THE ADVENTURE COLLECTIVE® · Independent discovery and booking for outdoor travel
Discover London's hidden gardens, Roman ruins, and secret historic corners on a 90-minute guided walk through the City’s quiet green spaces. Join expert guide Susan to see a different side of London’s financial heart.
Discover London's hidden gardens, Roman ruins, and secret historic corners on a 90-minute guided walk through the City’s quiet green spaces. Join expert guide Susan to see a different side of London’s financial heart.
Book with London Guided Walks
Verified experiences and guided adventures in the surrounding area.
Operated by London Guided Walks · London, England
London’s financial district is often painted as a landscape of glass, steel, and relentless pace, but the Secret Spaces in the City Walk invites you to uncover a dramatically different side. Starting from 118 London Wall in the heart of the City of London, this 90-minute guided experience walks you through some of the capital’s most overlooked green refuges. Led by Susan, a deeply knowledgeable and enthusiastic local expert, the route slips away from busy streets to reveal serene courtyards, quiet gardens, and surprisingly intact Roman ruins, all layered with centuries of history.
This walk isn’t about broad cityscapes but intimate, tucked-away plots where nature persists amidst the urban sprawl. You’ll trace the transformation of bombsites from World War II into lush gardens and peek at London’s oldest park, a rare greenery untouched by the city’s rush. A disappearing medieval church, slowly consumed by the city’s modern grid, offers a poignant glimpse into how this ancient district evolves over time.
Susan’s narrative weaves history with urban planning, giving insight into how successive events—like the Great Fire and wartime destruction—reshaped the City’s landscape. Between stops, you’ll also catch views of buried Roman foundations visible from above ground, connecting you to the metropolis’s deep roots.
This tour suits history buffs and curious walkers seeking calm within the world’s financial hub. Though it demands navigating some cobbled and uneven streets, the route’s manageable length and gentle pace make it accessible for those with basic mobility. The quiet moments in these green enclaves contrast strikingly with London’s high-energy surroundings, refreshing your perspective on the City of London.
Whether a local or visitor, London Guided Walks offers a rare chance to peel back the layers of this iconic urban setting—one secret space at a time.
easy.
1.5 hours.
Suitable for anyone able to walk 1–2 miles at a relaxed pace with short stops.
The tour lasts approximately 90 minutes, covering about 0.67 miles with frequent stops.
It starts at the FOX Building, 118 London Wall, and finishes near St Paul’s Cathedral.
Children over 16 can join, but younger children must be accompanied by an adult due to uneven surfaces.
The walk involves cobblestones and uneven pavements and is not step-free; those with mobility concerns should contact the company before booking.
There are no toilets on the route, but nearby cafés and restaurants offer facilities before and after the walk.
Yes, photography is encouraged, but please be mindful of other guests and avoid blocking pathways.
The City of London preserves layers of history, from Roman occupation through medieval times to modern urban developments, many visible in these secret spaces.
The green spaces are maintained as urban refuges promoting biodiversity and offering locals and visitors pockets of calm within the dense financial district.
London Guided Walks runs a wide range of themed guided walks across central London. The company offers historical, literary, social-history and speciality routes that highlight landmarks, hidden alleys and local stories. Tours include focused experiences such as a Knights Templar Treasure Hunt, Women and Medicine in Euston and Fitzrovia, Roman London, Victorian Covent Garden and a Hampstead Village walk. Many walks are presented as 90-minute guided tours; others, like the Knights Templar Treasure Hunt, run for two hours. Guides present facts, archival insights and on-site storytelling, connecting sites such as Whitehall, Blackfriars, Fleet Street and the River Thames with broader city history. Several tours emphasise social history and reform, for example in the Footsteps of Jack London, Samuel Pepys’s London and Tale of Two Slums in St Giles. Other routes explore cultural life and entertainment, including Soho, Covent Garden, music-hall history and film locations. London Guided Walks is featured on The Adventure Collective and lists more than thirty distinct walks covering topics from suffragettes and women in the city to horror literature, Christmas traditions and Doctor Who locations. Meeting points are central to London, and tours are suitable for small groups, families and visitors seeking focused local expertise. The programme balances accessible itineraries with specialist themes to suit a range of interests. Prospective guests can select from a broad seasonal schedule and themed options to match curiosity, time and group size. Bookings are available online and schedules often change seasonally. Clients should check individual tour descriptions for durations and accessibility.
Book with London Guided Walks