🏨 St James' & Mayfair - Private Tour of the Royal & Aristocratic London Villages Activity

St James' & Mayfair - Private Tour of the Royal & Aristocratic London Villages

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From $203.56

2 reviews (5.00)

Price varies by group size

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Pricing Info:

Duration:

Departs: London, London

Ticket Type: Mobile or paper ticket accepted

Free cancellation

Up to 24 hours in advance.

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Overview

This fascinating tour of two of the most loved areas of London, St James' and Mayfair, lasts for 3-3.5 hours. St James' developed around the Royals whereas Mayfair was built for the aristocrats so on this tour, you follow in the footsteps of both! The centrepiece of St James' is the majestic palace built by Henry VIII and as you meander the streets in the shadow of its great gate-tower, you will pass the gentlemen's clubs and elegant outfitters which have been a mecca to royals and gentlemen alike for centuries.
Walk a little further north and the tour takes you past the luxurious houses, beautiful gardens and exclusive shops of aristocratic Mayfair before arriving in Shepherd Market which used to be the home to Mayfair's thriving sex industry.
Admire the glamorous shops with their exquisite displays of china, glass and silverware and enjoy the delightful aromas of over 150 artisan cheeses in one of the oldest shops in the world.
Food/drink is not included in the cost of the tour.

What's Included

A fun & experienced professional, local guide, accredited by ITG & the University of Westminster.

What's Not Included

Food and drinks

Food sampling

Gratuities - optional

Transportation to/from the start and end points of the walk

Traveler Information

TRAVELER: Age: 0 - 99

Additional Info

Hand sanitiser available to travellers and staff
If you need directions from your hotel to the Ritz Hotel, do contact me on sandyrhodes@live.co.uk.
Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
The tour will cover roughly 2 - 3 miles in total.
The tour will last between 3 - 3.5 hours depending on what walking pace you set and the number of questions you ask - the tour is flexible and allows you to customise your itinerary.
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness

Hand sanitiser available to travellers and staff
If you need directions from your hotel to the Ritz Hotel, do contact me on sandyrhodes@live.co.uk.
Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
The tour will cover roughly 2 - 3 miles in total.
The tour will last between 3 - 3.5 hours depending on what walking pace you set and the number of questions you ask - the tour is flexible and allows you to customise your itinerary.
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

What To Expect

Fortnum & Mason

One of London's most sophisticated department stores, it's hard to believe it started life as a market stall! We will wander around the ground floor so I can point out what the store invented 300 years ago which is still in demand today and explain what intriguing structures are on its roof. 10 minutes in here and I guarantee you will want to return at a later date for a more leisurely browse of the entire store to do some serious shopping!

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Royal Academy of Arts

Built by the Earl of Burlington in the mid-1660s, I doubt he would recognise it today as at least 9 architects have worked on the building since then! Currently occupied by the Royal Academy, its summer exhibition is a firm fixture in London's 'Social' calendar.

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Burlington Arcade

The Burlington arcade has just celebrated its 200th anniversary and was built by one of the Earls of Burlington, George Cavendish. As we wander through and enjoy window shopping some of the 45 retailers who occupy the arcade today, we will see the Beadles who have guarded the arcade since day 1!

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Berkeley Square

Most famous for its nightingales which are, in all probability completely fictional, this is one of London's most historically interesting squares. With a forgotten river flowing beneath it, the square is home to many plane trees and a collection of grade 1 listed buildings around its edges, and I'll explain that on the tour. Whilst we stop here for 10 minutes or so, you can hear the story of the world famous Annabel's night club, the only night club Queen Elizabeth II is said to have visited, and the notorious Clermont Club with the murky tales which attach to it!

