Rome Toolkit 
Paris Toolkit Private tours in London or tours from London
Design your own day tour, go where you want, stay as long as you want. Cars to large touring coaches
Private, personalised high quality tours from a car tour to a full size touring coach
At the London Toolkit we are very close to a lot of private tour providers, from one man bands specialising in a niche subject to the large day tour operators featured elsewhere on this website, aimed at the generalist tourist.
We do not directly provide a custom tour, our role is to listen to your needs, discuss a realistic itinerary and then put you in touch with an appropriate provider for your need.
For a first hand account of our experience visiting an in-depth private Cotswolds tour please see our blog: Experiencing a private Cotswold tour.
Typical tour requests About private tours Map of popular tourist sights England Typical itineraries Driver/guide options Private car prices Full size coaches Enquiry form
Typical private tours and tour transfers
The most common types of private tours and tour transfers we are called upon to assist with are:
- Customised day tours for couples and small groups in and around London
- Transfer tours to and from London's cruise ports
- Transport with or without guide to places not otherwise available on a tour like Stonehenge Special Access and Highclere Castle
- Day tours and transfer tours for large groups
- Sightseeing tours between long stopovers between flights or between airports
- Multi-day tours of the United Kingdom
LONDON IN A DAY PRIVATE COACH TOUR
See London in luxury with a private tour and driver/guide
• 8.5-hr panoramic tour • Watch the Changing of the Guard Ceremony • Live commentary throughout your journey in a private luxury vehicle • Professionally guided by an expert guide
Where can I go, what are the options of a private tour?
The whole point of a private tour is that you choose what you want to see, when you want to go and the pace at which the tour is performed and the quality of guiding (if any) that your party requires. The framework within which private tours operate are:
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You can go wherever you want, the schematic below shows the most popular destinations on a day tour from London and approximate travel times. But you can go other places not marked on this map.
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A typical day tour last 9-10 hours. Most people get picked up at their accommodation between 8 and 9am and return to London around 5-6pm. But if you want earlier or later times that's fine too.
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You can choose for your tour to be guided or you can save some money and just charter the vehicle with a driver to drive your itinerary. For up to the 16 seat vehicles driver/guides are available, the same driver guides that perform our popular public small group tours from London. For larger groups you will need a dedicated guide if guiding is required. If you have a niche interest we can normally arrange a guide that specialises in that area.
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Prices are fully inclusive of taxes and include all fees for the vehicle, driver and guide. We can also arrange tickets to attractions and sort out lunch locations if required which are quoted for separately.
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If you require it we will assist you in the planning of your tour so it fully meets your needs and expectations, if you don't need any help just tell us what you require.
Most private customers also ask us to recommend a memorable place for lunch too.
Some popular day tour itineraries from London
Below are links to pages detailing popular day tour itineraries you might want to use as a template or as a starting point when you discuss with us your requirements.
If you know exactly where you want to go, then of course just tell us. Just enter your requirement on our our private tour request form.
Driver & guiding options
Everybody's requirements are different. You may just need a professional driver to transport your group to where you want to go or you may need a level of guiding and commentary.
We can also a wide range of vehicles from a comfortable car to a full size touring coach.
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Driver only - If you prefer an experienced driver who is familiar with our touring routes but does not offer tour guiding, please select “Driver only” as your tariff.
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Driver/guide - If you would like an experienced driver who can also guide from the vehicle, please select “Driver/Guide” as your tariff.
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Driver with additional guide - For larger groups a separate guide may be appropriate. Particularly at some of the large cities and towns where parking is a problem in the centre.
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Touring coaches for large groups - Full size coaches that can accommodate the largest groups in comfort are also available with guides. By their nature these tours are very different from each other so just outline your requirements on the enquiry form at the bottom of the page to start a dialogue.
Length of time for a private day tour
A day tour is a tour of around 9-10 hours at a time of your choosing. Drivers have very strict legal limits on the time they are allowed to drive each day and there are rules also on the frequency of driver breaks too. These are not normally an issue, but if they are the matter will be raised at the quotation stage.
Prices includes all fees except for food/drink and admissions to attractions which can be quoted for separately.
PRIVATE CAR DAY TOUR PRICES
(Rates do not include attraction admissions or food)
| 1-3 passengers + 8x luggage | |
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Driver only from £699 Driver / guide from £899 Driver & guide from £999 |
| 1-6 passengers + 8x luggage | |
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Driver only from £799 Driver / guide from £999 Driver & guide from £1099 |
| 7-16 passengers + 16x luggage | |
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Driver onlyfrom £999 Driver / guide from £1199 Driver & guide from £1299 |
| Up to 53 passengers + 65x luggage | |
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Driver only from £1199 Driver & guide from £1499 |
Full size touring coaches for large groups
If you have a large group then that is not a problem either.
The largest coaches are 50-72 seat coaches but we also have access to vehicles half that size.
With large groups on cruise tour transfers the capacity issue is not normally passenger numbers but luggage.
UK coaches are built to European traveller requirements, where one large case is perfectly adequate. A typical 50 seat coach will be able to accommodate around 60 large cases in the luggage hold.
For a group travelling with North American flight allowances a 50 seat coach will typically only be able to accommodate the luggage of 35 such passengers maximum.
With large groups just as small groups, multi- drop and pick-ups from hotels is routine and if required we can arrange a guide.
Tour planning & formal quotations
Some people have a tight specification of exactly what they want, others just have a broad idea of what they like and want to see and let us plan something that meets that need. We are comfortable with either type of request.
Tours are customised for each individual group. Go where you want to go at a pace you decide. Use the form below to outline your requirements and start a dialogue.
Prices includes all fees except for food/drink and admissions to attractions which can be quoted for separately.
