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Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a selection of frequently asked questions. If your question is not answered in this section please do not hesitate to e-mail us and a member of our customer service team will be glad to help you with your query.
Private Tours
General Questions
Private Tours
What is a private tour?
A private tour is the most exclusive way to discover London and its nearby cities. You and your party are provided with your own London Magical Tours team of a London Guide as well as your own chauffeur with a private vehicle- the perfect combination.
Your chauffeur driven vehicle will make frequent stops for you to go and sightsee with your personal London Guide. No parking problems, just an excellent service. London Magical Tours is the only company to offer the facility of both a guide and a chauffeur on its private tours (read more about this below). We also offer driver-guided tours where required.
The tour is purely for your party, offering the personal attention required to truly discover one of the world's leading cities. Get the answers to the questions you're burning to ask from real Londoners, discover all the main sights in detail and learn all about London's fascinating stories. What's more, private tours can offer much better value than group coach tours: the larger your party the bigger the savings!
What time do the tours start?
Private tour slots are available every 30 minutes, with the first tour commencing at 9:00am. Tours take place every day throughout the year. Tours are also available outside working hours if required (eg midnight layover tours for late flight arrivals). Quotations for tours outside working hours are available on request.
Where can I be collected from?
Private tours include complementary collection and return to any hotel in the orange zone below within zone 1 in central London. Tours can also commence from Victoria Station which is easily accessible from all of London and England. Our layover tours are available with collection and return to Heathrow Airport, Gatwick Airport or St Pancras Station for the Eurostar trains to Paris and Europe.
What are the differences between the 3 hr and 7 hr London tours?
The 3 hr London Day Tour is a very popular option as it is the perfect way to discover historical Royal London with an expert Londoner. The tour covers all the main sights with the exception of those in the Financial District. Stops are made throughout by the chauffeur for you to go out to sightsee with your own London guide.
The 7 hr Magical London Tour is the complete tour of London, covering not just historical Royal London but also the sights of modern London today. It includes additional areas in the Financial District and allows for your guide to go into greater detail. In addition, there is open the possibility to visit the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London or take a fast track ride on the London Eye during the course of the tour. There is also a one hour break for lunch and/or shopping: a complete day experience.
Will we get out of the vehicle to sightsee and take photos or is it a drive-by?
Our private tours offer flexibility where possible; all our guides and chauffeurs are accustomed to make plenty of stops throughout for you and your party to go out to sightsee with your own private guide while the chauffeur waits for your party.
Private tours do not just drive by the sights; our guides are happy to escort you through the streets of London, providing you with anecdotes about the fascinating history of the famous sights, with plenty of opportunities to take photographs and enjoy a memorable personal experience. Equally we understand that some clients may prefer to do more sightseeing while in the vehicle and our guides are happy to accommodate such requests. We particularly welcome any clients with walking or other disabilites.
Are lunch/entrance fees included?
Lunch is not included in the price of the tours. Tours with a duration of 5 hours or more include a lunch break in the centre of town. Over the years we have found that some clients prefer to visit a restaurant or pub for a good meal (your guide will be happy to suggest places to eat) while others prefer to have lunch "on the go" and spend the time doing some shopping. In this way the lunch break is spent at your leisure, providing time for you to recharge your batteries before continuing with the tour.
Entrance fees are included on certain tours and this is always clearly stated in the page of each specific tour.
Will we be allocated a private guide and a chauffeur or a driver-guide?
Our private tours are especially known for providing your party with your own London Magical Tours team of a private guide and an additional chauffeur. This is a London Magical Tours exclusive; we are the only company to offer such a service.
The great advantage of having a driver as well as a guide becomes clear in a city like London, where parking can be difficult to find. Your chauffeur driven vehicle can leave you right next to the famous sights so that you waste no time in going with your guide to sightsee before meeting up with your chauffeur to move on to the next location. Make the most of your day- no parking problems, simply a first class personal service.
We do also have an experienced team of Blue Badge Driver-Guides available to lead our tours. If you would prefer a Driver-Guided tour please let us know.
What vehicles do you use?
Standard Fleet
Our standard fleet on private tours consist of large and modern Toyota Previa, Ford Galaxy and Volkswagon Sharan models.
Luxury Fleet
We also have a range of luxury vehicles available on our private tours, including Mercedes C and E Class models for 1-3 passengers and Mercedes V Class Mini-buses for larger parties. If you require a vehicle from our luxury fleet please state this in your enquiry request so that we may send you a quotation.
Do you offer tours in other languages?
We have a team of dedicated multilingual guides offering tours in Spanish, French, Italian, Polish, German, Japanese, Chinese and Russian. As these are limited in number it is recommended that tours be booked as far in advance as possible. There is a small surcharge for foreign language tours and quotations are available on request.
General Questions
Are there any hidden fees?
Prices are correct at the time of going to publishing. There are no hidden fees.
How can I make a booking?
Bookings can be made either online or by telephone. Internet prices include a 5% discount off regular tour prices. Internet bookings can be made 24 hrs a day via our website but we do request that clents please check availability before making a booking online either via e-mail or by telephone. Tours are limited in number and that we operate on a first come, first served basis. Early booking, especially around holiday periods, is recommended to avoid disappointment.
Can I make a change to a confirmed booking?
Changes to a booking can be made with up to a minimum of 48 hours notice in advance of a tour. A change to a confirmed booking is subject to a 30 GBP administrative fee plus any increase in the fare at the time of the change and subject to availability. If the change to a booking is in reference to an amendment in the number of passengers, this will be permitted where there is an increase in the size of the party, subject to availability and the difference in the fare being paid. Where the number of passengers is reduced, the change will be permitted and no difference will be due on the original fare paid.
Lunch Bag Requests
London Magical Tours offers a wide range of lunch offerings on its tours. Although available on all tours, these are highly recommended on large group tours or layover tours where time is limited. Lunch bags are available from £6pp depending upon group size and include a large handmade sandwich, a fresh fruit salad, a bottle of orange juice and a soft drink/mineral water.
Tips
Tips are left to the discretion of the customer and are a nice way to show your gratitude to your guide team after a tour.
What is your cancellation policy?
Private Tours
If you need to cancel a tour please contact us as soon as possible. Refunds on private tours will be given when cancellation notice is received by us with more than 14 days prior to the tour departure date. We regret that due to the exclusive nature of private tours we are unable to give refunds with less than 14 days cancellation notice.
Refunds issued when there are more than 14 days cancellation notice are subject to a 10% surcharge of the total tour cost due to administrative charges already incurred by London Magical Tours.
Private Group Tours
Due to their exclusive nature, private group tours (tours with six or more passengers) are non refundable once booked.
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