Guided tours of London

See the best that this amazing city has to offer, in the company of a qualified Blue Badge Tourist Guide

About me

Grace Barrett, London tour guide

Hi, I’m Grace, and I’m an official London tour guide. Born in London and raised in Somerset, I moved back to the city to attend university, and have lived in London for 20 years. For me, this is the greatest city on earth, and I am proud to call it my home.

London is full of fascinating stories, beautiful places, and wonderful culture: I love sharing these wonders with visitors from all over the world, and I specialise in bringing the city to life in a unique and engaging way.

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"Grace delivers everything and more!" - Dan S

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"Grace is a phenomenal guide!" - Angelique

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"Grace is the long lost friend you didn't know you had" - T Greig

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“Grace is a font of knowledge!” - Jill F

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"Grace was an incredible tour guide" - Jordan A

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“London with Grace is a true gift” - M Zakarian

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“Amazing experience for my daughter and me!” - JR

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“Grace is a wonderful Blue Badge Guide” - Alecia Teel

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• "Grace delivers everything and more!" - Dan S • "Grace is a phenomenal guide!" - Angelique • "Grace is the long lost friend you didn't know you had" - T Greig • “Grace is a font of knowledge!” - Jill F • "Grace was an incredible tour guide" - Jordan A • “London with Grace is a true gift” - M Zakarian • “Amazing experience for my daughter and me!” - JR • “Grace is a wonderful Blue Badge Guide” - Alecia Teel •

Tours

I offer tours on a variety of themes to suit any age group and interest. Check out the main tours page for more information - and remember, every private tour is custom-designed for you!

The Tower of London

London Highlights

See the highlights of London, including the majestic Tower of London and Westminster Abbey, site of royal coronations since 1066.

The Tower of London, standing strong for almost 1,000 years, has been a royal palace, a fortress, a prison, the home of the Royal Mint, and the execution site of three queens of England. Visitors today thrill at the Crown Jewels and love meeting the “Beefeaters” in their traditional Yeoman livery.

Westminster Abbey is the final resting place of 17 kings and queens of England, and has memorials to over 3,000 other famous Britons, including Charles Dickens and Sir Isaac Newton.

A road sign saying "Art"

Art tours

Explore the many world-class art museums in London, such as the National Gallery, Tate Modern, and the Wallace Collection.

The National Gallery is one of Europe’s most prestigious Fine Art collections, and houses masterpieces by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, JMW Turner, Claude Monet, and Vincent van Gogh, among many other treasures.

The Tate Modern opened in 2000, and quickly became one of the country’s most popular visitor attractions. It hosts works by Picasso, Matisse, Jackson Pollock, and other giants of the contemporary art world - as well as the epic Turbine Hall with its immersive installations.

A family on tour

Family tours

From museum treasure hunts and outdoor activities to child-friendly shows, exploring London with kids is so much fun!

Kids of all ages love visiting the famous Tower of London, to marvel at the jewels, meet the Beefeaters and ravens, and try their hand at battle simulators with the medieval longbow and jousting weapons. You can even dress King Henry VIII in his battle armour.

The British Museum showcases treasures and artefacts from throughout the world and time, and I offer a fun treasure hunt suitable for all ages, to help younger visitors explore and engage with the museum’s exhibits.

 

