Happy Birthday to Her Majesty – In April or June?

April 22, 2013 London Magical Tours

You may not have even picked it up in the news but Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s birthday was in fact yesterday April the 21st!

Elizabeth Alexandra Mary was born on the 21st of April 1926. Known simply as ‘Her Majesty’ to you and I, the Queen is fortunate to be able to celebrate her birthday twice a year; on the 21st of April and on a Saturday in June when she celebrates her coronation ceremony in her annual birthday parade, officially known as ‘The Trooping of the Colour’.

The ceremony occurs on a sunnier Saturday in June, where the Queen is joined by members of the Royal Family, invited guests as well as members of the public. The parade is carried out by foot guards and the calvary on Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall, which is located close to Buckingham Palace here in London.

Next time you’re visiting London as part of our London Tours, make sure to see Horse Guards Parade, it is one of the largest open spaces in central London. Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, this famous birthday venue of the monarch was also used as a one off venue during the 2012 London Olympic games – for the beach volleyball!

View Footage from Queen’s Birthday Ceremony ‘The Trooping of the Colour’ below:

Theatre in London: The West End

April 8, 2013 London Magical Tours

London's West End

The West End is a flexible term used by Londoners to describe the entertainment district in central London, notably the streets surrounding Leicester Square, Covent Garden and the shopping districts of Regent Street, Oxford Street and Bond Street, along with the bright lights of Piccadilly Circus.

Widely covered on a Private London Tour, The West End is however much more than just shopping and restaurants. It is also used to mean the capital’s theatreland!

Showing live shows every day of the week, London boasts the biggest commercial theatre scene in the world – over 14 million visitors last year spent just under $1 billon in ticket sales.

The longest running play in the world is Agatha Christie’s Continue reading

London’s Music Scene: Where to Shop and Where to Catch a Show!

March 27, 2013 London Magical Tours

For the avid music lover visiting London, Denmark Street is where you can find an array of music stores filled with vintage and modern gear. Denmark street is also home to various music venues and clubs such as the 12 bar club which hosts live music on a nightly basis.

Back in the 1950’s and 1960’s artists such as The Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix would set up shop here and produce their first recordings at Denmark Street’s Regent Sounds Studios. Elton John wrote his first released song ‘Your Song’ here.

Outside of Denmark Street popular haunts include Camden Town in North London, where you can find music venues such as Dingwalls and bars always filled with live music such as Camden’s Blues Kitchen.

St. John’ Wood has been a hotspot for tourists since The Beatles first recorded their Abbey Road LP at the infamous recording studio there and took what is now one of the most iconic album covers of all time, outside on the crossing of Abbey Road. You can visit Abbey Road and many more famous London music landmarks on London Magical Tours’ Private London Tours. The studios and much of the recording gear are still in use today for recording and mastering purposes for the budding musician in us.

London Airport Guide – Luggage on Layovers

March 1, 2013May 15, 2015 London Magical Tours

Tour Visitors with Luggage

Passengers with layovers in London will normally have their luggage sent to their final destination from their original airport of departure. This will however depend on whether your flights into and out of London are from the same airport:

London Layovers: Arriving and Departing from the SAME Airport

Passengers on layover tours arriving and departing from the same London airport will normally have their luggage sent to their final destination from their airport of origin. Passengers are welcome to bring their carry on hand luggage on board the tour.

For example:

A layover in London in between flights from Dallas Fortworth, Texas, USA to Johannesburg, South Africa connecting at London Heathrow. Luggage will be sent directly from Dallas to Johannesburg.

Heathrow Airport Guide – Terminal Information

February 27, 2013February 27, 2013 London Magical Tours

Heathrow Airport Information Guide

London Heathrow Airport (LHR) is the main airport for London, the capital of England and the United Kingdom.

Situated west of the city and covering just under 5 square miles in size, Heathrow is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and handles more international passengers than any other airport in the world.

Apart from being the home hub of British Airways, over 90 airlines fly from Heathrow to over 180 locations across the globe, carrying approx. 70 million passengers each year.

Heathrow has five terminals, numbered 1 through to 5:

How To Check Your Terminal:

When booking a tour from Heathrow Airport, it is important to know which terminal your flights will arrive and depart from. This information should normally be provided by your airline, either on your flight ticket or on their website. If you are unsure, please check with your airline directly. Terminal information is not the same as gate information, gate information will not normally be released until the last moment before a flight.