Free Rock and Roll Soho Tour*

Free Rock & Roll Soho Tour*

Duration - 2 Hours

Language - English

Start Time - 2pm

Price - Free

Dickens described Soho as the place of “smoke and song”, little has changed. We call it London's home of Rock and Roll. Soho is where you go for a good night out. It's where you go to let your hair down and be a little bit naughty. This tour promises a rock and roll adventure through Soho’s fascinating past.

In its long and varied history, Soho has seen it all. Your Soho Walking Tour guide will reveal secret meetings of the Communist Party (under Karl Marx himself), virtuosic performances by an 8 year old Mozart, the home of the world's most famous lover, Casanova and a cholera outbreak that threatened to end life in Soho forever.

On our Free Rock and Roll Soho Tour we will see where the Beatles played their first and last gig in London, and where Beatlemania was born. Join us as we visit some of the top music venues from the 1960's that helped to launch the careers of The Who, The Rolling Stones, The Animals, Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie and many more. We will saunter into what is left of the old red light district and take a stroll down the one and only Carnaby Street, the hub of swinging 60's fashion and the birthplace of the miniskirt.

The Soho district has left an indelible mark on pop culture and has risen from being a seedy dangerous realm thirty years ago to one of the most famous and fashionable parts of central London today.

Throughout the tour, our experienced guides will keep you enthralled with witty anecdotes, little known facts and plenty of salacious gossip, bringing the winding cobbled streets to life!

So join us, on this unforgettable Free Rock and Roll Soho Tour, where music, fashion and scandal come together for an afternoon you won’t want to miss.

Or if you're looking for something more magical, why not try our Harry Potter Tour!

Tour Highlights include:

The London Palladium
Leicester Square
Carnaby Street
Liberty

The Beatles
Jimi Hendrix's last gig
The Cholera Outbreak
The Old Red Light District

Modern Day Soho
Shock and Scandal
& much more!

Meeting Point - Golden Square in Soho

We begin in Golden Square, just around the corner from Piccadilly Circus underground station. The station is on the Bakerloo and Piccadilly line, and around a 10 minute walk from Leicester Square and Oxford Street.

We recommend arriving 10-15 minutes before the tour starts, it gives you plenty of time to meet the guide and grab a coffee or ice cream!

How do I find the Guide?

Head to Tower Hill Underground Station, next to the Tram Coffee stop, and look for the guide holding up a bright red umbrella.
Where does the tour start and end?

The tour starts outside M&M World in Leicester Square and the guide should be nearby holding a red umbrella. The tour will finish near Whitehall and Trafalgar Square, in Westminster. The exact location will vary depending on the guide and the day, but the guide will always let you know at the beginning of the tour.
How long is the tour?

The tour is roughly 6 long, but will vary on the guide. There's a lunch break in the middle, lasting approximately an hour.
Do I need to make a booking? Or cancel if my plans change?

Yes please. The number of bookings we receive dictates how many guides we send to run the tour. If we have 100 extra people turn up, it's not going to be a good experience for anyone. Please be aware, we do not accept groups of 8 people or more. Even if you book separately, if you attend the tour as a big group, you will be turned away. If you are a group of 8 or more please contact us to enquire about booking a private tour. We'd be very grateful if you could cancel if you can no longer attend, as it could allow us to give your spot to someone else.
What if its raining?

If its raining, we will get wet! We always recommend you carry an umbrella in London, the weather really is that temperamental, but if we didn't run tours in bad weather, we wouldn't get to do many. Rain or shine we will be there waiting. Of course, if you don’t fancy standing in the rain with us we understand.
What should I wear?

Our tours are all walking, so we always recommend comfy shoes. Check the weather on the day of the tour, but we recommend bring a raincoat and some SPF just incase.
How is it free?*

We run all our tours on a pay what you think it’s worth basis. There is no booking fee for our free tours, and no payment is required before the tour begins. This means they are accessible to every budget. However our guides are all freelancers and don't get paid to do the tour, if you have fun then you can decide if you would like to tip your guide. The value is up to you, whatever fits in with your budget and your level of enjoyment. This also incentivises our guides to never stop trying to improve, as the system rewards the guides who provide the best quality tours. Tipping is always voluntary and our guides will never pressure you into it, but this is their job so if you have had fun, we ask that you take a moment to consider what it was worth to you.

Prefer to join us on a Private Tour?

If you are booking for a group of 8 or more, or just want a more personal experience away from the crowds, then you can book this as a private tour. You can dictate the content, the route and the time or sit back and let your guide lead you.

For more information on Private tours click here.

Please note, ALL schools and educational groups should book a Private tour.

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What our Customers say:

"We had an amazing guide on the Free Rock and Roll Tour! He was brilliant, hilarious AND gave us so much interesting information about Soho, Carnaby Street, and lots of people who are/were involved in the history of this area… Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, Jeffrey Banard, Paul Raymond and more. We had a great two hours! I totally recommend this Soho Walking Tour and this guide!"