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Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a selection of the most 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
Group 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 are provided with your own London Magical Tours team of a London Guide as well as your own extra chauffeur with private vehicle- the perfect combination. Your chauffeur driven vehicle leaves you next to the famous sights for you to go and sightsee with your personal Guide. No parking problems, just an excellent service. London Magical Tours is the only company to offer both a guide and a chauffeur on its private tours (read more about this below). The tour is purely for your party, offering uniqueness and is simply the best way to 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 details and learn all about our fascinating stories. What's more, private tours offer much better value than group coach tours as prices are per vehicle!
What time do the tours start?
Private tours start every 30 minutes, with the first tour commencing at 9:30am. Tours take place every day throughout the year. Tours are also available outside working hours (eg midnight layover tours). 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 London. Tours can also commence from Victoria Station which is easily accessible from all of London and England. Our layover tours include collection and return to Heathrow/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 introduction to London. It is a panoramic tour covering all the main sights with several stops made to sightsee with your own London guide.
The 7 hr Magical London Tour is the complete tour of London, covering both historical and modern London. It includes the world famous Changing of the Guard Ceremony and allows greater time to visit the sights, including entrances to galleries and institutions as well as a one hour lunch break for lunch and/or shopping to make an unforgettable experience.
Will we get out of the vehicle to sightsee and take photos or is it simply a drive-by?
Our private tours do not just drive by the sights. All our private tours make plenty of stops throughout to go and sightsee with your own private guide. Visits are made inside galleries and institutions, learn about the fascinating history of the famous sights, take photographs and enjoy a memorable personal experience!
Are lunch/entrance fees included?
Lunch is not included in the prices of the tours. Tours with a duration of 5 hours or more will include a lunch break in the centre of town. Over the years we have found that some clients prefer to visit restaurants for a good meal (your guide will be able to suggest suitable 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, time to recharge your batteries and get ready to continue the 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?
All our private tours provide you with your own London Magical Tours team of a private guide and an additional chauffeur. London Magical Tours is the only company to offer such a service. We do not offer driver-guides. The great advantage of having a driver as well as a guide becomes very obvious in a city like London, where parking is very difficult to find. Your chauffeur driven vehicle can leave you right next to the famous sights so that you can go with your guide to sightsee and learn all about our fascinating cities. Make the most of your day- no parking problems, simply a first class personal service.
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.
Group Tours
What is a group tour?
Group tours are open to all members of the public. However they still offer more than a hint of exclusiveness. Groups are kept small on purpose to offer a more personal sightseeing experience and are a great alternative to bus sightseeing tours in London.
When, at what times and where do the tours start?
Group Tours take place on selected dates throughout the spring and summer months. The next open group tour date can be found on the on the Group Sightseeing Tours page. All group tours start from Victoria Station in central London. Victoria Station is one of the most famous in London and is easily accessible from all of London and England.
Will we get out of the vehicle to sightsee and take photos?
Open Group Tours provide you with a running commentary throughout the tour as you go through London's most important sights. It is a panoramic tour of London with many opportunities to take photos as you go along. However given the open nature of the tour, stops are not permitted on this tour for the convinience of all passengers.
Are lunch/entrance fees included?
As a panoramic tour of London, Open Group Tours do not include entrance fees. Complementary soft drinks are offered during the tour.
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 bookings can be made 24 hrs a day via our website but we do request that you please check availability before making a booking online either via e-mail or by telephone. Telephone bookings can be made by calling our London offices on +44 (0) 20 8540 4510. Our office hours are 9am - 5:30pm Monday to Friday and 10am - 2pm on Saturdays. All times are GMT London time. Please be aware that tours are limited in number and that we operate on a first come, first served basis. Early booking is recommended to avoid disappointment.
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 start at £5pp and include a large sandwich, piece of fruit, Cadbury's Chocolate bar and a Soft Drink/Mineral Water.
Tips
Tips are left to the discretion of the customer and are a nice way of showing your gratitude after a tour; there is no minimum or maximum amount. They can be given in the currency of your choice. However please feel free to give what you think is best and remember that what we really want is for you to enjoy your time in London!
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.
Group Tours
Open group tours can be cancelled with up to 24 hours prior to a tour taking place. Open group tours cancelled with less than 24 hours notice are not eligible for refunds.
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