First Time Visitor's London by Car/MPV/Van
New To The Site!
London, England
8 to 9 hours (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Overview
This specially designed full-day tour is exclusively dedicated for the first time visitors in London. Our tour can start various times in the morning depending on your request. The direction of the tour can be reversible. In this tour, I aim to give the full history of London in 8 hours. This way visitors can understand the 2000 years of history of the city. I'm a history buff and have an excellent background of the city's history and I would be very pleased to offer an immaculate culture experience for our guests. I do welcome the large group of travellers as well. Please just contact me for further info.
What's Included
- Snacks
- Bottled water
- Private transportation
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Fuel surcharge
- Parking Fees
- Lunch
- Gratuities
What To Expect
Houses of Parliament
The Houses of Parliament, known also as the Palace of Westminster is where the two Houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (the House of Lords and the House of Commons) conduct their sittings. The Houses of Parliament (Palace of Westminster) lie on the north bank of the River Thames in the London borough of the City of Westminster, close by other government buildings in Whitehall.
The oldest part of the Houses of Parliament (Palace of Westminster) is still in existence, Westminster Hall, which dates from 1097.The palace originally served as a royal residence, but no monarch has lived in it since the 16th century.
Most of the present Houses of Parliament (Palace of Westminster) structure dates from the 19th century, when the Palace was rebuilt after it was almost entirely destroyed by a fire in 1834. The architect responsible for rebuilding the Palace was Sir Charles Barry and Augustus Welby Pugin, and the building is an example of the Gothic revival.
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey is a Church, burial ground, coronation site and much more, Westminster Abbey continues to attract visitors over 900 years after its founding. In many respects the architecture is common. There's the traditional cross-shaped floor plan with a nave, north and south transepts and several round side areas. But both its execution and use raise The Collegiate Church of St Peter, Westminster (the official name) to among the highest examples of church construction. Here at Westminster Abbey lie buried kings and poets, scientists and philosophers who have themselves raised humankind to the highest levels. Isaac Newton and James Clerk Maxwell (discoverer of electromagnetic theory, which later lead to radio and TV), Chaucer and Kipling, Dr. Samuel Johnson (creator of the first English dictionary) and many other justly famous names are interred here.
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Parliament Square
Located right in the middle of London's iconic landmarks such as Houses of Parliament, Elizabeth Tower (a.k.a Big Ben), Whitehall, Saint-Margaret's Church, Westminster Abbey and Westminster Bridge. Parliament Square houses eleven state figures and world leaders, including Sir Winston Churchill, Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. Parliament Square in London is a popular destination among tourists. The atmosphere is magnificent and it's one of the must-visit locations in the city.
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
10 Downing Street
Being one of the most important political buildings in the world United Kingdom's White House Number 10 continuously hosts the British prime ministers since 1735. The main decisions affecting Britain's destiny in the last 275 years have seriously been taken behind its iconic black door. Today it's not possible to enter the street as a tourist but knowing the idea that an actual prime minister lives and works in the street is heart beating. Have this experience with us.
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace is still the official residence of Britain's monarchy, as it has been since Queen Victoria's designation in 1837. Much of the Buckingham Palace was constructed as early as 1703 for the Duke of Buckingham. Buckingham House (as it was then known) was purchased in 1762 by George III, who used it as a private residence. Over the following 75 years, the house was expanded to form three wings around a central courtyard.When Queen Victoria discovered Buckingham Palace lacked several 'necessary' rooms - such as a formal ballroom, a nursery, visitor's bedrooms and others - major additions were undertaken, including adding an entire wing to form a quadrangle.The Marble Arch was moved to Hyde Park, where it still resides near Speaker's Corner. With the refacing using Portland stone in 1913, the palace received its last major change.Buckingham Palace is still actively used as both residence and offices, over 50,000 guests and invited diplomats to visit per year who interact with over 400 individuals for whom this is 'the office'. Nevertheless, several parts of Buckingham Palace are open to the public.
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Changing of the Guard
The Queen's Guard and Queen's Life Guard (called King's Guard and King's Life Guard when the reigning monarch is male) are the names given to contingents of infantry and cavalry soldiers charged with guarding the official royal residences in the United Kingdom. The British Army has regiments of both Horse Guards and Foot Guards predating the English Restoration (1660), and since the reign of King Charles II these regiments have been responsible for guarding the Sovereign's palaces. Despite tourist perceptions, the Guards are not purely ceremonial and are fully operational soldiers.
