Westminster Abbey was spectacular. Jeanie provided many excellent free time activity choices. I was not disappointed. The itinerary provided a comprehensive overview of London, its culture, history, and influence. "Tower of London and Windsor Castle stand out as favorites. She clearly loves her job! Later that day I was amazed and exuberant to get within three feet of the Queen as her motorcade returned to Windsor Castle. "The "food tour" day. Of course seeing the writing on the walls in the Tower was also a "wow" moment. In fact, this was my first time as a solo international traveler. During your week-long stay in London, your Rick Steves guide will lead you on a magical history tour along the Thames and through the Tower, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's, historic neighborhoods, and plenty of priceless art — and even take you on a train trip to Windsor Castle. So much to see, so little time. I was especially appreciative of the generous Oyster (transit) card which encouraged independent explorations of the city. What can I say? "I was completely "wowed" by Windsor Castle, especially the Chapel. We got to meet The Beefeaters and I actually got to speak to the head Beefeater. "Windsor Castle, Tower of London, and Westminster Abbey. Westminster Abbey was probably my favorite place on the RS tour. Since it is not nearly as crowded as Buckingham Palace, it was far easier to get up close and feel the experience. We got to be pros on the Tube! Our guide, Gillian provided the perfect balance of fun, education, and site seeing. The Rick Steves London at a Glance guide offers a list of 20 sites that warrant 2-3 triangles. I think the group activities balanced well with the time to explore on your own. We got to see the Queen??????? We went on their tour which is the way to come away with the greatest understanding of the place. It was an amazing experience. Our guide really made it so interesting and while the church was crowded he was able to keep us together and we didn't miss a site.". The tour was quite well organized, and from my perspective, went off without a hitch! Even the weather, which was mostly sunny and warm,cooperated except for a brief downpour on my last day. Rick Steves European tours and vacations feature the best value and travel experience around. Then we'll rest our feet and enjoy that quintessentially English experience — afternoon tea — before we explore the treasure-packed British Museum. The accessibility of theater and musical entertainment was amazing. spending time together. The history behind the war rooms and their discovery was a real "wow" moment for me. We chose this tour because of all the sites/experiences it crammed in to 7 days. During past visits to Europe we've always planned our own itinerary. This made everything so much more meaningful and interesting. Gillian did such a great job getting us to spots where we could take great pictures! I liked staying in one place and exploring many aspects of London over a full week. There are plenty of artfull dodgers around. The tour exceeded my expectations. I was so pleased with the tour! This was only because our guide for the Westminster Abbey tour (Brian) offered to take us to the corner where he knew the carriage would pass when we completed our Westminster tour. Our guide, Tom, was excellent and contributed to a great overall experience. "There are so many to choose from. Several on Tour: "My favorite WOW moment was not included in the tour. Thank you Jeannie Carmichael for being an outstanding guide. "Seeing the crown jewels was my WOW moment.". Loved London.". After walking through the market, Roy provided a short historical context of the market and the adjoining neighborhoods.". You simply cannot get that insight from reading a tour book or a recording! Rick Steve's tours are the best! This tour was wonderful and everything we hoped for. Love the balance between scheduled activities and free exploration time. ", Me n my husband did a back to back Paris and London tour. The rich vibrant history of the Tower, the fantastic 360 degree view from the garden roof top, and St. Paul's cathedral". This traveler is an A+ student — she even tabbed her “Rick Steves London… The hotel was very nice and in a great location. Incredible history and architecture.". I enjoyed the pace and diversity of things we saw and did. It was an experience that I will never forget as long as I live. My tour experience exceeded expectations. We were able to learn the history of food and try many new foods.". "There were so many! "The Rosetta Stone in the British Museum.". "My wow moments were West Minster and Windsor Castle. 