Guided walks in London
The best London walking tours
Street art in Shoreditch, Sherlock Holmes, Churchill's wartime London, the City and the Tower, and a 30-sight walk for first-timers; here is which walk fits you, with honest advice on how free tours and tipping work, how far you walk and for how long, and what happens if it rains.
See our 8 picks
The best London walking tour for a first visit is a guided walk past 30 top sights. It takes 5 hours and costs from €23 a person.
For something shorter, the 2-hour street art walk in Shoreditch starts at €21. All eight walks below showed free cancellation on GetYourGuide on 24 October 2026.
The 8 London walking tours we would book
Six group walks, a stencil art workshop and one private guide. Prices are per person unless we say otherwise. GetYourGuide shows prices in your own currency.
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from €23 per person Our top pick 5 hours 4.9 (211) reviews on GetYourGuide
Walking tour with 30+ sights
Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, St Paul’s, the Tower and Tower Bridge in one long walk. There is a lunch break near Tower Hill, at your own cost. The tour does not go inside any sight.
Best for A first visit
Check availability: Walking tour with 30+ sights on GetYourGuide -
from €21 per person 2 hours 4.8 (1,548) reviews on GetYourGuide
Street art and graffiti tour
A 2-hour walk through Shoreditch and Brick Lane, with work by about 40 street artists. It starts at the goat statue on Brushfield Street.
Best for Street art and the East End
Check availability: Street art and graffiti tour on GetYourGuide -
from €1 per person 2 h 30 min 4.8 (155) reviews on GetYourGuide
Tower of London and City walk
From the Roman wall past the Tower, Tower Bridge and Leadenhall Market, ending at St Paul’s. A professional guide leads groups of up to 20. Tips are not included.
Best for Roman and medieval London
Check availability: Tower of London and City walk on GetYourGuide -
from €24 per person 2 hours 4.7 (822) reviews on GetYourGuide
Sherlock Holmes walk
Places from Arthur Conan Doyle’s books and the BBC series, starting where Holmes and Watson first meet. It is not suitable for wheelchair users.
Best for Fans of the books and films
Check availability: Sherlock Holmes walk on GetYourGuide -
from €35 per person 1.5–3 hours 4.9 (169) reviews on GetYourGuide
Churchill and WWII walk
Westminster in the 1940s: Whitehall, Downing Street and Big Ben, in groups of up to 15. Entry to the Churchill War Rooms is not included.
Best for History lovers
Check availability: Churchill and WWII walk on GetYourGuide -
from €38 per person 3–4 hours 4.9 (344) reviews on GetYourGuide
Street art tour and spray painting workshop
A street art walk in the East End, then a 45-minute spray painting class. You take your own piece home. Not for children under 10.
Best for Hands-on fun, and teens
Check availability: Street art tour and spray painting workshop on GetYourGuide -
from €60 per person 4 hours 4.9 (179) reviews on GetYourGuide
Stencil art workshop and tour
A 2-hour street art tour and a 1.5-hour class where you cut and spray your own stencil. All materials are included. Groups are up to 15.
Best for A longer hands-on session
Check availability: Stencil art workshop and tour on GetYourGuide -
from €279 per group up to 2 3–8 hours 4.2 (176) reviews on GetYourGuide
Private sightseeing walk
A private guide for the Changing of the Guard, St James’s Park and Trafalgar Square. Pickup is offered. The price is per group of up to 2, for 3 to 8 hours.
Best for Couples and families
Check availability: Private sightseeing walk on GetYourGuide
The best London walk tours, compared
| Tour | From | Duration | Pickup | Who it suits | Why we picked it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walking tour with 30+ sights | €23 per person | 5 hours | Meeting point | A first visit | The most sights in one day: 4.9 from 211 reviews. |
| Street art and graffiti tour | €21 per person | 2 hours | Meeting point | Street art and the East End | The most-reviewed walk on this page: 4.8 from 1,548 reviews. |
| Tower of London and City walk | €1 per person | 2 h 30 min | Meeting point | Roman and medieval London | The City’s history in 2.5 hours: 4.8 from 155 reviews. |
| Sherlock Holmes walk | €24 per person | 2 hours | Meeting point | Fans of the books and films | A theme no other pick covers: 4.7 from 822 reviews. |
| Churchill and WWII walk | €35 per person | 1.5–3 hours | Meeting point | History lovers | The top-rated history walk here: 4.9 from 169 reviews. |
| Street art tour and spray painting workshop | €38 per person | 3–4 hours | Meeting point | Hands-on fun, and teens | A walk and a workshop in one: 4.9 from 344 reviews. |
| Stencil art workshop and tour | €60 per person | 4 hours | Meeting point | A longer hands-on session | The fullest workshop, 4 hours in all: 4.9 from 179 reviews. |
| Private sightseeing walk | €279 per group up to 2 | 3–8 hours | Pickup optional | Couples and families | Your own guide, in five languages: 4.2 from 176 reviews. |
€23 per person5 hours 4.9 (211)
Details
- Pickup
- Meeting point
- Who it suits
- A first visit
- Why we picked it
- The most sights in one day: 4.9 from 211 reviews.
€21 per person2 hours 4.8 (1,548)
Details
- Pickup
- Meeting point
- Who it suits
- Street art and the East End
- Why we picked it
- The most-reviewed walk on this page: 4.8 from 1,548 reviews.
€1 per person2 h 30 min 4.8 (155)
Details
- Pickup
- Meeting point
- Who it suits
- Roman and medieval London
- Why we picked it
- The City’s history in 2.5 hours: 4.8 from 155 reviews.
