London Walking Tour with Westminster Abbey and Changing of the Guard

Bas Local Operator - Read Detailed Review

This was terrible and here's why: The Viator confirmation specifically said "Read the detailed meeting point directions" but NO DIRECTIONS were provided other than saying that the meeting point was Parliament Square. In case you have not been there (like us) Parliament Square is big, and about 20 tours from different companies take off from there.So, our tour was scheduled for 9:00am and we arrived at 8:50. There was NO clear indication of where to meeting - no signage, nothing. We literally spoke to 8 tour guides there and all of them checked their "roster", told us that their colleague was probably our tour guide, and told us they didn't have time to help us, and that we should speak to the next tour guide. Well, 8 tour guides later, we still had not found our guide. Now it was 9:00am and we called Viator. They contacted the local tour operator, who, after being on hold for about 25 minutes, told us that the local tour operator had already left. Then, they informed us that a "voucher" had been emailed to us the night before, and that this voucher contained the exact meeting point. Yet, nothing about a voucher was mentioned in the confirmation, nothing about a voucher or meeting point location was texted to us.....so basically the expectation was that we should come in on an international overnight flight.....and then check our email to randomly discover the voucher and meeting point location. And although none of the information was mentioned or provided in advance, the tour operator denied our refund request.

A MUST while in London

I wish I could give MORE than 5 stars!! Carmen was OUTSTANDING!! She was so incredibly informative and helpful and knew alllll the tricks to get us the best viewing experience and to avoid the crowds. She was genuinely remarkable!! I adored her!!

Westminster Abbey portion- Great; Changing of the Guard a bit of a dud

The Westminster Abbey portion of our tour was fabulous. The changing of the guard portion did not meet our expectations. Our tour guide, Ariana was impressive with knowledge, facts, and dates. We learned so much about Westminster Abbey along with the people who are memorialized inside, the coronations, funerals and weddings that have happened there. the kids in our group were a little bored with the numerous facts presented. We were all very excited about the changing of the guard but did not feel like we saw the actual "changing" ceremony. We stood along the mall and did see some regimens walking and a few carriages. Part of the issue could have been that there was practice all week for the "Trooping of Colors" that would be happening later in the week

Top Tour / Guide

Our tour guide Leila was both amenable and informative, asking all questions in an informative and interesting manner- she really made this tour a joy!

Westminster was the best part!

It was fine. The Westminster part was really good. But we didn't do anything on Downing Street. And the changing of the guard was cancelled. We did get to see the outside on Buckingham Palace.

Wonderful Tour!

What a lovely morning spent with Steve our tour guide at the helm. We were awestruck at the rich history and grandeur of Westminster Abbey. Learning Monarchy history from Steve and experiencing the sights were essential in touring England, we felt. Next, we saw the changing of the guard at Buckingham palace. Steve got us right up front and our photo ops were perfect. We also saw the beautiful St. James park and loved all of the history behind the gardens and its inhabitants. Of course, along the way we saw many historical sights including Clarence House and St. James Palace. Wonderful tour.

Must do tour in London!

I would definitely recommend this tour as Westminster Abbey is a must-visit place on your trip to London! Our guide, J, was very friendly and knowledgeable about the Abbey. Unfortunately, there was no changing of the guards on the day of our tour but we were lucky to see The Colonels Review. J made sure to get us to the perfect spot to catch the ceremony. Overall, l would definitely recommend this tour!

The Abbey, the Changing of the Guard, AND an outstanding tour guide!

Both the sights---Westminster Abbey and the Changing of the Guard--and the Tour Guide Andy were outstanding. Andy's experience enabled us to see behind the scenes guard activities at multiple locations which enhanced the experience. Quick access to the Abbey enabled us to efficiently use our time and maximize Andy's expertise. Andy was top notch--both personally and professionally he made the tour an excellent experience. Highly recommend the tour AND the tour guide, Andy!

Awful tour guide can't avoid politics

We had a very strange tour guide who seemed unable to keep her political feelings to herself. We were told that everyone should have a monarchy because "presidents and prime ministers can't be trusted." She complained that her kids are taught to "hate England" in school and that the English flag is racist. All this was said as we waited in line outside Westminster Abbey. As an American, I go to other countries to escape this kind of politicization, so it was weird to encounter it in a tour of Westminster Abbey. The strangest part was when, on the way to Buckingham Palace, while leading our group through a street crossing, we encountered a small group of cyclists on bikes. They were all waiting at the crosswalk, in the bike lane, abiding the law and the rules of traffic. Our group had the right of way and the cyclists were patiently waiting for us to cross along with the other vehicular traffic. Our tour guide pointed to the cyclists (about 10 feet away as we approached) and told us to "look out" for the cyclists as they are "menaces." She repeated that several times as we crossed the street, until we were passing directly in front of them, at which point she shouted the word "Menaces!" in their faces several times. They were very startled and one of them started to respond but our tour guide just kept walking. It was very uncomfortable and completely unnecessary -- we were just crossing the street and there was no danger, everyone was following the rules. Her whole attitude and constant political tangents were a real turn-off. Viator should screen or train these guides a bit better.

