• Private Tour
• Instantly Confirmed
• Carbon Neutral

Step back in time and discover the stories that shaped London. From the Tower of London to Whitehall and Shakespeare’s Globe, your local host will guide you through centuries of power, drama, and culture. With rich insights, hidden gems, and a proper lunch stop, this full-day tour brings London’s history vividly to life.

Destination

London, England

Category

City Highlight Tours

Duration

8 hours

Transport mode

Walking tour

Available languages

English, Español, العربية, Türkçe

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 In front of Buzzed Coffee Bar - 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 Whitehall, Tower of London, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, 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

Rob

(About local Tom)

9 September 2025

Tom had great historical knowledge and recall of many sites of interest including the architect. He was also helpful in navigating the Tube strike for places we needed to go.Knowledgeable & Helpful

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

Marc🇺🇸 United States

(About local Tom)

8 September 2025

We had an absolutely fantastic experience touring London with Tom, The London Storyteller! In just a few short hours, he managed to weave together so much history, culture, and fun bringing the city’s stories to life while also making sure we saw so many of the iconic sites. Tom’s knowledge is incredible, but what really stood out was how he made everything engaging and easy to follow. From the Tower of London and HMS Belfast to Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, and even a stop at Borough Market, every moment felt special. If you want to see London in a way that’s both informative and personal, we can’t recommend Tom enough. He gave us a day we’ll always remember, and we left with not only great photos but a much deeper appreciation for this amazing city. London in 4 hours! Yes!

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!

Tonya🇺🇸 United States

(About local Tom)

26 August 2025

We had a great walking tour in London with Tom. He was friendly, knowledgeable, and made the city’s history really enjoyable. Highly recommend!Great walking tour with Tom

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!

Oksana

(About local Tom)

13 August 2025

Our family had a wonderful day exploring London with Tom. He not only shared fascinating stories about famous landmarks like Westminster Abbey but also led us to hidden gems we’d never have found ourselves. His warmth, humor, and deep knowledge made the day fly by, and he tailored everything perfectly to our interests. Thanks to Tom, we experienced the real London and made memories we’ll treasure.Fantastic London Tour with Tom

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

Dina

(About local Tom)

3 August 2025

Tom was so knowledgeable about London distort. Before going to the Churchill War Rooms, Tom suggested going on a historical walking tour in the Westminster area so we’d have a more context before going in to the War Rooms. It was so helpful to have that background. Tom also had extensive pop culture knowledge, and answered so many of our questions. Definitely recommend a tour with him! Tom was great!

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!

Alexis🇺🇸 United States

(About local Tom)

21 July 2025

We had a fabulous half day tour with Tom. He is incredibly knowledgeable, pleasant and accommodating to our interests. 1/2 Day London Tour

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

Alina🇨🇦 Canada

(About local Tom)

1 July 2025

Our family of four (with two teenagers - 19 and 14) spent three unforgettable hours with Tom during our first visit to London. Tom is an incredible storyteller and allows you to get to know London in an engaging and relatable way. He introduced us to key landmarks like Tower Bridge, House of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and Big Ben, and helped us orient ourselves on our first day in the city, so we could go back to some of his recommended spots. He also suggested a great pub circa 1663 near the area we stayed in and it was fantastic! Great food and ambience. Tom’s comment about London truly stuck with us - “London might not be the most beautiful city, but it’s definitely the most honest - as it’s not afraid to show the good, the bad and the ugly.” That really resonated - it’s truly such an eclectic city full of contrasts. Thank you Tom for helping make our first trip here so memorable! If you’re considering booking a tour with Tom - just do it and you’ll be glad you did!Highlight of our visit

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

Helene🇩🇰 Denmark

(About local Tom)

25 June 2025

Despite the fact that 8 of us know London very well, Tom managed to show us loads of hidden gems and historic places. And this in an fun, fact full and interesting way. We all want to re book Tom👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼The lesser known London

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

Zach

(About local Tom)

15 June 2025

We are a family of four with a 10 and 13 year old. We wanted Tom because of his storytelling description and we weren’t disappointed. Tom was fun and engaging and was full of stories and history which our kids ate up. We discussed tons of topics and he seemed to be able to answer or provide some insight to every topic. His passion for history and guiding was obvious and made it a great time. We would happily take another tour with Tom if possible. Great family highlights tour!

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

Unknown

(About local Tom)

6 June 2025

Travel delayed us and we joined Tome almost a half an hour tarty. He was gracious and creative. He tweaked the tour, changed the itinerary a bit and we covered all and more we had hoped for! We only had that afternoon and the next day in London so he provided a great orientation, recommendations for dinner and a quick tutorial of the Underground! Awesome AND flexible!

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.

nooe

(About local Tom)

25 May 2025

We loved our tour with Tom In London! He was very knowledgeable and shared lots of good information with us! It so much fun! We highly recommend Tom!

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

cathy🇺🇸 United States

(About local Tom)

21 May 2025

We really enjoyed our tour learning about the British Invasion on the 60s. We explored parts of London that we would have never discovered otherwise. Appreciate Tom's flexibility with us too. Great information - fun tour

Rianna🇨🇦 Canada

(About local Chris )

19 May 2025

Adrian🇮🇳 India

(About local Tom)

9 May 2025

Firstly, I must truly appreciate that Tom was ever so accommodating given we had messed up our train journey and were running quite late! He shared some charming insights into the history of the Royals, all with a dash of humor to keep us entertained all the while. The highlight of our tour was undoubtedly when we saw the King and Queen driving into and then again out of Buckingham Palace! Those moments specially were exhilarating. Thank you Tom was the warmth and the wonderful time.We saw the King and Queen !!!

Steve🇺🇸 United States

(About local Tom)

5 May 2025

We booked Tom for both a Royals Tour and the Swinging Sixties Tour. A full day. Tom labels himself as the Storyteller. He is that and alot more. Tom makes it all come alive from Ian Fleming favorite bar, to the Beatles last concert sight, and to the first club Jimi Hendrix played in. Tom will take you there and then fill in the significance and make it come alive. Was such a fun day. Tom is attentive, warm and easy to connect with. At the end of the tour if you don’t feel like you have made a friend. Shame on you. Tom is great about taking pictures all day long of you and then downloading to you. Great guy. Great tours. When London Comes Alive

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!

Dominik

(About local Tom)

22 April 2025

From Kensington Palace to Big Ben – the tour was great fun, and we learned so much about London and the monarchy. Thank you very much, Tom! Amazing Tour