Royal tour of St James', Parks, Palaces and Royal intrigue | La Vacanza Travel

Royal tour of St James', Parks, Palaces and Royal intrigue

Duration: 150 to 180 minutes
Destination: United Kingdom, England, London
from
283.96

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  • 150 to 180 minutes
  • London
  • E-Voucher
  • Lowest Price
  • Not-Cancellable

Overview

This private walking tour covers the area of St James' known unofficially as London's Royal Village because of its many royal connections. We wander past the OUTSIDE ONLY of Buckingham Palace and St James' Palace, and through two beautiful royal parks, Green Park and St James' Park. St James' is renowned for its Gentlemen's Clubs, and we will stroll past several which still flourish today 200 years after they were founded.  These clubs are in the midst of exclusive shops, many set up to supply the gentlemen with everything they could possibly need from cheese and wine to shirts and shoes.  If you're lucky, your tour date might coincide with an ancient ceremony called the Changing of the Guard, a chance to see royal pageantry at its best. This currently takes place on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
This is a tour not to be missed with hidden gems around every corner! All my Trip Advisor reviews are graded Excellent so I must be doing something right!

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Green Park, Piccadilly, London W1J 9EJ England

Legend has it that the park is green because Charles II's wife Catherine de Braganza ordered all its flowers to be removed. Why you might ask? You'll find out on the tour!

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: St. James's Palace, Marlborough Road, London SW1A 1BQ England

Built by Henry VIII on the site of a women's leper hospital, this palace was originally built for the son promised to Henry by his second wife, Anne Boleyn. But things didn't turn out quite as planned!

Duration: 10 minutes

Stop At: Changing of the Guard, Constitution Hill Buckingham Palace, London SW1A 1AA England

One of London's ancient ceremonies, this is pageantry not to be missed BUT IT DOES NOT GO AHEAD EVERY DAY. We will need to check if the ceremony is scheduled for the morning of your tour. If it is, you're in for a treat as we view different parts of the ceremony from three different places - we'll need to move fast to get from one to another! EVEN IF THE CEREMONY IS SCHEDULED TO GO AHEAD, IT CAN BE CANCELLED AT THE LAST MOMENT SO THERE IS NO GUARANTEE THAT YOU WILL SEE THE CEREMONY.

Duration: 20 minutes

Stop At: Clarence House, St. James's Palace, London SW1A 2WH England

A chance to see where King Charles III and the Queen Camilla, call home.

Duration: 2 minutes

Stop At: Lancaster House, Stable Yard, London SW1A 1BB England

Built from beautiful Bath stone, this building stood in for Buckingham Palace during the filming of Downton Abbey, the Netflix series the Crown and the film, the King's Speech.

Duration: 2 minutes

Stop At: Buckingham Palace, Spur Road, London SW1A 1AA England

One of the London's most iconic buildings, with its world famous balcony, Buckingham Palace is the office of the monarchy and one of the few working palaces in the world. Queen Elizabeth II lived here Monday - Friday but her son Charles has yet to decide where he is going to live. The palace is currently undergoing an extensive refurbishment so we'll have to wait and see what he decides to do.

Duration: 10 minutes

Stop At: Wellington Barracks Birdcage Walk, London SW1E 6HQ England

Home to the Queens' Life Guards, responsible for the security of the monarch since 1660. The new guard leave from here during the Changing of the Guard ceremony.

Duration: 2 minutes

Stop At: St. James's Park, Horse Guards Road The Storeyard, London SW1A 2BJ England

One of the prettiest Royal parks with an abundance of wild life and a gorgeous ornamental lake, England's most extravagant king George IV, made it what it is today. A few other monarchs before him had their say too - I will reveal all on our tour!

Duration: 15 minutes

Stop At: Horse Guards Parade at Whitehall, Horse Guards Whitehall, London SW1A 2AX England

Originally used for jousting during Tudor times, Horse Guards Parade is now home to two of London's ancient ceremonies dating back to the 1600s, the Changing of the Guard and Trooping the Colour. The parade ring was also used during the London Olympics in 2012 - I wonder if anyone can remember which sport took place here?

Duration: 10 minutes

Stop At: Paxton & Whitfield, Sw1 93 Jermyn Street, London SW1Y 6JE England

This shop began life centuries ago as a market stall; how it has changed wince then as it now displays over 90 artisan cheeses from all over Europe.

