ellen75005

Several fodorites have recommended www.walks.com in London. There are so many walks and they look wonderful! Of course, we'll have to pick and choose, but I'd love to hear what your favorites are and why. We leave in less than a week!

MissPrism

I'd go for one of the Legal walks that take you around the Inns of Court. When you are there. it's difficult to remember that you are in the middle of a huge noisy city.

I'd avoid Jack the Ripper. It annoys the neighbours and most of the original sites are long gone.

jamikins

I highly recommend the day trips, and the St Pauls and Westminster Abbey tours. The pub walks at night are lots of fun too!

emily71

Any pub walk-they all are fun-loved the Hampstead pubs.

For something a little different, I'd recommend the Little Venice walk to see the canal house boats along the Regents Canal.

europeannovice

We really enjoyed the Royal London walk done on Friday's. We saw the changing of the guard without having to wait in line for any length of time and the guards passed right by us. I have pictures with them marching so close and no one in front of us blocking the view. Then we broke up into small groups and went inside Westminster Abbey through the Cloisters so again no line for a 45 minute guided tour. The entire tour takes about 2 hours.

indy_dad

<i>We really enjoyed the Royal London walk done on Friday's. </i>

In general, how are the fees handled for add-ons like Westminster? Do you pay London Walks or at the "gate" or ??

We were looking at this one in particular as well. Thanks.

europeannovice

We paid London walks directly. They collect the money at the meeting point of the tour by the tube station near St James if I recall correctly. Then you walk into the park and the guide (we had Tom who was fabulous) mentions quite a few tidbits of historical info along the route. He plants you right in front of the guards route and they march right by you. Perfect picture taking opportunity.

After the guards, Westminster Abbey only allows groups of 26 at a time so our group broke up into two separate groups one continuing with Tom and the other with another London walks guide and you go straight into the Abbey through the Cloisters. Well informed 45 minutes or so inside the Abbey. He covered the coronation chair, poets corner some nice key spots. It was very crowded in the Abbey with many different groups.

I think that is why we enjoyed St Paul's more. Less people and more room to move around especially if you do the climb to the top which I recommend!

jamikins

Yup - they collect all the money and then go and pay for your entry (you get the group discount rate which is nice) and then you head off on your walk. This is also how it works for the day trips so that you get the group discount train tickets.

indy_dad

Cash only then? Or do they take debit/credit cards? Thanks.

jamikins

Cash only - no cards

Mimar

I too really liked the Little Venice tour. So surprising to find the canal and all the narrow boats in the middle of London. We did the excursion to Richmond and Hampton Court; loved the boat ride in the Thames. Everybody's favorite, the pubs along the river in London, was very good.

But all I've taken, maybe 8, were worth doing.

ncounty

I love the walks; I plan to do one per day. So far, I have done the Chelsea pub crawl and the Beatles tour.

Jojonana

We did the Historic Pub Walk and had a blast! So much fun, so much history, so much beer! ;-) Memorable experience of our London trip.

Michel_Paris

My last trip I did 5/6 of these. Everyday and one night pub walk. I liked the Hampstead walk, I even went back for the Pub walk which also was good
Because I knew I was going to do several, bought their discount card.

Highgate one was OK, St Paul's good, Royal Palaces good

carolyn

I've done the Legal & Illegal London and the Shakespeare & Dickens walks and liked both of them very much.

colleen61

I only did one walk, the day trip to Salisbury and Stonehenge which I thought was great. Am planning a return trip in 2013 and will include as many as I can-they are so reasonable and I have never read a bad review of any of them. Question for Mimar or any one else that did the little Venice walk...is there an opportunity to take a cruise on the narrow boats before/after the walk? That is something I wanted to do on my last visit to London but didn't get the chance.

crckwc1

Agree to avoid Jack the Ripper walk. We did it years ago when it still had the atmosphere and one of the pubs involved in the murders and that was fun. However, last year's walk was overrun (three separate guides with 50 or so in each group) and absolutely no atmosphere or original locations left. Basically, it was just lecture on the events.

Any walk with Richard (with the red cap)is outstanding. He does mostly out of town excursions and they are wonderful. We did Greenwich, Canterbury, Bath, and Oxford with him some years ago and I believe he now does Stonehenge/Salisbury as well.

The pub walks are fun and most of the walks are good. Just choose what interests you most.

opus

I for one am a fan of London Walks: Timeout publication (2 vols) and just wandering around on my own. We have also done a number of transits of A Perfect London Walk (Hampstead Heath) which is a publication as well and mirrors one of the walks in Timeout but in a lovelier way.

Walks which let you explore at your own pace (we once walked from Greenwich to Chelsea arrgggh) suit me—and might suit you as well?

farrermog

The 2011 thread -

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...alks-tours.cfm

ellen75005

Thanks, everyone. Lots of good information and suggestions. My husband is an attorney, and I had been looking at the Legal/Illegal walk since he wants to see the Inns of the Court. Also, the pub walk looks like a lot of fun. I love just wandering and finding out-of-the-way streets and neighborhoods and it seems like many of these walks do that.

Thanks for the info on the changing of the guard; it looks like that's the way to see it.

Unfortunately I don't see any day trips on their site while we're there, at least to any of the places we've discussed going. They must cut back in the winter. If we go to Oxford, it looks like there's a two-hour walk there which might be interesting, too. I had originally thought seven full days would be plenty; now I'm wondering how we're going to fit everything in!