When the weather is as wonderful as it’s been recently, the last thing you want to do is spend your weekends cooped up inside; you want to explore instead.
Whether you’re playing tourist in your own city or you’ve come to London for a getaway, there’s nothing like a walking tour to immerse yourself in the capital’s culture and history.
Walking tours usually last a few hours and have a guide, so you can be sure the tours will be full of interesting information as told by someone with expertise. From our experience, ghost walk guides have the craziest stories to tell – you just might not be able to sleep very well after hearing them!
We’ve put together a best list of the most exciting walking tours to join in London, and there’s something for everyone. From Harry Potter tours and ghost walks for those who enjoy the supernatural, to food stop offs and pub crawls for the foodies amongst us — you could never accuse the RadioTimes.com team of not thinking of everything!
Best walking tours at a glance:
Here’s a run-down of each of the walking tours you’ll find in our round-up.
- Best Harry Potter walking tour: Original Harry Potter Locations Tour
- Best Harry Potter locations tour: Harry Potter Tour: Visit The Magical Film Locations in London
- Best Jack the Ripper tour: Jack the Ripper Tour with ‘Ripper-Vision’
- Best ghost walking tour: Ghastly Ghost Tour of London Bridge
- Best historical walking tour: Walking Tour: Churchill and London in WW2
- Best pub crawl: Historical Pub Walking Tour of London
- Best football stadium tour: Chelsea FC Stamford Bridge Family Stadium Tour
- Best sightseeing walking tour: Ultimate London Sightseeing Walking Tour
- Best walking tour for foodies: The London Cheese Crawl
The best London walking tours
Original Harry Potter Locations Tour
Best Harry Potter walking tour
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Visit Harry Potter filming sites across London in this walking tour. You’ll travel through Soho to Covent Garden and Trafalgar Square, and hear movie trivia as you go, before making your way to St Paul’s Cathedral and London Bridge. You’ll also take a fun quiz to test your own movie knowledge — who will be the biggest Harry Potter buff amongst you?
Buy Original Harry Potter Locations Tour tickets from £15 at Viator
Harry Potter Tour: Visit The Magical Film Locations in London
Best Harry Potter locations tour
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In this two-and-a-half hour walking tour, complete with audio guides and headsets so you don’t miss a single moment, you’ll visit a series of locations from the Harry Potter movies, including Platform 9¾ (running into the wall is not recommended!).
Buy Harry Potter Tour: Visit The Magical Film Locations in London tickets from £23 at Fever
Jack the Ripper Tour with ‘Ripper-Vision’
Best Jack the Ripper tour
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This immersive Jack the Ripper Tour uses ‘Ripper-Vision’, which is effectively projections of images and film clips, to recreate a harrowing atmosphere. You’ll follow a guide around the backstreets of East London and hear all about the grim tales and conspiracy theories surrounding Jack the Ripper.
Buy Jack the Ripper Tour with ‘Ripper-Vision’ tickets from £18 at Viator
Ghastly Ghost Tour of London Bridge
Best ghost walking tour
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Anything that has the word ‘ghastly’ gets a thumbs up from us; the RadioTimes.com team love a ghost walk. We’ve taken strolls in the spookiest parts of Nottingham, Lincoln and Chesterfield, and we’re excited to try this one in London. Hear spine-chilling tales as you visit London’s most famous landmarks, and end at St Paul’s Cathedral.
Buy Ghastly Ghost Tour of London Bridge tickets from £16 at Fever
Walking Tour: Churchill and London in WW2
Best historical walking tour
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Make the most of the sunny weather and join in on this historical walking tour. Take a stroll past the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Parliament Square, Downing Street and more, to see war memorials, a bomb escape hatch and Churchill’s statue, all while the guide shares stories to transport you back in time.
Buy Walking Tour: Churchill and London in WW2 tickets from £18 at Fever
Small-Group Tour: Historical Pub Walking Tour of London
Best pub crawl
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What’s better than an afternoon pub crawl? An educational one, obviously! Visit at least four centuries-old ale houses, including literary haunts frequented by the likes of Charles Dickens, and learn about drinking culture through the ages.
Buy Small-Group Tour: Historical Pub Walking Tour of London tickets from £25 at Viator
Chelsea FC Stamford Bridge Family Stadium Tour
Best football stadium tour
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Treat the whole family to an experience they’ll never forget with a tour of the Chelsea Football Club stadium. Get behind-the-scenes access to the press room, players’ tunnel, team dressing room, plus a lot more. If you’re a Blues fan, you’re not going to find a much more intimate and interesting tour than this one.
Buy Chelsea FC Stamford Bridge Family Stadium Tour tickets for £70 at Buyagift
Are you a football fan? Here’s how you can get UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 tickets to see England live in action.
Ultimate London Sightseeing Walking Tour
Best sightseeing walking tour
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If you’ve recently moved to London or you’re visiting the capital, this might be the walking tour for you. Held in a small, super-relaxed group, this sightseeing tour takes you past London’s most iconic monuments including Tower Bridge, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and Downing Street, and that’s just to name a selection. You’ll also get the chance to travel on the underground.
Buy Ultimate London Sightseeing Walking Tour tickets from £15 at Viator
The London Cheese Crawl
Best walking tour for foodies
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Are you and your partner foodies? The London Cheese Crawl could be the next date night activity to try — it’s certainly original. The cheesy crawl starts in Mayfair, where you’ll take a bite out of Fortnum & Mason’s legendary blue cheese, before heading over to Little Italy for more fromage. Give us the cheese, please!
Buy The London Cheese Crawl tickets from £25 at Fever
Fancy even more fun things to do in London? Check out our best West End shows and immersive experiences in London guides. To get your hands on tickets to plays, sports games, concerts, and more, head over to the Going Out section.