London Highlights by Tube and Bus, with Westminster Abbey and the Tower

Broad Sanctuary, London

Westminster Abbey Shop. Your guide will be waiting outside with a sign showing the lead customer's name.

Trafalgar Square

The tour begins at Trafalgar Square, the centre of London. Nelson's Column stands over it, and one of the lions guarding Lord Nelson makes a good photograph.

Whitehall

On towards Whitehall, where the Prime Minister lives and works. It is also the place to look at the war memorials, with your guide on the conflicts behind them.

Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey is the church you recognise from royal weddings, funerals and coronations, and the history is impossible to ignore. Entry is through the cloisters, which is the best way to take in the age and the scale of the building. Walking in, you see names everywhere: some you know at once, others only after your guide has attached a story to them. Then one of the oldest pieces of furniture in the United Kingdom, a chair last used in 1953, waiting for the next coronation. Around the high altar are royal burials, among them two step-sisters, both queens and nothing alike, who were not fond of each other in life and lie in the same tomb. About 90 minutes here before moving on.

Buckingham Palace

Can you tell whether the monarch is at home? Buckingham Palace sometimes comes with the Changing of the Guard. On certain days and in fair weather the group joins the regiments marching from their barracks to the palace. If the guard change is cancelled, this is London and there is always other pageantry: the horse guards are round the corner, and they are inspected every day, rain or shine.

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St. James's Park

Walking down The Mall has a regal feel to it and makes for good pictures. If one palace is not enough, St James's Palace is close by, with more stories about the Royal Family. If you have had your fill of royalty, St James's Park is a quiet stretch in the middle of the city, and a good place to see the local wildlife: a great variety of birds, and squirrels everywhere.

Parliament Square

On to Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, and the pictures everyone comes for. How many of the statues of famous statesmen can you name? Your guide will explain who they were and why they matter in British history. Then the bus or the tube through the financial district, known as the City of London, where old and new architecture stand side by side.

St. Paul's Cathedral

Now the area around St Paul's Cathedral, a church with a history of its own. One architect built it in 35 years in a single consistent style, and its place on the skyline is protected by law. A walk round the churchyard gives you the scale of it. Your guide knows the best spots for a photograph, whether from the Millennium Bridge or the roof terrace at One New Change. There are plenty of places to eat here, and this is the point to break for lunch. Fish and chips in a local pub is an option.

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Tower of London

East now to the Tower of London, a medieval fortress ringed by modern buildings. The visit covers the castle inside and out: the ravens, the Crown Jewels, and the gory stories the place has collected over the years. Beefeater is not only a brand of gin, it is the other name for the Yeoman Warders. They are hard to miss in their uniforms, and generally happy to pose for a quick photo.

Tower Bridge

Coming out of the Tower there is a fine view of Tower Bridge. The tour finishes here, and your guide will point you in the right direction or help you find a taxi. The itinerary is finalised on the day, around what is on and the weather.

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