Westminster Abbey and Parliament Square.
The tour begins with a panoramic drive around Parliament Square, to see Westminster Abbey, where many of our Kings, Queens, Statesmen, poets and writers are buried. See Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. An architectural masterpiece of the 13th to 16th centuries, Westminster Abbey presents a unique pageant of British history - the tombs of kings and queens, countless memorials to the famous and the great, and the setting for every Coronation since 1066.

St Paul’s Cathedral
A guided tour of Sir Christopher Wren’s masterpiece – St Paul’s Cathedral - crowned by the magnificent dome that is so much a part of the London skyline. The Cathedral was rebuilt after the Great Fire of London in 1666.  In recent years it has seen the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, to Lady Diana Spencer and, most recently, the thanksgiving services for both the Golden Jubilee and 80th Birthday of Her Majesty the Queen.**

You’ll then see the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace in all its colourful pageantry and ceremony set to the stirring tunes of the Regimental band.*

After a break for lunch we join a Thames River Cruise where you’ll get stunning uninterrupted views of the Gothic style Houses of Parliament, the London

Then it’s onto the Tower of London. Jet black ravens guard this ancient fortress steeped in centuries of murder, treason and the untold secrets of the condemned.  The Tower of London has been a fortress, royal palace, prison, jewel house, arsenal, mint, and place of execution. Royalty, nobles, traitors and criminals have met their end here, including Guy Fawkes; two of Henry Vlll's wives; and the Little Princes murdered by their uncle Richard lll. Ghostly apparitions have been reported at the Tower since the 13th century including the headless ghost of Anne Boleyn and the Little Princes gliding down the stairs of the Bloody Tower in their nightgowns. The splendidly dressed Beefeaters relate the Tower's history, and of course, visit the Crown Jewels, including the 6,000 year old Koh-I-Noor diamond worn by all the Queens of England since Victoria.The splendidly dressed Beefeaters will tell you about the Tower’s history, and the Crown Jewels.

Then it's on by coach to the square mile of the City of London, founded 2000 years ago as the Roman city Londinium; see the glorious dome of St Paul’s Cathedral, the elegant Mansion House, home to the Lord Mayor of London, and the nearby Bank of England, known as The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street, at the heart of the City.

*Occasionally there may not be a Changing of the Guard.  On these occasions we will visit Horseguards Parade, built on the site of the jousting yard of the old Whitehall Palace and the scene of reviews, parades and ceremonies.

**Due to church services St. Paul’s Cathedral is closed to visitors on Sundays. We will show you the Cloisters and Chapter House at the Westminster Abbey or the Imperial War Museum.