London Sightseeing Tour: Guard Change with Tower of London Option
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London, England
- 4 to 9 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Tick off the British capital’s most recognizable landmarks on this attraction-packed London tour. Explore St. Paul’s Cathedral, then make a photo stop at Westminster Abbey. Watch the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace and visit the Tower of London, where you'll have free time for lunch (own expense). Enjoy an extended river Thames River cruise, and upgrade to cap everything with a London Eye ride or cream tea at Harrods.
- See top city attractions like Westminster Abbey in just half a day
- Watch the Changing of the Guard ceremony outside Buckingham Palace
- Relax on a private River Thames sightseeing cruise if you choose the full-day tour
- Upgrade to include Harrods cream tea or a London Eye ride (full-day option only)
Why Travelers Choose This Tour
This comprehensive tour includes many London highlights, plus prebooked tickets and time-saving bus transit.
What's Included
- Entry to Tower of London (full-day option)
- Entry to St. Paul’s Cathedral
- Changing of the Guard (selected dates)
- Private Thames River sightseeing cruise (full-day option)
- Professional guide & air-conditioned coach
- London Eye ticket (upgrade option)
- Harrods cream tea with sparkling wine (upgrade option)
- Hotel pick-up & drop-off
- Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Victoria Coach Station, 164 Buckingham Palace Rd, London SW1W 9TP, UK
Located on 164 Buckingham Palace Road, Victoria, London, SW1W 9TP, approximately 7 minute walk from Victoria Underground and Railway station. Tour departs inside the building at Gate 19 at 7:45am (Boarding starts at 7.30am)
End points
This activity ends in a different location. See details below:
Operating hours.7:45 am
Itinerary
Select your tour option on booking. Then, after pickup from the central London meeting point, settle into your air-conditioned coach and head for St. Paul's Cathedral to spend the morning exploring. Make a photo stop to see Westminster Abbey, where you can admire the outside of the 13th-century Gothic church.
Continue to Buckingham Palace, the King’s official London residence, to see the Changing of the Guard. Watch a centuries-old ceremony as the soldiers of The King’s Guard, dressed in red tunics and bearskin hats, exchange places with the new guard to military music.
Move on to the Tower of London, an 11th-century fortress that looms over the River Thames. Spend some free time in the area exploring or having lunch, then meet back up with your group for a tour of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Stroll around history-steeped sites such as Traitor’s Gate, inspect the gruesome torture exhibits at the Wakefield Tower, and check out the Crown Jewels—the magnificent symbols of royal power that are still used by HM King Charles III.
Board a boat for an extended sightseeing trip down the River Thames. Cruise down the river, looking out for the top London attractions such as Tower Bridge and Shakespeare’s Globe, before stepping out onto dry land.
Finish your tour at the London Eye or upgrade to finish on a high note with one of two optional activities. Options include a cream tea or a trip on the London Eye for picture-perfect views over the capital. Both activities include transport to the attraction, but no transport back.
Continue to Buckingham Palace, the King’s official London residence, to see the Changing of the Guard. Watch a centuries-old ceremony as the soldiers of The King’s Guard, dressed in red tunics and bearskin hats, exchange places with the new guard to military music.
Move on to the Tower of London, an 11th-century fortress that looms over the River Thames. Spend some free time in the area exploring or having lunch, then meet back up with your group for a tour of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Stroll around history-steeped sites such as Traitor’s Gate, inspect the gruesome torture exhibits at the Wakefield Tower, and check out the Crown Jewels—the magnificent symbols of royal power that are still used by HM King Charles III.
Board a boat for an extended sightseeing trip down the River Thames. Cruise down the river, looking out for the top London attractions such as Tower Bridge and Shakespeare’s Globe, before stepping out onto dry land.
Finish your tour at the London Eye or upgrade to finish on a high note with one of two optional activities. Options include a cream tea or a trip on the London Eye for picture-perfect views over the capital. Both activities include transport to the attraction, but no transport back.