Westminster Abbey/Changing of the Guards

We had a wonderful tour guide for the walking tour, she was very friendly, knowledgeable and fun. Unfortunately,the changing of the guards did not happen as planned due to something else going on with them. That was disappointing but unforeseen. All in all a great day.

Fun and entertaining

Our guide (Geanie- not sure on spelling) was a wealth of knowledge and gave an entertaining tour. The tour of the church was slight delayed, but we were able to see it all and even catch the changing of the guard.

Our tour was so amazing. ...

Our tour was so amazing. Our wonderful guide knew exactly where we should be and at what time. Couldn't have been better!

Recommended

Karen was amazing guide. Very informative and kept us on schedule to see the changing of the guard. Highly recommend was to see the area.

Great experience!

Steve was a great tour guide! He was very knowledgeable, and made the tour fun and interesting. He was able to answer plenty of questions also, sometimes relevant to the tour and sometimes a little off subject, and had good suggestions for us after the tour like food places to stop at. Highly recommend this tour group, and Steve as a tour guide!

Great tour

Tour guide was great. A bit confusing as to where we were to meet. The map showed the meeting place at the entrance to Westminster but the directions said to meet in front of the Lincoln statue. We figured it out but half the other registered folks never made it so they may not have read the instructions just looked at the map.

Go to another Company.

Our tour guide was late arriving at the meeting place. He brought the group of 15 over to Westminster Abby and left us in line to get the entry tickets. We all waited for 45 minutes while all the other groups went in. He finally came back, with no tickets. He did not communicate with the group, we went to ask what was happening and he said he could not get into the app to access the tickets. After another 15 minutes, another guide helped him and we went in. We had missed our spot so it was not a “skip the line” tour, the Abby was packed. He rushed us through the tour, he made historical mistakes, he didn’t know there was a difference between a Duke and an Earl? Then we were supposed to see the changing of the guards, that was not on this day. This would have been known by the tour company when I booked. There was a practice for Trooping of the Colours, we walked over and the guide spent much time staring at his phone. He was trying to see what was happening and he never did figure it out. We heard the band start and had to sprint to see anything. The tour was supposed to be 3 hours, it only lasted 2 (not including the time he abandoned us in line trying to figure out how to do his job) I’ve requested a refund through the Tour Guy, but they will not communicate with me. Terrible tour, terrible guide (Fabritzio), terrible company. Go elsewhere.

Sunshine on a rainy day

Our guide was excellent...lots of knowledge about Westmisnster Abbey and Buckingham Palace that she shared with us in an interesting manner. Stopped at different points to share random info along our tour route that just made it that much better. Even though it rained a bit on the day we took the tour it didn't dampen her enthusiasm for her subject. Recommend!

Westiminster was Great, our tour guide not so much

This was for Westminster Abbey plus changing of the guards. The changing of the guards was cancelled, which wasn’t the tours fault and is fine. I did wonder that if it wasn’t cancelled how we could have gotten through the abbey in time. It started off as total chaos. You have to ask all these your guides if you are on their list and it got so chaotic. So many people were gathered. Our tour guide was not very exciting. She did a lot of rambling and telling us about items that were not very interesting. The Abbey was very nice but our tour guide didn’t tell us about certain things that would be interesting. I also wish I could have looked on my own but our guide kept trying to wrangle us to one spot. My advise is to go on your own and do the audio tour so you can spend your own time and hear everything not just what the guide thinks is interesting. We ditched her after the Abbey so I don’t know what they did at Buckingham Palace.

Go with Janina!

Janina was fantastic! She was entertaining and accommodating. We’ll informed with plenty of stories. Great guide!!

3-hours on your feet

This tour is not for everyone. It is 3-hours of walking or standing on your feet. Be prepared! Our tour guide was excellent. She was well informed and had interesting stories. She is very pro-royalty, and I am not, but I'm from the US. The tour begins with the one and only bathroom break in Westminster. Use it! You will not have another opportunity for 3 hours. The group was only 13 people which was a delight. The group kept together and were helpful to each other. The tour guide highlighted the areas I knew about and wanted to see in Westminster (example: Steven Hawkins resting place) and pointed out areas with which I was less familiar (example: poetry corner (I knew the corner existed, but it is not what I thought it was)). After about 2 hours at Westminster, we had a nice walk to Buckingham Palace. The tour guide did an excellent job pointing out different buildings and events that were to take place or that had taken place. We did not get to seeing the changing of the guards (wrong day), but the guide gave instructions of how you could see it the next day. This is a really good tour for those who can do it.