Duration: 3 minutes

Stop At: Floris, 89 Jermyn Street W1, London SW1Y 6JH England

Originally a barber's, Juan Floris quickly changed his shop into a perfumery which is still thriving nearly 300 years later.
It still produces Lily of the Valley perfume which was one of the shop's first creations but there are many others well worth a sniff!

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: Fortnum & Mason, 181 Piccadilly, London W1A 1ER England

The most sophisticated department store in London - the hamper began here! As we take a quick walk arund the ground floor of the store, you will find out what unusual feature is up on the roof as well as the nature of a competition sponsored by the store. Intriguing!

Duration: 15 minutes

Inclusions
  • A fun and experienced professional, local guide, accredited by the Institute of Tourist Guiding and the University of Westminster. Sandy is a member of the City of Westminster Guide Lecturer's Association.

Exclusions
  • Food and drinks
  • Food sampling
  • Gratuities - optional
  • Transportation to/from the start and end points of the walk
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • When your booking is confirmed, you will receive contact details for me (Sandy) and I will be your guide on this tour. My aim is to give you, my client, the best experience you could possibly have so if you have any special requests, be sure to tell me what they are! If you need to stop for a break midway through the tour, that will be fine with me.
  • The tour will last up to 3 hours depending on the walking pace of the group, the number of questions asked and if the Changing of the Guard ceremony is going ahead on the day of the tour.
  • The tour will cover roughly 2 miles in total.
  • Near public transportation
  • The tour will go ahead come rain or shine so please don't be put off by the weather. Do wear comfortable shoes and clothing and, if needs be, bring waterproofs and an umbrella.
  • Due to the distances involved, and the speed at which we may have to walk between events, this tour is not recommended for those with walking difficulties.
  • Not recommended for travelers with back problems
  • No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
  • Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
  • Morning tours start at 09.45 under the Colonnade of the Ritz Hotel, Piccadilly
  • Unlike some other guides, I specialise in just five areas of London, St James' being one of them. This means that I have detailed knowledge of the area which I pass on to my clients in a fun and interesting way.
  • 100% of my Trip Advisor/Viator reviews are graded 'excellent' and as I now have over 100 reviews in total, I must be doing something right!
  • I prefer to guide small groups of up to five family or friends so that everyone can hear what I am saying above the usual street noises of a busy city. Also, everyone can ask as many questions as they like.
  • I ALWAYS make contact with my clients before a tour so if you have not heard from me one week before your tour, please contact me instead.
  • I only accept bookings directly from customers. Any bookings made by a travel agent on behalf of a customer will be cancelled.
  • This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Departure Point

The Ritz London, 150 Piccadilly, St. James's, London W1J 9BR, UK


Departure Time

09:45 AM


Return Details

Returns to original departure point

Voucher info

You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.

Duration

150 to 180 minutes


User's Reviews

richardo500

23 Sep, 2023

A really enjoyable tour, so much interesting detail…. I now know why Green Park is called by that name! Sandy was so knowledgable and told us so many background stories it brought the whole tour alive. Highly recommended!

rosemaryo988

20 Sep, 2023

Learned so much today, from who’s who at the Changing of the Guard, how St James’ Park became a park, masses about the monarchy from Henry VIII to now, to fun facts about Fortnum’s London honeys and marmalade competitions and men’s clubs! Sandy was a great guide, enthusiastic and very informative, and brought the area to life for me.

Maria_R

07 Sep, 2023

My family of 5 truly enjoyed Sandy's tour of St. James Village. She is so knowledgeable and inspiring to listen to, from her stories of London's Royal history plus more. I highly recommend this tour.

Voyage191808

05 Sep, 2023

Sandy’s knowledge of the Royals is so extensive, it was like we had a personal member of the family walking with us! She took her time, explained what was coming up, connected places to people, and people to their place in history. She gave a personal glimpse into what life was like since the beginning of English heritage. Seeing the changing of the guard from the beginning was an added bonus she was able to include! If you want a walking history lesson, and come out feeling like you “know” the royals, this is the tour and Sandy is your guide!

Melanie J

14 Jul, 2023

Sandy, our guide for this tour, was prompt and very knowledgeable of St James and the Royal Village. I would highly recommend her, especially for first time London visitors. The walking tour does move fast and is roughly 3 hrs on foot.

User's Picture Gallery

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A living history lesson of the Royal Family!

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Wonderful Introduction to St James - "The Royal Village"

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Great day out!!

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Private walking tour of st james, London, Royal changing of the guards and history of gentlemen’s clubs, parks, shops

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Brilliant tour of St. James

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