Frequently
Asked Questions
What
time and where do your tours start?
Will
we get out of the car/minibus to go inside places of
historic importance, take photos
etc...?
Can
I tour on Sundays or is everything
closed?
How
much will I see in a 3 hour London tour compared to a 7 hour
London tour?
Lunch
and entrance fees?
Can
I extend my tour?
Can
you book hotels for me?
Can
I share a tour with another group?
How
much do foreign language guides cost?
Can
I customise my tour?
How
do I book a tour?
How
much notice is needed for a tour?
What
is the cancellation policy?
What
vehicles do you provide?
Wheelchair
access?
Other
European cities?
Is
the guide's gratuity included?
What
time and where do your tours start?
The start-time is up to you and all of our tours include
collection and return to your central London Hotel or other
central London location. In the case of collections from
train stations in central London e.g Victoria and Waterloo a
surcharge of £15 usually applies to cover your guide's
additional waiting and parking. We recommend an early start
for a full day tour of 7 hours or more.
If you need to be collected from outside central London a
surcharge is made. For tours starting from Heathrow Airport,
Gatwick Airport, Stansted Airport or Southampton Port please
see our airport
transfers
page. Please contact
us for
collections from other locations.
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Will we get out of the car to see
places of historic importance, take photos etc...?
Yes! Your tour guide will guide you inside places of
historic importance as well as show you the city
panoramically.
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Can I tour on Sundays or is
everything closed?
All the main sights in London are open on Sunday and the
'City', London's financial centre, has the advantage of
being less busy than on a weekday.
Due to services on Sundays however, guiding inside St Paul's
Cathedral and Westminster Abbey will either be very limited
or not possible. If you wish to visit London's Cathedrals
and Abbeys and have a choice between touring on a Sunday and
a weekday, a weekday would be better.
For touring outside London, almost all of the historic
sights we cover on day tours from London are open on
Sundays.
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How much will I see in a 3 hour London
tour compared to a 7 hour London tour?
A 3 hour tour is mainly panoramic seeing London's most
important sights from the outside or one sight in depth. On
a full day tour of London you will see much of the 'West
End' of London as well as the 'City', the original site of
London. There is also time on a full day tour to go inside
places of historic importance with your guide such as St
Paul's Cathedral, the Tower of London and Westminster
Abbey.
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Lunch and entrance fees?
Lunch and entrance fees are not included on our tours. We do
not include them because our tours are flexible - not everyone wants to visit the
same attractions, or eat in the same pub or restaurant.
An indication of admission fees - standard adult rates (concessions apply for children/students/elderly and families)
Westminster Abbey: £12
The Tower of London: £16.50
St Paul's Cathedral: £11
London Eye: £15.50
 If you're planning to visit a number of attractions, one of the two following sightseeing passes can be a very good idea. ♦ The London Pass covers around 50 sights such as the Tower of London, St Paul's Cathedral, the Cabinet War Rooms, Hampton Court Palace and Windsor Castle. You can also add London Bus and Tube travel. A 10% discount is available on the London Pass via our page at britishtours.com/pass ♦ The Great British Heritage Pass is ideal for extended touring in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland; it covers around 600 historic sights from Blenheim Palace, Anne Hathaway's Cottage to Stonehenge - almost every major sight you can think of - and we think it is excellent value for money. See britishtours.com/pass
Lunch is usually in a good pub or restaurant that our guide
will recommend depending on your location at lunchtime.
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Can I extend my tour?
Yes, subject to availability (in high season, please let us know if you might extend). Simply tell your guide. The hourly extension rates
are:
Up to 2 people: £40
Up to 4 people: £45
Up to 7 people: £50
Up to 11 people: £95
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Can you book hotels for me?
Yes, if booked in conjunction with one of our
overnight
tours. For overnight tours we typically recommend historic inns and 4 or 5 star Country House Hotels rather than hotel chains.
Please advise us of your preference, the type and number of
rooms you need and your budget.You can also book any hotels directly listed at britishtours.com/hotels
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Can I share a tour with another
group?
