We think London is the best city in the world. You probably agree with us. But what you may not know is that, as a consequence of its unique history, London actually comprises TWO cities. And we can’t wait to enthral you with tales of these two cities: the City of London and the City of Westminster.

The City of London, also known as the Square Mile, is the business and financial centre of London. Its history goes back two thousand years to the time of the Romans, and remains of its medieval past can still be seen alongside ultra-modern architecture. World-famous landmarks of the City of London include St Paul’s Cathedral, the Bank of England and the Gherkin.

The City of Westminster, just to the west of the City of London and covering an area about eight times as large, is the royal, political and cultural heart of London. Westminster Abbey was founded a thousand years ago and royal coronations have taken place there ever since. Other world-famous landmarks of the City of Westminster include Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament and Trafalgar Square.

Highlights tours

As fully trained and qualified City of London Guides and City of Westminster Guides, we can offer you a wide range of tours showcasing the highlights of these endlessly fascinating areas at the heart of London. We love to create tours designed specifically for our clients, so whether you want to visit the royal palaces and parks, or the shops and entertainment venues of Covent Garden and Soho, or the churches of Sir Christopher Wren – or whatever you want to see and hear about – we can devise a walking tour that will suit your passions.

Special interest

Maybe you have lived in London for some time and already know your way around; perhaps you are eager to gain some more in-depth knowledge of the heritage of this extraordinary city and the men and women who made it what it is. If so, then you have come to the right place because we have specialist knowledge that goes beyond the standard training for Guide-Lecturers.

Art and architecture. Did you know that the famous Summer Exhibitions of the Royal Academy of Arts originated at Somerset House, which was actually the first purpose-built government office block? Would you be interested to learn more about how the National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery – both the collections and the buildings – came to be as they are today? Would you like to be shown the most magnificent examples of Georgian architecture still standing in London and learn about the architects who designed them? For more information see Caroline’s page.

History of medicine. London’s cityscape has a fascinating story to tell about the way people have understood and treated illness for the past two thousand years. The nine-hundred-year history of St Bartholomew’s Hospital includes a grisly link with a nearby pub; and St Mary’s Hospital, famous as the site of the discovery of penicillin, is also where heroin was first developed – to be marketed as a cough suppressant. The history of medicine opens the door to a wide array of related areas – scientific endeavour, religious understanding and social history – as well as compelling human stories. For more information see Barbara’s page.

History of ideas. Over the centuries, Londoners have been at the forefront of developments in human knowledge and have broadened the horizons of many different disciplines. We will introduce to you some of the men and women who have lived in London and made major contributions to the way we understand the world and think about ourselves. You will meet engineers and explorers, scientists and social reformers, philosophers politicians and priests. You will see where these ground-breaking visionaries lived and worked, hear their stories and find out how they changed London and the rest of the world. For more information see Barbara’s page and Caroline’s page.

Scheduled walks

In addition to our bespoke walks we occasionally lead scheduled walks. To find out whether there are currently any in the diary, please see the Scheduled Walks page.

Additional offers

We are sure that you will be delighted with our tales of two cities – the sights and stories of the City of London and the City of Westminster. But if you are keen to go further afield, we have an extensive network of qualified associates who can guide you around Clerkenwell and Islington (the home of spas and socialism), the East End (the home of vibrant immigrant communities) and Greenwich (the home of time itself). We can arrange Black Cab tours of London and coach tours of the south-east of England. We also have associates who specialise in literary London and the financial City, as well as associates who can lead guided walks in the Cities of London and Westminster in French, German, Spanish and Italian. For more information see the Guides page.

The fine print

We offer a bespoke service, creating specially-tailored tours to meet the needs of our clients, so costs vary according to the location and number of people involved. Our prices are very competitive. As a rule, a typical guided walk from our portfolio lasts around one-and-a-half to two hours. We are of course happy to discuss the possibilities with you and give you a quote for the walk or tour you have in mind. Please contact us on caroline.dunmore@btinternet.com or barbara@talesof2cities.co.uk

We look forward to meeting you and telling you our tales of two cities!

Caroline and Barbara.