The Famous Square Mile
Monument Underground station, London (Fish Street Hill exit)
Guided by Delianne or Fiona or Judy or Simon or Tom
Adult: £20 · Students & Seniors: £15 · Children: £5
Walk Times
| Day | Walk Type | Start Time | End Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday | Weekly | 10.30 am | 12.30 pm | Winter Summer | Reserve Online |
| Thursday | Weekly | 11 am | 1 pm | Winter Summer | Reserve Online |
N.B. this walk will not take place on the following dates:
27-04-2025 25-12-2025
HEAR TOM MBE HERE
Here’s barrister and superstar guide Tom Hooper MBE talking about this walk. This is Part I of a two-part interview in which Tom enlightens and entertains us about what this walk covers, what you get, where it goes, etc.
Short read: 2,000 Years of History (brought to you by brilliant guides*)
A dream team of nonpareil guides
Long read: The great classic London Walk, the London Walk of Walks! It explores the very heart of the City – the most historic part of the capital. Threading his way through an intricate network of narrow alleys and cobblestone lanes, Simon chronicles the 2,000 years of London’s rich and tumultuous history. And illustrates it by drawing upon everything from street names to ancient customs to the frozen music of London’s great buildings, among which are the ruins of the Roman Temple of Mithras, the Bank of England, the Lord Mayor’s Mansion House, and ancient Guildhall. Guided by Tom MBE, Fiona or Simon.
*”If this were a golf tournament every name on the Leader Board would be a London Walks guide”
FAMOUS SQUARE MILE TOUR PRACTICALS
The meeting point is just outside the Fish Street Hill exit of Monument Tube. N.B. the walk ends at Guildhall, nearest tube is Bank and it is a short walk to St. Paul’s.
LONDON WALKS SOUPÇON
The gold stored at the Bank of England cannot be stacked more than 5 feet high and has to be continuously moved around. Why? Because the London clay does not provide a solid enough foundation. Gold is so dense and thus heavy, it would start to sack the foundation of the vaults. In Manhattan, in contrast, the vaults are laid right on top of schist bedrock which is very strong. There is virtually is no limit to how high the stacks can be. (Perhaps just as well because there is more gold in the vaults of the Federal Reserve Bank in Manhattan than there is in Fort Knox. More than 36 countries store their gold there – more than 1/4 of the world’s gold is in those vaults. And well might you ask – how much is in the Bank of England?)
LONDON WALKS REVIEWS
“London’s best city tours” The Telegraph
“Even jaded Londoners find these London Walks a source of astonishing gems of information about the city in which they live.” Daily Mail, Top London Treats
“London Walks was the first – and is the best – of the walking tour firms” Fodor’s Great Britain
“The Famous Square Mile with guide Simon this morning was excellent. I didn’t want it to end even though it had begun raining. The wealth of knowledge of Simon and his exuberant passion for the history of this famous city was reflected in how he brought it to life for our group. I’ve been on numerous of the London Walks and all are the highest calibre. Take as many of these walks as you can!!” P. Fuselli Banff, Canada Feb. 2020
LONDON WALKS PRIVATE WALKS
If you can’t make one of the regularly scheduled, just-turn-up, public Famous Square Mile walks do think about booking one as a private tour. If you go private you can have the Famous Square Mile walk – or any other London Walk – on a day and at a time that suits your convenience. We’ll tailor it to your requirements. Ring Fiona or Peter or Niamh or Mary on 020 7624 3978 or email us at [email protected] and we’ll set it up and make it happen for you. A private London Walk – they’re good value for an individual or couple and sensational value for a group – makes an ideal group or educational or birthday party or office (team-building) or club outing.
GIVE THE GIFT OF LONDON WALKS
A private London Walk makes a very special, thoughtful and unusual gift. Be it a birthday or anniversary or Christmas present or whatever. Merchandise schmerchandise (gift wrapped or not) – but giving someone an experience, now that’s special. Memories make us rich.
Charles Berkowitz –
Ann was great, and the tour was just wonderful! Highly recommended!
Jennifer Carter –
Did a fantastic walk with Ann around The City. She was very knowledgeable and took us to places we would never have found otherwise. Her dictation was very clear and understandable. A wonderful way to spend a couple of hours.
Janet Piombini –
We had a very interesting walk with Ann around the Square Mile. Saw many places we would have missed on our own. Great 2 hours
Daniel Chiarilli –
Ann was an excellent guide. The City of London, outside of the most famous landmarks, was unknown to us before the tour, and Ann truly brought it to life. We highly recommend it!
Harry de Jonge –
Ann is a wonderful guide. I met het before on the Old London walk. She is informative, and speaks very good when english is not your first language. And always asking can you hear me. Sometimes there is a lot of noise. She creates a nice atmosphere. It was a joy!
Ruth Maw –
An amazing tour by Simon. His knowledge and enthusiasm was brilliant. He was captivating in his narrative which made the whole experience fun and educational. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the walking tours and thank Simon for a very memorable experience.
Lester Chern –
I went on the Square Mile today led by Simon. All the accolades he has received are very well deserved. I’m a Londoner and I thought that I already knew quite a lot. Simon’s extensive knowledge was breathtaking and has added considerably to my knowledge. He also has a dry sense of humour. An excellent tour that I would heartily recommend if you want to understand the present day City.
Paul Simpson –
Ann was a superb guide, showing us both the old and modern sides to this very interesting part of London. She was informative, engaging, and created a great atmosphere for our group. We really enjoyed learning about the city with Ann and woud highly recommend this tour, even for locals.
Kirsten –
Ann was an incredible tour guide. One of the best guides I’ve ever had for a city walk!! If you get the chance, be sure to book one with her. She’s so knowledgeable and has a great sense of humor. Thank you for the great tour, Ann!
Louise Blume –
Thanks to Ann for guiding us around the Square Mile. As Londoners with a Canadian guest we were surprised by how much we’d not seen or known before. It was most informative and engaging.