Layover Tours Heathrow Airport

February 18, 2025 London Magical Tours

On a layover through London Heathrow Airport and wishing to make the most of your time?

As the founders of Layover Tours, London Magical Tours are the experts to help make the most of this opportunity. Our layover tours provide both convenience and peace of mind:

You’ll be met at your terminal upon landing by your chauffeur. You’ll then tour your chosen location with an expert guide for a fully guided tour – not a taxi service or being left to wander on your own. Following the tour, your chauffeur will drop you off at your departure terminal, to simply continue with your journey. It’s a great way to explore London or nearby cities with an expert during your transit, without the stress of navigating on your own.

Whether you’re landing at Heathrow Terminal 1 through Terminal 5, tours are available directly from any terminal, ensuring a smooth experience from start to finish. Forget rushing or having to learn how to navigate the largest city in Europe in the fear of missing your connecting flight.

At London Magical Tours we receive thousands of happy guests each month on our tours from London Airport, who opt to visit the capital and the surrounding cities while on transit, instead of waiting in the arrivals lounge. The proof is however in the pudding – your wonderful feedback!

Why London Magical Tours?

Experienced: the original founders of Layover Tours from the London Airports. Sit back and leave the travel logistics to the experts. No travel worries or being affected by public transport strikes.

Professional Tour Guides: Our tour guides are all professionals in their respective fields. Having a knowledgeable tour guide makes a huge difference to an experience. Many guests have commented that a London Magical Tours Layover Tour from Heathrow was actually the highlight of their entire trip – and they were going to visit South Africa!

NOT just a drive. Before booking a layover tour, check what you are getting. A number of minicabs have started to offer “layover tours” when this is in fact just a driver service – just like hailing a taxi. The “tour” is simply a drive from the airport without any stops or actual guiding. There is no professional guide: it is driver trying to use GPS to learn a tour route. There are many sites offering such “tours” for a fraction of the cost. Buyer beware!

An additional chauffeur. Why? London is one of the world’s biggest cities. Parking can be difficult, if not almost impossible at the best of times. Having an extra chauffeur means there are no parking worries. You are front of line every time. It then leaves you and your professional tour guide free to explore London in style. And create a memory that will last forever and hopefully entice you to return – and spend your next vacation in London!

Still need convincing? Check out what guests say about London Magical Tours’ tours from Heathrow Airport by clicking on the video at the top of this page. Come and discover London with the experts.

The Magic of London – only with London Magical Tours

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