London with a Local was created in 2018 out of a desire to bring something different to those visiting (or living in) this wonderful, hectic, ever-changing City. We wanted to provide the best quality tours at a price that works for everyone. London is expensive – believe us, we know. Our aim was to provide at least one part of your time here where you feel like you are truly getting your money's worth. London With A Local is made up of a mix of born and bred Londoners, who can give you a picture of how it feels to grow up in the midst of the chaos, and those who decided to become Londoners after visiting as a tourist and falling in love. They combine a knowledge of the secrets that have been passed down through generations, with the hunger and excitement that comes with embracing a new place as your home. Our tours, of course, visit the iconic architectural structures that London the most recognisable city on Earth, but also allow a peak behind the curtain, away from the glitz and glamour of the West End, to give you the opportunity to see the “real” London, far from the tourist trap souvenir shops, to where the true treats and treasures, so often hidden away from tourists, reside. In short, we want everyone who gets the opportunity to join us on a tour, to feel like they are getting to know the essence of this great city. As well as experience in guiding and a knowledge of the history and politics of Britain, our expert guides all come from a performance background. We are actors. We are musicians. We are comedians. We are dancers and directors. Above all, we are storytellers and our aim is not just to reel off a load of dates that will be forgotten in a split second, but to paint you a picture of the people and events that built the foundations that we tread upon.
Few characters in literature are as intrinsically linked to a city as Sherlock Holmes is to London. Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories and the many TV and film adaptations are love letters to this city, the foggy back alleys and low-lives of London as important and distinctive as Holmes himself, so grab your deer stalker hat and join the Free Sherlock Holmes and the Art of Deduction Tour to explore many locations visited by the famous detective!
Stop at famous hotels, gentlemen’s clubs, and even London’s only Sherlock Holmes Pub. The tour will be a treat for any Holmes fan, as you’ll visit places mentioned in the original stories;
Don’t worry if you haven’t read the books as you will see places frequented by Benedict Cumberbatch, Robert Downie Jr, Christopher Plummer and Jeremy Brett in their screen appearances as the great sleuth.
On the Free Sherlock Holmes & the Art of Deduction Tour, you will delve a little into Conan Doyle’s life, including his friendship with Oscar Wilde and his belief in the paranormal,
among many more surprises that will leave you amazed to the core!
The tour finishes at The Lyceum Theatre.
Please note, groups larger than 6 and any educational groups will need to get in touch to arrange a private tour, as they will not be able to join the public tour
We begin in the centre of Piccadilly Circus, next to the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain, just near the underground station. The station is on the Bakerloo and Piccadilly line, and around a 5-10 minute walk from Leicester Square and Oxford Street. Your guide will be holding a red umbrella, so you can find them.
Free tours do not have a set price, instead, each person gives the guru at the end of the tour the amount that he or she considers appropriate (these usually range from €10 to $50 depending on satisfaction with the tour).