# London Walks



## cp73 (Feb 8, 2014)

Have you been on a recent tour with London Walks? They look like a good way to take a tour. How does it compare to traditional tours? Were you please with it. Any you would specifically recommend. I was considering the tour to Stonehenge and Sailsbury for a trip to London later this year.

In 2008 I saw several comments about them but not recently.

thanks


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## Beaglemom3 (Feb 8, 2014)

cp73 said:


> Have you been on a recent tour with London Walks? They look like a good way to take a tour. How does it compare to traditional tours? Were you please with it. Any you would specifically recommend. I was considering the tour to Stonehenge and Sailsbury for a trip to London later this year.
> 
> In 2008 I saw several comments about them but not recently.
> 
> thanks



I would take an all day tour with one of the other operators for Stonehenge. I will post the name of the bus company when I find it, but we did Stonehenge, Bath and Windsor Castle all in one day and although a long day, it was great. Got to nap between stops. 

They are excellent for local foot tours. Go online for the schedule.

www.londonwalks.com  or http://www.walks.com/  (same company).

Did you get my PM ?


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## DeniseM (Feb 8, 2014)

We did the London Walks tour of Stonehenge and really enjoyed it - it also included  the cathedral and town marketplace.  

We met at the train station (Kings Cross?) and met the tour group there, then we *bought out own tickets and boarded the train.  It was a relaxing train trip, and I liked it better than a bus (no stop and go traffic.)  

A tour bus picked us up at the train station at the other end and took us to the Cathedral, the town marketplace, and Stonehenge - we had a break for lunch and shopping in the town marketplace where there were many places to eat. We had a guided tour, and ample time to wander around on our own, at all 3 sites.  The Tour Guides also talked on the bus. 

*Paying for our own train fare seemed cheaper than similar coach trips in which the coach fare was included in the tour fee. 

We visited Windsor castle on another day, and made a whole day of it.  We took the train on our own that day since the station is very near the castle, and it was easy to get there.

We did several London Walks and they were all enjoyable, and reasonably priced.

I recommend giving your guide a nice tip.  I believe their salary is minimal, and they depend on the tips.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## x3 skier (Feb 8, 2014)

I have never taken an all day " Explorer" tour with London Walks but I have taken over a dozen or more over the years. Every year during my week at The Allen House I take at least a couple. Each one was good and some were excellent. 

For the price, they cannot be beaten. As far as a particular recommendation, it all depends on your interests. 

Cheers


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## Pompey Family (Feb 9, 2014)

Beaglemom3 said:


> we did Stonehenge, Bath and Windsor Castle all in one day and although a long day, it was great. Got to nap between stops.



In one day!!! I would say one day each for Bath and Windsor Castle and perhaps 1/2 a day for Stonehenge with the remainder touring Salisbury.


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## Beaglemom3 (Feb 9, 2014)

Pompey Family said:


> In one day!!! I would say one day each for Bath and Windsor Castle and perhaps 1/2 a day for Stonehenge with the remainder touring Salisbury.



  Nah, it was great. Well paced and although not a thorough tour of the City of Bath (I've been there three times), it gave a good overview for my DF  and plenty of time for the Roman Baths as DF had never been to England.

   You have the luxury of living in England and can take day trips to all these places. It's different when you're there for one week and want to do things in London as well.

 Nice to gaze out at the beautiful countryside and then cat-nap when you want to between stops (jet lag naps).

 It was well narrated and the M-Benz coach was clean, comfy and very up-to-date. Excellent, older historian with a great personality and great/safe driver. 

 What I'm saying is that you can see a lot in comfort and have the option of revisiting at a later time. We had plenty of time for Windsor Castle (got to skip the lines), the Roman Baths/Cathedral and at Stonehenge. 

 I do this when time is limited, not as an everyday thing. This is how we were able to tour the Normandy beaches, battlefields, cemeteries and towns. In a one day, site-packed tour.(Overlord Tours) . When we go back, we'll know where we want to revisit on our own and where we can skip.

As a seasoned visitor to England, I can recommend the Evan Evans Tours if time is short, difficulty in deciding how to parcel out your touring times, if you have some difficulty with ambulation/climbing/walking, etc. These aren't for everyone but, they are timesavers and are very interesting and reduces wear & tear.

http://www.evanevanstours.co.uk/windsor-stonehenge-bath.htm

http://www.premiumtours.co.uk/tours...rs.id12.html?gclid=CJLlw6q5v7wCFVFk7AodDnAAmA


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## cp73 (Feb 11, 2014)

Thank you all for your comments. 

Denise M that was the walking tour I was looking at for Stonehenge. Good input. Did you just buy your train ticket when you met at the train station or in advance?


Beaglemom3- what tour company was the MB ?....that sounds good also. 

Now we are just putting our list together to determine what we want to see.

My wife also wants to go see the grounds at Wimbledon. We both are big tennis fans. Would that be about a half day or anything else to see in that area?

thanks


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## Beaglemom3 (Feb 11, 2014)

cp73 said:


> Thank you all for your comments.
> 
> Denise M that was the walking tour I was looking at for Stonehenge. Good input. Did you just buy your train ticket when you met at the train station or in advance?
> 
> ...



You know, these companies change their busses every few years, so there is no guarantee on what we had is still in the fleet, but my DF thinks it was this:  http://www.goldentours.com/

But, if it's not a Benz, the big companies have all luxury coaches. Check the websites. I wouldn't book my tour based on the bus type as all of the full day bus tours have had nice, glassed coaches. 


-


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## DeniseM (Feb 11, 2014)

cp73 said:


> Thank you all for your comments.
> 
> Denise M that was the walking tour I was looking at for Stonehenge. Good input. Did you just buy your train ticket when you met at the train station or in advance?



We met our guide in front of the ticket booth, and then bought our own tickets and boarded the train.


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## Beaglemom3 (Feb 11, 2014)

You can take the Tube out to Wimbeldon or go on a coach tour.

I'd opt for the Tube, but here's a link for the coach:  http://www.goldentours.com/search.aspx?srcStr=wimbeldon  Another one:   http://www.evanevanstours.co.uk/wimbledon-lawn-tennis-museum.htm

Here is some info for taking the Tube:  (I don't know where you're staying, so you'll have to plot your journey using the Tube planner) 
http://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/contact/getting_here.html


For example, if I stay at the Allen House, I leave from Hight St. Kensington and take the Tube to Wimbeldon and a bus to the museum. It's less than a half hour.
I can help you with this offline if you'd like.


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## Beaglemom3 (Feb 11, 2014)

We did a small-select group tour of Buckingham Palace and it was wonderful.  This was through the Royal Collection. We did book the tour of Windsor Castle and the special tour of the Royal kitchen there. All very interesting.

It's still open, but I don't see the special tours there this year. Maybe it was because of QE II's Diamond Jubilee last year ? Not sure.

Well, QE IIs' household budget is getting low, so do your part and go.

 At the end of the tour was the nice, but pricey, gift shop. Sort of like when you exit a Disney ride. :hysterical:

It was very nice to see. There are much swankier palaces, but this is an iconic place.

There are lots of tour operators, but this is considered "the real deal". (Meaning the Royal Collection website)

-

http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/visit/the-state-rooms-buckingham-palace

We had high tea at the Ritz that afternoon and then walked across the park to the Palace for our 5:30 tour. If you're going to do the Ritz for tea, book now.


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