London City Break: Royal London & the West End

About the Trip

Trip Highlights

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• Royal London, with Buckingham Palace, Westminster and the Changing of the Guard, is a magnificent highlight of this break. London is the beating heart of the British monarchy, and its royal pageantry is unforgettable. You take in Buckingham Palace, the monarch's London home, timing your visit for the famous Changing of the Guard, with its scarlet-tunicked soldiers, bearskin hats and marching band. You stand beneath the great clock tower of Big Ben beside the Houses of Parliament, and step inside the soaring Gothic splendour of Westminster Abbey, where kings and queens have been crowned for a thousand years.
• The mighty Tower of London and its dazzling Crown Jewels are a fascinating highlight of this break. The Tower of London, a great riverside fortress begun by William the Conqueror nearly a thousand years ago, has been royal palace, prison, mint and treasury, and its stones are steeped in drama and legend. You are guided by the colourful Yeoman Warders, or Beefeaters, meet the famous resident ravens, and hear tales of intrigue, imprisonment and execution. The highlight is the Jewel House, where you gaze upon the dazzling Crown Jewels, a breathtaking collection of crowns.
• London's world-class museums and galleries are a wonderful highlight, and gloriously free. The capital has some of the finest and most generous museums on earth, and most cost nothing to enter. You wander the vast British Museum, whose collection spans human history from the Rosetta Stone and the Egyptian mummies to the sculptures of ancient Greece and the treasures of Mesopotamia. You admire masterpieces by Van Gogh, Leonardo, Turner and Monet at the National Gallery on Trafalgar Square, and can explore the treasure-house of the Victoria and Albert or the dinosaurs of the Natural History Museum.
• A Thames cruise, the London Eye and the city's iconic skyline offer a beautiful highlight. There is no better way to grasp London than from the River Thames, the silver thread around which the city grew. You take a relaxing cruise along the river, gliding beneath its famous bridges with grand views of the Houses of Parliament, the Tower, the Shard and St Paul's, as the story of London unfolds along the banks. For a bird's-eye view you ride the London Eye, the giant observation wheel on the South Bank, rising high above the city for a breathtaking panorama across the rooftops.
• Afternoon tea, a West End show, Covent Garden and Borough Market bring London's flavour and buzz to life. Beyond the landmarks, London is a city of style, flavour and endless entertainment, and you savour its buzz. You enjoy a quintessentially British afternoon tea, with delicate sandwiches, warm scones with clotted cream and jam, dainty cakes and pots of fine tea, and thrill to a dazzling show in the West End, London's world-famous theatreland. You browse the lively piazza of Covent Garden with its street performers, feast on the artisan stalls of Borough Market, and can climb to the dome of St Paul's Cathedral for sweeping views.
• Above all, this break offers an elegant, easy and immersive taste of one of the world's greatest cities. London is endlessly fascinating, and staying in one comfortable central hotel lets you get under its skin at a relaxed pace, with no packing and unpacking. Over five days you take in royal pageantry, the Tower and its Crown Jewels, world-class museums, the Thames and the London Eye, afternoon tea, a West End show and lively markets, with the option of a day at royal Windsor Castle, all guided by expert local guides who bring the city's stories to life.

Day by Day

A detailed day-by-day plan for this 5-day journey.

Where You Will Travel

Frequently Asked Questions