Half day tours of London with a private London tour guide

half day london tours

Half day tours of London with a private London guide are great for families and small groups. If this is your first time in London we can help you with orientation and using the public transport system. A London tour guide can help with advice on planning the rest of your stay. Your London tour guide can act as your own personal travel guide for London. Try to do your half day tour soon after your arrival.

Why book a private guide for a half day tour?

  • If you are with a London Registered Guide like myself we can skip the long entrance lines at the popular sites. This is a huge time saving if you only have a limited time in London.
  • The morning is a better option for a family when you are feeling fresh and ready to take in information. You can use your afternoon to visit some of London’s shopping areas, buy some souvenirs or see a theatre matinee.
  • You can mix and match tours and walks depending on the areas and time you have available. Let me know what’s on your ‘must-see’ bucket list and I can help work something out.

A few examples are below of some popular half day tours. Or email me with questions or other ideas.

Westminster Abbey tour & Westminster walk

half day tours of London
Pelicans in St James Park seen on a Westminster walk

Start with a visit to Westminster Abbey. Don’t forget that if you visit the Abbey with a Guide then we can skip the long entrance lines at peak visitor times. This is helpful if you have small children who may not like standing around too long

After the Abbey a walk in the surrounding area to learn about politics, history and royalty or through the park to view Buckingham Palace. A park walk is a good way to experience major London sights and get away from the busy London streets. The views in the park offer lovely photo opportunities and also places to stop for coffee or a snack along the way.

Westminster walk & National Gallery tour

Half day tour of London with travel guide for London
Horseguards in St James’s Park on their way Whitehall

Another easy option for a half day tour is to start at Westminster with views of Big Ben and Parliament.  We can walk through the park to Buckingham Palace and St James’s Palace to learn about these two royal homes. On the way perhaps we can catch a view of the horseguards on their way to take up daily duties. Or if available see some of the Changing of the Guard ceremony. Then to Trafalgar Square before taking a quick highlight tour of the National Gallery. We’ll end at the National Gallery which is then just a short walk to Covent Garden for some lunch and shopping for souvenirs in the fabulous Jubilee covered market.

Tower of London tour & St Paul’s Cathedral

tower of london half day tour with a london tour guide
The Tower of London is a great way to start your half day tour

Start at the Tower of London to see the Crown Jewels, hear about executions, torture and tales of the Tower residents. Walk the walls and see the collection of arms and armour in the 1000 year old White Tower.

From the Tower of London it’s fun to take a London red bus ride to St Paul’s Cathedral where everyone can climb 365′ to the top of it’s great dome for breathtaking views over London. And we can also check out a Harry Potter movie location that is very close to St Paul’s.

Book your half day tour

The cost of a half day booking is £220.00.  Email me to book your tour.

Hiring Nicola was the best money we spent on the trip. Without those four hours, I would have left London feeling like we had missed a laundry list of sites. If you’ve never been to London before and you want to get a really thorough overview of the most important destinations, you’ve got to contact Nicola!

nicola watts private tour guide london

Amy, USA, March 2018

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