London Walk With Dickens Self Guided Tour

At a glance

London Walk With Dickens Self Guided Tour is a 2h – 3h private experience in London, United Kingdom, operated by Gazooky Studios. Travellers rate it 5.0 out of 5 across 1 reviews on Viator and Tripadvisor. Prices start from $6.77 per person, and free cancellation is available. Included: Entrance to Southwick Cathedral, Entrance to Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, Entrance to The Anchor Bankside.

Quick facts

Duration

2h – 3h

Group

Private tour — only your group

Languages

English

Pickup

Hotel pickup included

Confirmation

Instant confirmation

Ticket

Mobile or paper ticket accepted

Travellers

1–5 per booking

Ages

Traveller 0–120

Cancellation

Free cancellation (see policy)

Options & availability

• London Walk With Dickens Self Guided Tour

  from $6.58

  Pickup included

  Days:

  Every day

  Check availability →

Times and prices come from the operator’s live schedule and are confirmed when you book.

Overview

Itinerary

1. Stop 1 · 10m

   You will stand in the street where Dickens lived for many years, and Dickens will talk to you about his experience of living in this house, where he wrote his first iconic novels. You can glimpse him writing, and find out about what this home meant to him, as he recalls some of the incidents of his past. You can visit the museum inside the house if you want, but the admission price is not part of the self-guided tour.

2. Stop 2 · 15m

   You will immersed in the surroundings of the park which is Lincoln's Inn Fields, listening to the voice of Dickens as he tells you about why this place was important to him and inspired many of the works involving legal characters. You can hear him read an extract of Bleak House, with images from the first published book.

3. Stop 3 · 10m

   Here you can stop and breathe in the atmosphere of the hallows cobbles where the legal characters of Dickens' novels spent their time. Dickens will recall how he worked here and gathered critical information which he later used in his works.

4. Stop 4 · 20m

   You can go into the pub and explore the nooks and crannies of this place where Dickens spent many an afternoon, drinking with colleagues and collecting characters. You will find the place he sat, along with evidence of other famous people who frequented this establishment. Upstairs are many pictures of Dickens and his works. You will hear Dickens talk to you about his experiences in this place, and be able to see some visualizations of him, and old London.
   You can stop here for refreshment, which is not included in the tour. Entrance to the Inn is free and accessible to the ground floor. Access to upper floors is not accessible to people in a wheelchair or with mobility issues.

5. Stop 5 · 15m

   When you walk on this street Dickens will help you understand the experiences of poor prisoners, who came to this place and how they informed his work. He will lead you through the footsteps of the poor and needy, who might have been tried at the Old Bailey, or held at the Newgate Prison which used to be opposite. The Old Bailey is still there, but the gruesome Newgate Prison has long gone.
   If you go into The Viaduct Tavern, which now stands on the Prison site, and order something from the bar (cost of food and drink is not included in the tour), the owner might show you the cellars which reveal the old prison cells, immersing you in the experiences of poor prisoners of Dickens' time.
   Entrance to the pub is free and accessible, but the visits to the prison cells in the cellar are not accessible, and only available at the pub owners discretion.

6. Stop 6 · 20m

   Here you will experience the same magnificent building which Dickens referenced many times in his works. You will hear him tell you why this was such an important place for him. If you wish to go inside to worship, you can do so without paying. You will be able to sit and wonder at the magnificence and serenity, just as Dickens will have done. If you wish to have a guided tour of the inside of the Cathedral, you will need to pay the guide price to the Cathedral.

7. Stop 7 · 5m

   You can cross the Thames at any point, but using the Millennium Bridge will allow you to access the voice of Dickens talking about what the Thames meant to him, and how he used it in his novels. You can stand on the bridge, and look up and down stream to see London, and imagine Dickens taking it all in, working it into his stories. You can even see a visualization of Dickens himself crossing London Bridge.

8. Stop 8 · 20m

   You can go inside this pub, which was built in Shakepeare's time, take some refreshments, and imagine literary giants from the past enjoying the same atmosphere. Or wander through the alleyways of Borough market, to touch the past when it was a vibrant, messy hub of London life. You will be able to hear Dickens explain why this part of London was where he often walked in disguise to gather inspiration. You can see a visualization of Borough Market as it used to be.

9. Stop 9 · 10m

   You can stand in the footsteps of Dickens, who frequented this inn, gathering inspiration from the travellers who came and went. You can hear from Sam Weller, one of his creations, in this place.

10. Stop 10 · 5m

    You will be able to see the wall of the Prison which appears in Dickens' work and hear him explain the significance - this is where his father was incarcerated with the rest of the family. You can see a visualisation of Dickens as a child, visiting his father.

Meeting point

Traveller ratings

Good to know

• Wheelchair accessible
• Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
• Service animals allowed
• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
• All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Cancellation policy

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

Frequently asked questions