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actually london
A red telephone box beside a lit Christmas tree in London
On now · Christmas in London

Less planning. More enjoyment.

Enjoy London like a local. Tours, trip planning, airport pickups, stays and personal shopping, from people who live here.

Nothing is charged until your dates are confirmed.

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Private tours, with your own guide
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Guides who live in the postcodes they show you
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Photographs of you included on every tour

On now · Early November 2026 to early January

No one does Christmas like London.

Leicester Square switches on 1 November and the city stays lit until January. Markets, rinks, light trails and the department store windows, walked in the right order and at the hour they are worth seeing.

Christmas lights strung across a London street at night
  • A busy crossing under Christmas lights in central London

    Magical Christmas lights

    Oxford Street, Regent Street, Bond Street and Covent Garden. Different installations, ten minutes apart, and a walking order that means you are not doubling back.

    Carnaby 4 Nov, Regent Street 5 Nov, Covent Garden and Bond Street 12 Nov

  • The Apple Market at Covent Garden decorated for Christmas

    Christmas markets

    Leicester Square from 31 Oct, the Southbank Centre from 2 Nov, Trafalgar Square from 6 Nov, Covent Garden from 12 Nov, Greenwich Market from 18 Nov and Camden from 26 Nov.

    Late Oct to early Jan

  • The big wheel at Hyde Park's Winter Wonderland lit up at night

    Winter Wonderland

    Hyde Park's Christmas fair in full: the big wheel, a full fairground, market stalls and an ice rink. Free to walk through, but the wheel, rides and rink all need booking ahead separately.

    19 Nov to 3 Jan

  • A Bond Street storefront lit red for Christmas

    Iconic storefronts

    Fortnum & Mason, Liberty and Harrods put real money into their Christmas displays. A twenty-minute walk that costs nothing and photographs beautifully.

    Most windows up by mid-November

The lights are going on now. Oxford Street is Monday 9 November.

Book your Christmas tour
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Tours

The famous places done properly, and London beyond the obvious. Eight people per guide, never a crowd.

Prices

One price for your group.

Every tour is private, so you pay for the group, not per head: one price for up to five people and another for six to eight. Two of you or five, the price is the same.

Entry tickets, food and travel are paid on the day. The food tour and Soho add £30 and £35 a person for the tastings and drinks. Bought one of our itineraries first? Its price comes off your tour.

Want a tailor-made London trip? Tell us who’s coming and what you’d love to see.

Request your personalised quote

Reviews

In their words.

  • I cannot recommend Actually London highly enough. Went out of his way to help me source an item that meant a lot to me, kept me updated throughout the process and arranged for it to be carefully packaged and sent all the way to me in Scotland.The level of personal service, care and attention was fantastic. It’s rare to find someone who takes such pride in providing a brilliant customer experience and is willing to go the extra mile for their customers. If you’re looking for a personal shopping service that feels genuinely personal, I would wholeheartedly recommend Actually London.
    Linsay T. · Scotland · Personal shopping Read on Trustpilot
  • Nos lo recomendaron y fue todo un acierto. La experiencia fue muy buena: todo estaba perfectamente organizado, el trato fue cercano y estuvieron pendientes de cada detalle.Además, nos dieron consejos y recomendaciones muy útiles que difícilmente encuentras buscando en Google. Si es tu primera vez en Londres, lo recomiendo totalmente. ¡Te ayuda a disfrutar mucho más del viaje!
    Shivan B. · Spain · Private tour Read on Trustpilot
  • Good tour, well organised, saw a lot in two days. Recommend.
    Xue · United States · Private tour Read on Trustpilot
    Loved our tour. Didn’t feel rushed at all and we learned so much about places we’d have just walked past. Highly recommend
    David S. · United States · Private tour Read on Trustpilot
    Best experience I could ask for. The hosts made it worth it.
    Mariah K. · United Arab Emirates · Private tour Read on Trustpilot
  • It’s So hard to get things from the UK when half the shops won’t ship abroad. Finally found someone reliable who actually goes and gets the real thing and sends it. Arrived fine. Thank you
    Flavia N. · Personal shopping Read on Google
    I had a great experience with Actually London. They are professionally knowledgeable of London and provide a well-organized and personalized experience. I would definitely choose for them for any future tours and recommend them to other too
    Brian W. · United States · Private tour Read on Google
The full day

Come and see it
properly.

London in a Day: About 7 miles · a full day · starts 9:30am. Every stop is checked before it is sold, and you can read the whole route before you pay for any of it.

  1. 9:3001Tower of London & Tower BridgeFrom Tower Hill, down to the wharf. The Crown Jewels need two to three hours of their own, so today it is the walls, the river and the bridge.45 mins
  2. 10:3002Horizon 22The highest free view in London, 58 floors up in the City. Timed and booked ahead, and we do the booking.40 mins
  3. 11:2003Leadenhall MarketThe painted Victorian roof five minutes away, Diagon Alley in the first Harry Potter film.20 mins
  4. 11:4504London Bridge & Borough MarketOver the bridge with the Shard ahead of you, then lunch at the stalls.1 hr
  5. 13:0005The South BankShakespeare’s Globe, Tate Modern and St Paul’s across the Millennium Bridge, all from one side of the river.1 hr
  6. 14:0006The London EyeWalk underneath and look up through the spokes. Riding it is your call: it is ticketed, from £29.20 mins
  7. 14:3007Westminster & Big BenThe photograph from the south end of Westminster Bridge, then across to Parliament and the Abbey.45 mins
  8. 15:1508St James’s Park & Buckingham PalaceAcross the park by the Blue Bridge to the palace. In winter you arrive as the sun goes down.45 mins
  9. 16:0009Trafalgar SquareDown The Mall and through Admiralty Arch to Nelson’s Column and the National Gallery.20 mins
  10. 16:3010Chinatown, Soho & Covent GardenThe evening: Chinatown’s lanterns, Soho’s streets and Covent Garden to finish, under the lights in winter.1 hr
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Next routeLondon Markets in a Day5–6 miles · 7 hours · Sunday, starts 8:30am · 7 markets
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Guides

Free, with real prices and real times, and the parts of London most visitors never find.

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Tell us when you land.

One message, one person, and a price back within a working day. Tours, pickups, shopping, stays, or all four.