London: James Bond, Ian Fleming, and Real Spies Walking Tour
- 3 hours
- Free cancellation up to 24h before
- 2 languages
- Instant confirmation
Highlights
This Fictional and Film Spy tour of London is 00-heaven. Whilst visiting locations across central London, you will discover how these places have been used in some of the most famous Spy books, films, and TV shows Starting at Somerset House, this tour shows you some of the best bits of Bond, the books of Ian Fleming, and John LeCarrie, and explains how real-life events inspired some of the greatest fictional British spies of all time. During the journey across London, you will discover some of the behind-the-scenes secrets of the filming, what it takes to be a real-life spy, and some of the inspiration for some of the most famous spy stories around. Finishing opposite Mi6 headquarters in London, your guide will reveal the secrets of how a very famous film series managed to convince the UK government to let their movies include the actual Mi6 building, and how the building was shockingly damaged and then destroyed without ever really being touched!
Inclusions
What's included
- Guiding Fee
What's not
- Gratuities
- TFL Oyster, Travelcard, or Contactless payment for bus journey from Whitehall to Vauxhall Bridge.
Itinerary
Visit Russia without ever leaving this beautiful Georgian building, which was originally built for the Admiralty. Find out why EON productions chose to stay in London rather than visit the Russian Federation, and discover some of the huge numbers of films that have also filmed in this amazing location.
Rules Restaurant is the oldest eatery in London. Founded in 1798 Rules has been the restaurant of choice for the great and good of London for over 220 years; including Lieutenant Colonel Gareth Mallory.
Used as part of the chase sequence on the London Underground between 007 and Raoul Silva at Charing Cross you will learn how EON worked with Transport for London to create not only an amazing chase sequence, but also the most dangerous stunt in Skyfall.
We will briefly stop in Trafalgar Square before heading into the National Gallery.
The National Gallery is where we meet the new 'Q' (played by Ben Whishaw) for the first time. What follows is, arguably, one of the best scenes in Skyfall where Bond and 'Q' bond over the need for a trigger to be pulled. But how on earth did they film this sequence in a gallery that is visited by over 6 million people every year? Find out on this 00-heavenly tour!
The Reform Club on Pall Mall has an illustrious history and involvement with the British film industry. Seen in films such as Paddington, Sherlock, and of course the James Bond franchise, the restrictions about filming in this amazing gentlemen's club may leave you shaken and sturred.
This is where everything gets real! Outside the London home of the British Foreign Secretary learn how the real Mi6 operates under the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom's Foreign Office.
The Mall gives us impressive views of Buckingham Palace, home to His Majesty King Charles III. Son of the oldest 'Bond girl', King Charles' mother Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II shocked the world when she appeared alongside James Bond as part of the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony. Find out how Danny Boyle persuaded the late Queen to take part and how she has been name-checked throughout the Bond franchise.
Admiralty House was where Ian Fleming spent much of the Second World War, working firstly for Admiral Sir John Godfrey the Director of Naval Intelligence before taking on various intelligence roles throughout the war including travelling to America to help establish, what has become, the CIA! It was Flemings experience as part of the Intelligence community that gave him all the necessary tools and experience to create the greatest spy who never lived, and Admiralty House is the perfect place to tell you how Fleming's real work inspired and informed the fictional world of James Bond.
The Royal Horseguards Hotel is where Mi6 started. Home to Sir Mansfield Cumming, the first chief of the British Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) at this location your guide will explain what it takes to be a spy for the British government, how British intelligence has been the best (and worst) intelligence service, and how the real world of spying has informed the stories of James Bond.
Whitehall is the home to the British Government and is supposedly where the gun battle at the Intelligence and Security Committee meeting takes place..... but is all as it seems???
Whilst at Westminster Bridge, your guide will explain how the action-packed ending to SPECTRE was filmed in a high-security area. They will also reveal some behind-the-scenes secrets about the filming here, which may surprise you!
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.
Reviews
5.0
- 511
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Ratings come from 11 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.
Know before you go
- Meeting point
- The tour will start outside the Watch Tower Cafe in the central courtyard of Somerset House.
- Pickup
- Everyone meets at the starting point; there is no pickup.
- Ticket type
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Operated by
- Tours Of The UK
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
How it compares in London
- Its from-price is close to the median of the 4793 experiences we list in London.
- Its length is typical for the group.
- By number of reviews it ranks 1274 of 4793.
- The operator lists free cancellation on it.
About London
London mixes royal ceremony, world-class museums and riverside landmarks with distinct neighbourhoods, markets and parks to explore on foot.
The Thames threads the city together. On its banks stand the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, the Tower of London with the Crown Jewels, Tower Bridge and the long South Bank walk past the London Eye, Shakespeare's Globe and Tate Modern. St Paul's Cathedral and Westminster Abbey anchor the older skyline, while glass towers crowd the financial district.
Top-ranked sights in London: St. Paul's Cathedral, Stonehenge, Tower of London.
Special offers in London
Was/now prices come from the operator, never from us.
