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Private tour in London Mary K
London Highlights tour - Half Day
5.0
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3 hours
30 minutes
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3 hours
30 minutes
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Mary K.
4.8
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Hi, I'm Mary, an expert London Blue Badge Guide. It is such a joy, at last, to have found a job that allows me to spend time sharing my love of English history, people, culture and buildings with visitors from around the world. You won't regret choosing me to help you get the most from you and your family's precious holiday time. I know how to put the 'story' into history, to bring the past into the present, and to add sunshine into the rainiest of London days. But what of my own history? I spent my early years in California, moved to Switzerland when I was 9 (where I learned French) and moved with my parents and sisters to Oxfordshire for my teenage years. As a teenager, I had a thirst for adventure, opting for a degree in Modern Chinese Studies at Leeds University, part of which involved heading off for a year's study in Shanghai China aged 19. After finishing university, I held a variety of jobs as a journalist on popular and technical magazines in and around London's famous Fleet Street. Next, I moved to Brighton to bring up my children, and worked there for many years as a Communications Manager for the National Health Service and others, before deciding to take a different path, and undergo the rigorous training required to become an elite London Blue Badge Tourist Guide. The combination of my lifelong interests, motivation and experience makes me the ideal person to bring your family and friends the very best of London and other nearby destinations. The way I see it, the office used to be my world and now, the world is my office. I look forward to meeting you and showing you London and England's famous places, faces and spaces! London Blue Badge Guide Member of the Association Professional Tourist Guides Member of the Institute of Tourist Guiding Accredited Windsor Castle Guide I am not a driver. but can accompany you in your vehicle or I can arrange for a separate car and driver. I speak excellent conversational French.
Have a question or want to customize this tour? Message Mary K.
London's Crowning Glories - Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament
Overview of your London tour
We begin with wondrous Westminster Abbey, aka the 'coronation' church as, since 1066, it has seen 40 monarchs crowned. The Abbey could also be called the 'memory' church, as about 3, 000 people are honoured here - from Darwin to Dickens and Mozart to Newton, and we'll take time to do justice to them and the fabulous building. From Parliament Square you'll get a great view of the splendid Houses of Parliament, and hear stories of the statues around us, as well as about the machinations of our UK Government. And, if we are lucky, we'll hear Big Ben - a 14-tonne bell housed inside the gilded Elizabeth Tower - as he booms out the hour. Then it's just a few steps along Whitehall to 10 Downing Street, home to our Prime Minister, and the magnificent mounted sentries at Horseguards. At Trafalgar Square we'll meet Lord Nelson and learn about the (free to enter) National Gallery, home to c. 2, 300 works of art. We'll finish a stone's throw from Covent Garden, with its show-stopping shopping and niche eateries.
Your London tour itinerary
Meet outside Westminster Abbey Gift Shop. Tour of Abbey (tickets required), including: - Coronation Chair - Tomb of the Uknown Warrior - Memorial to Sir Isaac Newton and other scientists - Coronation 'Theatre' (where it all happened for Charles and Camilla) - Royal tombs of Edward the Confessor and Edward 1st etc - The splendid Henry 7th Chapel - Poets' Corner - Charles Dickens tomb, War Poets memorials - Chapter House - Pyx Chamber - part of the Edward the Confessor's original church Walking tour of Westminster: -Parliament Square and statues -View of Houses of Parliament -View of Elizabeth Tower (aka Big Ben) -10 Downing Street -Horseguards -Trafalgar Square with views of National Gallery Finish at Trafalgar Square I can customise this tour to suit your interests and itinerary - eg you may also choose to walk to Buckingham Palace to see the Guard Change (on days it happens) or simply to see the palace. Do email me any special requests and I will be happy to help.
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Transport details
Type: Walking
None provided, this is a walking tour.
What's included
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Meeting location
Dean's Yard, England, England, SW1P 3PA, United Kingdom
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- You can request a specific meeting location (for example, your hotel) during the checkout.
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3 hours
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3 hours
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If your tour is valued over $200 USD and booked at least 45 days before the tour date, you can book with a 20% deposit!
How it works
- Your credit card will be authorized only for the deposit amount.
- Funds will not be withdrawn until your tour booking is fully processed.
- The remaining balance will automatically be charged to your credit card 30 days before your tour date.