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
St. James's Park
St. James's Park is one of the Royal Parks of London in the City of Westminster, London, just east of Buckingham Palace and west of Downing Street. For more than four hundred years, St James ' Park has been the center of the royal and ceremonial life of the country. Many features of the park have been shaped by Royal ambitions and national events. We will show hidden gems and the best spots for your best photo shots in the park.
25 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Harrods
Much of London, for the tourist anyway, is historical. Ancient buildings and centuries-old monuments. Palaces and works of art from the ages. But not Harrods London. Harrods, even while its origins are from over 150 years ago, is as up-to-date as the latest computer. The world's greatest department store was established on its current site in 1849 by Charles Henry Harrod, a wholesale grocer. Harrod's son Charles Digby rapidly grew the business and by 1880 employed 100 staff. Never one to be bowed by setbacks, not even a devastating fire in 1883, Harrods London went on to make all its Christmas deliveries in that year and many since. Whether flying fresh fish to Alfred Hitchcock or embalming Sigmund Freud's body, Harrods London is the store that promises 'Everything to Everybody Everywhere' never fails to deliver.
Much of the architectural additions to Harrods London- including terracotta tiles and Art Nouveau windows topped with a baroque dome - can still be seen by a careful observer. Explore this magnificent shrine of the department store where shopping is a true tradition.
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Hyde Park (Pass By)
Hyde Park, perhaps most famous for the Speaker's Corner, where citizens stand atop a soapbox and shout their views to the crowd, but there's much more to see and do in Hyde Park than listen to political opinions. The land forming Hyde Park was first acquired by Henry VIII from the monks of Westminster Abbey in 1536. While Henry used Hyde Park for deer hunting, the horseback riding today is strictly not for sport. Casual and relaxing, the Hyde Park trails are abundant, but riders must bring their own horses. Visitors can often see the Royal Horse Artillery riding on horseback through Hyde Park early in the morning. Hyde Park was first made accessible to the public by King James I in the early 17th century, the park is split by the Serpentine, a river dammed to make an artificial lake. The idea was originated by the wife of King George II, an avid gardener. Boat rides on the Hyde Park lake remain a popular activity. Hyde Park is perhaps the oldest park in London, these 350 acres (140 hectares) contain peaceful walks through gardens and woods, boats for hire, venues for music concerts and is very nearby several stellar pubs and restaurants. There's even a pet cemetery and during the summer, on Sundays concerts are held at the Hyde Park Bandstand. Explore the beauty by me.
Piccadilly Circus (Pass By)
At the junction of Regent Street and Shaftesbury Avenue lies a trapezoidal area near London's West End known to the world as Piccadilly Circus. It's an odd name since there's no circus there, but even odder is that 'circus' usually denotes around city area where several streets meet in a circle, after the Roman plan. But that eccentricity fits Piccadilly Circus since this area of the great British capital attracts the most diverse set of people in an already diverse town. The first half of the Piccadilly Circus name comes from a 17th-century frilly collar called a "picadil". The name is a perfect description, for here are the frills of London. Here are pubs, monuments, shops and nearby theatre in the West End. Yes, Piccadilly Circus, akin to New York's Times Square, it's filled with traffic, crowds and (mainly at night) neon lights befitting its role as a major tourist attraction. Known already by 1743 by its current name, the junction was created in 1819 and its history shows. There's the bronze Shaftesbury memorial fountain, erected in 1893, topped by a statue of Anteros, the Angel of Christian Charity. (The Evening Standard uses a graphic of the nude statue on its masthead.) Technologically innovative at the time, it was the first sculpture to be cast in aluminium. In the late 1980s, the fountain was moved from the centre to its present Piccadilly Circus location at the south-west corner of the intersection. Let me introduce you to the Times Square of our city.
Westminster Bridge
Westminster Bridge is not an ordinary bridge to span the river Thames. It has a very tumultuous history in London. The bridge's colour is green and the story of the bridge is colourful. We will tell you about the history of the bridge after Lady Boudicca's role in London's 2000-year-old history. Oh before we leave we will walk along the bridge and take pictures of London Eye, Royal Festival Hall and the River Thames.
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge is probably city's most distinctive symbol for today. Bridge shows a lot to its medieval predecessor London Bridge with its starlings and elaborate twin towers that give the bridge its name but it's not just a homage to the past, hidden inside that medieval looking exterior there's a rather wonderful piece of Victorian engineering and in its day it was the biggest and most sophisticated lifting bridge in the world. Unlike London Bridge, the genius of the design is that the bridge can act as a gateway swinging open to allow tall ships to pass through. Plenty of things we will tell you about this masterpiece in London, just follow me!