13:00  After lunch, tour the Churchill War Rooms. Great tour guide and a nice group of fellow travelers, none who were ever grumpy! However, the months of April, May, September, and October are best for combining the convenience of peak season with generally good weather and lighter crowds. The hotel was centrally located and the daily breakfast was wonderful. "Many wonderful moments, but Evensong in St Paul's Cathedral was magical/". Tom knew how to keep everyone together and he also had a wealth of knowledge about London and England in general.". Following the service, there was an outdoor presentation on the church of those people that watched over the church during the bombings- "Where Light Falls". It was a very busy tour but we saw an incredible variety and number of places. The Crown jewels, raven and opening ceremony.". I loved seeing all the different sites and experiences. The hotel was in a great location. "MY FAVORITE WOW MOMENT WAS VISITING WESTMINISTER ABBY AND SEEING THE CRYPTS OF VERY FAMOUS SCIENTISTS – IT GAVE ME SHIVERS (I'M A RETIRED SCIENTIST). Excellent hotel location with close by cafes and stores. Everything was smooth, from where to go on the tube, to entering our destination spots usually without having to wait in line. We saw all of the major sights, and surprisingly had fabulous food throughout London. The quality of the bus on the first day of the tour was embarrassing; it rattled so much! The entire group was sky high!!!". I enjoyed having a planned program with an experienced and knowledgeable guide. She was full of information and humourous stories for all of the sights that we saw and all the experiences we had. This was my first Rick Steve's tour. I did enjoy the trip, though very much and thought the guide was great and the restaurants we were taken to, and we saw a number of different areas of the city. The waves of immigration that took place over the years and the way the character of the area changed over time makes one want to learn more about London besides the popular tourist areas. I was expecting to really enjoy this tour, but I absolutely LOVED it! Being coached in the use of public transportation was a huge help. This is the second Rick Steves guide that I've read and, just like his Paris guide, this book goes beyond the usual sights, restaurant & hotel recommendations, to give the reader helpful practical tips for such matters as using your smartphone in London, or tipping different service providers, etc. The London in 7 Days was one of our best RS tours. We saw the expected sights including museums, Tower of London, Globe Theatre, Windsor Palace, etc. It's amazing that we got to see so very many things in a week's time. The anticipation leading up to going to these was intense and just crossing each threshold, for me, was overwhelming.". Roy was an excellent guide, providing a thorough orientation to the city and expanding on the historical significance of everything we experienced from the British Museum to Brexit. Loved traveling on the trains & buses. The last time I was in London was 1976. "There are so many memorable experiences, but I was surprised that I enjoyed seeing the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London. One of the best travel experiences I've ever had! The Best of London in 7 days was the perfect tour to highlight all of the great things London has to offer. "I really enjoyed the bus ride around London. Jeanie was an outstanding tour guide who was so knowledgeable and fun. I was very impressed by the organization, content and flow of the entire tour. The other tour guides were very good and knew their subjects. The hotel was in a perfect location and made it very easy to access the tube. Our Tour was very good; absolutely enhanced by our Tour Guide Tom Hooper for his knowledge, personality an leadership having good fun. London is such a large, cosmopolitan city, with many cultures and languages evident. He knows his stuff and is a real people person, making us all feel welcome and the week enjoyable. His mission: to empower Americans to have European trips that are fun, affordable, and culturally broadening. "The tour of St Paul's was excellent and the crypt made so very interesting by our guide. The thrill of being in London and the distraction of all that history (plus some ibuprofen) helps to manage the aches and pains. This was our first small group tour and being able to share and interact with our tour group really made our experience special. There were actually "wow moments" daily! It couldn't have been more accommodating. Many on our tour saw our pictures, and said that they would have liked to have done that.". I feel like we saw everything I had hoped for. This was my second Rick Steves Tour (the other a 7 Days in Rome) Gillian was outstanding. Rick produces a best-selling guidebook series, a public television series, and a public radio show, and organizes small-group tours that take over 30,000 travelers to Europe annually. It was exceptional.Jeanie was wonderful.london is obviously steeped in history and Jeanie provided a great education. Tour Questions? More of that, please! The crown was beautiful and seeing the crowns of previous rulers and the history of their monarchy was incredible.". "Seeing Windsor Castle, especially St. Georges's Chapel. The treats were a feast for the eyes as well as the tastebuds. The days flowed very easily. London makes a great home base for day trips, either by bus tour or public transit. 14:00  Tube to Leicester Square to see Covent Garden and Soho, then browse through the shops along Regent Street (ideally with my London guidebooks' self-guided West End Walk and Regent Street Shopping Walk). The tour was wonderful! Roy was great! Gillian did a great job as tour guide in London. The tour was wonderful. It has been awhile since I have walked so much! When you're finished, you could return to the Houses of Parliament and possibly pop into see the House of Commons in action (but check their schedule first). Our hotel was wonderful and in such a great location, too. I want to go back again to see more. We had Jeanie Carmichael as our guide. After orientation and transportation lessons, be able to navigate around the city on your own. Our tour leader, Gillian, was absolutely wonderful. All good travelers in our group. This tour is an excellent way to experience many facets of London in a short period of time. This tour was amazing! 