Bike Tours of London

London is a big sprawling city with a huge variety of different areas and locations for visitors to see. One method that most people on a trip to the city don’t use to see the sights is by bicycle.

They’re missing out because although parts of London are heavily congested with traffic and not the most bicyle friendly places, if you pick the right locations and the right time bikes can be the ideal way to get around and take in a lot of what there is to see.

An historical area like the City of London, built on the site of the original Roman settlement of London and now the heart of the financial centre, is packed with office workers and traffic Monday to Friday but on the weekends can be very quiet and the City includes many famous buildings such as St Paul’s Cathedral, the Bank of England, Lloyd’s of London, the Stock Exchange and the Lord Mayor’s residence the Mansion House.

Other places like Canary Wharf, the Embankment, parts of west London and the Royal Parks are ideal for cycling and sightseeing at less busy times. There are a number of companies offering guided bicyle tours of London, here’s a look at a few of them.

The London Bicycle Tour Company Among the guided bike tours they offer are the East Tour going along the banks of the Thames crossing over into the City of London, Tower Bridge and parts of the East End, and the West Tour going from Gabriel’s Wharf through Covent Garden to Hyde Park and back by way of Victoria. Both these tours are 9 miles long, last 3.5 hours and cost £17.95, the East Tour starting at 2pm Sat-Sun, the West 12pm Sat-Sun.

Other tours they do include West to Notting Hill Market, Greenwich and The River and East London’s Markets, these can last up to 5 hours. The company also rents bikes by the hour, day or week. Its based at Gabriel’s Wharf on the south side of the River Thames and is open daily from 10am-6pm.

Fat Tire Bike Tours They offer two 4 hour tours daily starting at 11am and 3pm. Places visited include the House of Parliament, Trafalgar Square and Hyde Park. There’s no need to book a place on these tours, just turn up at their meeting point outside of Queensway Underground station on the Central Line. Prices are £15 adults, £12 students. Tel:+44(0)78 8233 8779.

Cycle Tours of London Cycle Tours offer two tours both lasting around 3 hours and costing £20 each. The Sights of London Tour runs at 10.30am Tues, Thurs, Sat and 2.30pm Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun following a route along the Thames across Westminster and into the Royal Parks. The East End Tour goes through places such as Borough Market, St Katherine’s Dock, Spitalfield’s Market and the City of London. You can take it at 10.30am on Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun or at 2.30pm on Tues, Thurs, Sat. They’re based on Chancel Street just to the south of Blackfriars Bridge not far from Southwark Underground station.