Hello again,
I have already received such wonderful advise for my trip.
We will be in London for 3-4 days and I am looking to take some walking/bus/boat tours. I have seen many threads mention tours, but none have particularly been reviewed.
My sister and I are very active, so we would be fit for any walking tour. I am primarily interested in history, but I imagine most tours would deal with that.
Which tours do you recommend? Do you recommend one company over another? Should we stick with walking tours exclusively or would a boat/bus tour be worth it? Would we be better off just walking the city on our own with a guide book?
I thank you in advance,
Christie

I have taken many walks with the folks at "The Orginal London Walks" group and highly recommend them.You meet one of their guides at a designated Tube stop,pay around £5.50 and off you go for a two hour guided walk.Here is a link for all the info you need.
http://london.walks.com/

Another vote for Original London Walks. I have enjoyed nearly 4 dozen walks with them and they are adding new ones. While I also enjoy self-guided walks, London Walks are given by guides who will give you your money's worth. I have done repeat walks with the same guide and their enthusiasm for their subject is very apparent.

I have heard stories about London that even a friend of mine (native Londoner) had never heard. One of my personal favorites was on the Eccentric London walk with Kim. George Washington swore he would never set foot on British soil, so when they put a statue of him in Trafalgar Square, they dug a big hole, then went to Virginia to get dirt and filled the hole with soil from his native state.

We have done a couple of day trips outside London with tours - because that was the only way to get where we wanted in one day. But in town we essentially do everything oursleves - except for docent tours at specific sites. We have found that way we can see what's really important to use - at our own pace - which may be faster or slower than the rest o any group. there are lots of good books with self guided walks in particular neighborhoods.

Thank you for the recommendations. One of the main reasons I wish to take a tour is for stories like the one you relate rj007 I will surely take a number of walks with the Original London Walks as well as some self-guided ones!
Thanks for the help!