Tired of the same generic London walking tour that’s just three hours of basic facts you can find with a quick search on Google? I get it. London’s tour scene can feel prettyyyy cookie-cutter if you don’t know where to look. But scratch beneath the surface and there’s a new whole world of interesting, unique ways to see this city, and that’s EXACTLY what I’ve rounded up here for you below.
Want behind-the-scenes access to one of London’s most iconic landmarks? A VIP Tower of London tour gets you past the usual crowds with someone who actually knows the building’s history. If food is more your thing, I’ve also included a tour that takes you through one of London’s oldest markets. And if you want to cover more ground while having the time of your life (trust me on this), a bike tour with gin stops along the way is about as fun as sightseeing gets.
So, here are all the tours I’d actually recommend to a friend visiting London, not just the ones that show up first in a quick Google search.
*Some of the links in this article will earn a small commission if you click them and then purchase something. Thanks in advance for your support!
Image Courtesy of WalkDevour
VIP Tower of London: After Hours Tour with Beefeater & Ceremony of the Keys
Once the gates close and the last visitor leaves, the Tower of London becomes a completely different place, and almost no one gets to see it… unless you book on to this unique after-hours tour.
Leading you past the Traitor’s Gate that prisoners used to cross on their way to execution, and into the small chapel where Anne Boleyn and Lady Jane Grey are buried, is a Yeoman Warder. That is the official name for the Beefeaters who have guarded the Tower for nearly 1,000 years.
Here, they’ll tell you ALL the stories about how the Tower wasn’t even built to be a prison, why lions and elephants once lived on the grounds, and how it ended up guarding the Crown Jewels in the first place. One thing worth noting: this tour covers the grounds only, not the buildings or the Jewels themselves, so the focus stays entirely on the stories and atmosphere of being there after dark.
The pièce de résistance of the night? The Ceremony of the Keys, the oldest unbroken military ceremony in the world. It’s been performed exactly the same way, every single night, since the 1340s, and you’ll be standing right there as the Yeoman Warders lock the Tower for the evening. So, it’s fair to say this tour is not something you’ll find ANYWHERE else.
Image Courtesy of WalkDevour
Buckingham Palace State Rooms & Royal London Walking Tour
If you only have time for one royal-themed tour in London, make it this one. Available only during the months when Buckingham Palace’s State Rooms are actually open to the public, this guided walk takes you past Clarence House and St James’s Palace before strolling down The Mall and through St James’s Park (keep an eye out for the pelicans, a 350-year-old royal gift). Finally, you’ll then end up at the main event: skip-the-line entry into the Palace itself.
Your expert guide will share historical stories as you go, so by the time you’re standing in the White Drawing Room or the Throne Room where many of the royals have once stood, you actually understand what you’re looking at and why it matters.
Because the State Rooms only open for a few months each year, this isn’t a tour you can do any time you fancy it, so make sure to book it while the window’s open and while they still have availability.
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Ultimate London Food Tour: Borough Market & Leadenhall with Wine & Cheese
Borough Market alone could keep you busy for hours, but this tour will take you everywhere that’s actually worth it. You’ll start with a proper British breakfast at a family-run institution, work your way through a bunch of amazing stalls for a famous sausage roll and a classic British dessert, then tackle a plate of fish and chips. Throughout, your guide will unpack how Borough Market went from a medieval trading hub to the 1,000 year old foodie landmark it is today.
Did I mention, you’ll also duck into the pub made famous by Bridget Jones’s Diary, walk past the remains of one of London’s oldest prisons on Clink Street, and then cross the Thames entirely to sample delicate French meringues from a pastry chef channeling 18th-century Paris?
From there, it’s on to Leadenhall Market, a Victorian arcade that doubled as a set in the first Harry Potter film, before passing the Monument marking the Great Fire of 1666. It all wraps up at an intimate wine bar close by, where a sommelier walks you through a private wine and cheese pairing built just for your group. Does it get any better than that?
Image Courtesy of WalkDevour
Tastes, Tales & Traditional Ales: Food Tour of London’s Historic Pubs
This tour takes you through four centuries of London history across some of the city’s oldest taverns, each one with a story you won’t find anywhere else. You’ll start in a pub pushing 500 years old, sipping a classic British ale, paired with a proper pork pie. From there, it’s on to Fleet Street, the same street that inspired Sweeney Todd, for cider and a sausage roll inside a pub designed by Christopher Wren himself, the architect behind St Paul’s Cathedral.
Your next stop is a listed building rebuilt after the Great Fire of 1666, once a favourite haunt of some of the world’s most celebrated writers. There, you’ll tuck into the same devilled whitebait and stout they would have.
Things get a bit strange at your final stop, which is a pub once known for serving cock ale, a centuries-old drink made with cockerel. Thankfully, you’ll just be tackling a scotch egg and portobello ale instead, with a round of shuffleboard to send the night off right.
Go alone, or bring your travel companions. Either way, everyone gets a bit silly by the end of the night, and you’ll probably end the evening with a few new friends.
Image Courtesy of Tally Ho
City & Secrets: Hidden London Bike Tour
Most London tours have you walking through the same well-worn pavements, but this one puts you on two wheels and takes you through London’s medieval alleyways and Roman ruins one minute, then past glassy modern towers the next, covering more ground (and centuries) than any walking tour could manage in the same time.
