Half-day private tour in London July 2021

[Lane412000]

We arrive into London a day before our cruise departs out of Southampton in July 2021.  We will spend our first afternoon in London visiting Hyde Park, Albert & Victoria Museum and Richoux's as our hotel is near these locations (JW Marriott Grosvenor House).  We disembark the Celebrity Silhouette on Saturday morning, July 31st. I figure we will arrive back to our London hotel between 10am-11am.  

 

We are looking for a half day private tour for the Saturday afternoon when we return to the hotel from the cruise ship.  Not much time to do much visiting but interested in seeing some of the more famous locations.

 

Any suggestions would be appreciated......thanks

 

[clarky213]

I would check with the Hotel if they have storage facilities for your luggage as check in time may not be until after 3pm. They may also have tours they can recommend. 

[markeb]

What do you want to see? You're looking at a windshield tour with that amount of time. Can't stretch either end by a day or two?

 

If you haven't already, check out London Toolkit https://www.londontoolkit.com/  A lot of the information is getting into and out of London, and kind of assumes a longer stay. Keep in mind it won't get dark until quite late in July, so you do have some time, but it will be to see exteriors. I think what I've seen most often on this board is actually a recommendation to just do one of the HOHO busses, and other than Buckingham Palace (the busses don't go in front of the palace), and maybe the Westminster area, just plan on staying on.

 

Oh, and if you're into food, pre or post cruise, and the world has returned to some form of normal, there's an amazing Michelin starred Indian restaurant about 15 minutes from your hotel...

 

(The Grosvenor House will store your bags. Shouldn't be an issue. We do it at Park Lane around the corner when we visit London.)

Edited January 6, 2021 by markeb

[phabric]

You could take a Hop On Hop Off bus. There are 2 Hop On Hop Off bus companies. They each have 2-3 different routes.  When I had 1/2 day after our cruise, I took one route all the way around then switched to a different route and took that all the way round.  You then can decide which place to visit.

 

International Friends www.international friends.co.uk (cheaper on www.londontoolkit.com).  They go on embarkment/disembarkment days from LHR, LHR hotels and certain London hotels to/from Southampton.  Going to Southampton, they stop at Stonehenge then dropped off at your cruise dock.  From Southampton, they stop at Salisbury, Stonehenge, Windsor then dropped off at certain London hotels, LHR hotels, and LHR.  A great way to see other places on your way to London and being dropped off at your London hotel.
 

I have taken them from Southampton and Dover.  I plan on doing this in 2022 and being dropped off at our LHR hotel the day before our flight home.

Edited January 6, 2021 by phabric

[Host Bonjour]

On 1/5/2021 at 5:09 PM, Lane412000 said:

We arrive into London a day before our cruise departs out of Southampton in July 2021.  We will spend our first afternoon in London visiting Hyde Park, Albert & Victoria Museum and Richoux's as our hotel is near these locations (JW Marriott Grosvenor House).  We disembark the Celebrity Silhouette on Saturday morning, July 31st. I figure we will arrive back to our London hotel between 10am-11am.  

 

We are looking for a half day private tour for the Saturday afternoon when we return to the hotel from the cruise ship.  Not much time to do much visiting but interested in seeing some of the more famous locations.

 

Any suggestions would be appreciated......thanks

 

 

Agree with phabric on the idea of a Ho-Ho tour, although you could stay on one route and simply take the longer of the two, the one that covers more of London. I almost never do Ho-Hos and I had been to London previously but I didn't know it the way I wanted to and so I thought on my next visit, I'd kick it off with an overview above ground. You don't get to become so familiar with the terrain, or see much, by using the tube but it is efficient!

 

I think it was a smart decision because from that point on I felt like it was easy to make my way around on foot or by tube, I had a sense of where I was in the city, what important sites I was close to (as a way to navigate) and the tour goes by pretty much every notable place in the city, with audio to let you know where you're at in case it's not obvious, and it might not always be obvious. Piccadilly,  Leicester Square, Parliament, Buckingham Palace you'll probably recognize, Speaker's Corner, Churchill War Rooms, Scotland Yard (new or old), or the British Museum, possibly not?

 

And, you can always hop off, then hop back on, if you wanted to though since you're on a limited time frame, it makes sense to just enjoy the ride and everything you'll see. There is a LOT in London and it's worth taking the ride to see these places with your own eyes, even if it's just for a slow drive-by. Sometimes there's a red light or idle and there's a moment to linger. Bring some water along and snacks and enjoy the view.