Tower of London Private Guided Tour
Description
Explore the world heritage Tower of London with a private guide to lead the way- you’ll be astonished at the tales this tower can tell.
Keeping a watchful eye over the city and the river Thames since its founding in 1079, the Tower of London has had many faces: as a mint, an observatory, a zoo, an armory, a royal palace, a treasury, and most notoriously, as a place of execution.
Home to both the Beefeaters and the Crown Jewels today, the Tower’s story is one of intrigue, scandal, and ceremony, definitely best uncovered with a private guide and a morning entrance before the crowds arrive.
Tour info
Why take this tour?
Upon meeting your private guide, you will first discover the iconic sites on the outer walls such as Traitor’s Gate and Tower Hill before entering the complex to view Britain’s most treasured royal artifacts, walk in the footsteps of Anne Boleyn, see the armor of Henry VII, visit William the Conqueror’s White Tower, meet the ravens and learn everything you could ever need to know about this most historic of London’s palaces.
As with all our private tours, this Tower of London experience can be tailored for groups with children.
Included
Private guided tour of the Tower of London complex
All tickets and entry reservations for the Tower of London complex
English Speaking local expert guide
Excluded
Gratuities
Food & drink
Hotel pick-up & drop-off
Things to know
Cancellation Policy
Free cancellation up to 7 days prior to the tour.
Learn More
Free cancellation up to 7 days prior to the tour.
Learn More
Availability
This tour is available daily at 8:45 AM, 9:45 AM, and 1:30 PM
This tour is available daily at 8:45 AM, 9:45 AM, and 1:30 PM
The Important Stuff
- Please arrive fifteen minutes before the start time on your voucher.
- Please wear comfortable shoes and always carry water.
- There is no photography allowed inside Jewel House.
- There is no large luggage allowed into the Tower of London.
- Please arrive fifteen minutes before the start time on your voucher.
- Please wear comfortable shoes and always carry water.
- There is no photography allowed inside Jewel House.
- There is no large luggage allowed into the Tower of London.
Meeting Place
The meeting point for this tour is at the Welcome Centre of the Tower of London (postcode EC3N 4AB), on the lower part of the slope leading to the main entrance of the Tower of London. The guide will be holding a sign with your name. If you are traveling by taxi, tell the driver to drop you off a...
The meeting point for this tour is at the Welcome Centre of the Tower of London (postcode EC3N 4AB), on the lower part of the slope leading to the main entrance of the Tower of London. The guide will be holding a sign with your name. If you are traveling by taxi, tell the driver to drop you off at Petty Wales as the Welcome Centre where you will meet the guide is on a pedestrianized street The nearest underground station is Tower Hill.
Customer Reviews
Urban Saunters provided the best private guided tours we have ever had. We took two tours in London, and both guides were excellent. Thank you!
We had a terrific private tour of Tower of London with our tour guide Guy. We had two boys (14yo and 11yo) and Guy was kind and made the tower fascinating and engaging for the boys, while keeping us oldies intrigued too. Thanks for a great day—highly recommended!!
We had a really interesting tour from Green Park over Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abby. Nathan told us some very interesting and also funny facts and storys about and around Elisabeth II. Perfect! Special thanks to Nathan!
So glad we booked this tour rather than trying to go on our own , Richard our tour guide was awesome , shared all sorts of info about the guard change , the various residences, and made sure we were in good spots to see the action
Very interesting and funny thanks to our guide, Richard. Full of good advice for our stay in London. We highly recommand this tour.
Highly recommend this tour! Our tour guide Francis lead us to the best positions to see the guards up close, explained the different types of guards, their duties and how to become a guard. Francis used to be a police officer and also told us about his experiences and stories about meeting the royal family. Truly informative and entertaining, if you get a chance you shouldn't miss it!
Excellent tour with Chris, who is congenial, very knowledgeable, and who knew exactly where to position us so we could get a good view of the Changing of the Guard. I would gladly book again with this company and am happy to recommend them to other visitors to London.
