Yes, you read that right! For someone who is visiting London for the first time, the best option to see the city would be to book a city tour. No doubt the tours are nice and show you all the best places in London. But you've got to pay for it. What if I told you you can see some of the city for free?
London, like many other mega cities in the world, is visited by thousands of people a day. If you're on a holiday, you wouldn't have much time and might be staying in the city for 3-4 days. Obviously, you would want to cover the sightseeing in the available time, and have some free time for shopping (The wife/girlfriend wouldn't be happy if you miss this!)
Instead of booking a city tour, go for the walking tours. Walking tours are available easily and are free of charge! Yes, you don't have to pay a single penny for this. Tipping the guide is appreciated, but it's totally up to you. Walking tours start generally from hostels. There will be a guide, who will start from a hostel at about 10 am. People will join him to move to another hostel, where more people will join. Then they move to the train station. Use your Oyster Card for ticket. (London Oyster Card information given at the bottom of this page.) 2-3 stops later, you arrive at Green Park. Here, the group will split in to two - English and French (or any other language). Choose whichever language is convenient for you. You will then walk towards the Buckingham Palace. Now, there are people standing in line for hours to see the Changing of the Guards ceremony. But only a handful of them get to see the ceremony properly because of the crowd and the security. With this walking tour, the guide will walk you on the road adjacent to the palace and you will then stop near the outer gates. This area is completely empty because most of the people will be standing inside in lines. The horses will walk past from this gate and you can see them from very close. (See the pic below) Changing of the Guards will be done inside obviously, but you've seen the guards marching in. It's the same thing happening inside. And people paid for it.
Next, you move towards Trafalgar Square, walking past palaces and some expensive lanes of London. The guide will keep on telling you stories and amazing facts all the while. Did you know, London is actually just a small block. The main city that we call London is actually City of Westminster!
From Trafalgar Sq, you move to some other palaces and then to Westminster Abbey, Big Ben etc. The tour ends here and you've seen most of the iconic places in London for free. You split here and can go your own way ahead.
Tip: Ask some of the group members and explore the markets and the city on your own with them. It's fun to travel with people from different countries
Use your Oyster card to go back to your accommodation.
London Oyster Card
You can buy it at any of the Underground stations and also at the arrivals area at Heathrow. You pay a 5 pound deposit and refill it with whatever amount you need. With this card, you can travel on London Underground and buses for almost half the fare. Recharge it whenever you need it. And at the end of your trip, just return it back at any of the stations/airport and get the deposit back. If you have any balance left in the card, you will get that back too!
More info on: https://tfl.gov.uk/travel-information/visiting-london/visitor-oyster-card
To find these walking tours, just Google walking tours of London.
That's how close you stand to the Queen's guards!
London, like many other mega cities in the world, is visited by thousands of people a day. If you're on a holiday, you wouldn't have much time and might be staying in the city for 3-4 days. Obviously, you would want to cover the sightseeing in the available time, and have some free time for shopping (The wife/girlfriend wouldn't be happy if you miss this!)
Instead of booking a city tour, go for the walking tours. Walking tours are available easily and are free of charge! Yes, you don't have to pay a single penny for this. Tipping the guide is appreciated, but it's totally up to you. Walking tours start generally from hostels. There will be a guide, who will start from a hostel at about 10 am. People will join him to move to another hostel, where more people will join. Then they move to the train station. Use your Oyster Card for ticket. (London Oyster Card information given at the bottom of this page.) 2-3 stops later, you arrive at Green Park. Here, the group will split in to two - English and French (or any other language). Choose whichever language is convenient for you. You will then walk towards the Buckingham Palace. Now, there are people standing in line for hours to see the Changing of the Guards ceremony. But only a handful of them get to see the ceremony properly because of the crowd and the security. With this walking tour, the guide will walk you on the road adjacent to the palace and you will then stop near the outer gates. This area is completely empty because most of the people will be standing inside in lines. The horses will walk past from this gate and you can see them from very close. (See the pic below) Changing of the Guards will be done inside obviously, but you've seen the guards marching in. It's the same thing happening inside. And people paid for it.
Next, you move towards Trafalgar Square, walking past palaces and some expensive lanes of London. The guide will keep on telling you stories and amazing facts all the while. Did you know, London is actually just a small block. The main city that we call London is actually City of Westminster!
From Trafalgar Sq, you move to some other palaces and then to Westminster Abbey, Big Ben etc. The tour ends here and you've seen most of the iconic places in London for free. You split here and can go your own way ahead.
Tip: Ask some of the group members and explore the markets and the city on your own with them. It's fun to travel with people from different countries
Use your Oyster card to go back to your accommodation.
London Oyster Card
You can buy it at any of the Underground stations and also at the arrivals area at Heathrow. You pay a 5 pound deposit and refill it with whatever amount you need. With this card, you can travel on London Underground and buses for almost half the fare. Recharge it whenever you need it. And at the end of your trip, just return it back at any of the stations/airport and get the deposit back. If you have any balance left in the card, you will get that back too!
More info on: https://tfl.gov.uk/travel-information/visiting-london/visitor-oyster-card
To find these walking tours, just Google walking tours of London.
That's how close you stand to the Queen's guards!
