A Traditional Royal Christmas

December 5, 2023 LMT Blog

A Very Merry Christmas Card from the Royal Family

All families have their own Christmas traditions. Whether it’s baking gingerbread cookies, taking part in carol singing or simply getting together to watch your favourite holiday movies.

But have you ever wondered how the Royal family celebrate the lead up to Christmas?

Read on to hear some of the better known Royal family Christmas traditions. You can learn more about the secretive ones on London Magical Tours’ award winning London Christmas Lights Tours.

When do the Royal Family exchange gifts? Clue: It’s not Christmas Day!

One of the most famous Royal family traditions was introduced by Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria. In line with German tradition, the Royal family actually exchange their gifts on the 24th of December, Christmas Eve. The gifts are then laid out on tables for each family member to open after tea time (that’s after dinner for our non-UK cousins).

Christmas Day service – At Sandringham

The monarch traditionally spends Christmas at the residence known as Sandringham, a countryside estate in Norfolk. The invited Royal family members visiting that year are then given an allocated time to arrive at Sandringham: the youngest member arrives first and the eldest member last. Once everyone has arrived, the final touches are put on the Christmas tree, a tradition also made popular by Prince Albert.

The Kings Christmas Speech. Credit BBC

Christmas Day begins with the Sandringham Christmas Day service, where the Royal family attend mass and step out of the St Mary Magdalene Church to greet the public.

To conclude Christmas Day, King Charles will continue the tradition of broadcasting a speech to the country and across the Commonwealth. As the speech is pre-recorded, the royal family will watch it together after their Christmas lunch. In previous years this has include prawns or lobster for starters, a turkey with all the trimmings as the main course – and Christmas pudding with brandy for dessert.

For more information on London Magical Tours’ luxury London tours, as well as this year’s Christmas tours, visit the London Magical Tours website: https://www.londonmagicaltours.com

Have Your Elf A Merry Little Christmas In London

November 14, 2023 LMT Blog

Christmas in London – It’s Magical!

Winter is coming to London and why not celebrate the magic of Christmas with a London Christmas tour for the whole family!

There is no pine-ing over the holiday without one of London Magical Tours’ award winning London holiday lights tours, it will leave a twinkle in your eye.

So why not grace us with your presents and enjoy the season with one of our London Christmas lights Tours.

Enough of the elfish jokes – here are some magical activities in London this Christmas:

Trafalgar Square London Christmas

Why not branch out this Christmas period and visit one of the most iconic ice rinks in London to skate around the Christmas tree at Somerset house, with late night skating, festive music and a cheese bar at the Skate Lounge on one of our London VIP Tours.

There’s no place at Christmas like Hyde Park’s Winter Wonderland, the biggest Christmas market in London. Hyde Park is full of the Christmas spirit with many wooden cabins filled with handmade crafts, jewellery and much more to get you into the festive spirit this winter.

Kew Gardens light’s will be beautifully displayed this festive season along a trail of lights, hung up high from the tree canopies, as well as offering music, hot chocolate or mulled wine and a water display in front of the Palm house.

For further activities and tree-mendous ideas this Christmas, visit the London Magical Tours website: https://www.londonmagicaltours.com

Spooky Halloween in London!

August 29, 2023August 29, 2023 London Magical Tours

Guests on London Magical Tours’ Halloween Visits

The scariest time of the year is fast approaching!

Looking for ideas of things to do this Halloween in London? Venture into haunted locations, brave London’s bone-chilling attractions or even dare to go on one of London Magical Tour’s special Halloween private London tours to discover tricks and treats for all the family.

Here are our tips for the best things to do in London this Halloween:

The Tower of London - Behind the Scenes Night Tous

The Tower of London – Behind the Scenes Night Tours

1) Bring all the family for London Magical Tours’ range of Harry Potter related tours, including the Harry Potter Royal London highlights with a visit to Platform 9 3/4 and the inspiration for the real Diagon Alley.

2) Enjoy a private Pick and Mix Tour to discover the bloodiest setting in English history: the Tower of London. Join your London Magical Tours guide for a special visit through this royal fortress to hear stories of torture and imprisonment – you may enjoy come face to face with the infamous Tower ghosts on the out of hours behind the scenes London VIP Tours

3) Wishing to visit the best of the English countryside this Halloween? Hampton Court Palace is the perfect place to enjoy an afternoon of ghoul stories. Tiptoe your way through the ancient courtyards and dark corriders of the most famous palace of King Henry VIII and discover who it is that can be heard scratching the doors outside the King’s bedroom chamber on the Private Magical Hampton Court Tours.

For further details and full list of ideas this Halloween, visit the London Magical Tours website: https://www.londonmagicaltours.com

Looking forward to Easter 2023 in London!

March 13, 2023March 13, 2023 London Magical Tours

Traditional Afternoon Tea with plenty of Easter treats for our London Magical Tours Visitors

If you were to ask a Londoner what is the capital like during Easter, they will undoubtedly inform you “it’s bloody brilliant mate!” And rightly so! From picnics in the dazzling sunshine to Easter eggs hunts, there is truly something for everyone during the Easter break in London.