City of London (Pass By)
1
St. Paul's Cathedral
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
2
Westminster Abbey
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
3
Changing of the Guard
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
4
Tower of London
2 hours • Admission Ticket Included
5
Thames River
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
6
London Eye
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
7
Harrods
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- St. Paul’s Cathedral: Sunday tours cannot include a guided tour due to weekly services. Entry is usually possible but cannot be guaranteed. On Wednesdays when St. Paul’s opens late (10:00 AM), the tour will include a photo stop at Buckingham Palace instead of the Changing of the Guard.
- Changing of the Guard: Takes place on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, and daily from May to July. Schedule may change last minute or be canceled during large city events. If the ceremony does not occur, we still stop for a photo outside or near the Palace.
- Tour Schedule: Itinerary may change depending on St. Paul’s and Tower of London opening times and the Changing of the Guard schedule.
- Tour Duration: Approximately 8 hours for the full-day tour and 4 hours for the half-day morning tour (ends at Buckingham Palace).
- London Eye: Generally closed in January for annual maintenance. 2026 closure dates to be confirmed.
- Children: Travelers under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 45 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
Featured review
Katrina_P
A full day of interesting and mind blowing history! Fantastic guide with great humour through the day. He never missed a beat to enjoy the entire itinerary highly recommend Peter!
Reviews
4.3
based on 2,680 reviews
Peter_M, Apr 2026
Very knowledgeable guide. Realized we only scratched the surface on all London has to offer. Recommend to do this tour first to see where you really want to spend more time.
manuel_o, Apr 2026
Anna Maria was the best tour guide we ever had. We had a mixed group and she made sure everyone was comfortable doing every activity. She was funny, cheerful, and gave us the opportunity to explore on our own.
The tour itself was well planned out and we saw a lot. The bus station was easy to find and had lots of quick food options inside.
Nirali_C, Mar 2026
Fun times - good excursion and tour guide was good however he didnt leave anytime for people to take some pictures
Edgar_D, Mar 2026
Fun, informative, full day tour of London. On this Saturday there was no changing of the guard ceremony, but, that gave us more time to explore the city.
Karla_K, Mar 2026
John G. was an excellent guide and we had a very good coach driver!! John was very knowledgeable and interesting.
Diane_H, Feb 2026
The day was great! Carol our guide was very friendly and was full of information on all of our sites. I had taxi trouble and was a bit late. I messaged the company and they gave me perfect instructions to catch up with group.
Katrina_P, Feb 2026
A full day of interesting and mind blowing history! Fantastic guide with great humour through the day. He never missed a beat to enjoy the entire itinerary highly recommend Peter!
Kristi_C, Jan 2026
Overall, the stops in this tour capture the most significant attractions in London in an efficient manner. All was as advertised with the exception of one significant area. We missed our time for the London Eye due to not being let off the Thames River boat under the London Eye. Overall, our guide was great, however when this mishap occurred there wasn't an alternative game plan for either rebooking the time for the London Eye or reimbursing those for the ticket cost. It was a very chaotic ending to an otherwise enjoyable tour.
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Dear Kristi,
Thank you for taking the time to post a review of your tour. We are glad to hear that you enjoyed the tour and found the stops to be efficient and well-organized, and that your guide provided a great experience.
We are very sorry to hear about the issues on the River cruise. Unfortunately, this was the first time our group has encountered such an issue, and we are working closely with the cruise provider to prevent it from happening again. However, please note that the cruise did return to the London Eye pier at last, allowing the rest of the group to enjoy the excursion. We apologise for any distress this caused, appreciate your feedback, and look forward to welcoming you on another Premium Tours experience in the future.
Taylor_R, Jan 2026
A wonderful tour, and our guide was so sweet and funny. It is a long day though. So be prepared to walk!
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Thank you for sharing your feedback with Premium Tours. We’re delighted you enjoyed the tour and found your guide both sweet and funny. We appreciate your tip about the walking and hope it helps future guests prepare for a full and enjoyable day!
Kind regards,
Premium Tours Team
Janie_S, Dec 2025
Another tour operator canceled our tour, so we booked this one instead. Should have booked this one in the first place. It is a magnificent tour, and our guide, Derek, was amazing!!! There is a good bit of walking involved, so be prepared for that.
Response from Host, Dec 2025
Dear Janie, thank you for sharing your feedback. We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed the Best of London Tour and that Derek provided an excellent experience.
