Little Venice – the pursuit of pleasure
Warwick Avenue underground station, London
Guided by Claire or Peter G. or Richard III or Shaughan
Walk Times
| Day | Walk Type | Start Time | End Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday | Weekly | 2 pm | 4 pm | Winter Summer | Reserve Online |
| Wednesday | Weekly | 11 am | 1 pm | Winter Summer | Reserve Online |
N.B. this walk will not take place on the following dates:
06-11-2024 13-11-2024 20-11-2024 27-11-2024 04-12-2024 11-12-2024 18-12-2024 25-12-2024 01-01-2025 08-01-2025 15-01-2025 22-01-2025 29-01-2025 05-02-2025 12-02-2025 19-02-2025 26-02-2025Short read: Little Venice – the pursuit of pleasure
Short listens: Shaughan’s done three delightful podcasts about the Little Venice Walk. If you listen to one or more of them you’ll get to know him – he’s a very special guy – and get a very good feel for (learn a great deal about) the Little Venice Walk.
Short listen 1: Here’s Act I of Shaughan’s Little Venice podcast series.
Short listen 2: Here’s Act II of Shaughan’s Little Venice podcast series.
Short listen 3: Here’s Act III of Shaughan’s Little Venice podcast series.
Long read: If you fancy something completely different this is the walk for you. Little Venice is the prettiest and most romantic spot in town. A unique combination of white stucco, greenery, and water, it boasts the finest early Victorian domestic architecture in London; a Who’s Who of famous residents (Freud, Browning, Edward Fox, David Ben-Gurion, Ruth Rendell, Mark Bolan, Joan Collins, and Annie Lennox to name but a few); and a jewel of a “village” street. And that’s not to mention its canals. One of them – Regent’s Canal – is “the loveliest inland waterway in England.” Part of the walk is along the canal towpath – which to this day is studded with fragments of evidence that bring the Age of Canals to life. And afterwards you can have tea – or a bite to eat – at a stylish canal-side cafe. N.B. the walk ends back at Warwick Avenue Tube Stop.
IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THE GUIDING
Don’t just take it from us..
LITTLE VENICE – THE PRACTICALS
Little Venice takes place every Sunday at 2 pm and every Wednesday at 11 am.
On Sundays it’s guided by Shaughan. On Wednesdays it’s guided by Peter or Richard III. The meeting point is just outside the exit of Warwick Avenue Tube. N.B. the Little Venice Walk ends back at Warwick Avenue Tube.
In California? Or Bangkok? But fancy an hour’s retreat to Little Venice? Here’s the Little Venice Virtual Tour.
LONDON WALKS REVIEWS
“Even jaded Londoners find these London Walks a source of astonishing gems of information about the city in which they live.” Daily Mail, Top London Treats
“What can I say that hasn’t been said already? I’ve just come back from London having been on the Old Jewish Quarter and Little Venice walks and they were both excellent. Little Venice was a completely different experience but equally enjoyable. Shaughan was something else with his jokes and songs and obvious knowledge of the area. When you consider Warwick Avenue is only one stop on from Paddington on the tube you’d think you were in a different country.” Walt R., Somerset UK
“Went along with 3 friends & joined the group gathering at Warwick Road tube ~ we numbered about 25 ~ nice & manageable. Very knowledgeable guide walked us around this very beautiful area steeped in history & tales …. Name dropping through the neighbourhood full of celebs & musicians ~ blue plaques galore denoting its cultural history. The canal itself is very picturesque ~ brightly painted canal boats ….. It has old-fashioned pubs a plenty ~ a magnificent garden centre ~ boutique shops …. It’s a gem ~ beauty in a calm oasis of green, hanging baskets lining the wide avenues colour the roads ~ we had an exceptionally valued afternoon tea at the Colonnade ~ and then a few glasses of chilled white in a local hostelry ~ a fab day in a very beautiful spot!” ETO5 Chelmsford, United Kingdom
“Our favourites were the tours of Little Venice, led by the musical Shaughan; A Village in Piccadilly, kudos to the entertaining Simon; and Hidden London, courtesy of excellent guide Ann.
“Our guide was Shaughan. He was very knowledgeable about the area, both the history and the famous people who have lived there. He included some poems and songs relevant to our route. It was fun and interesting.” Patricia Broxbourne Herford, United Kingdom
LONDON WALKS PRIVATE WALKS
If you can’t make any of the regularly scheduled, just-turn-up, public Little Venice walks do think about booking one as a private tour. If you go private you can have the Little Venice 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 tours and walks – we go to great lengths to make sure the guide-walker(s) “fit” is well-nigh perfect. Ring Fiona or Peter or Niamh 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 walk makes an ideal group or educational or birthday party or office (team-building) or club outing. Or indeed a fab present – be it a birthday or anniversary or get-to-know-your-new neighbourhood gift or Christmas present or whatever. Merchandise schmerchandise (gift wrapped or not) – but giving someone an experience, now that’s special. Memories make us rich.
MIND THE GAP
Diana –
Peter was a great guide, I was very impressed by his way to present his tour. Unforgettable trip. Thank you!
Coggins –
Once again Richard III provides a fantastic view of our capital . Never realised how beautiful Little Venice & the surrounding area . Another look at our wonderful past. His insight into our history is phenomenal
Simon C –
Affluent tranquility in an area that was almost unknown to me. No spectacular sights but plenty of fascinating stories and digressions for which Richard was an ideal chaperone; erudite and knowledgeable without being obscure or patronising; gently satirical without brag or hyperbole. Plenty of tips for further exporation and/or lunch.
Jane Merrow –
Reslly enjoyed this walk, with Richard III, who else?! The walk was fascinating and informative, so many beautiful and interesting buildings on the walk. Richard was charming and witty and gave us a lot of information. The walk was perfect and I particularly loved seeing the canals in
Little Venice and learn about the barge transportation of goods, pulled by horses. Happy to see the ramp thoughtfully built for them in case one fell into the canal. Two hours well worth spent….thoroughly recommend..
Julia –
Little Venice walk on Wednesday 17th April with Peter as our guide. Excellent 2 hours spent with Peter guiding us so knowledgeably around this gem of an area in London. I’ve lived in London for over 30 years but learnt so much today. Peter is entertaining and brings to life the history of Little Venice with humour. Highly recommend.
Janet Scott –
I did this walk on 10/04/2024 with two friends and ‘Richard the Third’ (Richard Roques) as guide. All three of us agreed that he was an excellent guide -knowledgeable, enthusiastic and humerus! We all enjoyed it hugely. Thank you, Richard!
Christoph –
We did this walk with Peter and so knew right from the start: it would be fun, interesting and really good to understand. There are also tips for pubs and other excursions. Perfect!
Martin Singleton –
Excellent Little Venice walk with Claire. Very entertaining and knowledgeable and we all really enjoyed it. Good recommendations for post walk pubs too!
Bruce Hislop –
What can I say yet another marvelous tour with Claire keeping the humour and facts flowing in equal measure. A small but fascinating area of London
Jerry Fryer –
Visited on Wednesday with Richard the Third…
I know my rhyming slang & they say there are some things you just can’t polish.
Richard doesn’t need polishing he’s already an accomplished guide. Great company, knowledgable & informative. We learnt a few pearls of wisdom & facts that we’d otherwise have been completely ignorant of.
Always good to visit parts of London you’d otherwise probably never visit let alone understand much of the history. A wonderful tour that we’d highly recommend!!!