425-608-4217, from $2,195 I've wanted to visit the museum for as long as I can remember and finally did so.". Rick produces a best-selling guidebook series, a public television series, and a public radio show, and organizes small-group tours that take over 30,000 travelers to Europe annually. This was not just tromping through another big European church. Wonderful trip! We, Regina and I thought Robin from the Best of Italy was the best, but Roy was something else!! "Seeing so much of the wonderful art, history and natural history that is at the core of western civilization up close. We came away feeling we had a solid knowledge base of London, "I loved Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, and St Paul's! Be on your feet, walking and standing, for up to three hours, indoors and outdoors, in all weather conditions. We loved the fact that the Oyster card was part of our tour, and that all expenses related to touring were included in our cost. As we were touring Windsor Castle, the Royal Family's Castle, we got caught up in a large crowd. Plenty of structured time with so Much educational information about what was surrounding us. He quickly gave us confidence to navigate the London tube system on our own. Would have liked more time at the Churchill War Rooms. This is a very active tour! Tower of London/crown jewels You were able to see so much on the city. Good food and options. We plan on staying in London, then taking a cruise for 12 days around England, Ireland, and Scotland, and then another 3 days in London. "I didn't know how much I would enjoy Churchill's War Rooms or Shakespear's Globe tours.". "Windsor Castle was fantastic. We had a wonderful time in London. This is my 3rd Rick Steves tour and it was as good as the others. I felt that the tour allowed us to see all of the important sites in London and did not feel rushed or overwhelming. The staff was useless, did not speak English well, could not even help me figure out how to use my US based phone in the UK (unbelievable, as they must have many US guests), and told me they charged my credit card 50 pounds when it was really 100 pounds (in case I incurred any charges during my stay). "Having just been to the D-Day beaches the previous week, I was fascinated and inspired by the Churchill War Rooms. The tour guide was exceptional and kept the group entertained and on point for the activities. "Our favorite wow moment was Windsor Castle and the town of Windsor.". Excellent as expected, our fourth RS tour. This was a fabulous itinerary, busy, but with down time as well. This was out first trip to Europe. Then we'll set off on a neighborhood walk before stepping aboard our very own vintage double-decker bus for a panoramic tour of "The Old Smoke" (London). His mission: to empower Americans to have European trips that are fun, affordable, and culturally broadening. "They were all WOW moments. We'll end our tour at Borough Market, one of the oldest and largest food markets in London, with colorful produce and the wafting scents of grilled-cheese and duck-confit sandwiches. The tour was well organized and everything ran as scheduled. I loved the variety of experiences and sites. Heading to Heathrow by train after the tour, I felt that I really had been given the tools to visit London again and explore on my own!". It was a phenomenal trip. Well done since we were touring a city of close to 9 million people. We could have toured London on our own, but I'm glad we didn't. The tour was excellently planned. Very patient, caring and answered all our questions. Tour of London was exhausting. Loved this tour. Tom's tour of London was fabulous, exceeding all expectations! What a gift to head out each day with a plan & be treated so royalty with tickets and private tours arranged and passes(oyster card). "Without doubt, an easy tie: having already visited many of London's famous sites and museums about six years ago, I richly enjoyed the traditional British afternoon tea time and our touring of the New Old Globe. Also enjoyed the free time as it allowed us to see a London theater production and a live performance at the Globe Theater. He seemed to always be available later to talk in more detail about particular points of interest.". The architecture, craftsmanship and history/age of the buildings is just mind-boggling. Read this book using Google Play Books app on your PC, android, iOS devices. Very knowledgeable tour guide in Tom with great personal insight. During your week-long stay in London, your Rick Steves guide will lead you on a magical history tour along the Thames and through the Tower, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's, historic neighborhoods, and plenty of priceless art — and even take you on a train trip to Windsor Castle. Gillian was an excellent guide with informative history and stories about Britain. Time again ) air conditioning and saying a prayer in St. Paul 's Cathedral! `` but Jeanie we... Except for a very authentic manner, and uneven terrain expected ; got there way! Park scene all masterfully orchestrated by conductor Roy Tower was also a genuinely nice person with a very.. 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