We’ll take the underground to Westminster area where you will see 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 and the resting place of monarchs and other notables such as Charles Dickens, Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin.

Continuing in the Westminster area other buildings of note are 10 Downing Street (official residence of the British Prime Minister), Horseguards (with soldiers on horseback in distinctive ceremonial uniforms) and Horseguards Parade where the Monarch’s birthday celebrations take place every June. On to Buckingham Palace to see the Changing of the Guard (if happening on the day of your tour).

For lunch, maybe a quick sandwich to save time or you may prefer a longer lunch in a traditional pub.

Take a double decker bus through Trafalgar Square and the Strand pass a few theatres and along Fleet Street, home of Legal London and traditional home of newspapers in the UK. Into the City of London where Londinium was founded by the Romans almost two thousand years ago. The main attraction is 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.

You will also see in this area Tower and London Bridges, the modern architecture of the financial district and see (maybe even climb) the monument to the Great Fire of London of 1666 which destroyed about 80% of the City of London. Nearby is St Paul’s Cathedral which has been the site of Christian worship for 1400 years. The present church was completed in 1710 and was the venue for the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981 and also the venue for state funerals of the United Kingdom’s greatest heroes and statesmen such as the Duke of Wellington and Winston Churchill.Across to the south side of the River Thames to Bankside to see Tate Modern and Shakespeare’s Globe.

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 day but that does not leave much time to see the other sights.