From world-famous Piccadilly Circus to Chinatown, you’ll wander Soho’s tangle of streets beloved by tourists and locals alike. Music enthusiasts will revel in seeing where Jimi Hendrix first performed in town, where Beatlemania began, and where hits like “Bohemian Rhapsody” were recorded. You’ll wander the squares and routes that played parts in major cultural events. Learn about women’s suffrage movement at Golden Square and discover the earliest study of epidemiology along Broad Street. Ponder the works of philosopher Karl Marx on Greek Street before discussing when the LGBT community began calling Soho “home.” End your tour with some dumplings in Chinatown. By the end of the tour, you’ll understand why London is such an exciting and dynamic place beyond its wartime and royal history.
Starting your tour at Piccadilly Circus, arguably the most famous road intersection in the world, you will enjoy the unique architecture surrounded by the iconic advertisements. Built in 1819, it was constructed to connect Regent Street with Piccadilly.
At Piccadilly Circus you will see what is known as the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain, or the statue of Eros. It was built between 1892-1893 to commemorate the philanthropic work of Anthony Ashely Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury, who was Victorian politician and philanthropist who replaced child-labour with school education.
Next you will see Golden Square, a traditional historic square in the heart of Soho. Originally known as Goldring Square, the site is thought to have been laid out according to plans by Sir Christopher Wren, in the 1670s. It very quickly became the political and ambassadorial district of the late 17th and early 18th centuries.
You will then make your way to Carnaby Street, a renowned pedestrianised shopping street close to Oxford Street and Regent Street. Carnaby is the home to fashion and lifestyle retailers, bringing you over 100 international British heritage labels, independent boutiques and one-off concepts.
Close by you will also see the London Palladium, a famous West End theatre built in 1910 to compete with the London Hippodrome and London Coliseum. The theatre retains many of its original features and has its own telephone system and a revolving stage.
You will also visit what is known as the Blue Posts, a traditional English pub which has been revamped. It contains the same high ceilings and large windows it’s had for the last 275 years and is known for its lineup of independently brewed cask ales, craft beers and ciders.
Next you will visit Berwick Street Market, one of London’s oldest markets dating back to 1778. The historic market in the heart of Soho is known for its traditional fruit and vegetable stalls and its abundance of street food.
Afterwards you will visit Soho Square, a popular garden square just behind Oxford Street. Dating back to around 1681, the square has a traditional layout with a central mock-Tudor building and was in its early years one of the most fashionable places to live in London.
Your tour will end in London’s Chinese neighbourhood, known as Chinatown. The area started to form in the 1950s when a handful of Chinese restaurants opened and by the 1960s and 1970s, it had become a hub for Chinese culture. Today you can explore authentic restaurants shops and get a taste of Chinese culture in London.
Our tour of SOHO London was better than expected thanks to our guide Nathan. He had clearly done a lot of research and loved his role. His delivery and knowledge made history much more interesting. Highly recommend the tour and Nathan.
Becky is a historian who knows SoHo inside and out. She helped us discover the neighborhood’s rich history as well as its hidden gems. She is also incredibly pleasant, accommodating, and a joy to spend time with.
This tour was everything I was expecting and more. Becky was absolutely wonderful and I’m so appreciative of her love of history adding to the trip. We genuinely learned so much and the information was informative but also engaging. Thank you again for everything!
We had a blast on this tour! It was fast paced and full of great stories. Colin specifically was a fantastic guide. He was knowledgeable, accommodating, and super personable. It was awesome to have a private tour, and he tailored the stories to our interests and provided recommendations on everything from music to pubs.
Colin had a lot of great stories about the likes of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and others. It was very informative and fun!!!
Our tour guide Laurence was extremely friendly and kind. When everyone on the tour canceled except for us, he tailored our tour to cover our interests. He took us to a few delicious food stops that we wouldn’t have otherwise known about.
Amazing tour guide! Very flexible and accommodating. Made the history of the district very interesting….bringing the story to life!
Simply amazing! Our tour guide, Laurence was the best!! Knowledgeable, accommodating and super friendly! We bonded immediately! Thank you Larry for a perfect day Debbie and Gino
Becky was very informative, charming and engaging. We thoroughly enjoyed the SoHo tour. Very inclusive and interesting area of London.
Nathan our guide was very good have us a great tour of soho district...it's history was fascinating to learn highly informative would recommend it to all
Great time with our very knowledgeable guide Sheldon. It became a very private tour for us since we were the only couple to show! Learned a lot about the vibe of Londons SoHo area. Also got to tour and eat lunch at it’s neighboring CHINATOWN.
It was a most informative walking tour. Our guide, Sheldon, was extremely knowledgeable about the history of the area, and also injected some humour into his talk. I feel quite fortunate to have chosen Soho as our ‘home base’ while in London!
Our guide Becky was personable, engaging and thoughtful about adapting the tour to our expressed interests. Plenty of local knowledge and deep education informed her descriptions of what we were seeing. She even kept our youngest son engaged, not an easy thing! Recommended!
We went on a lovely tour with Sheldon! He did a fantastic job guiding us through the streets and history of Soho. Will recommend him and this tour to friends traveling to London in the future.
Anthony was excellent! Knowledgeable and. Witty. Really enjoyed the tour! Would recommend if you want to get to know the area as well as get little tidbits you would not know unless someone with deep knowledge of the history would share with you.
We really enjoyed our tour with Tony around Soho - it was a great mix between London history, Soho cultural life and funny stories. He showed us a lot of go-to places like restaurants, pubs, clubs and theatres. Be careful: you definitely get hungry during the tour :)
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