4 Best London Tours

So, you’re coming to London. Your flight is booked, meaning the next step is to decide how you’ll make the most of your stay and absorb what the city has to offer.

The options are endless, from high tea at the Montcalm Hotel in Shoreditch to shopping near Oxford Circus. The surest way to have the best time, however, is to book yourself onto any of these amazing tours for sale in London. These really are the cream of the crop, showcasing all the things that make London so special.

Red Bus Tour

Though there are numerous variations and tour buses in operation in London, there is nothing quite like the Original London Red Bus Tour. Though slightly more expensive than competitors on the market, it is because they include absolutely everything you could want and don’t skimp out on things like earphones, audio-tours or limit how many times you can get on and off the bus.

The hop-on-hop-off approach is perfect for London, as there is so much to do and see and the temptation to hop-off will be too great to resist at times. It also allows you to miss any of the sights you have either already seen before, or not particularly interested in. The ticket you purchase lasts all day, meaning you can do the routes in whatever order you like and jump on any of the tour buses within the same company throughout the day.

A fun (albeit long) way to do the tour to its full potential is to do it twice. On the first loop, make note of your surroundings and which stops you are most interested in visiting. Then, on the second loop, you can get off and explore, knowing what is still to come and therefore calculate the best way to time your day.

Top tip: Some London hotel packages come with tours or experiences included. Check out our latest offering here!

Harry Potter Warner Bros Studio Tour

Everybody loves getting a Harry Potter fix when visiting the city that featured so heavily throughout the magical series. There are a number of places Potterheads might want to visit, like Platform 9 and ¾ at King’s Cross Station, or Leadenhall Market, which is where Diagon Alley scenes were filmed. However, those looking to take their magical-involvement to the next level need to head to Watford for a tour of the Warner Bros Studios - a temple to all things Harry Potter.

Unlike The Wizarding World of Harry Potter of Universal Studios theme parks, this studio tour is focused on the making of the Harry Potter films and therefore all the set-design, props, and secrets involved in turning these iconic books into the absolute saga they are now. You enter through the Great Hall, just as it is in the films, and you spend the rest of the day strolling down nostalgia-lane. There are interactive exhibitions as well as AR experiences available to make sure the immersion is never-ending. You can even taste some Butter Beer at the restaurant, and buy Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans at the gift shop (along with memorabilia in all your house colours!)

Liquid History Tours

So, with the Red Bus tour, you get your history fix. With the Harry Potter tour, you get your pop-culture fix. It is only fitting, then, that next up you do one of London’s finest “liquid history” tours, learning sip by sip about the cultural and historical significance of some of London’s most famous pubs. The most enchanting thing about this tour is that even the most brainy of history boffins won’t know all the information there is to learn, as some of it is extremely select and niche.

There are thousands of pubs in London, and most of them have a claim to some sort of significant event, person or time period. But some are far more remarkable than others, and you can’t try them all in one go, so Liquid History Tours have done the work for you and selected the best pubs to visit of significance. One of the most important drinks-stops, though, is not necessarily on your tour. Why not check out what the speciality cocktail at your hotel bar is? There may even be some history behind it!

Don’t forget to eat before and after your tour! There are plenty of restaurants near Finsbury Square, easily walkable from our Montcalm Hotel in Shoreditch.

The Free Street Art & Graffiti Tour

One thing that is not lacking in London is art. It is a cultural melting pot bustling with art exhibitions and museums wherever you turn. Whether it is the Photography Gallery or the Tate Modern, an art lover will never get bored in London. But one of London’s most unique and interesting art tours is not one you find in the walls of a museum, alongside the pages of a history book. Instead, it is the Street Art & Graffiti Tour, which deals with a different form of art: an integral, nuanced and socio-political one.

The tour takes you through London’s east end, which was initially where the overflow of central London spilt but is becoming increasingly quirky, arty and trendy. It is not all worth seeing - some can be a bit of a mad jumble. So this tour shows you where to go to find the best street art and graffiti, giving you insight into the area and the practice of street art as you explore and interpret the art.

There you have it - four of the best tours to do in order to get the most expansive, enriching feel for London. London is so diverse in its activities, sights and even foods (remember – restaurants in Finsbury Square are a must!) that it can seem overwhelming trying to pick what to do. These tours give you a little bit of everything: the obvious sightseeing stops (that are worth seeing, despite being typical or “touristy”), the literary, pop-culture, inner-kid side of the city, a bit of a gastronomical experience and a way of tasting your way through the city’s history and then finally exploring some of the more modern, experimental art.

Take advantage of our London hotel packages now to save money, leaving you with more to spend on activities in and around the city.