There is no hotel pick-up for this London walking tour. Please meet your guide at 1000h (10:00am) at the entrance to the Southwark Tube Station. He or she will be holding an ‘Insider London’ sign.
This 3 ½ hour tour focuses on the last 10 years of London's architectural development, but also considers important historic structures, like St. Paul's Cathedral and the Bankside Power Station, as they continue to influence the fabric of the city's built environment.
After meeting at Southwark tube station, the tour crosses the Thames and through to the most dramatic, extravagant and futuristic buildings of The City. See over 17 of London's most unusual buildings and spaces back-to-back, and learn not only about the construction of each building, but the design of the city as a whole.
The tour moves through three separate areas of London. The first hour will focus on Southwark and Southbank. For the second hour you will move on to Blackfriars and the Roman City. You will then enjoy a coffee break at the Barbican's Waterside Café (payable direct) before going on to last part of the walking tour, which covers the Barbican and the City since post-war development.
The tour structure helps guests gain their bearings in this huge and often difficult-to-navigate city. During the coffee break you can either take a rest for half an hour or independently explore the Barbican – London' s loved and hated Modernist 'Machine for Living.' The tour finishes in the centre of modern development, at a building voted 'Most Admired' around the globe.
Highlights of your London walking tour include:
The controversial eco-building loved by some but also named 'Worst New Building'
The futuristic walkways intended to cover all of London
The influence of Roman London, St Paul's Cathedral and World War II on the layout of London, even today
A sneak preview at the latest addition to Tate Modern
A complex, multi-faceted building made of just three different moulded shapes
Your tour ends at 30 Mary Axe, City of London, EC3A 8EP, or at Liverpool Street Station, Bishopsgate, London, Greater, London, EC2M 7P.