The Magic of London

A young girl appears to lose her pet dog in central London. But all may not be as it seems ….

Filmed as part of our Magic of London series, simply click on the video link below to watch the short video in Full HD:

Our special thanks to Fortnum and Mason, Piccadilly Arcade, the Royal Albert Hall and all of the London Magical Tours team who helped with filming.

Are you thinking of visiting London soon? Why not treat yourself to our range of Private London Tours, all of which are available with complimentary pickup and return to your central London hotel. The difference is indeed Magical!




Blessings from Her Majesty

We are delighted to share a lovely letter that our director Ana Cartland recently received from Her Majesty The Queen in response to the wonderful works of art made by the young visitors on our tours during 2016.

Earlier this year Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her 90th birthday and London Magical Tours helped mark the special occasion by showing Her Majesty some of the many wonderful examples of art work made on our London tours for children.

Our expert team of family friendly guides love to interact with young visitors, not just teaching them about the history of London and England but also making it a fun and memorable experience. Our specialist children’s program focuses on the use of art and colour to help with learning – many wonderful examples are frequently published on the blog.

We are delighted to share The Queen’s response below:

 

queen-elizabeth

 

A big thank you to all our young visitors who submitted entries. We would like to wish Her Majesty continued health and many happy returns from everyone at London Magical Tours.

Let the planning for the 100th birthday celebrations begin!

 


Things To Do: Halloween and Bonfire Night 2016

We are very much looking forward to what London has to offer over the next few months.

With Halloween and the Bonfire Night festivities on the way, here is a round up of our favourite upcoming events that should not be missed if you’re visiting London.

 

Halloween 2016: Monday 31st October 

pumpkins-985x575

 

Get your face paint and fancy dress on – Halloween in London is easily one of the best nights out for kids and adults alike. There are loads of great things to do from:

– Picking your own pumpkin and carving it into a scary face down at Strawberry Farm

– Exploring the witches den and creating your own potions in Hyde Park’s Education Centre at the family-friendly open day.

– Getting make up tips so that you can perfect your ‘scary face’ at the London Dungeon.

 

Young visitors learning about London on a private tour

Young visitors learning about London on a private tour

 

Bonfire Night 2016: Saturday 5th November

Bonfire night, otherwise known as “Fireworks Night” or “Guy Fawkes Night”, is the anniversary of the 5th November 1605, when Guy Fawkes’ plot to blow up the House of Parliament came to a spectacular end. In London and throughout the UK, we celebrate the occasion by lighting the night with spectacular firework displays!

 

bonfire

 

London Magical Tours’ London Night Tours are an experience not to be missed and are a great way of viewing London with children this Halloween and Guy Fawkes night.

As night falls over London, the city’s old Victorian lamps become lit. From the bright lights of the West End, to illuminated icons like Waterloo Bridge and the spectacular Houses of Parliament: discover the best of London with your own professional tour team. Come and join us!

 


2 Birthdays for a very special Queen – Happy Birthday to Her Majesty!

HMQ90-logo

 

The month of April is not only the first full month of British Springtime, but it also marks a special day for her Majesty. Thats right, this month Queen Elizabeth will be celebrating her 90th birthday!

The Queen celebrates two birthdays each year: her actual birthday on the 21st of April and her official birthday on a Saturday in June. Not many are fortunate to have two birthdays a year!

The tradition of having 2 birthdays dates back to the time of King Edward VII, who’s real date of birth fell in November. Naturally, he preferred to celebrate it during the sunnier months of Summer and decided to hold his birthday parade, known as the Trooping of the Colour, during May or June.

The special day for Her Majesty will be marked by gun salutes all around London at mid-day: in Hyde Park,  Windsor Great Park and at the Tower of London. Make sure you are here for the celebrations and book your Private London Tour to make sure you have the best seat in the house!

We wanted to send a huge birthday greeting to Her Majesty for being such a great ambassador for the United Kingdom and for all the great work she has done over all these years. Thank you for being a brilliant Queen!

Young visitors on our tours have also been celebrating: here are a few words and drawings made by children on our family friendly London tours,  congratulating the Queen.

Queens B Day

Isn’t this beautiful? One of our young visitor’s painting of the Queen celebrating her birthday – Queen Elizabeth I, Queen Elizabeth II and Queen Victoria (from left to right)

God Save the Queen

God Save the Queen – Great work from Clarie Robertson, age 12 on her visit to London

 


We have a winner! Children’s Art Competition 2015 Prize Winners

As we near the end 2015, we delight in being able to announce the winners of this year’s Children’s Art Competition for both the over 10 and under 10 years old categories.

Children on London Magical Tours’ trips and excursions are given the chance to enter this fun competition which is run annually, drawing or writing all about their favourite London experience.

 

Children Art Competition

Smiling faces! Children with their entries for the 2015 Art Competition

The London Magical Tours judges had a very difficult decision to make given the quality of this year’s entrants: it was no easy feat choosing from the hundred of standout entries. In the end though, they managed to narrow it down to a select group of finalists.

So without further ado, here are the winner and runner up entries for the Children’s Art Competition 2015:

Winner 10 Years and Over: Goes to Joan Matthew age 11, Massachusetts. Written during one of our Magical Christmas Tours in December, Joan tells “Father Christmas” all about her action packed day in London, including when she got to see Her Majesty The Queen. What a lovely letter!

 

Dear Santa Winner

 

Winner Under 10’s: What an amazing effort from Aiden Zinke from Maryland – aged just 6! His beautiful description of seeing the Cullinan Diamond at the Jewel House inside the Tower of London warmed the hearts of all the judges.

 

Childrens Art Competition Under 10

 

Congratulations are due for all the prize winners. Stand out entries to have also made the final four included:

Claire Robertson age 12, from Texas. The judges loved reading how Claire recalled seeing the horses at the Royal stables (the Royal Mews) and how much of a highlight this was for her personally, as well as this wonderfully colourful piece of art by Claudia Sitjar age 5, from Barcelona, Spain.

 

God save the queen

 

Children Art Competition Colouring Entries

 

A huge thank you to everyone who entered for such great effort and work. Gifts and prizes are on their way to the lucky winners.

Would you like to enter next year’s competition? Read all about our London Tours for children with London Magical Tours for a fun and educational day out.