Different Types of Organised Tours for Sightseeing in London

If you are visiting London for the first time and do not have much idea regarding the various places of interest and how to plan your sightseeing, it would be best to leave it to experts and professionals who offer organised tours. By doing so, all necessary planning and arrangements will be done by the organisers of the tour and you would only need to join the tour instead of spending hours, doing research regarding which places to visit and how to get there. The tour organisers are adept at this job as they are doing it all the time and they have all the knowledge to put forth the best possible tours. Different types of organised tours are available in London.

One of the most convenient ways of getting different views of London is to take a river cruise along the Thames as you will get an idea about the development and growth of the city along and around the Thames. You will also be able to see many of the landmarks of the city as many of them face toward the river, basically because River Thames was the first highway of London. The various river cruise tours include the ones organised by Thames River Services that basically operate downriver traffic from Westminster Pier to places such as Greenwich, St Katherine’s Dock and the Thames Barrier. The most popular excursion is the one that departs for Greenwich and it takes 50 minutes for the journey. The other tour is operated by City Cruises that follows the same pattern operating from the same pier and having similar prices. A more functional option is operated by Thames Clippers that provides downriver trips from Embankment Pier to the London Eye, Bankside, the Tower of London, Canary Wharf, and/or Greenwich. They provide regular, fast water-borne commuter services and also offer unlimited roamer passes.

Westminster Passenger Service Association: This service also uses Westminster Pier but it offers upstream riverboat services to Kew, Richmond and Hampton Court. It is the only such riverboat service and offers regular daily sailings on traditional riverboats that have licensed bars. A small discount on the quoted ticket prices is offered to Travelcard holders. 

Visitors to London who are on a tight budget can stay at grand park London hyde park; that offers comfortable accommodation at a cost that they can afford and they are located close to most attractions of the city. 

Organised bus tours are probably the best for the first time visitor who may feel at sea after landing. Moreover they provide the quickest way to get a hang of the city. The major players in this field include the Original London Sightseeing Tour that uses a traditional double-decker bus and offers live commentary by a guide in English or by audio in different languages and it goes by many major attractions of the city in about two hours. It is a hop-on, hop-off service and as such you can get down from the bus at any of its stops and then get on a subsequent bus after having a quick look around the place. It has three different circuits on which their buses run around the city. The ticket for this service includes a free riverboat ride with City Cruises and a choice of free 90-minute walking tours.

The other player is Big Bus Tours that also operates a similar service taking 2 hours for a lap and it also offers a river cruise and a choice of guided walks that are included in the ticket price. A cheaper alternative is provided by two London bus lines (Route 9 and Route 15) that use Routermaster double-decker buses.

Guests at Park Grand London Lancaster Gate can easily join any of these organised tours as they are located close to most of the starting points.

Cycle tours are also available and are provided by different companies such as London Bicycle Tour Company that offers three circuits that originate from its home base at Gabriel’s Wharf, on the South Bank. It takes about two and a half hours to complete one lap. The other organiser is Fat Tire Bike Tours that offers a 4-hour tour of Royal London starting from Queensway Tube station. It also offers a 5-hour River Thames tour originating from Waterloo Road, on the South Bank. Both tours are guided and it is advisable to book in advance.  

London Walks offers the best range of guided walks in London, being the oldest established walking tour company in the city. Their attributes are expert guides, reasonably sized groups (usually less than 30), variety and good value. The company offers themed walks such as “Jack the Ripper walk,” "Shakespeare's and Dickens' London," "The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour," and "Hidden London."  These walks last around 2 hours and no reservations are needed.

The other player is Context that organises smaller groups guided by experts and scholars in their fields. One of their famous walks is "London: Portrait of a City" which is ideal for people who wish to explore the city a little more. Both the companies also organise private guides for individuals or small groups.

City Guides is another company that offers high-quality walking tours that focus in and around the Square Mile. These are themed tours such as "City's Gardens," and "Dr. Johnson," and also tours of places such as All-Hallows-by-the-Tower Church.

The other types of tours concentrate on particular places such as the BBC Tour or the Emirates Stadium Tours.