Our guide Richard was a very nice man!He made a Very interesting explanation in a "coloured" & pleasant tour though the iced rain falling....I SUGGEST IT TO EVERYBODY!!!!Chiara
Chris was an amazing tour guide. Very warm, friendly and incredibly knowledgeable. The tour was a brilliant experience and excellent value for money. Chris was attentive and caring, checking constantly that everyone was together and encouraged us to ask questions. We felt like royalty!! This was our second experience with Chris and it was just as good as the first time.
Francis was great. He got us to all the right locations to see the marching and bands play. Both informative and entertaining.
Richard the guide, gave us the most enjoyable and enriching experience in the Changing of the Guard Walking Tour.That was almost 2 hours of sightseeing combining historical facts and interesting thoughts all in a funny and joyful presentation. We've succeeded to see and discover new things that we probably couldn't see without Richard. The only thing we regret about, is that was the only tour we got to take with Richard and the company.. Next time.. :)
What a fabulous experience! Richard our guide was extremely knowledgeable with a fantastic sense of humour. Our family of 5 enjoyed this beyond our expectations. Not only will you get right up close to the guards, but you will come away with a full understanding of the history behind the Royal palaces and the guards themselves. I cannot recommend this highly enough. Thank you so much Richard!
It was an absolute pleasure to have Nathan as my guide, and I really appreciate the time and effort he puts into making the tour so informative and engaging.The way he brought the history of World War 2 to life with his stories and anecdotes was truly impressive, and I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the events and places that shaped the course of the war in London. His deep knowledge of the subject matter was evident throughout the tour, and I appreciated the way he were able to provide context and background information to help me better understand the significance of each site we visited.In addition to his expertise, I also want to commend you on his professionalism and friendly demeanor. He was always prompt, organized, and attentive, and made sure I was comfortable and had everything I needed throughout the tour. I particularly appreciated the way he tailored the tour to my interests and answered all of my questions in a clear and concise manner.Overall, I had a fantastic experience on the World War 2 Walking Tour, and I would highly recommend him to anyone looking for a knowledgeable and experienced guide in London.
We decide to arrange this tour last minute. Richard, our guide was a fantastic man, very experienced and make us to fell very comfortable. Don’t miss it !!!!
I must say that our guide, Richard, was simply amazing; funny, engaging, informative, and a true pro.. as parents with 4 kids, we could not have asked for any better. An easy 5 Stars! Thank you!
We had a wonderful time with Vivien today on our tour of Westminster Abbey. She shared her extensive knowledge of history and we learnt so much. We are a family of 5 with children aged 9, 14 and 16 and all of us were fascinated by the beauty and depth of history of this sacred space. Thank you Vivien for an amazing experience!
Really great! Nathan was very knowledgeable and entertaining and we loved having a local tour us around and provide insight into these very important historical events.
Really enjoyed our walking tour with Richard. Very informative and interesting. Even learned some things about the hotel we were staying in.great perspective on WWII and British Government.
Our tour couldn’t have been better. Our guide, Francis, was extremely knowledgeable and friendly. He answered all of the questions posed and brought personal stories of his time as a London Policeman. He knew the perfect spots to view the changing of the guard and kept us organized to get there on time. We even got a wave from King Charles as he drove by. I can’t over stress how amazing this guide was. The downside is I’m not sure I’m going to want to take this tour again in the future UNLESS I can be guaranteed to have Francis as my guide. He was THAT amazing!
Very helpful and informative. Good areas of where to share information about the tour. Very knowledgeable i enjoyed it
Francis, our guide, led us on a fast paced walking tour to several locations, to get the full effect of the changing of the guard.He was extremely knowledgeable and positioned us to get the best views and provided some great insight on the process! My original thought was to go solo to Buckingham Palace and I decided to book this tour instead. I’m so happy I did! There is no way the experience would have compared to the wonderful few hours spent with Francis!I highly recommend!!