Absolutely wonderful

Highly recommend this tour! Our tour guide, Karen, was full of information and was entertaining to listen to! We were unable to see the changing of the guards due to rain and she was still able to make it a great experience!

Vast knowledge....

The knowledge of our guide was remarkable...she knew everything about Westminster Abbey. Sadly, we did not get to see the Changing of the Guard due to their practice for trooping of the color. The only comment was the pace...we really raced through all walks.

Awesome half day trip!

Our knowledgeable guide Ariana rearranged the order of our tour to enhance it and make it even more memorable! She was great! The tour was great!

Consider another tour company

Awful experience. Our your tour guide Fabrizio was late to the meeting spot, we finally get to west minister abbey and he is unable to open the tickets and we had to wait about 45 minutes for that to be sorted. By this time we’re about 55 minutes into the tour without really seeing/doing anything. Information given on the tour was mediocre and could have been read out of a text book. Changing of the guards didn’t happen because of kings birthday parade practice. Unhappy overall. A majority of the group decided to leave early which says a lot about the experience.

Absolute Abbey

Great experience and tour of the abbey. Adrian did an amazing job explaining the history and areas of the abbey. A tour with a person for this is better than an audio guide

Paulo was a great tour guide

Paulo was an excellent guide. He really brought Westminster Abbey to life with the interesting details and explanations he provided. He found us a great spot to watch the Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace also. Thank you Paulo for a memorable experience. I would highly recommend any tour that Paulo was guiding!

Careful scheduling in May.

Paolo was great. The changing of the guard didn’t happen because of training for Charle’s birthday. Wished we had known. A question worth asking.

Amazing Walking Tour!

Karen was our guide. Easily found the location for beginning of tour at Parliament Square. Karen was very knowledgeable about Westminster. Took us to a good viewing point for Changing of the Guard along the mile leading up to the palace. Pointed out many areas of interest along our walking tour. Made sure our group was together in the various points of interest. Karen's recollection of historical facts was amazing!

Rushed and couldn’t appreciate the beauty

While the Abby was beautiful the tour was rushed with our guide arriving late. She was almost running through the tour despite the fact some older folks in the group couldn’t keep up

Tremendous thril

Ben doing a great job. Learned so much. And he showed us things that were spur of the moment. Example. Chapel at the barracks that was bombed and people died.

Tour

Enthusiasm of the guide and knowledge A listening device would have been helpful due to the crowds and resultant noise

Must do for a history lover

Very good tour with Thea . Very knowledgable and it was a lovely tour . I suggest this tour for everyone , better then just taking westmi surer Abby tickets and listening to the audio guide

Great experience with a wonderful tour guide!

We had an excellent experience on this tour. Our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and made the experience fun and very informative. I would highly recommend this tour.

Review

Excellent tour guide. She explained everything for us and we learned a lot about the history. Great service

As of September 2022 old British paper Pounds are not accepted in the UK

We ( 3 couples from Newfoundland, Canada) spent 4 or 5 days in London in Sept. 2023 before boarding a ship in Southampton for a 16 day western Europe and Iceland cruise. London was great. We especially enjoyed the tour of Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London. Well worth the money. However, we had one minor hiccup to report. I had bought some British Pounds, a few years back, when the pound was down and the Canadian Dollar was up keeping them in my safety deposit box until we went on this trip. Our first night in London I went to pay for a few beers in the London pub using cash only to find out that the Pounds I had were no longer being accepted. Apparently, the UK replaced its currency a few years ago with up to date pounds placing a time limit of Sept. 2022 to use the old currency. We went to a post office as well as a bank attempting to change the old pounds for newer money without any luck. The bank wouldn't help us because I didn't have an account. I offered to open an account only to be told that I had to be a resident of the UK to do so. Catch 22. Much the same story at the Post office we went to. We managed to exchange what we had a currency exchange outlet but they charged me a 5% fee. Nevertheless we had a great trip.