This tour does involve a moderate amount of walking, so we recommend guests come prepared to make the most of the day. We appreciate your kind words and look forward to welcoming you on another Premium Tours experience in the future.
Mary_M, Nov 2025
This tour was great and Frank our guide and Ricky our driver were truly amazing!!! We got to see so much in just one day.
Lisa_L, Nov 2025
Our tour guide was so knowledgeable about the history of London that I was fascinated by the entire trip.
Angela_C, Nov 2025
Best way to see all the famous sights in London in 1 day! Peter was the very best tour guide. He has historical and local knowledge and made the whole day fun!!
Michael_L, Nov 2025
Frank did an amazing job and was a wealth of knowledge about every aspect of the locations toured. Thank you for an amazing experience!
RickandJeanne_B, Nov 2025
John, our guide, was very good however it was hard to hear him at times while outside. A Voxbox would have been nice. Isaac was our driver, he did a great job!
Mike_O, Oct 2025
Derrick was a wonderful guide for our London adventure. He was very informative. We did and saw everything we wanted to for a day in London.
Clancy_D, Oct 2025
I can’t recall a more enjoyable experience where it rained all day. Derek was an excellent guide. The journey ended at the London Eye. The only thing I would adjust is end time. Ending at 5PM was at the height of rush hour. We had to wait for several overcrowded trains at Waterloo Station to pass before we were able to board.
Grant_H, Oct 2025
This was a great tour! Our guide Soso was extremely knowledgeable and gave us lots of info and tips to see the best things on the tour.
Monika_B, Oct 2025
Our tour guide Peter was witty and very knowledgeable about all things London. He made the tour a delightful experience. We were able to watch the changing of the guard ceremony on a Friday and it was a great tour around London both on the bus and on foot. The Thames River cruise was fun and got to see the sights by water! Ended at the London Eye Ferris wheel for amazing aerial views of all of London. I would highly recommend this tour. So much sights packed into one day.
Rebecca_B, Oct 2025
This was a wonderful full-day London experience! Our tour guide, John, was quite knowledgeable and offered many interesting tidbits of information. His recommendation about where to stand for the changing-of-the guard parade was very helpful. John even ordered our lunch ahead of arriving at the Tower of London. Wear good walking shoes and prepare to climb stairs.
Taylor_S, Oct 2025
So fun! It’s a long day but totally worth it! Make sure to pack some water and wear comfy shoes. We were able to learn and see so much in one day
Gloria_L, Oct 2025
It’s a long day! But… so worth it. Our guide John was so very informative. He was amazing! There was no question about London he didn’t have a reference to. Great day!!
Ellen_C, Oct 2025
Full and interesting day!
Our tour guide, Peter, was informative snd funny. He made a good day, great!
JASON_R, Oct 2025
Did the 'Best of London' tour, our guide was absolutely fantastic and very knowledgeable. Tour was very relaxed and easy going. Recommended to anyone.
katherine_s, Oct 2025
This was an all day experience. They packed a lot into the tour. Everything was so interesting and informative. Our guide was the best. It was very knowledgeable and very personable and made us laugh.. The only thing I would suggest is to add some additional time for bathroom breaks. Other than that. It was the perfect tour to see everything in a little amount of time if you don’t have a lot of time in London.
Wallace_G, Oct 2025
My wife and I had a wonderful experience with this tour. We felt that the itinerary was excellent with sufficient time at each stop. Carol, our tour guide, was fantastic, knowledgeable and obviously has a great passion for her city.
Tim_N, Oct 2025
John helped us really get a good sense of the key sights and history of London. We were able to cover so much ground during this tour, and the cream tea at Harrod's to wrap up the day was a real treat!
John_N, Sep 2025
The tour guide, Carol was Fantastic.
The tour gave you a great one day comprehensive view and feeling of London.
Frank_M, Sep 2025
The day was enjoyable. There was a little too much time at the Tower of London. You must do Cream Tea at Harold’s. John, the guide, was very knowledgeable.
Dennis_S, Sep 2025
Very comprehensive tour. John our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and witty. Boat cruise was a wonderful treat.
From $85.03
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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London Sightseeing Tour: Guard Change with Tower of London Option
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