The Blitz
St. Paul's underground station, London (exit 2)
Adult: £20 · Students & Seniors: £15 · Children: £5
Walk Times
| Day | Walk Type | Start Time | End Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday | Weekly | 2.15 pm | 4.15 pm | Winter Summer | Reserve Online |
N.B. this walk will not take place on the following dates:
25-12-2025Short read: “London turned crimson”
Long read: The dome of St. Paul’s seemed to ride the sea of fire like a great ship. Ludgate Hill was carpeted in hosepipes. Two hundred people died that night. On the north side of the cathedral 63 acres became a waste of smoking ash and rubble. Another 100 acres were completely devastated in other raids that autumn. At the finish, out of the City’s tight-packed 461 acres, 164 were reduced to ruin. And this was just 1940.
NONPAREIL GUIDES
Far be it from me – David – to say London Walks are the best guides in London but they’re certainly in the top one.
THE BLITZ – THE PRACTICALS
The Blitz takes place every* Thursday afternoon at 2.15 pm. The meeting point is just outside exit 2 of St. Paul’s Tube. N.B. the Blitz Walk ends by St. Paul’s Cathedral, right next door to St. Paul’s Tube
*Summer programme only. Please check winter dates as it runs less regularly in the winter, and make sure to check out other things to do in London in Winter.
LONDON WALKS REVIEWS
“We went on five London Walks tours while vacationing in London: ‘This is London,’ ‘Soho Unzipped’ (a pub tour), ‘St. Paul’s Cathedral,’ ‘The Blitz,’ and ‘In the Footsteps of Sherlock Holmes.’ All of them were fabulous! Better than we could have hoped for. The guides were friendly and incredibly knowledgeable – it felt almost like we were taking fun 2-1/2 hour college courses about some of the most fascinating aspects of London. The groups were small – never more than 20 people, and the guides spoke loud and clear, which was much appreciated. Definitely better than the hop-on / hop-off buses with faulty audio guides, and definitely a great value at just 10 pounds per person. We took advantage of the multiple-walks ticket and paid only 8 pounds per person for the last three tours. It was great! We’d recommend London Walks for anyone looking to learn more in-depth, fascinating facts about London’s history without the boiler-plate, pre-packaged feel of the hop-on / hop-off buses and audio guides.” Meredith R., New York City
“you can’t do better than London Walks” London Day by Day
LONDON WALKS PRIVATE WALKS
If you can’t make the regularly scheduled, just-turn-up, public Blitz walk why not think about booking it as a private walk? If you go private you can have the Blitz 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 walks – we go to great lengths to make sure the guide-walker(s) “fit” is well-nigh perfect. Ring Fiona or Peter on 020 7624 3978 or email us at [email protected] and we’ll set it up and make it happen for you.
GIVE THE GIFT OF LONDON WALKS
If you’re looking for an unusual and wonderful gift or Christmas present for a friend or family member – well, why not consider the gift of a private tour with a world-class guide. Merchandise schmerchandise – but giving someone an experience, now that’s special. Memories make us rich.
IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THE GUIDING
“If this were a golf tournament every name on the Leader Board would be a London Walks guide”
Sara –
Fiona was a great guide who truly was able to connect the sights to the realities faced by Londoners during a difficult time. She made the conversation approachable and provided a lot insight that is often missed in discussions about the Blitz. Humanizing and purposeful tour.
Shane –
i thought this walk might possibly be over-specific and/or saddening–but it’s nothing of the kind! Fiona does a wonderful job with it, providing both detail and general context in a walk that’s engaging and moving throughout. She’s very warm and well-organized, and she invites questions–a truly outstanding walk!
Nikolai –
Jonathan did an incredible job engaging the entire group with his remarkable ability to tell the Blitz story and also share a few valuable insights about the City of London area in general. Highly recommended and beyond worth the price!
Dr. Thomas A. Underwood –
Fiona is a seasoned professional. She has a lovely down-to-earth warmth that accompanies and facilitates delivery of her deep knowledge of London’s social history. I’ve been on numerous walks that took up the story of the Blitz but this walk helped bring my knowledge of its effect on ordinary people to a newer level of understanding. Fiona knew how to blend prosopography and place without losing her gentle wit or eye for irony. She offered an especially brilliant comparison of Londoner’s life during the Blitz to everyone’s during the Covid pandemic. All told, a well-told tale of suffering and survival. brava!
Scott & Jennifer –
Great tour! in depth knowledge and great ability to link history to the London of today.
Katherine Allen –
We learned so much about the City of London, before and after the Blitz. Jonathon was a great guide on a beautiful day. Highly recommend.
Marlene R. –
Our guide Jonathan provided a thorough, informative, and moving glimpse into London and the spirit of its citizens during the time of The Blitz. His knowledge and insights made for a memorable 2-hour tour. Bravo, Jonathan; thank you!
Hazel –
I went on this walk on 6.6.24. It just happened to be the most convenient one on a day I had to be in town, but it had not occurred to me that the date was also the 60th anniversary of D-Day. Our walk was VERY well attended with people in town for other celebrations.
Our guide Tom was taken by surprise too, as instead of his usual 10 walkers he had 27! However, he managed to get us all herded round without loss of life, and the walk was great.
As an ex-barrister, he has a voice that projects and a good sense of delivery, which kept us all entertained. With a subject that many of us are very familiar with, it was great to hear all the detailed background information he knew, which makes it all so much more understandable on a personal level.
Excellent.
Amy –
Having read many novels set in London during the Blitz, it was really interesting to see all the sites of the destruction. Tom did a great job imparting information and putting it into context. Anyone with an interest in WWII London or England should consider taking this tour.
Kim and Adrian –
Hi there,
We wanted to leave a very positive review for Tom, who led our Blitz tour today with great humour and an incredible amount of knowledge. It was pouring rain for half the walk, which didn’t dampen Tom. He tooks us into a fabulous St.Mary le Bow Church to get us out of the rain and told us fascinating history of the lovely church.
We loved that Tom highlighted the incredible work of the “average people” during the Blitz, noting that they, too, were heroes.
We’d highly recommend Tom and this walk!
Thank you,
Kim and Adrian (Canadian couple.)