In the Footsteps of Sherlock Holmes

(12 customer reviews)

Embankment underground station, London (Villiers Street exit)

Guided by Corinna or Fiona-Jane Weston or Richard IV

Walk Times

Day Walk Type Start Time End Time
Sunday Weekly 2.30 pm 4.30 pm Winter Summer Reserve Online

N.B. this walk will not take place on the following dates:

31-03-2024 07-07-2024 06-10-2024

Follow in the footsteps of Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous sleuth Sherlock Holmes in this London walking tour. Investigate the places from the Holmes stories as well as the TV and Film adaptations of the famous detective’s adventures in this guided tour.

Sherlock Holmes Walking Tour Practicals

Meeting point: Just outside the Villiers Street exit of Embankment  Tube. N.B. the walk ends just round the corner from Embankment Tube.

Price: £15 per person (full adult); £10 for full-time students, over 65s and Loyalty Card holders; £5 for kids.

Tour language: English

Itinerary

Grab your deerstalker and magnifying glass – we’re going sleuthing! A classic Holmes walk returns, taking in locations from many of the original stories by Arthur Conan Doyle, including:

  • The Hound of the Baskervilles (Dr Mortimer’s hospital, Sir Henry’s hotel)
  • The Final Problem (Watson’s escape from Moriarty’s men, assisted by Mycroft)
  • The Dying Detective (Holmes’s favourite restaurant)
  • The Sign of Four (a rendezvous with Mary Morstan)
  • The Man with the Twisted Lip (an early morning visit to a Bow Street police cell)

From the gas-lit alleyways around Covent Garden, via the original offices of The Strand Magazine, to the Royal Opera House where the great detective Holmes and his associate Watson celebrated the end of one terrifying case, and the railway station where another of their greatest cases got underway.

Plus theatres which hosted the great stage Holmeses – William Gillette and H A Saintsbury.

Discover filming locations from screen adaptations connected with Basil Rathbone, Jeremy Brett, and Jonny Lee Miller. As well as locations from the BBC Sherlock TV series starring Benedict Cumberbatch, and movie locations from the Sherlock Holmes films starring Robert Downey Jr.

Ends at the famous Sherlock Holmes pub with its marvellous recreation of the famous 221b Baker Street sitting-room.

IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THE GUIDING

Don’t just take it from us…

And here’s Richard – “specialised in early detective fiction at university, played Dr Watson on stage, contributes to the Sherlock Holmes Journal, is the Audiobooks reader for the Dr John Watson series” – talking about Sherlock Holmes, Dr Watson, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the London they knew.

At the end of the walk, why not follow further in Holmes and Watson’s footsteps by walking through:

  • Trafalgar Square (can you find the location used in 1922 when John Barrymore played Holmes, and the steps used a decade ago, a few months apart, by modern screen Sherlocks Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller?);
  • Pall Mall and Waterloo Place (Mycroft Holmes’s fictional Diogenes Club was nearby, and two of Conan Doyle’s real-life clubs, the Reform and the Athenaeum, are very much still with us);
  • Lower Regent Street (here the first ‘talking picture’ featuring Holmes was screened at the 1920s ‘super cinema’ the Plaza);
  • Piccadilly Circus (a chance encounter between Watson and an old colleague at the Criterion Bar here led to the first meeting with Holmes later that day at Bart’s, and the beginning of the legendary partnership…)

Sherlock Holmes Tour Guided by London Walks.

Sherlock Holmes FAQs

How did Sherlock Holmes start?

The first Sherlock Holmes novel written by Arthur Conan Doyle was A Study In Scarlet which was published in 1887. Doyle also wrote short stories about the detective and his adventures in the early days.

Who is the Illustrious Client Sherlock Holmes?

It is never revealed who the Illustrouse client is in this adventure where Holmes and Watson take on the sadistic Austrian Baron Adelbert Gruner. However, it is heavily implied it is King Edward VII or another member of the royal family.

Will this Sherlock Holmes tour of London include the Museum?

