Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace and Jermyn Street

Parliament Sq, London

• Take the Tube: use the Jubilee, Circle or District Line to Westminster Station. • Exit the station: use Exit 4. • Walk to Parliament Square. • Find the statue: it is the first statue at Parliament Square Garden. Your guide will be waiting by the statue.

Parliament Square

Join your guide in front of the Winston Churchill Statue at Parliament Square, London SW1P 3JX, UK.

Big Ben

Your guide starts at Big Ben and the streets around it. Standing under the clock tower, you get its history and the craftsmanship behind the 19th-century design, how the mechanism works, and what the tower has come to mean in Britain. From the same spot there is the Palace of Westminster, home of the UK Parliament, and its Gothic architecture. The walk then crosses Parliament Square, with the stories behind the statues of Winston Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi and the rest. This is the political centre of London and it works like one, with the Thames on one side and Westminster Abbey on the other.

Costo extra

Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey with an expert Blue Badge guide, in a group of no more than 20 people. Skip-the-line entry gets you straight in, to a church with a thousand years of history, Gothic architecture and a role in royal coronations that runs up to King Charles III. Your guide has the stories behind the tombs of monarchs such as Queen Elizabeth I, and the literary names in Poets' Corner. The Tomb of the Unknown Warrior is here too, in memory of the soldiers lost in the First World War. The stained glass, the carvings and the side chapels are worth the time on their own.

Enjoy a Coffee or tea once you finish you Westminster Abbey…

A coffee or a tea once the Westminster Abbey visit is over, before the royal half of the walk begins at Buckingham Palace.

Buckingham Palace

After the break, the guide leads a walk towards Buckingham Palace, with its history and its place in royal life along the way. The route crosses St James's Park, with views of the palace and its gardens, and passes Clarence House, another royal residence. Time permitting, there is the Royal Guard Chapel, and the history of the guards and their traditions.

Costo extra

St. James's Palace

St James's Palace is one of the oldest working royal palaces in London, and it was the monarch's official residence before Buckingham Palace. Your guide covers what has happened here, from royal weddings to state ceremonies. The Tudor architecture is the thing to look at, along with the gates and the courtyards, and the guide has the lives of the people who lived inside. If the timing works you may also catch the Changing of the Guard.

Costo extra

St. James's

The St James's district is where British menswear lives, and the guide takes it seriously. Jermyn Street is lined with menswear shops, and the history behind the tailoring is part of the walk. There are shirtmakers, hatters and cigar merchants, all of them long established. Gentlemen's clubs and perfumeries sit among them. The walk ends near Piccadilly Arcade, and your guide will point you to whatever you want next, whether that is food, shopping, books or gifts. A café for tea or a pub for a pint are both close by.