Easter weekend this year starts on Good Friday on the 7th of April 2023 and runs through to Easter Monday on the 10th of April 2023. Here are some of our favourite activities to make sure this Easter is the best one yet:

Hyde Park:

Our top pick is to make the most of the sunshine and enjoy a day out in London’s premiere park. In a previous life, Hyde Park was the private hunting grounds of King Henry VIII – today the park is open up to all the general public. To get in the spirit of Easter, why not enjoy a picnic or even venture out on your own boat and explore the glorious Serpentine lake.

The Passion of the Christ Ceremony:

With a cast of over 100 actors (including horses, donkeys and doves), this open-air re-enactment of the story of Jesus is a must on Good Friday. Featuring volunteers who have come to London from all over the globe, it is truly a spectacular way of celebrating the story of Easter in London’s Trafalgar Square (large screens are also put on display to ensure nobody misses the story!)

London’s Best Chocolate Shops:

Whether you are on an Easter egg hunt with the family or simply looking to indulge your sweet-tooth, you are sure to find the perfect chocolate treats in London. Our top pick would be a visit to Charbonnel et Walker in Bond’s street ‘Royal Arcade’. Here you will be transported back to 19th century Victorian England, with the shops of the arcade filled with Easter goodies. With so many chocolate flavours (ranging from salted caramel to vodka or even afternoon tea favoured chocs) it will certainly be difficult to find your personal favourite.

Daffodils and Easter Egg Hunts:

Whether exploring London’s very own Green Park, St. James’s Park or even the garden’s at Hampton Court, you are sure to find a sea of yellow in during the spring, with over 1 million daffodils in bloom. Unusually, the park has no “formal” flower beds; rumour has it that King Charles’ II wife had them all removed after he was caught picking flowers there for another lover – ouch!

Easter Egg Hunts:

London Magical Tours are offering Easter Egg Hunts as part of their tours (take a look at some of our guests enjoying their Easter holidays in London in the video below!).

Combine your Private London Tour, Private Windsor Tour or even your Private Hampton Court Tour with an Easter Egg hunt! Our favourite is exploring Hampton Court Palace with its acres of palace gardens and its fantastic maze – it’s a sure way to make this Easter 2023 an unforgettable experience! (*non- chocolate rewards are also available on request).

We hope you gathered a few ideas of how to make the most of your Easter 2023 visit to London.

What are some of your favourite Easter activities?

Share your Easter 2023 by tagging us in your next social media post @londonmagicaltours using the hashtag #londonmagicaltours

Spring 2023: Visiting the United Kingdom

February 20, 2023February 28, 2023 London Magical Tours

As February 2023 draws to a close, there is a sense of excitement as we wave goodbye to the colder winter months and welcome the sunshine and first blossoms of spring.

Today in the UK it is Shrove Tuesday, otherwise known as Pancake day! As the start of Lent begins officially tomorrow Wednesday 21st of February, here on the London blog we are taking a closer look at just what Spring has in store for our London visitors!

Looking at the best places to visit during Spring 2023? Well look no further, below are some of our favourite destinations!

Looking for the best places to visit during Spring 2023? Well look no further, below are some of our favourite destinations!

Baker Street:

With the recent BBC television series Sherlock, there has been demand to visit Baker Street home of Arthur Conan Doyles detective Sherlock Holmes. For visitors of London who are keen Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts or are just simply looking for a London adventure, the Private Sherlock Holmes Tours are a real treat this spring season.

Hampton Court Palace:

First time visitors of London are usually keen to visit Buckingham Palace and rightly so! But did you know that just 1 hour from central London is another historic palace? Hampton Court was the home of King Henry VIII and today visitors from all over the world come to visit its grounds. Spring time at Hampton Court is just spectacular, with its gardens starting to blossom and its Maze proving a grand adventure for adults and children alike! London Magical Tours offer a fantastic day out with their Hampton Court Palace Private Tours

Exploring the United Kingdom as we welcome the Spring has never felt better!

Greenway House:

Exploring Englands’ countryside has to be up there with one of the best things to do during the spring and summer months. Often referred to as “the loveliest place on Earth’ – Greenway House, located in Devon in the South of England, is the beloved former holiday dedicated to one of the world’s best selling novelists, dame Agatha Christie. New for 2023 is the The Magical Agatha Christie Tour (12 hours) and offers the complete full day experience which is not to be missed.

The All Lawn Wimbledon Tennis Tour:

Get ready for Wimbledon with a visit to the All Lawn Tennis Club this Spring 2023

Nothing is as quintessentially British as Wimbledon in the sunshine. Get ready for the tennis season 2023 by exploring Wimbledon. Why not venture on your very own Wimbledon Tennis Tour, that includes visiting the surrounding town of Wimbledon Village, the Tennis Championship grounds and even make time for a traditional British meal.

Stonehenge:

Exploring the countryside during Spring 2023

Stonehenge is arguably the most important prehistoric site in the United Kingdom. Just how was this feat achieved, a perfect circle with stones weighing up to 50 tonnes, all without machinery? Visiting the plains of Wiltshire is a sure way of welcoming in the spring sunshine! Take on Stonehenge with your very own Private Stonehenge Tour this spring.

Make the most of your next trip to London!

We hope you have enjoyed reading about our favourite places to visit during Spring 2023 and look forward to your visit!

We would love to see how you welcome in this spring –

Tag us in your next social media post @londonmagicaltours using the hashtag #londonmagicaltours