Guided Tour of London: Skip-the-Line Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, and Buckingham
4.5
175 Ratings
Greater London
Skip the lines and explore the iconic Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, and Buckingham Palace on a guided walking tour of London's City of Westminster. Discover the royal history and heritage of the Abbey and learn about the British royal family and politics. Book now!
Duration: 4 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Parliament Square - Meet your guide in front of Sir Winston Churchill Statue, Parliament Square, London SW1P 3JX, UK (51.500914768147595, -0.12643736751255094)

  • Westminster Abbey - Book our 4-hour walking tour of the City of Westminster to discover British history and culture in a nutshell. We’ll start with a visit to one of the capital’s top-rated attractions: the Westminster Abbey. With reserved timed tickets our group of maximum 20 participants can beat the crowds and enter without waiting in line at the ticket office, giving us more time to discover the abbey’s royal heritage and admire the beautiful Gothic nave, royal chapels, crypts and the Poets’ Corner.

  • Palace of Westminster - We’ll explore the beating heart of London, learning about the British government and politics as we admire the magnificent Palace of Westminster with the iconic Big Ben. The guide will also show us many monuments to important historical figures such as Sir Winston Churchill and Mahatma Gandhi.

  • Buckingham Palace - We’ll then head to the main gate of Buckingham Palace, to admire from the outside one of the world’s most famous royal residences and hear fascinating stories about the late Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Diana of Wales, Queen Victoria and other inspiring people of the royal descent.

What's Included
  • Group tour limited to 20 people
  • Skip-the-line tickets to Westminster Abbey
  • Guided Tour of Westminster Abbey and City of Westminster, London
  • 5-Star Licensed Guide with live commentary in only 1 language
  • Walking tour of the City of Westminster
What's Not Included
  • Headsets
  • Tickets to Buckingham Palace
  • Tickets to Big Ben
Additional Information

Get ready to bypass long queues and start exploring the renowned Westminster Abbey, its regal history and treasures, before taking in sights such as the famous Big Ben and Buckingham Palace, during a walking tour around the City of Westminster led by a certified Blue Badge Guide. It’s an opportunity to delve deep into London’s heart and soul!

Highlights:

• Embark on a fascinating journey through the City of Westminster’s past and major points of interest, guided by a top-rated Blue Badge expert
• Benefit from priority access to Westminster Abbey courtesy of your skip-the-line passes
• Take in the majestic Abbey, its kingly artifacts, and the literary haven that is the Poets’ Corner
• Witness iconic landmarks like Big Ben, the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, and others
• Gain insights into the British monarchy and politics via live running commentary in one language only

Curious about the final resting place of numerous notable individuals in Westminster Abbey? Be a part of our City of Westminster group tour conducted every day, to uncover the Abbey’s hidden gems and less-known facts, along with sightseeing nearby points of interest and monuments.