You’ll hear the stories London doesn’t put on plaques: how the Great Fire and the Blitz both reshaped the city from the ashes, and how river pirates and smugglers once worked the Thames under cover of darkness. You’ll also ride past Cable Street, where one East End community famously stood its ground against fascism, a piece of history as significant as anything in a museum, but rarely covered on a standard tour.
You’ll also get a PROPER British pub stop at The Prospect of Whitby, known for its hanging noose. Why, you ask? It’s situated next to the “Execution Dock” which was used for 400 years to hang pirates and smugglers who had been sentenced to death by Admiralty courts.
PSA: use the code LOVEBIKES at the checkout to get 10% off your booking.
Image Courtesy of Tally Ho
London Gin Safari
The Gin Safari takes you cycling through London’s picturesque, industrial-chic neighbourhoods, stopping along the way for a tipple from the GinCycle – a one-of-a-kind rickety Victorian gin parlour on wheels (pictured above). Hop off, gather round, and tuck into three gin samples, two full G&Ts, and a gin cocktail as your guide spills the juicy, slightly crude history of Britain’s centuries-long obsession with “mother’s ruin.”
The ride wraps up somewhere you won’t find on any other tour: Leake Street, which is London’s largest legal graffiti space. Here, you’ll sip cocktails and leave your own mark on London with a bit of spray painting (yes, actual spray painting). For obvious reasons, this is adults-only, and one of the only tours in London when a history lesson and a pub crawl have a baby on two wheels.
BTW, it also makes a great gift as the Gin Safari is available as a voucher. You can get 10% off at checkout with the code LOVEBIKES.
Image Courtesy of Black History Walks
Black History Walks
So much of London and English history is whitewashed, and that runs into traditional walking tours around the city. I highly recommend all London tourists to take at least one Black History Walk as it’s incredibly insightful and eye opening.
I recently did one around Notting Hill and learned so much about the Black history in the area, which is NEVER talked about in typical guide books or Notting Hill tours, which tend to focus just on pretty houses and spots from the movie.
Image Courtesy of Sipsmith
Sipsmith Gin Distillery Tour
Londoners feel pretty prideful about Sipsmith Gin, and touring the Chiswick distillery is the best way to see why. You’ll start with a gin in hand and a crash course in gin’s chequered history (and Sipsmith’s part in it), before meeting the real stars of the show: Prudence, Verity and Constance, the three copper stills where the brand’s award-winning spirits are still hand-crafted today. A tutored tasting rounds things off.
Afterwards, I highly recommend exploring Chiswick itself. It’s a beautiful, village-like part of London with plenty of secondhand shops, bookstores, pubs and restaurants to mooch around in. (WA*)
*(WA=Wheelchair Accessible)
Image Courtesy of Barbican
Barbican Architecture Tour
The Barbican Estate, with around 2,000 homes, started being built in 1965 and was completed in 1976. The idea was to regenerate the area after it was mostly destroyed during WWII, and it was designed in the Brutalist architecture style. It’s a unique estate FULL of interesting Brutalist design choices, with lots of seating areas and water features to enjoy, as well as some spots to get food and drinks.
This tour takes you across the Barbican Centre and surrounding Brutalist estate for about 90 minutes. You’ll learn about the vision and ambition behind the design, and gain insight into the past, present and future of the site. (Limited WA)**
**This tour contains steps and uneven surfaces. If you require a step-free route, or other access provision, please let The Barbican know at least 24 hours in advance by emailing access@barbican.org.uk
Image Courtesy of Viator
Women of Westminster Tour
If you’ve ever walked through Westminster and noticed that pretty much every statue, plaque, and “great man of history” story is about, well, a man — this tour is the antidote. The Women of Westminster walking tour flips the script, taking you through central London to uncover the queens, nurses, and political reformers who shaped this city just as much as anyone with a statue twice their size.
You’ll still hit the landmarks you’d expect, Big Ben and Trafalgar Square included, but your guide will point out the memorials and stories most tourists walk straight past without a second glance. It’s the side of London’s history that rarely makes it into the standard tour script, and once you’ve heard it, you’ll wonder why it took this long to get told properly. (WA)
Image Courtesy of Viator
London Private Tour in a Classic Car
If anyone in your group has mobility troubles, or maybe you don’t want to clock 12,000 steps on your watch for the day, go on one of the most unique tours in London, a private tour by Mini Cooper.
You’ll have your own private guide driving you by some major sights in London. I’m talking about Borough Market, Covent Garden, Banksy’s Leake Street Arches, St. Paul’s Cathedral and the Houses of Parliament. You’ll also ride through some lesser-known areas for a sneak peek into the real local London.
During the drive, your very own driver will give you alllll the information you need to know about each place you see. It lasts around two hours and you’ll also have heaps of photo stops. The best part? It includes hotel pick-up and drop-off. (WA)
Image Courtesy of London with a Local
LGBTQ+ history tour in Soho
London’s Soho dates back to the 1600s, the area has been the epicentre of the queer community. It played a big part in much of London’s LGBTQ+ history, from being frequented by Oscar Wilde as highlighted in his 1895 trials, to Soho becoming the go-to area for underground queer bars and clubs in the 1930s. To this day, Soho has retained this reputation, giving the community a place to feel relatively safe, have fun and meet like-minded people.
You can learn more about all of this with the Queer & LGBTQ+ History Tour, a free walking tour run by London With a Local to “explore the vast and complex history of LGBTQ+ life in London, with stories of iconic people and places who have shaped the city and community through the centuries”.
Want more ways to make the most of your trip? Here are a couple more articles on unique things to do in London:
I’m 100% sold on the chocolate tour. Cheers!