Albert Memorial

Explore the Victoria and Albert Museum, famous for its resplendent architecture both inside and out, as well as its amazing collection of sculpture, jewellery, costume, art and design from many eras and cultures, followed by a walking tour through the elegant and discreet streets of West London, home of billionaire emigres, financiers, the aristocracy and British royalty.

On your private tour, you will:

• Explore one of England’s most famous museums, the Victoria and Albert (known locally as the V&A) and the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design which houses a collection of over 4.5 million objects;
• Admire the museum’s magnificent architecture, before stepping inside and wandering around its maze of galleries and exhibitions;
• Admire famous works from the Italian Renaissance, including the great maestros such as Raphael, Michelangelo and the king of Baroque, Bernini;
• Pause for a well-deserved break of tea and scones in the Victoria and Albert’s Museum café;
• Stroll through Knightsbridge and Kensington – two of London’s most exclusive neighbourhoods, where you’ll see Harrods, and the Albert Memorial, and hear some of the inside stories about those who live here;
• Learn all about the long reign and passionate marriage of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert until his tragic early death;
• Enter Hyde Park and enjoy an orientation of this 350-acre park, followed by a visit to the pristine gardens of Kensington Palace;
• Walk along the Princess Diana Memorial Walk and see the new bronze statue of the late princess in the sunken garden; 
• End your tour outside the Palace gift shop in Hyde Park. 

Your tour begins at the entrance to the Victoria and Albert Museum, which is over 52,000 square metres in size and contains a whopping 145 galleries that span a colossal 5,000 years of applied arts.

The impressive museum displays artefacts, furniture, paintings, textiles, ceramics, costumes, prints, ironwork, photos, and much more besides. In total, it houses over 4.5 million objects.

You will see the awe-inspiring hall with plaster casts from Renaissance Italy - including Michelangelo's David, the famous Raphael cartoons and statues by Bernini as well as more modern fashions and jewellery collections by Alexander McQueen.

After touring the Victoria and Albert Museum, your guide will show you the surrounding neighbourhood of Kensington as you walk towards London’s Hyde Park.

Once renowned for its wild criminality, Kensington is now a playground for the rich, and synonymous with luxury brands such as Harrods. But unknown to many, it is a royal love story that truly underpins the history of this area - the relationship between Queen Victoria and her Consort, Prince Albert.

Learn of the life and times of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert: the world in which they lived, and the enormous influence they had on wider society and indeed throughout Europe. Albert was a great innovator, fascinated by science, and it is thanks to him we have the world-renowned museums of the famous Exhibition Row: they were his brainchild for the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London. The area became known at the time as ‘Albertopolis.’

On entering Hyde Park, you’ll see Kensington Palace – home to the new Prince and Princess of Wales - William and Kate, and other members of the Royal family, and former home to Diana, Princess of Wales. You’ll walk along the Diana Memorial Walk and see the new bronze statue of the late princess in the sunken garden. At the end of the tour, your guide will orient you about the park so you won’t get lost in its 350 acres! And show you to the Kensington Palace gift shop. 

Explore the city of London like a lord or a lady and follow the footsteps of your favourite characters on this Downton Abbey Filming Locations half-day tour.

Even though Yorkshire and Highclere Castle are the main Downton Abbey filming sites for the earlier episodes, central London started to hog the limelight as the show clocked its later innings, and on this tour, you will flashback to the popular scenes set in the city’s iconic landmarks.

Play guessing games to jog your memory as you see:

• Buckingham Palace, while not a regular setting, references are made throughout the series due to its importance as the residence of the British monarch;
• Lancaster House, a neo-classical mansion used for filming historical dramas due to its opulent interiors;
• Bridgewater House, a privately owned home symbol the exclusivity and wealth of its owner, reflecting the lifestyle of the elite during that era;
• Belgrave Square, an affluent area in London;
• Criterion Restaurant, the historic restaurant in Piccadilly Circus;
• The Ritz London Hotel, built in 1906, 
• Hyde Park and the Albert Memorial, one of London's largest parks served as a backdrop for strolls and social events;
• Astor House, 
• St. Pancras Station, is used in many scenes boarding trains or meeting others in London;
• and these are just for starters. How many could you spot?

Be bowled over by a few secret filming locations, including Lord Grantham’s London stately home shared by your Professional Private Driver Guide who happens to be a Downton Abbey fanatic as well.

Brace for non-stop peppy conversation, not crisp commentary.

DISCLAIMER: This tour is an unlicensed and unauthorised tour of sites featured in the television series ‘Downton Abbey’ produced by Carnival Film and Television and NBCUniversal International Limited. Travel Curious Ltd. and this tour does not have any association with, or connection to, the television series ‘Downton Abbey’, Carnival Film and Television or NBC Universal International Limited.
 

• Travel back to 1940 in one of our traditional London Black Cab time machines, which doubled up as fire engines in WWII, when the wartime leader was under pressure to make peace with Hitler as his armies advanced across Europe;
• Storm through the violence of ‘The Blitz’ with your private guide;
• Feel the jitters as you visualise Nazi Germany threatening Western Europe and Great Britain’s very existence; 
• See the Houses of Parliament, an iconic building where Churchill gave his famous speeches;
• Discover Buckingham Palace, the residence of the British monarch is also featured in the film;
• Pass by St. Paul's Cathedral, which plays a significant role in the film, as it was where Churchill attended a service to rally the British people during the war;
• End your tour at the Cabinet War Rooms, the Imperial War Museum or Warship HMS Belfast. (Tickets not included)