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Offered languages
- English
- English
This self-guided audio tour through Westminster is hosted by the legendary Stephen Fry and was developed with the QI Elves, the research team behind the hit BBC show QI. This immersive walking tour uncovers the bizarre facts and hidden secrets behind London's most famous landmarks.
Over the next hour, Stephen’s narration guides you through the quirky history hiding in plain sight. Starting at Westminster Pier, your audio guide leads you toward Trafalgar Square. Pass the Houses of Parliament to hear about odd traditions like free snortable tobacco for MPs.
Along the way, you'll learn how Westminster Abbey staff jealously used a flawed waxwork of Lord Nelson to lure tourists from St. Paul's, and discover the architectural secrets of Downing Street, the Cenotaph, and the iconic K2 telephone boxes. Finish at Cleopatra’s Needle after exploring Nelson's Column.
Download to your smartphone and explore at your own pace!
What's Included
Meeting and pickup
This tour starts at Westminster Pier. Before arrival, please install the mobile app and use the code provided on your confirmation ticket. Detailed starting point instructions are available after downloading.
This self-guided audio ends in front of Cleopatra's Needle.
Itinerary
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Houses of Parliament (Pass by)
On this audio tour, you'll learn about how the traditional members' smoking ban still requires the doorkeeper to provide MPs with free, finely ground snortable snuff tobacco from a box made of salvaged door-frame wood.
Admission ticket free -
Westminster Abbey (Pass by)
On this walking tour, you'll hear about how the Abbey's staff once jealously commissioned a waxwork of Lord Nelson to lure paying tourists back from his actual burial site at St. Paul's Cathedral—though they accidentally gave the statue an injury on the wrong eye.
Admission ticket free -
The Cenotaph (Pass by)
On this GPS-guided tour, you'll find out how this war memorial relies on an ancient Greek optical illusion called "entasis," where the stone blocks secretly taper toward the top to prevent the human eye from mistakenly perceiving the monument as concave.
Admission ticket free -
10 Downing Street (Pass by)
On this immersive smartphone tour, you'll discover how every single Prime Minister since 1997 has actually chosen to swap homes and live next door at number 11 because its bedrooms are much nicer.
Admission ticket free -
Women of World War II Memorial (Pass by)
On this self-guided audio tour, you'll learn about a unique monument representing wartime women that was partially funded by a former Speaker of the House of Commons who won donation money on Who Wants to be a Millionaire.
Admission ticket free -
Nelson's Column (Pass by)
On this historical walking tour, you'll be treated to the story of how fourteen construction workers celebrated the monument's completion in 1843 by using a pulley system to eat an exclusive steak-and-champagne dinner at the very top of the statue.
Admission ticket free -
St Martin-in-the-Fields (Pass by)
On this audio journey, you'll explore a historic church that was expanded by Henry VIII simply because he was irritated by the view of plague victims being carried past his palace windows.
Admission ticket free -
Charing Cross Underground Station (Pass by)
On this GPS-guided walk, you'll tune into the story of the station yard's pointed monument to Eleanor of Castile, whose 13th-century organs were famously divided up and buried in three separate tombs across England to preserve her remains.
Admission ticket free -
Victoria Embankment Gardens (Pass by)
On this smartphone walking tour, you'll find out how this lush park sits right over a massive Victorian sewage network and boasts a tree canopy dense enough to be officially classified as a forest by UN standards.
Admission ticket free -
Cleopatra's Needle (Pass by)
On this final tour stop, you'll hear about how the flanking Victorian sphinxes by this 3,500-year-old obelisk were accidentally installed backward, facing toward the monument instead of away to protect it.
Admission ticket free
Additional info
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Tags
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Cancellation Policy
- 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.
- Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
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