Good Tour but Changing of the Guard is not what you expect

Very knowledgeable tour guide. Westminster Abby was excellent and we had plenty of time to see everything. There is so much to see here, it boggles the mind. Ever turn and angle is a photo opportunity. The pace to Buckingham Palace is quick so be prepared for that. We booked a date that we knew would have the changing of the guard. You need to know that where they take you is not for the actual Changing of the Guard Ceremony, but it is what they call the Departure, which is when the guards and horse left the Palace. Was still fun, but we went back a few days later to see the "Arrival". Tour ended on a sour note as I stopped for a photo opp on the Blue bridge and she kept on going and we lost the group. This was right at the end, and we were sorry that we did not get to thank the tour guide properly.

Don’t miss the chance.

Engrossing visit. Mix of tradition, spirituality, introspection, history and ceremony. Hope you get lucky and have Adrian assigned as your guide.

Excellent Excursion

What an amazing 3 hours with one of the best guides we’ve had. Nicholas was warm, engaging, knowledgeable and knew all the ins and outs of getting our group around the grounded sights. He was funny and personable and welcomed all of our questions. Having a guided tour of the Abbey was so worth it, especially with Nicholas as our guide! We felt like we were able to get so much more out of the Abbey than just wandering around by ourselves. Well worth the money!!

Mind blowing tour of Westminster Abby

The entire tour was life changing and memorable. Since I was a small girl I’ve always dreamed of visiting Westminster Abby and seeing the changing of the guards. Our tour guide was full of knowledge and was very kind explains and helping me a single tourist take personal pictures. She remember name and interacted with everyone. The only thing I’d change is on your mobile app, giving guess, especially those from out of the country to leave a mobile tip. Not wanting to use a foreign ATM and not a person who travels with cash. I would have lived to give my tour guide a top but didn’t have cash.

Slow and dry

Our guide was kind of dry, so her talking felt slow and long. No humor. Kids were restless, and I was as well. We didn't get to see the changing of the guards - in fact, we were late to it because our guide was not watching the time. We spent too long in W. Abbey and therefore we were late.

Disappointing

We did not get what was advertised. Our tour starting time was pushed back 30 mins, then we waited for late comers and completely missed the changing of the guards as we arrived too late. Abbey tour was wonderful but very disappointed that we missed a major part of this tour. Also did not walk past Trafalgar Square or 10 Downing St as guide running late

Poor description of the meeting location

We showed up on time at Parliament Square but we couldn't find the group. We didn't realize how vague "parliament square" was until we arrived and there were so many tour groups using the same location meeting at exactly the same time, with only 1-2 groups holding signs! We ended up walking around the entire square 2-3 times asking random groups and strangers if this was "viator or the Roman guy tour". We ended up missing it and gave up looking after 40 minutes, including trying to use the website phone number and texting site. They wouldn't refund, offer to reschedule or even give a partial refund as they used the excuse that we "were late", we were out £300 (family of 5). I would recommend to these guys that they give more specific meeting instructions than "parliament square", if you've never been there before at 9am, you will also realize how vague this is.

Great experience

David, our guide was fantastic. Perry, very knowledgeable, pleasant and accommodating. Well worth the cost. Ended up getting a great view which is not easy.

A fantastic walking tour

Toby, our guide was extremely knowledgeable and friendly. He answered all questions and really took the time to point out places and facts of interest.

Great day!

Great information! Guide was knowledgeable and informative. Felt a genuine sense of purpose in the presentation.

Excellent walking tour

An excellent tour. Our guide knew quite a lot about the sights. He was able to provide us with a well informed tour of Westminster Abbey which was amazing. We didn’t get to see the full changing of the guards due to the palace changing the schedule. Would highly recommend.

Definitely worth it!

This tour was fantastic! I misread the meeting point instructions and wound up in the wrong spot, but the group was kind enough to swing by and get me on the way to the Abbey entrance. Our guide Toby was amazing - could not have asked for a better experience. Would definitely recommend to friends and family!

Great tour!

Andrew was an awesome tour guide- he knew so much and showed us the highlights. He then got us to a great spot to see the guards walk by.

Must do

The London Walking Tour with Westminster Abbey and Changing of the Guard offers an immersive experience of British history and tradition. Starting at Westminster Abbey, you'll be awe-struck by its Gothic architecture and rich history, guided by knowledgeable experts who bring the stories to life. As you stroll through the streets of London, you'll witness the iconic Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace, a spectacle of precision and tradition. The tour provides a perfect blend of sightseeing and cultural immersion, making it a must-do for visitors to London.

Well worth it. Recommend without hesitation.

I believe Adrian was the tour leader. Very good. I am grateful to have done this as we would never have been able to move around and see so much in such a short time. Changing of the guard: He knew all the tricks to getting us to good locations and we were much closer than I would have imagined. Westminster Abbey: we got in so early that it was actually empty. That sure changed quickly, but those first few minutes were special in its quietness.