Charles Dickens Private Walking Tour

5.0 (23 reviews) 3 hours Free cancellation Private tour

out of 5

23 reviews

5.0

Charles Dickens Private Walking Tour — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

Follow in the footsteps of Charles Dickens himself — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

About this activity

This walking tour will take us to places that both inspired Charles Dickens the writer but also those real locations that shaped Dickens the man. All writers take inspiration from the people they meet and places they visit, and Charles Dickens was no different. His novels are so successful because he so enjoyed wandering the streets of London and picking up the rich details of everyday life.

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At a glance

Duration: 3 hours
Confirmation: Instant confirmation
Ticket: Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Group: Your group only
People per booking: 1–15
Guide: English
Operated by: Ye Olde England Tours

Ages: Children (5–14 years) · Adults (15–99 years)

What is included

Included

Included: Local guide
Included: Private tour
Included: Professional guide
Included: Hotel pickup

Not included

Not included: London Underground Tube ticket
Not included: Entrance to Charles Dickens House Museum

Itinerary

St George the Martyr

20 min Admission included

See locations relating to Little Dorrit and visit where Dickens family were imprisoned.
Stop 2

10 min

The site of the old debtors prison that so influenced the young Charles Dickens.
Red Cross Cottages & Garden

10 min

These beautiful and largely unvisited gardens were created by a contemporary pf Charles Dickens and in her own way equally famous social reformer in what was one of the worst streets in London and close to where Dickens lived as a boy.
London Bridge

5 min Admission included

Stand on Nancys Steps where poor Nancy met her end
Borough Market

25 min Admission included

Visit sites of poverty that inspired Dickens to write. See the places where the pick-pockets operated in Oliver Twist and much more
Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

15 min Admission not included

We will pass by this famous theatre and learn about the history and locations nearby.
Old Bailey

5 min Admission not included

The oldest court in the western world in effect is next to the notorious old Newgate Prison and site of public executions to Victorians in fact and fiction.
Winchester Palace

15 min Admission included

Learn about Winchester Geese and the lives of the poor and forgotten as we follow in the footsteps of how Dickens would walk to work.
St. Paul's Cathedral

5 min Admission not included

Find out about an inadvertent impact St Pauls had on the life of Charles Dickens
Temple Church

15 min

As well as seeing the outside of this very famous church we will visit the legal districts where characters such as Pip would feature. Please note sometimes at weekends, access to this area is closed to the public.
Stop 11

15 min

Visit the outside of the actual Old Curiousity Shop, perhaps the oldest shop in London and right next to what was then a place of terrible poverty.
Fleet Street

10 min

The most famous newspaper street in the world which amongst other things not only played an important role in the life of Charles Dickens but the alleys and taverns also feature in his literature.
Lincoln's Inn Fields

20 min Admission included

This area is full of Dickensian history especially relating to Bleak House and is also the home to the biographer of Charles Dickens
Stop 14

Passing by

See some of the pubs that Dickens himself drank in and where characters visited in the novels.
Dr. Johnson's House

5 min Admission not included

We visit other literary places along the way, including the outside of the home of the man who wrote the Dictionary.
High Holborn

10 min Admission included

Visit the alleyway where poor Krook spontaneously combusted infront of his shop.
Bloomsbury

20 min Admission included

Pass through parts of Bloomsbury and see where Charles Dickens lived after he had become successful and enjoy the sumptuous streets of this literary hotspot.
Charles Dickens Museum

one hour Admission not included

We finish the tour at the front door of the Charles Dickens Museum, his perfectly preserved house which you'll no doubt want to explore and perhaps have a well deserved cup of tea in the delightful restaurant at the back.

Meeting point and pickup

You can be picked up from your accommodation or go straight to the meeting point.

Meeting point

Just outside the entrance next to the newspaper vendor

End point

Please note the museum is currently not open on Monday and Tuesday though the tour ends at the front door. Your guide will happily find you a pub, cafe or nearby tube station if needed!

Pickup points

Zedwell Piccadilly Circus
The Hoxton, Holborn
The Langham, London
Cherry Court Hotel
Astons Apartments
Avonmore Hotel
Claridge's
Clifton Lodge Apartments
ME London
LSE Rosebery Hall Residence
Howard Winchester Hotel
Hilton London Hyde Park

and 627 more pickup points

We can meet you at your Central London Hotel (not just those listed above), otherwise just outside Borough High Street Tube Station where the tour commences.

Using your ticket

Comfortable walking shoes are recommended
Dress code is smart casual

Cancellation

Free cancellation

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

If you cancel	You get back
At least one day before	100%
Less than a day before	0%

Good to know

Wheelchair accessible
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
We have earmarked this tour as especially safe during the Coronavirus outbreak due to generally quiet places that we visit where social distancing is generally not a problem. All of our tours are private so it is just you/your family and your guide. To make it easier and safer for all concerned we would suggest starting this tour a little later than the usual time, perhaps around 10.30-11am which allows us all to miss rush-hour. We are happy to still come to your hotel to meet you but for the moment we would suggest meeting us at the tour starting point. This allows you to arrive by a taxi or uber rather than public transport. Please feel free to wear masks throughout or at times during the tour. Your guide will also have a mask with them.

Options

5 hour Dickens Extravaganza!

Duration: 5 hours: This tour includes everything in the basic tour but visits numerous extra locations and goes through the old City of London.

Pickup included
A Christmas Carol

2 hour walk + Dickens drinks!: More bang for your bucks. A condensed Charles Dickens Walk with drinks in a famous pub he stayed & wrote in.

Pickup included
Charles Dickens Private Walking Tour

Pickup included