We’ll collect you from your central London hotel or agreed pickup point before setting off to discover a rather different side of the city. Secret London is not a fixed A-to-B route, and no two tours need to be exactly alike. Some guests will jump out to explore further, take a great photo while others are happy to pass by. Smithfield is a great place to begin. This part of London has centuries of stories packed into a surprisingly small area, from medieval London and historic markets to executions, rebellion and some wonderful hidden corners. Your guide will shape the tour around the time you have, what interests you and the secrets they most enjoy sharing.
Tucked away behind Smithfield is one of London’s oldest and most atmospheric churches. Founded in the 12th century, St Bartholomew the Great feels a world away from the busy city outside. Even finding the entrance is part of the fun. Your guide can show you some of the surrounding lanes and buildings that make this little pocket of London so special.
Founded in 1123, St Bartholomew the Great is one of London’s oldest surviving churches and one of the city’s most atmospheric medieval spaces. Tucked away behind an ancient gateway near Smithfield, it is exactly the sort of place many visitors would walk straight past without ever realising what is hidden inside.
It is hard to believe you are still in central London when you come across the beautiful timber-framed frontage of Staple Inn. Surrounded by modern buildings and busy streets, it offers a glimpse of the London that existed centuries ago and survived while so much of the surrounding city changed.
Hidden away within the peaceful lanes of the Temple, this remarkable medieval church dates back to the 12th century and is closely associated with the Knights Templar. The surrounding courtyards, gardens and narrow passages are equally fascinating and can feel almost secret despite being only moments from some of London’s busiest streets.
London’s Roman past is still there if you know where to look. Around Tower Hill, fragments of the old Roman city wall survive amongst much later buildings, giving you a glimpse back nearly 2,000 years. Your guide may use this part of the tour to show you how Roman, medieval and modern London have quite literally been built on top of one another.
Hidden among the modern towers of the City is one of London’s most beautiful historic markets. Its colourful Victorian roof, cobbled walkways and narrow entrances make Leadenhall feel very different from the financial district surrounding it. It is another wonderful example of old London surviving in the middle of the new.
St James’s Street is full of old London institutions, and Lock & Co. is one of the best. Founded in 1676, it is the oldest hat shop in the world and has supplied everyone from Admiral Lord Nelson to Winston Churchill. Within a few steps are other historic shops and one of those wonderfully easy-to-miss London corners: Pickering Place, a tiny Georgian courtyard tucked away behind St James’s Street. It is exactly the sort of place that makes Secret London such fun — centuries of history hiding behind an ordinary-looking doorway. Every one of our London taxi guides has their own favourite discoveries and stories. This isn’t a “bus-stop” tour where everyone follows exactly the same route — part of the fun is letting your guide show you the London they know and love.
My husband and I did a Hidden Treasures of London Black Cab tour with Paul. Paul is witty, funny and showed us things we never would have known existed, including the house where Winston Churchill lived and eventually died. We had a blast and would recommend it to anyone. Forget Uber- take a Black Cab!
We had such an amazing experience on our private taxi tour! Our driver, Lee, was right on time to pick us up from our hotel. We were already familiar with the typical London highlights, so he took us to places that were unique and interesting. He was very knowledgeable and added many interesting insights into current as well as historical London life. He got to know our personalities during the tour and took us to places he thought we might like. He was right on target! Highly recommend! And be sure to ask for Lee!
This was our first time with a tour like this and we found it totally fascinating. Lee was encyclopedic and kaleidoscopic in his clear love and knowledge of London: her thousands of years of history and her people…all the while smoothly negotiating the wild, crazy and continuously intense crush of city traffic, meticulously avoiding traffic jams, knowing just where to stop for the perfect photo op…we were amazed, breathless and totally relaxed during the entire ride! What’s more, he was genuine in his desire to tailor the tour to our interests…no “one-size-fits-all” this excursion!…and so additional art and gardens were found, great places for desserts, interesting pubs located near attractions we planned to visit. I really could go on, but, I’ll conclude with this final thought: no matter his salary, this witty, brilliant, gracious man deserves a raise…
I went on the Instagram tour of secret places in London. This was the best tour I’ve ever been on. Lee was an amazing tour guide. He was so knowledgeable and great to talk to AND the best photographer. I have wonderful memories now captured in great photos. I definitely think this is the best tour in London!
