was thrilled with this thoughtful and informative tour, and I couldn’t have asked for a better gift for him. Thank you, Chris, for making this such a memorable day for both of us. Highly recommended!A great London Tour with Chris

Prisco

(About local Chris )

6 January 2025

My wife and I spent 3 great hours with Chris on the local history tour that began at St Paul's Cathedral. This man is a wealth of information about all things historical in London. We learned things that are not written in the history books and can only be explained in detail in person. This tour was worth the time amd money !! Great day with Chris

Debra🇺🇸 United States

(About local Chris )

19 December 2024

If you want to experience London to the fullest, Chris is the expert you want. We began our trip with Chris as our guide-- not just a facts person, but a person who asked what our interests were and expertly crafted a tour where we didn't have a lecture, but a conversation. Chris's depth of knowledge about London and his ability to connect with us made our conversation about London so exciting and engaging. He really connected with us and made our tour special, meaningful, and fun. Chris wanted us to share his excitement about London with us, and we were hooked! Can't wait to come back to London and tour with Chris again.Exciting, Engaging Tour with Chris

Jennifer🇺🇸 United States

(About local Chris )

26 November 2024

Chris was amazing! Even though it was a typical rainy London evening, Chris made it memorable and fun! Very knowledgeable and knows the history of area like the back of his hand. Chris was amazing at answering our 10 year old nephews questions and keeping him engaged as well! I very much suggest Chris for your next London tour!!!Fun and Knowledgeable

Raymond🇺🇸 United States

(About local Chris )

10 November 2024

Chris was wonderful. He was incredibly helpful before my tour in making recommendations. He was on time, very communicative and he was cheery and knowledgable. We got a great walking tour which was perfect for day 1 to get to know the neighborhoods. I’d do this tour again. Chris is outstanding