Yes and no. It does go to the Sherlock Holmes Pub which hosts, upstairs, the thrilling recreation of the famous 221 B Baker Street sitting room. It’s the genuine article. Many of the items were donated by the Conan Doyle family, it’s the famous recreation that went to the New York World’s Fair. And the building has authentic Sherlock Holmes connections. It’s the “must see” for Sherlock Holmes aficionados. The tour does not go to very touristy Sherlock Holmes Museum over the way from Baker Street Underground Station. For the record, the street it’s on wasn’t Baker Street in Sherlock Holmes’ day. And it’s pricey – in marked contrast to the museum we go to, which is free. It’s a no-brainer, really. “Elementary, my dear Watsons.”

LONDON WALKS PRIVATE WALKS

If you can’t make one of the regularly scheduled, just-turn-up, public Sherlock Holmes’ London walks do think about booking one as a private tour. If you go private you can have the Sherlock Holmes’ tour of London Walk – or any other London Walk – on a day and at a time that suits your convenience. We’ll tailor it to your requirements. And – always with private London Walks and tours – we go to great lengths to make sure the guide-walker(s) “fit” is well-nigh perfect. Ring Fiona or Niamh or Peter or Mary on 020 7624 3978 or email us at [email protected] and we’ll set it up and make it happen for you. A private London Walk – they’re good value for an individual or couple and sensational value for a group – makes an ideal group or educational or birthday party or office (team-building) or club outing.

GIVE THE GIFT OF LONDON WALKS

A private London Walk makes a very special, indeed a unique gift – be it a birthday or anniversary or Christmas present or whatever. Merchandise schmerchandise (gift wrapped or not) – but giving someone an experience, now that’s special. Memories make us rich.

 

Want more walks like this? Check out our other literary tours of London.

12 reviews for In the Footsteps of Sherlock Holmes

  1. Imelda Shanahan

    5* and so good we did it a second time and even better second time round. Delightfully and deliciously entertaining Corinna captured her audience and provided sone fascinating insights into the life and times of Sherlock Holmes. Second time round we learned new things – that’s an achievement! Thanks Corinna

  2. Christian Gulliksen

    Corinna is an enormously entertaining raconteur with dry asides that are — alone — worth the price of admission. Stay close to her during movement from one location to another for the full experience. The tour itself really is a deep dive into locations in various Sherlock Holmes stories, and provides enough context so that someone unfamiliar with the tales is never lost. And much more interesting than just going to Baker Street.

  3. Peter Wrobel

    Corinna was enthusiastic, engaging and delightfully entertaining. A joy to be with.

  4. Omar Orizaga

    Richard brings Sherlock Holmes to life! His witty quips and wonderful cliffhangers give you something to look forward to every step of the way. This is a must do for any Sherlock Holmes fan.

  5. Cyrus White

    Great fun. Our guide Corrina was delightful. Kept a good pace and interesting pattern for those curious about Sherlock Holmes as well as those completely off book. One unexpected item I learned from this walk is the origin. Of those bulls-eye panes of glass in the very old windows. It’s called “crown glass” and results from process of hand-blowing the panels of glass from which the panes are cut. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_glass_(window)

  6. Paul Strand

    Paul Strand – 19th April 2023

    Corinna is domineering, delightful , and a tad dotty. She fleshed out Holmes and his alter ego, Doyle, beautifully.

  7. Mary Slade

    Richard is an excellent guide! His knowledge of Sherlock Holmes and A. Conan Doyle is immense and his delivery kept us all attentive. His use of ‘cliff hangers’ propelled us from site to site.

  8. Alex

    Corinna was Fantastic! Her knowledge and enthusiasm was infectious. The best Sherlock tour I’ve ever done.

  9. Andrew Daurge

    A really enjoyable insight into the back stories of Sherlock Holmes and his creator, that tie London landmarks to the numerous case studies and murder mysteries the great detective solved! Fiona’s tour was interesting, entertaining, informative and fun! Even the most ardent Sherlock Holmes fan will learn something new on this walk! Thoroughly recommended!

  10. Frank May

    Really interesting and vivid tour by Fiona-Jane, although the temperatures in London were rather hot. Fiona-Jane knows a lot – not only about Sherlock Holmes – but generally about London and beyond. We really enjoyed it and can only recommend to book this guide and tour. Even our teenage daughter commented after the tour that she would like to continue for another two hours. If that is not a proof…

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