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Mount Street Gardens

An oasis of peace and tranquility, it is hard to imagine you are only 5 minutes walk away from one of the busiest shopping streets in London. But life has not always been so calm here - in the 10 minutes we'll take to wander through these gardens, I'll tell you what lies beneath our feet and what gruesome secret one of the buildings at the side of the gardens holds.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Shepherd Market

A leafy retreat nowadays, it used to be the centre of Mayfair's red light district where the aristocrats of old, with too much time and money on their hands, went for their entertainment. It was also the downfall of one MP - but which one?! I'll fill you in when we stop here for 10 minutes.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Green Park

As we cross Piccadilly and move from Mayfair in the north to St James' in the south, we leave the aristocrats behind and concentrate on the royals. Hear the legend of how Green Park gets it name and learn about the Royal dynasties who will feature during this part of our tour.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

St. James's Palace

Built by Henry VIII on the site of what used to be a woman's leper hospital, this was intended to be the palace for Henry's son promised to him by Anne Boleyn. But as the son turned out to be a daughter, Henry used the palace as a hunting lodge instead. The palace has been at the centre of many a Royal event so in the 20 minutes we'll take to wander around the outside of the palace, I'll fill you in on some of the most interesting stories from its past. If it's a day the ceremony is scheduled to take place, we'll see part of the ancient Changing of the Guard ceremony.

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Buckingham Palace

One of London's most iconic and recognisable buildings, Buckingham Palace is the office of the monarchy. Queen Elizabeth II used it on weekdays and Charles III has yet to decide where he will make his London home. This is a chance to see the world famous palace balcony which has been the focal point of many Royal celebrations including the Queen's 50th, 60th and 70th jubilees and William and Kate's wedding celebrations. In our 10 minute stop, I'll tell more about the monarch and his duties. You'll be surprised at the amount he does!

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

St. James's Park

One of eight Royal parks in the capital, St James' is one of my favourites with its ornamental lake and wildlife frolicking in its waters. With luck we'll catch a glimpse of the resident pelicans, a pair of which were gifted to Charles II in 1664 by a Russian ambassador - there have been pelicans on the water ever since!"

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Horse Guards Parade at Whitehall

Although best known for its ancient ceremonies of the Changing of the Guard and the Trooping of the Colour, Horse Guards was home to a gigantic sandpit during the 2012 London Olympics - the question is, though, which sport was it for?! I'll tell all as we stop here for about 10 minutes.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

St. James' Square

Built by Henry Jermyn as a reward for his loyalty to Charles II during the English Civil War, this was the place to live in the 17 and early 1800s. A pretty square, there are still remnants of the days of old with Nancy Astor's former home and one of Sir Christopher Wren's churches gracing its edge.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Jermyn Street

How better to end the tour than a wander along one of the most historic and sophisticated shopping streets in London. With a cheese shop which used to be a market stall and a perfumery dating back to the 1700s, this street has many stories to tell.

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Reviews

Wonderful Tour of London’s Aristocratic Neighborhoods

Mike A, 04-09-2022

We thoroughly enjoyed our tour of St. James’ and Mayfair with Sandy. We covered a lot of ground during the tour and learned a lot about the history of the neighborhoods and the architectural significance of the aristocratic homes we passed.

We also made several fun stops to learn about the various stores and the development of commerce in the neighborhood. We highly recommend Sandy’s tour.

Sensational

uminabeachgal, 17-05-2022

An amazing stroll through Mayfair and St James. Sandy my guide is charm personified and her knowledge was extensive, informative and delivered in an easy friendly manner. If like me you are interested in an extensive and detailed history of the two areas then this is the tour for you. I discovered the history of so many shops and how many of them started at Market stalls. The stroll through Fortnum and Masons was informative and discovered just what an innovative store it is. Most notably the many beehives scattered throughout London rooftops and the frenzy of purchasing when released for sale in late summer. I'm particularly interested in the Regency's period and Sandy went out of her way to take me to particular areas of interest. I can not recommend this tour more highly. Next year when I return to London off to Hampton Court I will go with Sandy.

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St James' & Mayfair - Private Tour of the Royal & Aristocratic London Villages Activity - London Travel Guide

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