  • We recommend arriving at the meeting point 10 minutes before the tour starts, as latecomers won’t be able to join the group or receive a refund.
  • Our group tours are conducted only in 1 language. You can select your preferred language when booking.
  • Skip-the-line tickets to Westminster Abbey give you access to a priority entrance for groups. Entry during masses and special events is restricted. It is a place of worship so all visitors, including infants, should keep noise to a minimum. Access for prams is limited.
  • Tickets to Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Westminster Palace and other attractions are not included in this tour.
  • There is no luggage storage so please do not bring extra clothing, umbrellas, large bags, suitcases, scooters, etc.
  • Pets are not allowed.
  • Be aware that it is a walking tour, so you should be in good condition and wear comfortable shoes.
  • This tour is not suitable for people with disabilities.
  • There will be a maximum of 20 participants.
Location
Parliament Square
Meet your guide in front of Sir Winston Churchill Statue, Parliament Square, London SW1P 3JX, UK (51.500914768147595, -0.12643736751255094)
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.5
(175 Ratings)
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1 star
Greg_m
Jun 11, 2024
Fascinating - Westminster Abbey. No idea it was so large. We were first in before the crowds which made it extra special
Review provided by Viator
Ken_y
Jun 9, 2024
London Highlights - Paul was an amazing guide, he was organized and did a great job of keeping the group going and together. He had knowledge of the site we walked to and around and answered any questions we had. It was fun to see the changing of the guards. The history of Westminster Abby was incredible. Don't hesitate book this tour.
Review provided by Viator
Timothy_c
Jun 9, 2024
Walking Tour with Westminster Abbey - Lucy was an excellent guide. We had a great walking tour experience. The Abbey tour was great. This is a great way to see the Westminster sights.
Review provided by Viator
W2414daerikar
Jun 8, 2024
A lovely tour through Westminster! - We had the best tour with Paul! He was very knowledgeable and very witty! We thoroughly enjoyed his commentary and enthusiasm; he made the tour extremely entertaining, as well as informative! One of the best tours we've ever been on, to date!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
B_d
Jun 8, 2024
Wonderful time - Great tour. Our guide was super knowledgeable and nice. Wonderful time. Leaned a lot that I didn't know.
Review provided by Viator
Corenna_j
Jun 8, 2024
Wonderful Natasha! - Natasha was an amazing guide! She is knowledgeable, friendly, positive and entertaining. Highly recommended!
Review provided by Viator
Pam_g
Jun 7, 2024
Westminster Abbey - I was so surprised to see who is buried in Westminster Abbey. So pleased we did not miss this. The history is fascinating. The guide was knowledgeable
Review provided by Viator
Taylor_n
Jun 9, 2024
Not a Great Host or Tour - I never leave negative reviews, however our experience was a severe disappointment. My family and I were very excited for this tour. We have booked guided multiple tours through Viator the past few years and have always had great experiences and wonderful hosts. This was not the case for this host. Even though the travel group emailed photos of the meeting spot, it was still very disorganized and chaotic. There were multiple tours and groups leaving from the same location and our group did not have professional signs. After wandering around and asking multiple guides if they were the correct people, one said to wait for a few minutes. I asked the same host multiple times if she was sure we were not with her group and I finally told her to scroll down on her app and there my name was. One of the other issues with her was that her sign was hand written saying the wrong time. We were the 9:05 group and her sign said 9:00. I know that doesn’t make much of a difference but when there are at least 10 other groups meeting in the same location, her sign needs to be correct and also say the travel group. Once we got started, a family in a different group and time missed their original tour and our host spent a long time trying to help instead of guiding us. Our host had very little interest in guided our random group of 20. She never introduced herself, so I still don’t know her name. She did not give us a mini itinerary and she did not speak loud enough. As we walked into the Abbey, she was more concerned about helping this one group who miss their original tour since they were late. Not her fault, but inside the Abbey was very busy. Since it was so busy, she should have spoken a bit more loudly but she didn’t. She didn’t give us time to look around on our own, just took us to spots she had stories about and then we left. We probably spent an hour total in Westminster Abbey. After that, we continued on to Buckingham Palace. We walked through the park and it was. Rehearsal for the Trooping of the Colors. Months ago I realized we had scheduled a tour for this same day and I reached out to the company to see if this would cause any disruption to the tour and I was told no. However, the street was blocked and we were unable to stand right in front of the palace gates. The host asked multiple police officers what was happening, she had no clue what was going on. I should also point out by the time we got to Buckingham Palace, several different groups had already left the tour. The host made a few different comments on skin color at this point and then I had enough. My family and I left before the end of the tour. My family and I were very disappointed with this experience. We didn’t have much time in London and this was a waste of our morning, from 9:00 until almost 12:50. We would not recommend this tour with this company.
Review provided by Viator
Charles_p
Jun 8, 2024
Convoluted Itinerary Changes and Incoherent Tour Guide - Lucy was our guide. While she knew an absolute ton of information about the Westminster Abbey, she could barely be heard. When we did hear her, she shared a bunch of facts but it was more like a listing of dates and names. There was little that was fun and interactive and memorable. She needs to work on her interactive charisma. Additionally, zero time was spent on Big Ben and Westminster Abbey was most the tour. Poorly laid out. Additionally, the promised sites were not stuck to (see Big Ben comment above) and the tour deviated from the itinerary because she thought we needed to see the changing of the guard. While that sounds great, I had another tour later in our trip to see just that (which means I saw it twice) and missed out on what we were supposed to do on the tour with Lucy.
Review provided by Viator
Teresa_m
Jun 9, 2024
No show - Our tour guide never showed up. We waited over 30 minutes at the area in the directions, I tried messaging him thru the app and calling Viator with no response back. So our experience was not good at all!
Review provided by Viator
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up to 15 guests
1 Adult
June 2024
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