Caxton Bar

The Caxton Bar in the St. Ermine's Hotel has been the stage for some of the most significant acts of espionage to take place in London over the last 100 years. Also frequented by Ian Fleming who wrote Bond books while drinking here.

Nearby Attractions

See all attractions in London
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace is the official London residence for HM Queen Elizabeth II and it's one of London’s most popular attractions.
Westminster Abbey
One of London's oldest and most magnificent churches, with a long-standing connection to the royal family.
Changing of The King's Guard
The Changing of The King's Guard is one of London's most popular tourist attractions it takes place in front of Buckingham Palace at 10:45 am and it lasts about 45 minutes.
St James's Park
A green oasis in royal London that is host to numerous ceremonies - and has a lake complete with pelicans.
Churchill War Rooms
A fascinating underground museum preserving the bunker from which Churchill's government directed the war effort.
St Ermin's Hotel
The St. Ermin's hotel is a converted grade-II listed Victorian mansion block and legendary landmark in British spy history in the city of Westminster.

Related Tours

City of Spies: Discover London's Espionage History Private Tour

Immerse yourself in one of the world’s largest centres of international trade, finance, geopolitics, and espionage history. Journey through London's role in the Cold War, the origins of MI5, MI6 and Churchill's role in WWII bringing down the Nazi regime.

On your private City of Spies tour, you will:

  • Experience the worlds of fiction and reality, uncovering hidden places, bunkers, and luxury hotels.
  • Hear stories of double agents and plots to overthrow the government at some of the most powerful institutions in Westminster, including Downing Street, Whitehall, and Westminster Palace.
  • Follow in the footsteps of the key double agents in the Cold War, such as Kim Philby, Donald Maclean, and Guy Burgess - and ask if there was an unidentified "Fifth Man".
  • Learn about the extraordinary life of Sir Mansfield Cumming, the first director of the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), known as MI6.
  • Finish your tour with a drink included at the Caxton Bar where, during WWII, MI5, SIS and Naval Intelligence Division officers such as 007 author Ian Fleming himself met their agents.


In this unique experience, you will walk by and learn about many of the protagonist buildings and sites where these world-changing events have taken place.

Your guide will mesmerise you with stories that seem more like Le Carré novels than real life. Of course, these stories are not confined to the Second World War and Cold War History, as foreign operatives in London continue to make splashes across global headlines.

Venture out onto the streets of Westminster and discover the area's colourful history of espionage, dirty politics and death. The toppling of regimes, battle against ideology and revolution have all been orchestrated and exercised along these streets. Revisit the setting of infamous covert operations, traitorous meetings involving double agents and murder plots.

Along your walking tour, you will retrace the steps of Britain's most famous spies, enjoy the remarkable tales that later inspired Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels, and hear of the extraordinary success of the Cambridge Spy ring.

Come and enjoy this unique experience, but please be discreet, the information given on this tour is classified...

Build Your Own 7-hour Private London Tour in a Black Cab
At Black Cab Heritage Tours, we have a wide range of private tours and day trips from London, but our priority is to make sure you have a memorable experience, and that every detail of your tour is taken care of.

This “Build Your Own Tour” will allow you to work with one of our staff members to create the perfect customised tour according to your requests.

These tours have been designed to be delivered within the city of London. If you want to do a day trip out of town or to a different area, please reach out directly so we can reconfirm the duration and the itinerary for the day.
We look forward to welcoming you to London soon!

Please note
  • No entrance fees are included
  • Guides are not allowed to guide inside certain venues
  • Hotel Pick-Up & Drop-Off  is only included from Central London
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