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
London Bridge (Pass By)
London Bridge is a bridge over the River Thames, between the City of London and Southwark. It is between Cannon Street Railway Bridge and Tower Bridge; it also forms the western end of the Pool of London. The original London Bridge made this one of the most famous bridge emplacements in the world. It was the only bridge over the Thames in London until Westminster Bridge was opened in 1750. A bridge has existed at or near the present site for nearly 2000 years. The first bridge across the Thames in the London area was built by the Romans on the present site around 76 AD and was made of wood. The location was most likely chosen as a bridgeable spot which still had deepwater access to the sea. The bridge fell into disrepair after the Romans left in 410 AD, but at some point either it was repaired or a new timber replacement constructed, probably more than once. In 1013, the bridge was burned down by King Ethelred in a bid to divide the invading forces of the Dane Svein Haraldsson. This episode reputedly inspired the well-known nursery rhyme London Bridge is falling down. The rebuilt London Bridge was destroyed by a storm in 1091 and yet again, this time by fire, in 1136. he current London Bridge was constructed by contractors John Mowlem from 1967 to 1972 and opened by Queen Elizabeth II on March 17, 1973. London Bridge is a fairly dull edifice comprising three spans of pre-stressed concrete cantilevers, paid for in part by the sale of the earlier Rennie bridge. It is 928 feet (283 metres) long. The cost of £4m was met entirely by the City of London's Bridge House Estates. The current bridge was built in the same location as Rennie's bridge, which was carefully demolished piece by piece as the new bridge was built, so the bridge would remain in use throughout. Time to solve the big mix up between Tower Bridge and London Bridge. Just listen to the story of London Bridge from me.
The Monument to the Great Fire of London (Pass By)
The Monument to the Great Fire of London, more commonly known simply as the Monument, is a Doric column in London, United Kingdom, situated near the northern end of London Bridge. Commemorating the Great Fire of London, it stands at the junction of Monument Street and Fish Street Hill, 202 feet (62 m) in height and 202 feet west of the spot in Pudding Lane where the Great Fire started on 2 September 1666. Constructed between 1671 and 1677, it was built on the site of St. Margaret's, Fish Street, the first church to be destroyed by the Great Fire. The Monument comprises a fluted Doric column built of Portland stone topped with a gilded urn of fire. It was designed by Christopher Wren and Robert Hooke. Its height marks its distance from the site of the shop of Thomas Farriner (or Farynor), the king's baker, where the blaze began. Hear the story of how London missed its opportunity to be a highly planned city of all times.
London Wall
The London Wall was the defensive wall first built by the Romans around Londinium in 250 AD, their strategically important port town on the River Thames in what is now London, England, and subsequently maintained until the 18th century. It is now the name of a road in the City of London running along part of the course of the old wall in Tower Hill. Until the later Middle Ages, the wall defined the boundaries of the City of London. Let's see and explore this masterpiece of Roman engineering.
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
St Katharine Docks
St Katharine Docks is a former dock and now a mixed-used district in Central London, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and within the East End. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, immediately downstream of the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. From 1828 to 1968 it was one of the commercial docks that made up the Port of London. It is in the redevelopment zone known as Docklands, and is now a popular housing and leisure complex with full of offices, public and private housing, a large hotel, shops and restaurants, an 18th century hidden gem in this yachting marina and other recreational facilities. It remains a popular leisure destination where you can enjoy and admire. Just follow me.
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Tower of London
Few prisons can claim to be as popular as the Tower of London, an attraction - unpleasant for some - for over 900 years. Its twenty towers are filled with an ancient tradition of royal blood, armor and jewels and the history to match. The Tower of London central structure began as a fort - used by the original builder William the Conqueror who completed the first tower around 1100 AD. At its completion it was the tallest building in London. Henry III had it whitewashed in the 13th century and the name, White Tower, has stuck. Later it evolved into a prison, used by Henry VII (and many others). Still later - and continuing to this day - it has acted as a repository for the extensive collection of crown jewels. Henry VII, nearly always short of money, had few jewels to store. But the stone complex, near the Tower Bridge alongside the River Thames, has also been used at various times to house the Royal Mint, the Public Records, the Royal Menagerie (later to form the starting point of the London Zoo) and an observatory (built in 1675). Listen to the rest of the story of the Tower of London from me today.
