The oldest part of this palace dates from early 1500s when owned by the very influential and confidant of King Henry, Thomas Wolsey. When Wolsey fell out of favour with Henry, the King took over the palace and developed it further. Sections of the 16th Century palace remain in particular the kitchens and Great Hall. Much of

Henry’s palace was demolished to make way for the new Baroque palace for King William III and Queen Mary II in the late 17th and early 18th Century. The rooms of the Palace are magnificent and there are furnishings and works of art on display as you tour the rooms. In addition to the actual palace, there are beautifully manicured gardens and even a popular maze to get lost in!

From Hampton Court, it is about a 45 minute drive back into central London and an afternoon tour of the highlights there.

There won’t be time to visit each attraction in detail but enough time to take photographs and be told a little about what you are seeing. Attractions visited include the Palace of Westminster (also known as the Houses of Parliament or mistakenly called Big Ben). This is home of the United Kingdom’s Parliament and you’ll learn how the parliamentary system works. You will also see Westminster Abbey, the venue for coronations, royal weddings, royal funerals, the resting place of monarchs and other notables such as Charles Dickens, Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin.

Other highlights include Buckingham Palace, the official London home of the Monarch. Also see the Tower of London, an imposing castle the oldest part of which dates from the late 11th Century. Extended, improved and re-modelled over the centuries, it has been used as a mint, an observatory, a zoo and a place of execution. The main exhibit in the castle is the Crown Jewels which are used in the Coronation ceremony. More highlights include, St Pauls Cathedral, Tower Bridge, London Bridge and Hyde Park.

There are plenty of opportunities to get out of the car to walk around these sights to at least take some photographs.

As with all of my tours, the itinerary is flexible and if there is anything you had in mind or want to visit somewhere different, let me know and, if within reason, I can personalise an itinerary for you.

A detailed tour of attractions such as the Abbey (allow about 1.5 hours) and the Tower (allow at least 2 hours) can be included in your half day but that does not leave much time to see the other sights of London. At least the above itinerary gives an introduction and if you are in London for a few more days you can discover many sights in more details at your own pace.