Instagram feed

Thank you @dehoneytravel for sending me another charming group of visitors from Texas! We all enjoyed the ecclesiastical majesty of Britain’s cathedrals, the soft beauty of the autumn countryside, and the rib-sticking delights of classic pub fo
Thank you @dehoneytravel for sending me another charming group of visitors from Texas! We all enjoyed the ecclesiastical majesty of Britain’s cathedrals, the soft beauty of the autumn countryside, and the rib-sticking delights of classic pub food. Dinner at the @hoopandgrapes in Aldgate was a particular highlight.
Traditional fire engine from Aberdeen, on display outside Edinburgh Castle today
Traditional fire engine from Aberdeen, on display outside Edinburgh Castle today
Meet this handsome fella at Hadrian’s Wall 🐑
Meet this handsome fella at Hadrian’s Wall 🐑
Britain may not be known for our tropical climate, but check out this amazing banana tree in Pembroke College, Cambridge!
Britain may not be known for our tropical climate, but check out this amazing banana tree in Pembroke College, Cambridge!
Lovely visit yesterday to The Kilns, C S Lewis’s home in Oxford. We enjoyed exploring the nearby nature reserve too, making the most of the last burst of autumn sunshine ☀️
Lovely visit yesterday to The Kilns, C S Lewis’s home in Oxford. We enjoyed exploring the nearby nature reserve too, making the most of the last burst of autumn sunshine ☀️
The dome of St Paul’s Cathedral floating the clouds
The dome of St Paul’s Cathedral floating the clouds
On a tour in St James’s Park, my clients and I got to feel like Mary Poppins, Snow White, and Dr Dolittle all rolled into one! Nobody knows quite where London’s green parakeets originally came from, although my favourite theory is that th
On a tour in St James’s Park, my clients and I got to feel like Mary Poppins, Snow White, and Dr Dolittle all rolled into one! Nobody knows quite where London’s green parakeets originally came from, although my favourite theory is that they were Jimi Hendrix’s pets who escaped from his London flat in the 1960s!
Did you know? You will find royal insignia on all sorts of things in England from buildings to uniforms, streetlights to post boxes. And it will always have two letters, with the second being “R”. This is because it is the first letter of
Did you know? You will find royal insignia on all sorts of things in England from buildings to uniforms, streetlights to post boxes. And it will always have two letters, with the second being “R”. This is because it is the first letter of the monarch’s name - in this case E for Elizabeth, and then R for the Latin for monarch - Regina for Queen, and Rex for King. Here there is a tiny “II” between the E and R, to denote that this post box was installed in the reign of Queen Elizabeth II.
If, like Lady Danbury, you wish to sharpen your wit, your wardrobe, and your eye, why not visit the filming location of the Modiste fashion boutique in Bath? Now home to the Abbey Deli, this charming little cafe was made over as the setting for Genev
If, like Lady Danbury, you wish to sharpen your wit, your wardrobe, and your eye, why not visit the filming location of the Modiste fashion boutique in Bath? Now home to the Abbey Deli, this charming little cafe was made over as the setting for Genevieve Delacroix’s haute couture dress shop in Bridgerton. Today it serves delicious coffee and impeccable Earl Grey, alongside tasty treats.
Some highlights from a fantastic 10-day tour exploring church history in the UK with @dehoneytravel led by @drbrenttaylor We explored great medieval churches throughout England and up into Scotland, including Westminster Abbey, Durham Cathedral, Ely
Some highlights from a fantastic 10-day tour exploring church history in the UK with @dehoneytravel led by @drbrenttaylor We explored great medieval churches throughout England and up into Scotland, including Westminster Abbey, Durham Cathedral, Ely - my personal favourite of the trip - and St Giles’ in Edinburgh. We also took in cultural sites such as Winston Churchill’s home at Chartwell and C. S. Lewis’s at the Kilns, as well as the cities of Oxford Cambridge. Thank you to our local guides in Cambridge and Edinburgh, and to my lovely group, with their huge enthusiasm for British history and culture.
Thank you @dehoneytravel for sending me another charming group of visitors from Texas! We all enjoyed the ecclesiastical majesty of Britain’s cathedrals, the soft beauty of the autumn countryside, and the rib-sticking delights of classic pub fo Traditional fire engine from Aberdeen, on display outside Edinburgh Castle today Meet this handsome fella at Hadrian’s Wall 🐑 Britain may not be known for our tropical climate, but check out this amazing banana tree in Pembroke College, Cambridge! Lovely visit yesterday to The Kilns, C S Lewis’s home in Oxford. We enjoyed exploring the nearby nature reserve too, making the most of the last burst of autumn sunshine ☀️ The dome of St Paul’s Cathedral floating the clouds On a tour in St James’s Park, my clients and I got to feel like Mary Poppins, Snow White, and Dr Dolittle all rolled into one! Nobody knows quite where London’s green parakeets originally came from, although my favourite theory is that th Did you know? You will find royal insignia on all sorts of things in England from buildings to uniforms, streetlights to post boxes. And it will always have two letters, with the second being “R”. This is because it is the first letter of If, like Lady Danbury, you wish to sharpen your wit, your wardrobe, and your eye, why not visit the filming location of the Modiste fashion boutique in Bath? Now home to the Abbey Deli, this charming little cafe was made over as the setting for Genev Some highlights from a fantastic 10-day tour exploring church history in the UK with @dehoneytravel led by @drbrenttaylor We explored great medieval churches throughout England and up into Scotland, including Westminster Abbey, Durham Cathedral, Ely

Blog

Featured
G is for… Galleries
G is for… Galleries

London has a world-class art scene, from the ancient to the modern, punk to kitsch, history paintings to immersive artworks, and everything in between.

As well as the pieces themselves, the galleries in which they are shown are some of the most beautiful in the world, and in this edition of my A to Z of London, we are exploring the letter G, for Galleries.

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F is for… Fire
F is for… Fire

London is many things: ancient, modern, beautiful, bustling, cultured, fascinating… and flammable. The nation’s capital city has suffered many fires since its founding by the Romans almost 2,000 years ago, and in this part of my A to Z of London, we are going to take a look at some of the most famous and disastrous.

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E is for… Executions
E is for… Executions

One of the parts of our history that I get asked about most often is also one of the darkest: the many executions that have taken place in London through the centuries. Until 1998, the United Kingdom had the death penalty (although the last state execution actually happened in August 1964); this means that, over the years, many hundreds if not thousands of people lost their lives in Britain to the hangman’s noose, the headsman’s axe, or, occasionally, more brutal methods such as being burned or boiled alive.

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D is for… Drink
D is for… Drink

For good or ill, we Brits have an international reputation for liking a drink or two, particularly in that quintessentially British institution, the pub. For this edition of the blog, I’m going to take a look at some of the drinks that we love, and some of the best places in London to sample them.

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