City of Spies: Discover London's Espionage History Private Tour

City of Spies: Discover London's Espionage History Private Tour
From USD $511.00
  • Duration: 150 Minutes (approx.)
  • Location: London
  • Product code: T73IF2
Immerse yourself in one of the world’s largest centres of international trade, finance, geopolitics, and espionage history. Journey through London's role in the Cold War, the origins of MI5, MI6 and Churchill's role in WWII bringing down the Nazi regime. 

On your private City of Spies tour, you will: 

  • Experience the worlds of fiction and reality, uncovering hidden places, bunkers, and luxury hotels.
  • Hear stories of double agents and plots to overthrow the government at some of the most powerful institutions in Westminster, including Downing Street, Whitehall, and Westminster Palace.
  • Follow in the footsteps of the key double agents in the Cold War, such as Kim Philby, Donald Maclean, and Guy Burgess - and ask if there was an unidentified "Fifth Man".
  • Learn about the extraordinary life of Sir Mansfield Cumming, the first director of the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), known as MI6. 
  • Finish your tour with a drink included at the Caxton Bar where, during WWII,  MI5, SIS and Naval Intelligence Division officers such as 007 author Ian Fleming himself met their agents.

In this unique experience, you will walk by and learn about many of the protagonist buildings and sites where these world-changing events have taken place. 

Your guide will mesmerise you with stories that seem more like Le Carré novels than real life. Of course, these stories are not confined to the Second World War and Cold War History, as foreign operatives in London continue to make splashes across global headlines.

Venture out onto the streets of Westminster and discover the area's colourful history of espionage, dirty politics and death. The toppling of regimes, battle against ideology and revolution have all been orchestrated and exercised along these streets. Revisit the setting of infamous covert operations, traitorous meetings involving double agents and murder plots.

Along your walking tour, you will retrace the steps of Britain's most famous spies, enjoy the remarkable tales that later inspired Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels, and hear of the extraordinary success of the Cambridge Spy ring. 

Come and enjoy this unique experience, but please be discreet, the information given on this tour is classified...




Tour duration
2.5 hours 30 minutes

Type of tour
Walking tour: no transportation is included

Tickets included
- English-Speaking Tour Guide
- A drink in a historic bar used by British intelligence officers

Other inclusions
- Gratuities optional
- Hotel pick-up and drop-off are not included
- Additional drinks are not included

Suitable for
Culture Vulture, Family, Friends, Intellectually Curious

Attractions along this route:

Downing Street
The home of some of the most important members of the British Government, including the Prime Minister himself.

Trafalgar Square
A beautiful historic square in the heart of London and one of the city's top tourist attractions.

St James's Park
A green oasis in royal London that is host to numerous ceremonies - and has a lake complete with pelicans.

Churchill War Rooms
A fascinating underground museum preserving the bunker from which Churchill's government directed the war effort.

St Ermin's Hotel
The St. Ermin's hotel is a converted grade-II listed Victorian mansion block and legendary landmark in British spy history in the city of Westminster.

Whitehall Place
Recognised as the centre of Her Majesty's Government and the seat of power for the United Kingdom.

Caxton Bar
The Caxton Bar in the St. Ermine's Hotel has been the stage for some of the most significant acts of espionage to take place in London over the last 100 years. Also frequented by Ian Fleming who wrote Bond books while drinking here.

Pall Mall
Home of several famous gentlemen’s clubs - though several are now gender-integrated, such as the Traveller’s Club, The Oxford & Cambridge Club, and the Atheneum.

Old War Office Building
The neo-Baroque building served as Churchill's Old War Office during World War II.