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United Kingdom
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England
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Greater London
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London
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Tours & Activities
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Royal London Walking Tour: Early Access Tower of London & Changing of The Guard
4 h
By walk
Instant confirmation
About this activity
Meet your guide outside the Tower of London in the morning. Receive your early access ticket, then listen to your guide’s commentary before heading inside to explore independently. Bypass any entrance lines and step straight inside to see the opening ceremony. You’ll also be one of the first to enter the Jewel House, where the Crown Jewels — a dazzling collection of jewels still used today by Queen Elizabeth II — have been stored since 1303. You may also witness the opening ceremony, performed by the Yeoman Warders, or ‘Beefeaters.’
Stroll along the East Wall Walk for bird’s-eye views of the city streets, and see the ravens that have lived here since the reign of King Charles II. Visit the White Tower, Medieval Palace and Traitors’ Gate, and see the Tower Green where a string of traitors and monarchs, including Anne Boleyn, were executed.
After your visit, meet back up with your guide and head to a nearby pier where a cruise boat awaits. Hop aboard and find yourself a spot on deck, then have your camera ready as you set off on a 30-minute Thames River cruise. Listen to your guide share interesting details about the sights you see including St Paul’s Cathedral, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament.
Disembark at Embankment Pier, then stroll with your guide to Buckingham Palace or Horse Guards Parade to watch the Changing of the Guard. Listen to your guide talk about the ceremony’s history, then watch as the crimson-clad Queen’s Foot Guards or the Household Cavalry perform this impressive procedure.
Finish your tour outside Buckingham Palace. See the balcony where the British Royal Family appear during major events, and hear tales of murderous intruders and amorous princes scaling the walls to get both in and out.
Please note: If there is heavy rain — or if the Changing of the Guard is rescheduled to early morning — the ceremony will be replaced with an extended walking tour.
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Stroll along the East Wall Walk for bird’s-eye views of the city streets, and see the ravens that have lived here since the reign of King Charles II. Visit the White Tower, Medieval Palace and Traitors’ Gate, and see the Tower Green where a string of traitors and monarchs, including Anne Boleyn, were executed.
After your visit, meet back up with your guide and head to a nearby pier where a cruise boat awaits. Hop aboard and find yourself a spot on deck, then have your camera ready as you set off on a 30-minute Thames River cruise. Listen to your guide share interesting details about the sights you see including St Paul’s Cathedral, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament.
Disembark at Embankment Pier, then stroll with your guide to Buckingham Palace or Horse Guards Parade to watch the Changing of the Guard. Listen to your guide talk about the ceremony’s history, then watch as the crimson-clad Queen’s Foot Guards or the Household Cavalry perform this impressive procedure.
Finish your tour outside Buckingham Palace. See the balcony where the British Royal Family appear during major events, and hear tales of murderous intruders and amorous princes scaling the walls to get both in and out.
Please note: If there is heavy rain — or if the Changing of the Guard is rescheduled to early morning — the ceremony will be replaced with an extended walking tour.
Included
- Professional guide
- Boat cruise on the Thames River
- Headsets, when needed
- VIP Early Access to Tower of London including opening ceremony
- Entry/Admission - Tower of London
- Entry/Admission - Changing of the Guard
Not included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Food and drinks
- Gratuities
Additional
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Please note: Seeing the Changing of the Guard is weather dependent and on occasional Sundays may be rescheduled to early morning, this will then be replaced with an extended walking tour
- Unable to accommodate strollers and baby carriages
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 25 travelers
Features
Tourism
90%
Cultural
75%
Sport
25%
Original
25%
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We had such a blast with Gavin. He is such an incredibly friendly, chatty, and happy fellow who also is incredibly knowledgable of the city. Another perk to this tour was the early access to the Tower of London. There was NO LINES whatsoever to see the Crown Jewels. This tour is worth the money for just that fact alone. I highly recommend this tour...and Gavin with a "G" is phenomenal!
This tour had the perfect size group. We were 6 among a group of 20-25 total. We enjoyed the information, the walk, the early access to the tower and Crown Jewels and Thames journey. Nathan was an excellent guide. He was knowledgeable, cordial, and had a great sense of humor. Viator’s tour explains this adventure accurately. Be sure to read the details and other tours they offer. Enjoy
Michael was a fantastic tour guide. The tour was very informative and fast paced. Gave us a lot of highlights of London. We actually got to witness 4 different changing of the guard ceremonies during our tour. My husband and I would both highly recommend this tour.
The Royal London Walking Tour was a top notch tour of some of the best sights in London. We had 2 teenagers and were worried about a 4 hour waking tour, however we could not have picked a better tour. The guide was informative and we learned the history of the Tower of London before entering early before the crowds. The boat tour up the Thames to Buckingham Palace allowed us to see more sights. Our tour guide was great in sharing the history and culture of what we were seeing and allowing us to see the best of the horse guards and changing of the guards. We would recommend this tour to anyone who wants to see some of the top sights in London!
Well done Nathan and Citywonders, it was a fantastic insight into the history of London and its amazing architecture and traditions. Nathan was truly a walking wealth of information.. Many thanks
Our tour guide was amazing! it was the best guided tour that i have ever experienced. worth every penny for sure.
Definitely suggest the early access factor as the Tower of London gets very very crowded. Don't think we spent enough time at the Tower and totally missed a lot of the areas of interest as the guide left us to fend on our own once inside. The rest of the tour was excellent and our guide was very knowledgeable. We walked and walked and walked - suggest good walking shoes and alot of water - trip includes a boat ride on the Thames and then more walking. No changing of the guards daily any more - suggest you find out which days the perform the exchange prior to booking.
Danielle, the tour guide, was an excellent mix of knowledge and humor. I‘m so glad that we booked this.
Nathan was great! Funny and personable. Enjoyed the tour and the history lesson! I would definitely recommend to anyone who wants a great view of the Crown Jewels!
Guide was great. Private showing of Beefeaters key ceremony. First ones into tower of London. No lines to see jewels. Positioned us perfectly for changing of the Guard three times straight. Photo locations were textbook. Easy to understand and very knowledgable. We travel a lot and he was one of the best guides we have had.
Great tour and great insights from our guide into the history of the Tower of London and Buckingham Palace. The time at the Tower of London was a bit shorter than we would have liked, but it ended up being sufficient. The Beefeater, Dave, who met with our group in the Tower grounds was very knowledgable, quite humorous and clearly passionate about his work. Due to scheduling outside the control of our guide, we never actually saw the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, but instead saw a celebration of the RAF's centennial, including a flyer over of several RAF craft as the royal family looked on. We were satisfied with the substitution.
Our tour guide Nathan was exceptional. We explored the Tower of London and had ample time to wander independently. His knowledge of the structures, as well as knowledge of English history and the royals was impressive. His commentary was easy to follow and he has a great sense of humor to make the stories of history memorable. We managed to see the ceremony of the guards opening the Tower of London gates, toured the city by cruise down the ThNes and finished up at Buckingham Oakace. We were treated to seeing the horse guards parade down the mall and we saw the guards oarade back to their barracks along with atge vans. A perfect length walking tour.
Fantastic - We really enjoyed this one. Do not miss it
This was awesome. Loved getting in before the crowds and seeing the opening ceremony. Nathan was a great guide. Knowledgeable and funny. I have been several times to the Tower, this was my favorite.