No; our tours are offered per individual private group.
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How much do Language Guides
Cost?
There is an additional charge of £30 per half day and
£60 per full day for a German, French, Italian or
Spanish speaking guide. All other languages including
Russian, Japanese and Chinese have a surcharge of £150
up to 4 hours, £225 for 5 to 9 hours and £40 extra per hour thereafter (2009 rates).
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Can I customise my tour?
Yes. Your guide will design your tour around your
specific interests and preferred pace.
Day Tours:
http://www.britishtours.com/day-tours/intro.html
If none of our day
tours suit your interests we can customise one to suit your
preferences. Please Note: If you want to see many places
outside London it is sometimes more cost and time effective
to combine these places as an overnight tour.
Overnight Tours:
http://www.britishtours.com/tours-britain/summary.html
The above page is a
brief summary of our overnight tours. It is useful for
finding an itinerary that either suits you completely or
roughly suits you. We can then fine-tune it to suit your
needs and hotel preferences.
Should you require a detailed customised itinerary, an
agreed deposit may be charged which will be deducted from
the final cost of the tour.
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How to Book?
Please telephone us on + 44 (0) 207 038 0688 or 1.866.464.3010
toll free (USA and Canada) to request a booking form.
Alternatively, you can download a form (PDF)
here.
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How much notice is needed for a
tour?
It is advisable to give us a few days notice especially for
a series of day tours, overnight tours, special interest
tours, large groups, foreign languages and tours during the
height of the season.
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What is your cancellation
policy?
The cost of all tours become payable at the time of
confirmation of booking. British Tours Ltd. requires credit
card details and a signed authorisation from the cardholder,
on the company's standard letterhead if a company credit
card, permitting British Tours Ltd. to charge to the card
the specified costs of the confirmed arrangements.
For day tours where services are provided entirely by
British Tours Ltd. not less than 48 hours before the
scheduled departure of the tour shall qualify for
reimbursement of the entire amount (100%) charged at the
time of booking. For cancellations received by British Tours
Ltd. less than 48 hours but not less than 24 hours before
the scheduled departure of the tour one half (50%) of the
amount charged at the time of booking will be refunded. For
cancellations received with less than 24 hours notice no
money is refundable.
With the exception of non-refundable tours (below), for
tours which include the services of sub-contractors e.g.
trains, hotels, minibuses, foreign language services,
theatres and the like, cancellations received by British
Tours Ltd. shall, for that part of the cost that is
represented by the services of such sub-contractors, be
subject to their cancellation policies and hence the amount
of any payments that British Tours Ltd. is obliged to make
to a sub-contractor as a result of such cancellation is not
refundable. You are strongly advised to enquire for details
of any relevant sub-contractor's cancellation policy at the
time of booking.
Non-refundable tours
100% cancellation fees apply to Tours including Eurostar and
Normandy Tours by Private Plane.
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What vehicles do you provide?
All our saloon cars and people carriers are modern
comfortable and air-conditioned. For groups over 7
passengers we provide chauffeur driven and air-conditioned
Mercedes minibuses and executive coaches. You can choose
from 3 categories
Medium: 1 - 2 passengers, e.g. Honda Civic
Large: 1 - 4 passengers, e.g. Saab, Alfa Romeo
People Carrier: 1 - 7 passengers, e.g. Volkswagen Sharan, Toyota Previa
Deluxe vehicles: 1-7 passengers, Jaguar XJ6, BMW 3 series, Mercedes E Class, Mercedes V Class.
Minibuses: 1-15 passengers Mercedes Minibuses
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Wheelchairs
We have taken many clients on tour who use wheelchairs.
Please see suggested tours for wheelchair
users
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Other European Cities
In addition to the UK, we can provide private tours in
Paris
and in Rome
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Is the guide's gratuity
included?
No. Gratuities are at your discretion. If you are happy
with your guide, a gratuity - usually in the region of 10%
to 15% of the cost of the touring rate - is much
appreciated.
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