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The Shard Culture & history

Our most recommended The Shard Culture & history

London: Westminster Walking Tour and Kensington Palace Visit

1. London: Westminster Walking Tour and Kensington Palace Visit

Explore 30 of London's most incredible sights on this attraction-packed historical walking tour that takes you through some of the city's most famous neighborhoods. Listen to your guide as they tell you stories of the history, culture, and legends of England's capital city. Start your tour in the beautiful royal parks and then head on to Buckingham Palace where you can watch the famous Changing of the Guards ceremony. Later, marvel at the architecture of Westminster Abbey, peer into Downing Street and visit the bustling Trafalgar Square. Journey past historical Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament and then onto London Bridge to visit Shakespeare’s Globe Theater, The Shard, HMS Belfast, Tower Bridge, The London Eye, and the Tower of London. After all of this, head to Kensington Palace, which has been home to several young royals over the last 300 years. Walk in the footsteps of royalty in Victoria's re-imagined childhood rooms and the magnificent King's State Apartments. Afterward, enjoy a stroll through the famous Sunken Garden.

London: Tower of London Opening Ceremony & Westminster Tour

2. London: Tower of London Opening Ceremony & Westminster Tour

You’re invited to the opening ceremony at the Tower of London, to be first in to explore the Crown Jewels, to join us on an adventure from the old City to the regal city of Westminster. Welcome to the Ultimate Royal London experience. Why join the queue when you can be first into the Tower of London to enjoy the opening ceremony led by a Beefeater and see the Crown Jewels without the crowds? We’re about to read you the story of London, a tale of two cities where you’ll be exploring from crowns to confessions. After benefiting from early access and a special ceremony with the Beefeaters, you’ll explore the Tower that has been keeping a watchful eye over the city and the river Thames since its founding in the 11th-century. Meet your expert English-speaking guide who will give you the lowdowns and highlights of this historic fortress before you go inside to enjoy the Opening Ceremony and discover it on your own. Rejoin your guide for a relaxing boat ride on the River Thames, alighting in the royal city of Westminster to take a walking tour of the iconic landmarks that dot these streets like jewels - Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace. You’ll even have time to get snaps with the snazzily dressed mounted cavalry- all paired with the incredible stories, anecdotes and historical gems shared by your expert guide. Come saunter with us for this well-paced crash course into London’s royal history that you’ll never forget.

London: See 30+ Top Sights and Eat 8 British Foods Tour

3. London: See 30+ Top Sights and Eat 8 British Foods Tour

Join an exploration of over thirty of London’s major landmarks and best of British foods for a good idea of the history and tastes of one of Europe’s best-loved cities. Start your tour as you head through Green Park to Buckingham Palace, where you can watch the world-famous Changing of the Guard ceremony (Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday during the winter months). You will then head to Westminster, and along the way see sights such as Parliament Square, St. James Palace, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben (sadly covered up at the moment) and the Houses of Parliament. You will then move on to the London Bridge area to see Shakespeare’s Globe, the Shard, HMS Belfast, Tower Bridge and the Tower of London. By this point, you'll have worked up an appetite, so you will be invited to stop for a feast of the best of British foods in one of the UK's most historic pubs. From here you will explore Borough market, Europe's favorite food market, and a bustling hub of smells and flavors. You will sample fish and chips, pie and mash, English beer and also taste a world famous doughnut!

London: Top 30 Sights Tour and Sherlock Holmes Museum

4. London: Top 30 Sights Tour and Sherlock Holmes Museum

Start with a walking tour of the history, culture, and legends of one of Europe’s best-loved cities. Head through Green Park to Buckingham Palace, watch the world-famous Changing of the Guard ceremony. Head to Westminster, see Downing Street, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, and the Houses of Parliament. See 30 sights in one day, including: • Buckingham Palace • Trafalgar Square • Changing of the Guard • Big Ben • Downing Street • Westminster Abbey • Whitehall • Houses of Parliament • London Eye After your tour, visit the world-famous consulting detective Sherlock Holmes, who lived at 221b Baker Street between 1881-1904, according to the stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Mr. Holmes shared his place with his loyal friend and colleague Dr. Watson. The house is protected by the government due to the special architectural and historical interest. The first-floor study overlooking Baker Street is faithfully maintained for posterity and just as it was kept by Mrs. Hudson in Victorian Times.

London: Top 30 Sights Walking Tour and Tower of London Entry

5. London: Top 30 Sights Walking Tour and Tower of London Entry

Start with a walking tour of the history, culture, and legends of one of Europe’s best-loved cities. Head through Green Park to Buckingham Palace, where on selected days you can watch the world-famous Changing of the Guard ceremony. Head to Westminster, and see Downing Street, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, and the Houses of Parliament. Go to the London Bridge area to see Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, HMS Belfast, and Tower Bridge. Then, step into the Tower of London, where there is an abundance of history, stories and ghosts to be found. Enter at your peril! See 30 sights in 1 day, including: • Buckingham Palace • Trafalgar Square • Big Ben • Downing Street • Westminster Abbey • Whitehall • Houses of Parliament • London Eye • Shakespeare’s Globe Theater • London Bridge • Southwark Cathedral • The Shard (tallest skyscraper in the EU) • HMS Belfast (Second World War Battleship) • Square Mile • Tower Bridge • Tower of London