€24 per person2 hours 4.7 (822)
Details
- Pickup
- Meeting point
- Who it suits
- Fans of the books and films
- Why we picked it
- A theme no other pick covers: 4.7 from 822 reviews.
€35 per person1.5–3 hours 4.9 (169)
Details
- Pickup
- Meeting point
- Who it suits
- History lovers
- Why we picked it
- The top-rated history walk here: 4.9 from 169 reviews.
Street art tour and spray painting workshop
€38 per person3–4 hours 4.9 (344)
Details
- Pickup
- Meeting point
- Who it suits
- Hands-on fun, and teens
- Why we picked it
- A walk and a workshop in one: 4.9 from 344 reviews.
€60 per person4 hours 4.9 (179)
Details
- Pickup
- Meeting point
- Who it suits
- A longer hands-on session
- Why we picked it
- The fullest workshop, 4 hours in all: 4.9 from 179 reviews.
€279 per group up to 23–8 hours 4.2 (176)
Details
- Pickup
- Pickup optional
- Who it suits
- Couples and families
- Why we picked it
- Your own guide, in five languages: 4.2 from 176 reviews.
- Small group: Churchill and WWII walk, max 15; Stencil art workshop and tour, max 15.
- All 8 offer free cancellation.
- Private option: Private sightseeing walk.
- Prices and ratings as shown on GetYourGuide on 24 October 2026. Prices are "from" prices in euros and can change; the booking page shows the live price.
Free, paid or private: how London tours work
London tours come in three kinds: free tours, paid group walks and private guides.
Free tours have no fixed ticket price. Ask how the guide is paid before you join. Paid group walks have a set price, here from €21 to €60, plus the Tower and City walk, listed from €1. Private guides walk with just your group, for a price per group.
London Walks, a walk company, lets you turn up or book online. It warns you not to hand money to anyone until you are sure they are a real London Walks guide.
Free walking tours in London and how tipping works
None of our eight picks is sold as a free tour. Free tours have no fixed ticket price, so ask how the guide is paid. A free tour is the better choice on a tight budget, or for a first look at the city. A paid walk is better if you want a theme or a smaller group.
The Tower and City walk listing says tips are not included. Ask how payment works before the start.
Choosing a theme: history, street art, film and literature, wartime London
Pick the theme you would read a book about. That is the walk you will enjoy most.
None of our eight walks goes into the Tube network or visits Highgate Cemetery.
- History: the 30-sight walk, or the Tower and City walk from the Roman wall to St Paul’s.
- Street art: the 2-hour Shoreditch walk, or one of the two walks with a spray painting class.
- Film and books: the Sherlock Holmes walk visits places from the stories and the BBC series.
- Wartime London: the Churchill walk covers Westminster in the 1940s.
Short tours and long walks: how much time and walking to expect
Most of our picks last 2 to 3 hours. The group walks run from 1.5 to 5 hours, and the private walk lasts 3 to 8 hours.
The Churchill walk is the shortest, at 1.5 hours. The 30-sight walk is the longest, at 5 hours, and its listing says it does not suit people with a low level of fitness.
The workshops add time on your feet: 3 to 4 hours for the spray painting tour, 4 hours for the stencil class.
Public group tours or private guides
A group tour is cheaper; a private guide goes at your pace. Group walks here cost from €21 to €60 a person, plus the Tower and City walk, listed from €1.
The private walk costs from €279 for a group of up to 2. Pickup is offered, and the guide speaks English, French, German, Italian or Russian.
Blue Badge is the top guiding qualification in England. The Institute of Tourist Guiding awards it after exams. If you book a private guide, ask if they hold one.
Do it yourself: self-guided walks and audio tours
Yes, you can walk London on your own for free. The City of London publishes free self-guided trails as PDFs.
One of them, “The Medieval City”, has 21 stops. The trails are also printed at the City Information Centre.
Or pick one central area, such as Covent Garden or the South Bank, and explore it at your own pace.
Where to stay in London to walk to the sights
Stay central if you want to walk to the sights. Covent Garden, the South Bank and Westminster are close to most of them.
Our guide Where to stay in London compares six areas, with hotels rated 8 or higher on Booking.com.
Practical tips: meeting points, comfort, weather, accessibility
Check the meeting point the day before. Three of our walks start at the goat statue on Brushfield Street, by Spitalfields.
Wear comfortable shoes and bring a coat. Rain falls in every month, with 39 to 67 mm on average at Heathrow.
Three of our picks say they do not suit wheelchair users. For an evening walk, the Night Tube runs on Friday and Saturday nights.
Before you book a London walking tour
Rain
All eight picks showed free cancellation on 24 October 2026. Check the forecast, and cancel in time if you would rather not walk in the rain.
Find the start
Each listing names its meeting point, such as the goat statue on Brushfield Street. Save it on your phone map before you set off.
Know what is included
Entry tickets are not included on the 30-sight walk or the Churchill walk. Food is extra on the 30-sight walk.
Per person or per group
Group walks are priced per person. The private walk is priced per group of up to 2.
Real questions about London walking tours
Can I do a self-guided walking tour of London?
How much should I tip on a free walking tour in London?
Where should I stay in London to walk to the sights?
How long is a London walking tour?
Do London walking tours go ahead in the rain?
More London walking tours, live
More options with live prices and availability, straight from GetYourGuide.
See all of these with today's prices and open dates on GetYourGuide.
Browse all on GetYourGuideSources (5), facts checked on 24 October 2026
Written by the Things to Do in London editorial team.