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
St. Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral is a cathedral on Ludgate Hill, in the City of London, and the seat of the Bishop of London. The present building dates from the 17th century and is generally reckoned to be London's fourth St Pauls Cathedral, although the number is higher if every major medieval reconstruction is counted as a new cathedral. The first cathedral was built by the Saxons in wood. It burned down in AD 675 and was rebuilt, again in wood, ten years later. After this version was sacked by the Vikings in 962, the "second" St Pauls was built, this time mainly in stone. The predecessor to Wren's cathedral, The third St Pauls (known as Old St Pauls), was begun by the Normans after the late Saxon cathedral suffered in a fire of 1087. Work took over two hundred years, and a great deal was lost in a fire in 1136. Nonetheless the roof was once more built of wood, which was ultimately to doom the building. The church was "completed" in 1240 but a change of heart soon led to the commencement of an enlargement programme, which was not completed until 1314. The cathedral was however consecrated in 1300. It was the third longest church in Europe at 596 feet (181 metres) and boasted one of Europe's tallest spires at some 489 feet (149 metres). England's first classical architect Sir Inigo Jones added the cathedral's new west front in the 1630s, but "Old St Pauls" was finally ruined in the Great Fire of London of 1666. Building work on the latest St Pauls Cathedral commenced in June 1675 to a design by a great English scientist and architect of the 17th century Christopher Wren, and St Pauls Cathedral was completed on October 20, 1708. The story starts from this point on and you can't wait to hear the rest of it from me.
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Trafalgar Square (Pass By)
Trafalgar Square is a very touristic public square with some of London's most popular attractions, from galleries and historic buildings to monuments and statues, you can be a witness of deep-seated British history. Square also holds a series of events all year round. Listen to the stories of the kings such as Charles I, Charles IV, Admiral Horatio Nelson, General Sir Charles James Napier and Major General Sir Henry Havelock who shaped the history of this nation. I will be ready to take you an immaculate journey through the timeline of our nation.
Horse Guards Building
Explore the official entrance to St James and Buckingham Palace, since the Restoration of King Charles II in 1660. Lifeguards have stood guard at Horse Guards and ready to offer you a true British ceremony. Although Changing The Queen's Lifeguard is not as well-known as Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace smaller crowds and no railings between you and the men and horses taking part make it ideal for those with younger children and those looking for some amazing pictures. The ceremony lasts about half an hour, and the mounted sentries change every hour, or half hour in very cold weather during the day until 16:00 when a dismounting ceremony takes place. The Queen's Lifeguard is normally provided by men of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment which consists of a Squadron of The Life Guards, who wear red tunics and white plumed helmets, and a Squadron of The Blues and Royals with blue tunics and red plumed helmets. I will be ready to tell you amazing stories about this ceremony. A simply not to be missed attraction in the heart of the city.
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
- Wheelchair accessible
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Specialized infant seats are available
Frequently Asked Questions
(6)Q: What is the cancellation policy for the First Time Visitor’s London by Car/MPV/Van?
Cancellation Policy
This tour is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or ask for an amendment, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Still have questions?
We're here to help.
Activity code: C-119638P11
Additional Info
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Frequently Asked Questions (6)
The answers provided below were previously given in response to questions from City Boat Tours customers.
Filter by:
Q:
What is the cancellation policy for the First Time Visitor’s London by Car/MPV/Van?
A:Apr 2025
This tour is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or ask for an amendment, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Q:
What's included in the price?
A:
Apr 2025
The following is included:
- Snacks.
- Bottled water.
- Private transportation.
- Air-conditioned vehicle.
- Fuel surcharge.
- Parking Fees.
The following is NOT included:
- Lunch.
- Gratuities.
Q:
What is the minimum age for this tour?
A:
There is no minimum age for this tour, so bring your wee one along for an adventure..
Apr 2025
Q:
My date is not available in the calendar, I am just checking to see if it is available?
A:
If a date or time is not listed on the calendar, it’s sold out or unavailable for another reason. Support cannot assist further if a date or time is not on the calendar.
If you find a date and time that works for you, book it NOW because things always sell out at this time of year.
Apr 2025
Q:
Is this an accessible tour?
A:Apr 2025
Accessibility information for the First Time Visitor's London by Car/MPV/Van is as follows:
- Wheelchair accessible
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Q:
Where is the meeting point for this activity?
A:
Detailed check-in instructions – including meeting point address, Google map, and parking information – for First Time Visitor's London by Car/MPV/Van will be included in your confirmation email from City Boat Tours. Please be sure to double and triple check your email address is correct at checkout so this important email makes its way to you!
Mar 2024What's Included
- Snacks
- Bottled water
- Private transportation
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Fuel surcharge
- Parking Fees
- Lunch
- Gratuities
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
- Wheelchair accessible
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Specialized infant seats are available
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