London Essential 2 hour introductory Walking Tour With a Londoner

Recommended by 100% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

London, England

Great choice

10+ bookings last month.

2 hours (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Overview

There’s so much to see in London it can be hard to plan a route. Skip the research and join a qualified guide and lifelong Londoner on this highlights sightseeing tour which covers four royal palaces, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, Big Ben, and more. You’ll stop at the best spots for photo opportunities and learn about the city’s rich history and how Londoners live, work, and play there.

Hit the London highlights in just a couple of hours—perfect for first-timers
See Downing Street, Big Ben, Trafalgar Square, and other landmarks
Capture photos with the Royal Horse Guards, Buckingham Palace, and more
Get tips, tricks, and advice to perfect your trip from your London-born guide

What's Included

A fun Guided Walking Tour of all those Tick Spots of London. Buckingham Palace, Big Ben + Much More
As a born and bread Londoner I also share advice and tips to make your stay more fun and cheaper!
Photo opportunities outside these Iconic Buildings

Gratitude's
We do not go inside/enter any of the locations we stop outside, entrance fees are not included.

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Colicci Ritz Corner
Green Park (Stop H, London W1J 9DZ, UK
To get to the starting point of our tour, take the Underground/Train to Green Park Tube Station (Jubilee, Piccadilly, and Victoria Lines). Exit the station on the park side, and you will see a fountain and a café. I will be waiting by the fountain. I look like my pic, well better, actually ;)

End point

Westminster Abbey
Dean's Yard, London SW1P 3PA, UK
We finish at the iconic Westminster Abbey with options to continue on your own to explore this historic area of London.

Itinerary

Green Park (Pass By)

Buckingham Palace

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Clarence House

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

St. James's Palace

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

St. James's Park

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

The Mall

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Trafalgar Square

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Whitehall Palace

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Horse Guards Parade at Whitehall

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

10 Downing Street

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Big Ben

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Palace of Westminster

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Westminster Abbey

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation

Transportation is wheelchair accessible
Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers

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Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

5.0

based on 129 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

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Wr did this tour during...

Stephanie_H, Apr 2026

Wr did this tour during our day layover in London. Tour guide was very friendly and gave lots of insight. It was the perfect tour for us!

Response from Host, Apr 2026

Thank you so much! 😊 I’m really glad the tour worked out perfectly for your layover! It was a pleasure showing you around, and I hope you get to spend more time in London next time! Best Rich

Book it Now! Best 2hr spent.

soo_s, Mar 2026

Rich was the true Londoner guide for this walking tour. He's very knowledgeable and knows the city inside out. Must book!

Response from Host, Mar 2026

Thank you so much! 😊 It was great spending time exploring London with you. I’m really glad you enjoyed the tour and all the stories along the way. Hope the rest of your time in the city was fantastic, and maybe our paths will cross again

Incredible tour

josephine_c, Feb 2026

Rich was fantastic! He offered great information about the sights we were seeing, provided witty conversation between site and was an absolute delight. We are booking another tour, a different one, tomorrow with him already!

Response from Host, Feb 2026

Thank you — I’m so pleased you enjoyed it. London has so many different sides to it, and I love taking people through its layers — each part of the city tells a completely different story. Hope to explore more of it with you again sometime. Best, Rich

Great tour of London

Mark_W, Oct 2025

Tour was great, we got a great sense of the area, he was very friendly and talkative, he referred us to other places and activities we could do. He answered all the questions we had and made the tour enjoyable.

Rich was an amazing guide!

Tricia_R, Sep 2025

Rich was an amazing guide! It was the perfect start to our time in London. We were able to check off some top spots we had on our must see list. It was so nice to not have to map ourselves around for a little over two hours. Would definitely recommend! Thanks again Rich!

Highly recommend!

Ditto_R, Jul 2025

Rich’s 2-hour London walking tour was fantastic! He’s super knowledgeable, friendly, and gave amazing local recommendations—hidden cafes, scenic spots, and cool places off the beaten path. A great way to explore the city with a true local. Highly recommend!

Excellent Tour

Trisha_W, Jun 2025

Great guide. Full of info and a wonderful personality too! Made the trip worthwhile. Highly recommend him!

Rich was an excellent...

Michelle_D, May 2025

Rich was an excellent tour guide. He was very knowledgeable about the British history. He was very personable by establishing rapport with each of his tour guests. Best tour ever!!!

True gems of London

Emily_R, May 2025

Rich lead our 2 hour walking tour, walking through Green Park to Buckingham Palace, seeing all the palaces and treasurses through the city. We were unable to see the royal guards or the house guards due to Marathon preparations. Although the detours changed the route Rich did an excellent job to add other locations and history pieces into our tour. Rich did a great job! He is a man filled with humor, love for his city and does well to interact with all participating in the tour. Well done Rich! 👏🏼

Amazing tour! Highly recommend.

Yessica_M, Feb 2025

Absolutely LOVED this tour! Rich was very knowledgeable and kept the group engaged and entertained the entire time. He also offered to take photos during and knew the best spots for pictures. Would love to do more tours led by Rich. Highly recommend!!

Rich has a vast knowledge of the important history and gives an expertly guided tour.

Steven_M, Jan 2025

Excellent walking tour which includes palace changing of the guard. Highly recommend this tour ! Also a great way to see many of the statues and monuments throughout St James Park

The one and

Susanna_B, Jan 2026

It was a very great and unforgettable experience with Rich the London Essential tours. I was already in London for the 6x and again experienced so much new and interesting - with a sense of humor. We were with 4 teenagers whom he also totally loved. Loved every minute and we all highly recommend this tour. We will be back! Sue & Viola and the teenagers

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Response from Host, Feb 2026

Thank you so much for such a lovely review — that truly means a lot. I always say if someone on their 6th visit to London still discovers something new, then we’ve done it right! And I’m especially pleased the teenagers enjoyed it too — that might be the toughest audience of all 😉 Your group brought such great energy, and it was a real pleasure sharing the stories (with a little humour along the way). I’ll look forward to welcoming you all back — London always has another chapter waiting. Best, Rich

History of London super funny

Fiona_C, Dec 2025

Fantastic tour full of fun facts. Our guide Rich was fantastic, he told us.many things about the history of London and the Royal Family making it all very fun and light. Really a recommended tour.

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Response from Host, Feb 2026

Grazie mille per la splendida recensione! I’m so pleased you enjoyed the mix of history and a few lighter moments along the way. London and the Royal Family give us plenty of stories — and I always try to keep it fun as well as informative. Thank you for the recommendation, it really means a lot. Best, Rich