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Private tour guide in London, on foot or with your own chauffeur.
A licensed Blue Badge guide who plans the day around you and guides you inside Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London and the museums.
- From £265 a half day · £430 a full day, per guide
- Guide with a chauffeur-driven Mercedes from £495
Licensed guidesA private tour guide in London from Tripyana costs £265 for a half day or £430 for a full day with an English-speaking licensed Blue Badge guide, per guide, not per person; other languages from £295. Add a chauffeur-driven Mercedes from your hotel and a half day with guide and car is from £495.
Private tour guide prices in London
Every price is for one guide and your whole group, never per person. A half day is up to 4 hours and a full day up to 9 hours, starting from your hotel.
Half day · English
licensed Blue Badge guide
£265
Full day · English
licensed Blue Badge guide
£430
Half day · other language
Arabic, French, Spanish, German, Italian…
£295
Full day · other language
Arabic, French, Spanish, German, Italian…
£475
Extra hour
per guide, agreed first
£80
Guide’s lunch
full days only
£23
Guide and chauffeur together
One figure for an English-speaking guide and a Mercedes with its own chauffeur from your hotel door. The guide rides with you, so the car carries the guide and your group.
Half day · E‑Class
guide + up to 2 guests
£495
Half day · V‑Class
guide + up to 6 guests
£555
Full day · E‑Class
9 hours · guide + 2 guests
£845
Full day · V‑Class
9 hours · guide + 6 guests
£950
The guide for the booked hours · planning the route before the day · commentary inside the sites · with the car: the same chauffeur, fuel, parking, the congestion charge and ULEZ, and waiting at every stop.
Entry tickets for your group · your meals · the guide’s lunch on a full day · hours added on the day, agreed with you first.
Travelling with Arabic speakers who need help more than commentary? An Arabic-speaking companion, who is not a licensed guide, is £150 a day for translation, tickets, restaurants and shopping.
Guide only, driver-guide or guide with a chauffeur?
The right choice depends on how far apart your sights are and who is travelling.
Guide only
Best on foot between sights that sit close together, such as Westminster, Whitehall and Buckingham Palace. You travel between areas yourselves.
Driver-guide
One licensed guide drives a small car and guides. It suits two or three people touring the countryside; in central London the car has to be parked at every stop. We arrange the guide and the chauffeur separately instead.
Guide with a chauffeur
What we arrange: the guide stays with you inside each site while the chauffeur waits nearby and brings the car to the next door. The best fit for children, older travellers and a day across town.
Some sites only allow licensed guides inside. At Westminster Abbey, only Blue Badge guides may guide a group, with at least one guide for every 20 visitors. A chauffeur alone suits a shopping day or the landmarks from outside, and is priced by the hour on our hourly chauffeur hire in London page.
What a half day and a full day cover
Going inside a site takes far longer than seeing it from outside, so the length of the day decides how many interiors you visit. Two sample plans, Monday to Saturday:
Half day, up to 4 hours: Westminster
Hotel pickup at 9:00 · Parliament and Big Ben · inside Westminster Abbey with the guide · Horse Guards and Whitehall · Buckingham Palace and the Mall · back at your hotel by 13:00.
Full day, up to 9 hours: Westminster and the City
The Westminster morning · lunch · the Tower of London and the Crown Jewels inside with the guide · Tower Bridge · St Paul’s Cathedral · back at your hotel by 18:00.
With children or older travellers
One large site in the morning, the rest from the car window or a short walk, and rest and food stops whenever you need them.
On Sundays Westminster Abbey opens for worship rather than sightseeing and St Paul’s Cathedral limits sightseeing, so a Sunday plan swaps in other sights. Check each site’s calendar and book timed entry before the day. Official tickets: Westminster Abbey › · Tower of London › · St Paul’s Cathedral ›
A car tour of the landmarks with a chauffeur and no guide is on our private London tour by car page, and the same guide can join you outside the city on our day trips from London.
What is a Blue Badge guide?
A Blue Badge is one of Britain’s most respected professional qualifications for a tourist guide. London Blue Badge guides train and are examined on the city’s history, its buildings and its museums, and it is the qualification Westminster Abbey requires before a guide may lead a group inside.
Our guides are Blue Badge holders. Ask for a subject that matters to you, whether royal London, the Second World War, art in the National Gallery or the treasures of the British Museum, and the guide builds the route and the stories around it.
Planned around your family and your pace
- Private only the guide is with your family or friends alone, never a group of strangers.
- A plan before the day share your interests, ages and walking limits; the guide sends a route to approve.
- First time in London the main sights in a logical order, with timed tickets planned so you do not queue twice.
- Children shorter visits, stories pitched at their age, parks and breaks built in.
- Changes on the day if the weather turns or energy drops, the guide reorders the route without rushing anyone.
How do I book a private tour guide in London?
Send your request
Your dates, half or full day, the number of people and children’s ages, the language, the sights you want to enter and your hotel. Say whether you want a car.
Get the route and the price
We reply with availability, a suggested route and one written price for the guide and the car.
Confirm
The booking is confirmed once you approve the price.
Private tour guide in London: frequently asked questions
How much does a private tour guide in London cost?
£265 for a half day and £430 for a full day with an English-speaking Blue Badge guide, for your whole group. Other languages, extra hours and the guide-with-car prices are in the price list above.
Is the price per person or per guide?
Per guide. One price covers your whole group. On a walking tour one guide can lead up to 50 people, and larger groups need one guide for every 50. Westminster Abbey sets its own limit of 20 visitors per guide inside.
Do I need a Blue Badge guide, or is a chauffeur enough?
A chauffeur drives you between the sights but cannot guide inside them. If you want commentary inside Westminster Abbey or the Tower, you need a licensed guide; other museums set their own rules for outside guides.
Can the guide come inside Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London?
Yes. Blue Badge guides guide inside both, and Westminster Abbey allows only Blue Badge guides to lead groups inside. The guide plans timed entry with you before the day.
Are attraction tickets included?
No. The guide fee covers the guide’s time, planning and commentary. Entry tickets for paid sites such as Westminster Abbey, the Tower and St Paul’s Cathedral are bought at each site’s own price, ideally before the day once the route is agreed.
How much should I tip a tour guide in London?
Tipping is never required and is not added to our price. If you want to thank the guide, around 10 per cent or a round sum in cash at the end of the day is common. The choice is entirely yours.
Can I have a guide in German, Italian, Spanish or Arabic?
Yes, on request, at the other-language rate in the price list. Fewer guides work in each of these languages than in English, so give us your dates as early as you can.
Can the tour start from my hotel or from Heathrow?
Yes. The guide meets you in your hotel lobby at the agreed time. With a chauffeur, the car collects you at the same time, and an airport pickup can be added before or after a guided day.
How far ahead should I book, and what if I cancel?
Two to three weeks ahead in spring and summer is sensible, and a few days can work out of season. The car can be cancelled free up to 24 hours before pickup; the guide’s cancellation terms are written in your quote before you confirm.
Book a private tour guide in London.
Send your dates, group and the sights you want to see. You get a route and one written price for the guide, and the car if you want one, before you confirm.
TRIPYANA LTD is a UK-licensed company — private hire operator licence PHOP950 · company no. 16308293.