Seeing parts of London that are mostly hidden rather than the usual tourist spots was fascinating. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable on the history of London and we learned a lot. He took many photos for us and some fun "Bond" style ones in front of MI5. We particularly liked the ruins of the huge Roman Amphitheatre under the Guildhall Art Gallery that we had no idea were there. Well worth doing this tour if you are interested in the history side of things.
This was our last tour in London and it was amazing! Our tour guide Lee was very knowledgeable, personable and flexible. I wish now that we had booked him for the previous day as well.
I had an amazing day, 4hrs passed in no time… the guide (Lee) was great craic and very knowledgeable about London.. I’ll definitely do this again… 🌟⭐️🌟⭐️🌟
Glenn was our guide for the half day tour and everything about it was great. He was so knowledgeable, super friendly, and professional. The pick up at our hotel was on time. The taxi was comfortable. We learned so much about London we would have missed. We were so glad we did this tour.
Alan was a lovely tour guide who stood in last minute. He was friendly, knowledgeable and chatty. He looked after us very well and we really enjoyed seeing parts of London we had never seen. Big thank you to Alan and also Cheryl.
Very enjoyable tour and a great way to see elements of London you wouldn’t normally see. Alan was very knowledgable and as a family we thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience.
We had a fantastic Taxi Tour guide, she was friendly, fun and knowledgable. We heard some fascinating stories and fun facts about London. The tour had been adapted to show us old places we knew and there was some lovely nostalgia for us. The 3 hours just flew by leaving us wanting more. The taxi was modern and so clean and comfy. During the ride we did stretch our legs and had a tea break. Highly recommend!
These guys really know there stuff. Just ask and they will take you there. They were happy to stop anytime. Very friendly and came to our hotel and picked us up. You really must do a tour with these guys. We did 3 hours should have some 4. It goes so quick. Well done lads a real old fashioned couple of London lads, a rare find these days even in London. Sorry it took so long to review guys. Would do this again.
We booked the secret London taxi tour for a friend’s birthday. We’re from London and we had the most amazing time! Our driver (William) drove us around and told us so much about London and it’s history that we got to experience our city like we never had before! Definitely recommend it!
We enjoyed our tour with Alan today. Some of us had been to London previously but it was really nice to get some insight into familiar and not so familiar locations. He was very personable and had great recommendations for after the tour. Highly recommend.
I found Visit London Taxi Tours on Facebook from a friends post and thought this would be an excellent treat for Mum’s 80th birthday. From the outset Cheryl was extremely helpful and we were able to plan a 4 hour trip with a planned break at Borough Market and a drop off at Covent Garden for a fish and chip supper. Cheryl also designed a great e-card for Mum before the day. Alan met us at Liverpool Street as planned and we saw parts of East London we did not realise existed, the Boundary Estate, buildings of interest and a Street Market near Bethnal Green Tube ( Broadway Market) where we stopped for longer than we intended as it had wonderful stalls, coffee cafes and boutiques (where it would have been rude not to stuff yourself into a garment in the event that it could have been a viable purchase) my sister purchased sandals waiting for me to extricate my sweaty body out of a dress I didn’t buy as it was possibly the hottest day of May (poor Mum putting up with our shopping habit). Alan waited patiently for us to return and we resumed the trip (didn’t need Borough Market stop) taking in wonderful sights including Brooks Brothers Wine Shop, Crossbones Cemetery, original early Council Flats and Wash House filmed in Call The Midwife and Vera, The George Inn (one of the oldest Inns in London for a cheeky drink) and Lock and Co Milliners where Churchill and Oscar Wilde shopped. We were actually able to visit the shop and look at the memorabilia and the hats on sale. Alan dropped us off at Covent Garden as planned and even dropped the men of our party that were waiting for us, to Baker Street Station to travel on to Wembley for the football, at no extra charge. Alan also presented Mum with a lovely pot Chrysanthemum for her birthday! The day was so enjoyable that we are planning on a 3 hour trip later in the year. Many thanks to Cheryl and Alan for making Mums day so special.
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