I have a lay over in London from 1:15pm - 10:30pm on June 5th, 2017. 8 people. Are you available and will the tour be short enough?
In transit from Heathrow & London Tour..
If you want to do the tour by car, then my car only takes 7 passengers. I have a colleague who has space for 8 passengers. If this is not practicable, then tour can be done by minibus. Cost of which will be higher than quoted below as it would mean services of a driver with bus and a separate guide. Alternatively, you can make your own way into central London and do the tour on foot/public transport.. prices are below
You need to allow for about 45 minutes to 1 hour from landing, clearing customs and immigration and getting into the arrivals lounge. Since you will be in transit, presumably your luggage is already checked through to your final destination, so no time wasted at baggage reclaim. I can meet you in arrivals and then drive into central London, which can take about 30 - 45 minutes.
London is a huge metropolis of about 610 square miles (1580 sqkm) divided into 33 districts. The two main districts are The City of London and the City of Westminster.
The City of London, also known as the square mile (or just ‘the city’), is where London was established by the Romans almost 2000 years ago as a trading port known as Londinium. They built a wall around the city in about 200ad, a bridge across the River Thames and that was London. Historically, everyone lived and worked within the city walls but as London grew, particularly during the 19th Century, people moved out of 'The City' and into the new, developing suburbs. Today, only about 10,000 people live in The City but 350,000 people work there. It is the financial and business district, which may not sound that interesting but there is almost 2000 years of history to explore.
The City of Westminster started about a thousand years ago when King Edward the Confessor, built a Palace and a church to the west of the city walls. The Palace and Church still exist today. The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament (and mistakenly called Big Ben) is home of the UK's Parliament. The Church, Westminster Abbey, is the venue for Coronations, royal weddings, royal funerals, royal burials and other notable burials such as Charles Dickens, Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin. As Westminster developed over the years, it became an affluent residential area where you will also find hotels, shopping, theatres and restaurants.
realistically For a half day tour on foot/public transport, all that can realistically be achieved is to visit the main London sights. There won’t be time to do them in detail but enough time to get photos and be told a little about what you are seeing. Places covered include Westminster Abbey, Houses of parliament (Big Ben), Buckingham Palace, Tower of London, St Pauls Cathedral, Tower Bridge and London Bridge.
I usually start in the Westminster area where sights include the Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey, various government buildings and Downing Street, official residence of the UK's Prime Minister. Nearby is Horseguards, guarded by the Household Cavalry, soldiers on horseback wearing distinctive ceremonial uniforms. Horseguards Parade ground is where the Monarch’s birthday celebrations take place every June. Around St James’s Park and on to Buckingham Palace, the official London residence of the monarch. If your flight arrives 1.15, you're not going to be in time for guard change.
You'll learn how the monarchy operates including the line succession, how much the royals get paid and if you are really lucky, see a member of the royal family leaving the palace or one of the nearby residences.
You’ll be driven through Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, down the Strand pass a few theatres and along Fleet Street home of Legal London and traditional home of the UK press.
Into the City of London and to the main attraction there, the Tower of London which is a huge castle. Oldest part of the Tower dates from the late 11th Century but most of what you will see was completed by the 14th Century. It has been used as a mint, museum, observatory, a zoo and a place of execution (including 2 of King Henry VIII's wives) and other prisoners too. The Tower is also where you can see the Crown Jewels which are used in the coronation ceremony.
You will also see in this area Tower Bridge, London Bridge, the modern architecture of the financial district and see (or maybe even climb) the monument to the great fire of London of 1666 which destroyed about 80% of the City of London.
Nearby is St Paul’s cathedral which has been the site of Christian worship for about 1400 years. The present church was completed in 1710 and was the venue for the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981 and also the venue for state funerals of national heroes such as Winston Churchill.
If time, cross to the south side of the Thames to Bankside, also known as Southwark and Borough where there is a fantastic food market. On the riverfront is the Globe Theatre, a reproduction of the late 16th early 17th century theatre partly owned by William Shakespeare. Next to the Globe is the Tate Modern museum of modern art with works by Dali, Picasso and Warhol.
The above sights are the main locations. If there is time, we can see more and can include, Hyde Park, the museum area and Harrods. We’ll try and visit some of the neighbourhoods of London, from the affluent residential area of Kensington & Chelsea and in stark comparison, but arguably more interesting poorer neighbourhoods of the east end.
If there is anything you had in mind or want to visit somewhere different, let me know and, if within reason, I can personalise an itinerary for you. A detailed tour of the Abbey (allow about 1.5 hours) and the Tower (allow at least 2 hours) can be included in your day but that does not leave much time to see the other sights of London. Depending on where in central London you’ll be and time of day, you’ll need to budget for between 30 minutes and 1 hour to get back to Heathrow.
Cost of tour £480 if by 8-seater car. If there are more people, i can arrange for a minibus but cost will be slightly higher . Please be aware that traffic in London can be extremely slow.
There is a cheaper option for an 'in-transit' tour of London. If you were to make your own way into central London on public transport (From Heathrow airport into central London is about 45 minutes by Underground). A guide can meet you in central London the tour can be done on foot/public transport for £180 (group price) although you would see fewer sights than by car, but you will still see the main sights. Don’t forget you would need to allow about 45 - 60 minutes (depending on where you are in central London) to get back to Heathrow.
This price is for the Group, NOT per person. Should you wish to go inside an attraction, this does NOT include entrance fees (Guides get into attractions for free). Fee does not include refreshment (guide’s is covered). Fee includes all motoring expenses and guide’s fee. If the tour is on foot/public transport, this does not include your fares but the guide's are already included. Full terms and conditions are on the Gren Tours website.
