Greater London Trip Overview
What we know about the world of spies and spying is limited to what governments, the military and spy organisations want us to know. The information that is released to the general public, through declassification, autobiographies from retired spies, and ‘leaks’; only give us the smallest look into the secretive, selective, and seemingly seductive world of spies. This spy tour of London cannot reveal everything, but we can tell you what you need to know.
Aimed with both die-hard spy geeks and people who are curious if the best spies really do drink Vodka Martini’s this tour gives you insight into what is known about the people who keep us safe from behind the scenes, and how they manage to do this without being noticed. Beginning in Swiss Cottage, the starting point for a spy story almost too good to be true, which involves the only Brit to receive the Iron Cross, we will take you to the anonymous and infamous sights of London that spies would rather you didn’t know.
Special Offer – Book and travel by February 28 to save 20% off our previously offered price! – Book Now!
Additional Info
Duration: 3 hours
Starts: Greater London, United Kingdom
Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Cultural Tours
Explore Greater London Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Greater London, England, United Kingdom
What we know about the world of spies and spying is limited to what governments, the military and spy organisations want us to know. The information that is released to the general public, through declassification, autobiographies from retired spies, and ‘leaks’; only give us the smallest look into the secretive, selective, and seemingly seductive world of spies. This spy tour of London cannot reveal everything, but we can tell you what you need to know.
Aimed with both die-hard spy geeks and people who are curious if the best spies really do drink Vodka Martini’s this tour gives you insight into what is known about the people who keep us safe from behind the scenes, and how they manage to do this without being noticed. Beginning in Swiss Cottage, the starting point for a spy story almost too good to be true, which involves the only Brit to receive the Iron Cross, we will take you to the anonymous and infamous sights of London that spies would rather you didn’t know.
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Odeon Luxe Swiss Cottage, 96 Finchley Road, London NW3 5EL England
The Odeon Luxe Swiss Cottage is linked to one of the most interesting spy stories of the Second World War. Involving an English petty criminal turned spy and double agent, your guide will reveal how events at the Swiss Cottage Odeon led to the Third Reich awarding this British burglar an Iron Cross – the only one ever awarded to a British citizen.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Baker Street, London W1U England
Baker Street is home to the world’s most famous detective – Sherlock Holmes. When at Baker Street you will learn how this great literary detective is linked to a very real, and highly secretive spy organisation – The Special Operations Executive (S.O.E).
Once you know about the S.O.E you will learn about their top-secret operations to disrupt the Nazi nuclear program through operations Grouse, Freshman, and Gunnerside and how their training centres became known as ‘Gangster Schools’.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Savile Row, London England
Home to the famous Kingsman shop, learn how the film was inspired by rumours about spies and tailors that the British Secret Service has neither confirmed nor denied.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Whitehall, London SW1A 2BX England
Whitehall is home to the British Government and has been linked to Spys and Spying since the early 20th Century. Home to the first head of the Secret Service, the police force charged with stopping foreign spies in the First and Second World Wars, it is also the locations of Downing Street and the Admiralty both of which have links to the British Secret Service.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Parliament Square, Westminster, London SW1P 3BD England
Stopping at Parliament Square allows us to talk about how Sir Winston Churchill changed the fact of espionage through his decisive leadership during the Second World War.
Parliament Square also gives us a chance to discuss the UK’s Parliamentary oversight of our Spy organisations, how we work with our international allies, and how a Spy ended up buried in one of the world’s most famous the UNESCO world heritage sites – Westminster Abbey.
From here we will board a famous London double-decker bus and head towards Mi6.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Riverside Walk Gardens, 56 Millbank, London SW1P 4RL, UK
Riverside Walk Gardens is the perfect place to take photos and hear all about the Security Intelligence Service (Mi6), its history, and how it works with its sister organisations the Security Service (Mi5) and Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ).
Whilst here we will also learn about how Mi6 and its headquarters have been used in the James Bond films, and TV series such as Sherlock.
After looking at Mi6 we will cross Vauxhall Bridge and get the train to Waterloo where we will walk the short distance to our final location.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Waterloo Bridge, London SE1 9PX England
Waterloo Bridge is the site of one of the most famous Cold-War assassinations, that of Georgi Markov. Markov was killed by a poisoned Ricin pellet fired from a needle tipped umbrella and is one of a handful of assassinations carried out by Russian agents at the request of the Russian intelligence service.
Duration: 10 minutes
Special Offer – Book and travel by February 28 to save 20% off our previously offered price! – Book Now!
