Walk Talk Tours - London
London is widely regarded as one of the world’s greatest cities. It welcomes millions of visitors each year and is a top destination for visitors looking to get a grasp on the history of the United Kingdom with its numerous sights, attractions, parks and museums. Exploring this fantastic city on foot has become one step easier thanks to a series of Walk Talk Tour guides which are designed to help you discover something of what the city has to offer.
There are five Walk Talk Tours which guide visitors around different routes in the capital. All you need is an MP3 player or an iPod and you are away. Available at a cost of £5.95 each the guides are entitled: the Palace Trail, Ride and Stride, the City and the Tower, Museums Galleries and Performing Arts and the City and South Bank Circular. A map is provided with each of the guides to help you along the way around one of the world’s busiest and most attractive cities.
There are also Walk Talk Tours in Edinburgh, York and Manchester. The London tours are available in Spanish, French and German in addition to English. Big discounts are available if you book for larger groups or families, while if you purchase more than one tour reductions are also on offer.
All you have to do to explore London at your own pace is log on to a computer, select the tour which you would prefer and then choose the relevant language. Download the tour onto your computer and then transfer it onto your MP3 player, your iPod or your mobile phone music player. Finally, print the map and you are ready to explore the city’s best-loved attractions, its highlights and some of its lesser known areas. Tours 1-4 last for approximately two hours, while tour 5 is a little longer. You can pause, replay and stop your tour at any time, so you can stay longer in a certain place, chill out in a park or stop for lunch for example.
Tour 1 - The Palace Trail starts out at Westminster Abbey and works its way past the likes of the Houses of Parliament, Downing Street and Parliament Square. It meanders along Whitehall reaching Charing Cross and the famous Trafalgar Square, before turning back to take on board the Mall, St James Park and then finishing up at the Queen’s official residence Buckingham Palace.
Tour 2 – The Ride and Stride trail begins at Trafalgar Square and takes the routemaster bus to St Paul’s Cathedral. The tour then goes via the Strand and Fleet Street. Once the bus ride part of the trail is over it is time to get onto your feet to cross the Millennium Bridge and to take in and learn about other sights such as the Tate Modern, Tower Bridge and HMS Belfast before winding up at the Tower of London. Please note: bus tickets are to be bought separately for this tour.
Tour 3 – The City and the Tower starts at the great St Paul’s Cathedral and takes explorers past some of the City’s financial highlights such as the Bank of England and the Royal Exchange. It also works its way along to offer onlookers a glimpse of the Gherkin, Lloyds of London and the Monument before finishing up at the Tower of London.
Tour 4 – Museums, Galleries and Performing Arts. This tour is perhaps the most creative and artistic of the trails. It starts at the National Gallery at Trafalgar Square and then takes you past the likes of Leicester Square, St Martin’s Theatre, the buzzing Covent Garden and the Royal Opera House. There is so much history and creativity behind this tour, which will most likely turn out to be extended beyond the two hours with all the attractions to make the most of and places to have a coffee or go shopping. The tour finds its end at the British Museum.
Tour 5 – City and South Bank Circular. This circular route begins at St Paul’s Cathedral and covers a good few miles on both sides of the Thames. It travels along Watling Street, the Bank of England, Tower Bridge and the Globe Theatre before finishing near to the cathedral again on the Millennium Bridge.
Whichever tour suits you most, you are sure to be able to admire an array of London’s well-known sights and attractions, to take in some of its impressive and sometimes infamous history, and to soak up some of its fascinating culture.