GREAT BRITAIN - Best of Europe 2014 - page 770

Driver-Guides
These two guides have cars or a minibus (particularly helpful for travelers with limited
mobility): Robina Brown (£310/half-day, £455/day, tel. [phone],
www.driverguidetours.com , [e-mail] ) and Janine Barton (£350/half-
day, £450/day within London, £550 outside London, tel. [phone], ht-
tp://seeitinstyle.synthasite.com , [e-mail] ).
London Duck Tours
A bright-yellow amphibious WWII-vintage vehicle (the model that landed troops on Nor-
mandy's beaches on D-Day) takes a gang of 30 tourists past some famous sights on
land—Big Ben, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus—then splashes into the Thames for a
cruise. All in all, it's good fun at a rather steep price. The live guide works hard, and
it's kid-friendly to the point of goofiness. Beware: These book up in advance (£21, April-
Sept daily, first tour 9:30 or 10:00, last tour usually 18:00, shorter hours Oct-March, 1-4/
hour, 1.25 hours—45 minutes on land and 30 minutes in the river, £3 booking fee by
phone or online, departs from Chicheley Street—you'll see the big, ugly vehicle parked
100 yards behind the London Eye, Tube: Waterloo or Westminster, tel. [phone],
www.londonducktours.co.uk ).
Bike Tours
London, like Paris, is committed to creating more bike paths, and many of its best sights can
be laced together with a pleasant pedal through its parks. A bike tour is a fun way to see the
sights and enjoy the city on two wheels.
London Bicycle Tour Company
Three tours covering London are offered daily from their base at Gabriel's Wharf on
the South Bank of the Thames. Sunday is the best, as there is less car traffic ( Central
Tour —£19, daily at 10:30, 6 miles, 2.5 hours, includes Westminster, Covent Garden, and
St. Paul's; West End Tour —£19, April-Oct daily at 14:30, Nov-March daily at 12:00 as
long as at least 4 people show up, 7 miles, 2.5 hours, includes Westminster, Buckingham
Palace, HydePark,Soho,andCoventGarden; EastTour —£22,April-Oct Sat-Sunat14:00,
Nov-March only on Sat at 12:00, 9 miles, 3.5 hours, includes south side of the river to
Tower Bridge, then The City to the East End; book ahead for off-season tours). They
also rent bikes (£3.50/hour, £20/day; office open daily April-Oct 9:30-18:00, Nov-March
10:00-16:00, west of Blackfriars Bridge on the South Bank, 1a Gabriel's Wharf, tel. 020/
3318-3088, www.londonbicycle.com ).