Richard, our guide, was the funniest person I‘ve met in London. He has had many interest facts about the royals.
We just finished this tour with Richard as our guide. It was one of the highlights of our trip to London. Richard was unbelievably informative and funny. We got so close to the guards as they were marching past. We even got to see King Charles drive out of his residence on the way to the palace. Richard even recommended a lovely pub for our lunch. We would highly recommend this tour. Thank you Richard.Paul and Val, Dublin
Very nice experience, Richard is a very good guide, clear explanations and a good sense of humour ! I strongly recommend
it was fantastic tour 😍 and very informative love every minute of it🤍 the group were nice , great memories highly recommended
5 out5 Francis very knowledgeable and had us where we needed to be. Attitude was excellent and experience was excellent
Amazing tour. Francis is great and knows the perfect spots for each portion of The Changing of the Guards. Perfect for all ages. You do have to walk quickly to keep up.
Our guide knew the best spots to avoid the crowds and get a front row experience! Great with the kids.
Frances is a knowledgeable wonderful guide. He knows all the ins and outs of the changing of the guards where to stand and when to move. His knowledge about the historical sites and history of the Royal family was excellent. I have been to the changing of the guards in the past but never had the outstanding experience I had today. All thanks to Frances
It was one of the best tours I ever took! Our guide was fantastic and I learned so much about Queen Elizabeth II, Royal Family, Westminster area and London. I could listen to our guide and his stories for hours. Highly recommended!
Danke, thank you Francis! Auf jeden Fall machen, lohnt sich. Mehr als nur Changing of the guards! Gerne wieder
I wanted to learn as much as I could about the blitz and Churchhill in a short period of time and this tour delivered. The guide was very informative and did a great job telling us what it was like for London in the early stages of World War II.
Atendimento excelente! Vale a pena, guia super atenciosa, explica bastante e foge das multidões. É fácil de entender o que ela fala para quem sabe o básico, pois fala com bastante calma
Our tour guide Francis was amazing. We got to see the best views of the changing of the guards. He was very knowledgeable and amusing. The group was small which was very nice as no one missed any of the tour or got lost. This day was one of my parents favourite days in London. Thank you for such an awesome experience Francis! Highly recommend! :)
It was fast pace, organized and all I wanted... Best spots for seeing the pageantry and some knowledge along the way. Go for it, but be fit!
We joined the Urban Saunters walking experience of Westminster as part of our Expat Explore tour. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and went above and beyond to make sure we all had an amazing day. I would highly recommend Urban Saunters to anyone interested in English history and looking to get as much out of their London experience as possible
Great experience. Very knowledgeable and great personality. I would definitively prefer to hace him as my tour guide.
Robert was excellent. He knew his English/London history and told us many many interesting stories behind these history facts. A very worthwhile tour to understand English history better.
We had a great tour guide Francis, who was energetic, upbeat, and knowledgeable about all the buildings we passed along the way to Buckingham Palace. He also helped us weave through all the crowds to get the best viewing points of the changing of the guard. The meeting point was easy to get to and directions were very clear. Highly recommend this tour!
What a wonderful morning with Urban Saunters and Nathan. We could listen to him for hours and never get bored. Great timing and spots to see the guards. Excellent!
We just so much enjoyed our walking tour of changing of the guard with Francis. He is extremely knowledgeable and entertaining. This was a highlight of our stay in UK this summer.
The guide definitely knew the best vantage points for each part of the changing of the guard ceremony. She added great commentary at places of interesting along the route. We had a fun and insightful tour that was perfectly catered to our group and our interests. The best tour company in London!
Great tour and amazing tour guide! We loved Richard's passion for the history and could listen to his stories all day! Never felt rushed and always felt we were seeing and hearing the history of the important items at the places we were visiting. Will use Urban Saunters again!
The guide was fun and knowledgeable, it was a small group so we got lots of attention and got to see things we would never have found by ourselves!
