Billy's Black Cab Tour of London

I heard and read amazing things about Billy and his personalized tour of London—he exceeded all expectations! Not only is having your own private black cab with a true Londoner the best way to maximize a tour of London— Billy customizes everything to YOU! It’s not his tour— it’s YOURS! Our group included my husband and I, our 20 yr old son and his two friends. Billy catered to a variety of interests in everything from Roman and WWI history.. to the Great Fire of London.. to Rock history and the Monarchy. We have Pennsylvania roots but now live in Boston— so Billy even took us to the oldest church in the City of London where William Penn was baptized and John Quincy Adams was married. Walking down into the crypt (675AD) at All Hallow’s by the Tower was jaw-dropping. Billy himself is funny, engaging, and effortless as he drives you around and shares his knowledge of London and its history. Nothing feels rehearsed.. he just knows his stuff! And as a veteran journalist myself.. I was so impressed how he quickly engaged with and got to know us and what would create the most tailored experience for our group. This experience is worth every pence! Schedule it early in your visit.. because Billy not only gives you the lay of land, he can offer recommendations for further exploration of London’s most famous landmarks and lesser known gems. He also knows the best dining spots and pubs.. he’s like a 24/7 concierge service for your entire stay. Finally— let Billy take pictures of your day— he’s fantastic with a camera! Billy— Thanks again and Cheers to you.. and look us up when you’re next in Boston! The Shipmans

We had four days in London and one of our party had never been, so we wanted a cab tour the first day to cover all the major sights. I had done this before with a regular black cabby, with a thick accent, and loved seeing things but wanted something more structured. After much research, including history focused, walking, and other cabby tours, I picked Billy. He was the PERFECT combination of it all. Here is why we loved Billy and think EVERYONE should pick him if you want an overview vs a solid day of walk and talk. You will see ALL of the major sights and things you didnt even plan on - like roman wall remains and remains of an ancient roman amphitheater, Fleet street, and as you drive past many places you don't stop at, Billy is pointing out these things and teaching you history - like the Bar locations where the royalty has to ask permission of the mayor to enter, and the monuments to the great fire...the volume of sights was extraordinary. Billy offers you the option to customize your tour to have more or less history information (he is studying at university so knows quite a lot), and more or less stop and walk. With us, we booked a four hour tour and ended up with six hours (my poor brain). He collected us from Hyde Park and tailored the route for that, ending at Shakespeare's Globe theatre area. We had spots where he parked and walked with us, some where he dropped us (like Buckingham palace) and some where he idled and pointed things out, and some where we drove past with his narrations (like the Mall having flags up from coronation, and passing St. James Park, the dragon topped bar in Londinium). We literally saw more than you could want on this tour. Billy is super easy going, very honest, and easy to understand, and just a wonderful guide. Starting our trip with his tour resulted in us tuning our remaining days to revisit areas we had not expected to spend time, like Fleet Street. We found a ton of hidden, interesting things there that we would not otherwise have seen. I would book him again in a heartbeat. We had booked him through Marriot Bonvoy/Viator, but you can book directly with London History Taxi Tours website. FYI - This was a group of four adult family members, not teens, but Tripadvisor doesn't give an option for us to specify that.

Billy is the best!! My family of 5 (ages 16-50) went on the black cab tour and were very impressed. If you are wanting to see as much of London as possible in a short amount of time, Billy is your man. He was very knowledgeable about the city and is such an enthusiastic guide. the cab was air-conditioned and comfortable with a massive sunroof that allows you to take in the tallest of sights.