London: Top 30 Sights Walking Tour and The Shard Entry

6. London: Top 30 Sights Walking Tour and The Shard Entry

Start with a walking tour of the history, culture, and legends of one of Europe’s best-loved cities. Head through Green Park to Buckingham Palace, where on selected days you can watch the world-famous Changing of the Guard ceremony. Head to Westminster, and see Downing Street, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, and the Houses of Parliament. Go to the London Bridge area to see Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, HMS Belfast, Tower Bridge, and the Tower of London. Then, head to The Shard, Europe's tallest building,to see London from up high. Head up The Shard in the high-speed elevators, traveling at 6 meters per second, to London's highest observation decks situated over two floors, the indoor viewing platform, and an open-air skydeck. See 30 sights in 1 day, including: • Buckingham Palace • Trafalgar Square • Big Ben • Downing Street • Westminster Abbey • Whitehall • Houses of Parliament • London Eye • Shakespeare’s Globe Theater • London Bridge • Southwark Cathedral • The Shard (tallest skyscraper in the EU) • HMS Belfast (Second World War Battleship) • Square Mile • Tower Bridge • Tower of London

London: City Sightseeing Walking Tour with 30+ sights

7. London: City Sightseeing Walking Tour with 30+ sights

See 30+ of the best London sightseeing spots and top London attractions on the ultimate London walking tour! On this exciting London walking tour you'll start by exploring the City of London where you'll discover over 2000 years of history with famous London sights including: Tower of London, St Paul's Cathedral, Tower Bridge, Bank of England, Monument, Leadenhall Market, Royal Exchange, London Bridge, The Shard, City Hall & more. After a quick lunch stop (own expense) you’ll then take a journey on the famous London Underground to visit Westminster and see even more of the best London sightseeing spots including: Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, Houses of Parliament, London Eye, Downing Street, St James’s Palace, Clarence House, The Mall & more. Led by a local London tour guide, the tour uses photos to bring the stories of London to life in a relaxed atmosphere (no boring lectures!) allowing everyone to participate in the tour with questions, trivia, great photo opportunities and a lot of fun! Finish up in central London close to many of the best London attractions, bars and restaurants to help you further explore London after the tour.

London: Medieval London Self-Guided Audio Tour

8. London: Medieval London Self-Guided Audio Tour

The iconic Tower of London has a varied and often gruesome history. Let me take you on a journey populated by ruthless kings, cunning thieves, headless queens and more. Along the way, we'll learn about some handy torture methods, hear the stories of those executed at the Tower and find out about a grizzly bear called Martin. We'll start at the Monument and make our way onto London Bridge, along the South Bank and back over Tower Bridge. After rounding the Tower, we'll finish up on Tower Hill.

Ultimate London Sightseeing Walking Tour

9. Ultimate London Sightseeing Walking Tour

See 30+ of the best London sightseeing spots on the ultimate London walking tour! On this exciting London walking tour, you'll start in the City of London and explore 2000 years of history with famous London sights including: Tower of London, St Paul's Cathedral, Tower Bridge, Bank of England, Monument, River Thames, Royal Exchange, London Bridge, The Shard, Hms Belfast & more. After a quick lunch stop (own expense) you’ll then take a journey on the famous London Underground to visit Westminster and see even more of the best London sightseeing spots including: Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Houses of Parliament, London Eye, Downing Street, Horseguards Parade, The Cenotaph, St James’s Palace, Clarence House, The Mall & more. Led by a local London tour guide, the tour uses photos to bring the stories of London to life in a relaxed atmosphere (no boring lectures!) allowing everyone to participate in the tour with questions, trivia, great photo opportunities and a lot of fun!

London: Top 20 Sights Walking Tour and Clink Prison Entry

10. London: Top 20 Sights Walking Tour and Clink Prison Entry

Start with a walking tour of the history, culture, and legends of one of Europe’s best-loved cities. Head through Green Park to Buckingham Palace, on selected days you can watch the world-famous Changing of the Guard ceremony. Head to Westminster, and see Downing Street, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, and the Houses of Parliament. Go to the London Bridge area to see Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, HMS Belfast, Tower Bridge, and the Tower of London. Then, go down into the depths of the Clink, the UK's oldest prison, to learn about the raucous, unruly and wicked inhabitants, ranging from debtors, harlots, heretics, drunkards and even religious adversaries. Hear horrible histories and terrible tales of crimes and famed prisoners, see archaeological artifacts and handle old-style torture devices that would have been used to torment and punish prisoners. See 20 sights in 1 day, including: • Buckingham Palace • Trafalgar Square • Big Ben • Downing Street • Westminster Abbey • Whitehall • Houses of Parliament • London Eye • Shakespeare’s Globe Theater • London Bridge • Southwark Cathedral • The Shard (tallest skyscraper in the EU) • HMS Belfast (Second World War Battleship) • Square Mile • Tower Bridge • Tower of London

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What people are saying about The Shard

Overall rating

4.3 / 5

based on 14 reviews

Brilliant tour, our guide Chris was very knowledgeable about the areas we visited and the history too. Make sure you have a good breakfast as the food stop is right at the end of the tour at Borough market.

Tim, our guide, was superb. Very knowledgeable, patient, easy to understand and really cared that everyone had what they needed. Great sense of British humor. Really knew his stuff.

Conner was awesome. Full of enthusiasm, wit, interesting stories about the sites, and attention to the needs of everyone.

Super comprehensive tour with a lot of extra information presented quickly and funny. Gladly again!

Leila was very knowledgeable, great overall experience.