My boyfriend and I were very happy with the experience. The guide was very nice and knowledgeable, very helpful towards everyone. Highly recommended
Francis was an amazing tour guide. We came with 3 kids and thought they would be thoroughly bored. However Francis kept them entertained with his unique stories and wealth of historical information. He knew the exact places to stand to have the best views possible. We were always up close and personal to all the action. He kept the tour moving so kids wouldn’t be restless or bored. This was one of the best tours we have taken during our entire European summer vacation. Thank you Francis for the memories you created for our family!
Our guide Francis showed us all the different spots around Guard Change and explained a lot about the different phases of the change combined with interesting background stories. Without this tour we would have been lost.
Francis was great, he found us a perfecto please and the all the things he said... We learned a lot. All was in time
This walking tour was fantastic, and our family (mom, dad and two teens), enjoyed our guides historical, but yet whimsical delivery, Richard had us in stitches the whole time, he was awesome! Being up and close to the guards and the action was amazing, highly recommended, great value for the money spent👍🙂
All it’s amazing and i recomend a lot. It’s a greate moment to do family tour. Amber is the perfect guide.
Our tour guide Amber was a wonderful guide. She was dynamic, funny and friendly. She knew the subject really well and the tour was very instructive. The changing of the guards was really impressive and the band was really good.
We attend this activity with a so wonderfull guide, Richard, that we know now all about the changing of the guard.We really had a great time with him, so open to share with us all what he knows. He is also really close to kids, to explain all secrets !Thanks again to you Richard !
Richard was an amazing guide ! Fun and full of stories, great with the kids and with the adults. He know all the best spots and shortcuts to see the whole parade !
Out tour guide Francis was amazing..Great attitude very informative and you better be able to keep up! Hahaa
I enjoyed the whole tour and our guide Frances, who is very well prepared and very nice. Thanks to Frances, we knew in advance where to run exactly to have perfect views of all moments of the changing and we received full explanations.
We got to see the guards up close at so many different locations. Such a fun guide and we learned so much about the guards and some interesting tidbits.
This tour was a great experience! Richard was extremely personable & did a great job sharing lots of history. It was fun to learn more about London in WW2 & informative background on the historic sites we had seen throughout our trip.
Super geführte Tour mit Francis zu den besten Foto-Plätzen. Konnten die Garde aus direkter Nähe sehen. Sehr interessant waren auch die Erklärungen und Erzählungen, man merkt, dass er seine Arbeit mit Freude und großer Leidenschaft macht! 👍🔝
Such an amazing experience. Our guide was fantastic. Very entertaining and great knowledge ! will be booking with you again. Thanks!
It was one of the best tours we took in London! Our guide was simply outstanding and we all enjoyed our small group walking tour of Westminster. Visit to Buckingham Palace is a must when it's open! Good self guided tour inside.Highly recommended!
Booked for Changing of the Guard. Was an amazing thing to see. Particularly good was the guide, Joe: his knowledge, joviality, sense of humour and willingness to help and advise were outstanding
The most fabulous tour on an incredible history icon! Guido was the best historian tour guide ever! Mañana 16 year old loved it! We learned, had fun and saw it all!!!!!
Very interesting! I thought it was only the part at Buckingham Palace but there is much more to it! The length was just good. Richard (or was his name Andrew 😉) was very entertaining!
Francis (Mullen) was a great guide. Very knowledgeable and interesting. Great to hear of his background as a Met police officer for many years. This added to the experience. He knew all the best vantage places too. Would highly recommend.
Tour guide was superb and fantastic!!!! He guided us to wait at the spot where we can watch and take best photos! He was very knowledgable and crack jokes from time to time.
Nette Tour mit Francis, er hat uns tolle Spots gezeigt und mit viel Humor die Tour gestaltet. Sehr schön gewesen, trotz der Hitze (36 grad)
Thanks to Francis, our tour guide, we had great views of the changing of the guard, a lesson in British history and the monarchy for context, and a lot of laughs along the way. He was very knowledgeable and engaging, but the best part was that he provided his own stories and experiences from his career in law enforcement. I highly recommend this tour and Francis in particular. You won’t regret it.
Consegui assistir a troca da guarda em um bom lugar com calma e obter as explicações históricas sobre a guarda e alguns monumentos da parte externa
We had a great time with this tour, which was much more than experiencing the change of guards. Our guide Richard was very knowledgeable and funny in a quintessential British way. Explained a lot of facts and shared great stories about the monarchy. He took us to the best place and time to experience up close the change of guard, things that are hard to do and know on your own. The group size was just the right size and didn't feel overcrowded. Highly recommended !
We loved this tour!! Richard was amazing!! He was very informative and we saw the so much! Highly recommend!
So glad we did this tour instead of trying it on our own! Rosie was a delight - moved us quickly between the best viewing spots despite the huge crowds. She added a lot of information and made it really fun.
Wonderful experience, our guide Chris was very smart and insightful and gave us a lot of facts about the British monarchy and history, the various regiments and took us to 3-4 places from where we could see the soldiers passing by. Not very hectic, we could match pace with the guide.. Chris even took our pics :) Recommended
My tour guide, Rozie, was INCREDIBLE! She was so knowledgeable and funny and made the tour so much fun for everyone. She had a hilarious noise (a high pitched “cacaw”) to keep us together and we had such a good view of everything. If you get the chance to do this tour and you get Rozie, you’ll have the best time while also learning about the history of the guards and the palace(s).
Amazing experience with Richard as a guide. We had a great time with our kids. Great guide, great stories and great spots to watch at the change of guards
Chris was a wonderful guide! Fun and gave us great history and stops to see! So fun for the whole family
We had a fabulous tour w Georgie! She was friendly, funny, knowledgeable about the Royal party and was also terrific about getting us to the right spots at the right time. We loved seeing the changing of the guards and hearing her funny jokes and British tales. Thank you for a great start time our London tour!
Amazing local tour guide!!! Very funny guy😄 He knows what he was saying. Tour guide was very informative. London must be one of your list to go!
We hadden een erg leuke gids. Vertelt vlot en weet de juiste plekken voor de foto’s De groep was niet al te groot waardoor je lekker door kan lopen.
Chris was a superb guide. Knowledgeable, considerate, warm and welcoming and super passionate about London he completed our experience of Changing of the Guards. He made us feel special and we felt like we had the 'inside track' with tips no other tourist had. He guided us away from the madding crowd with perfect views of the Guards from right up close. A treat we never knew about was watching for the mounted Guards. Look no further than Urban Saunters to extract the maximum benefit from your London experience.
A thoroughly enjoyable tour. Well thought out route. Our guide Richard was excellent and had great conversational style and depth of knowledge
Loved this tour because we were always on the move to see all kinds of guard change pageantry rather than standing in one spot foe 2 hours. Our guide Francis was the best; knowledgeable and very friendly. The tour included a lot of brisk walking!. Burn off your breakfast! Highly recommend!
The tour was so great!! And Francis was wonderful and so nice. Very knowledgeable and helpful. We loved it!!
Awesome experience. Robert was our tour guide and was incredible knowledgeable and entertaining! Would highly recommend
All was about Guy, our guide, a kind, knowledgeable and funny english national who made of our private tour un unforgettable experience. Nothing to add more
I am so glad l booked this tour of the Tower of London. Our children (ages 9 and 11) learned a lot. Our guide was excellent. His historical knowledge and real love of that history made his narratives so good. He was very friendly, and made sure we really got that special experience. I definitely recommend this tour company.
Viven is an outstanding guide who is flexible, knowledgeable, friendly and she was able to engage with the whole family. Our children loved touring the Tower of London with her. She showed us all the interesting sights and kept us interested with stories. We would highly recommend her and this tour.