Activity Bookers Logo
Choose Activity
Why Book With Us?
Join Us On Facebook
Follow Us On Twitter
Want to know more?
Three ways to get in touch:
> Tell us what you'd like to know:
  and we will get back to you:
 
or
 
> Call us on (778) 786-7112
> Email us:
Home > London > Daytrips - General > Leeds Castle Private Viewing, Canterbury and Greenwich Day Trip from London
Leeds Castle Private Viewing, Canterbury and Greenwich Day Trip from London
USD $125.00

Leeds Castle Private Viewing, Canterbury and Greenwich Day Trip from London

London, United Kingdom

Spend a day touring the highlights of Kent on this day trip from London. Enjoy an exclusive private viewing of beautiful Leeds Castle, visit UNESCO World Heritage-listed Canterbury Cathedral, see the White Cliffs of Dover, and then explore the historic London borough of Greenwich, all while enjoying informative commentary from an expert guide. End with a relaxing sunset cruise along the Thames River.

Board a coach at the Victoria Coach Station and relax on the 1-hour drive south to Leeds Castle. Built in 1119 as a Norman stronghold, Leeds Castle is beautifully situated on an island in a lake.

Enjoy a private viewing of this famous castle before it opens to the public. Learn how the property has changed hands and transformed over the years, from a 13th-century royal palace for King Edward I to the residence of Henry VII’s first wife, Catherine of Aragon, in the 16th century all the way up to the last private owner, American heiress Lady Baillie, who is credited for the castle’s remarkable preservation and redecoration.
Following a guide, explore the galleries, bedrooms, chapel, banquet hall and courtyards. Then take time to explore the surrounding gardens, walk around the lake and find your way through the famous maze.

Re-board the coach for a coastal drive to the White Cliffs of Dover, a chalky cliff face that lines part of the English Channel. As you’ll learn, these cliffs are symbolic throughout Britain, as they were the entry point for past war invasions and formed the first sight of England for travelers coming from Continental Europe.

Drive up and over the cliffs to Canterbury. Here you’ll visit Canterbury Cathedral, one of the most important Christian churches in the world and today a UNESCO World Heritage site. Immortalized by Geoffrey Chaucer in The Canterbury Tales, this striking Gothic church is nearly 1,700 years old!

After a guided tour of the cathedral, enjoy free time to explore the old town and have lunch at one of the many cafés or restaurants (own expense).

Continue your journey to the London borough of Greenwich, notable for its maritime history and as the birthplace of many English rulers from the House of Tudor. Take a walking tour to learn about Greenwich’s history, architecture, palaces and parks.

Arriving back in central London in the evening, hop on a boat and savor the views on a relaxing sunset cruise along the Thames River. Have your camera ready as you pass top London attractions including Tower Bridge and the Tower of London against the sparkling city skyline.
Arrive at Embankment Pier to conclude your trip.

Special Offer - Book November 17 and travel by March 31 and save 10% off our previously offered price! - Book Now!

USD $125.00
Traveler Reviews
Review by:   Holly Z,    March 2018 Review: 5 star rating: Highly Recommended
I was very happy with this tour. It was just the right pace with the perfect amount of sightseeing. Leeds Castle was beautiful. The tour of Canterbury Cathedral of the time for lunch in the town was lovely. Going to Dover and seeing the white cliffs was really special. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and patient. The boat ride from Greenwich was a fun way to end the day. I highly recommmend this tour.
 

Review by:   KC,    December 2017 Review: 4 star rating: Recommended
It is a good itinerary to see primarily Leeds Castle and Canterbury. I did not know much about Canterbury so it was quite educational and learned a lot. Leeds Castle is interesting but not exceptional as you see these kinds of luxurious properties in other places. Stopping at Dover was very short and Greenwich does not really count as a stop as we just started the return boat there. But the idea of coming back with the river boat on Thames is nice.
 

Review by:   Sharon K,    October 2017 Review: 5 star rating: Highly Recommended
Loved it all....so many wonderful places on the tour. Fell in love with Leeds Castle, would have enjoyed more time there. Canterbury was delightful and finding a festival made it even better. The Greenwich area was quite a walk with lots of history.
 

Review by:   Amy F,    October 2017 Review: 4 star rating: Recommended
Great trip was had by all. Trip was fun . Loved stopping at at beach at Dover Cliffs. Man who gave the tour was very great amount of knowledge, and very nice. Loved Canterbury .
 

Review by:   Doug H,    October 2017 Review: 3 star rating: Worth doing
Good tour, the sights were very good, the guide was a sweet older lady whose voice and energy levels were very weak, so hard to listen to. As you might expect with the itinerary, the day is rushed from start to end._br/_ If you go, take a snack, as the only time for lunch is late.
 

Review by:   blare246,    October 2017 Review: 3 star rating: Worth doing
I chose this tour mainly to see Canterbury and Greenwich, but since Leeds Castle is 900 years old I thought it would be interesting to see.
 

Review by:   Leslie L,    October 2017 Review: 5 star rating: Highly Recommended
Fabulous tour and the best tour guide with great amounts of historical stories and events._br/_ Leeds castle was spectacular with a private tour before public entry
 

Review by:   Carol M,    September 2017 Review: 5 star rating: Highly Recommended
Loved Leeds Castle! Great tour of the castle, but it helped they were decorating for a flower show and maximizing the assets of the castle. Canterbury Cathedral was worth seeing and great gift shop. The Greenwich stop was very informative, but the boat ride at the end made the tour extra special. What a great way to view the city and snap some fabulous pictures!
 

Review by:   Edward J S,    September 2017 Review: 5 star rating: Highly Recommended
Tour was great! Good guide, interesting sights to see and the boat ride ended the day in a relaxing manner. Leeds Castle was fascinating and well preserved. The gardens were beautiful.
 

Review by:   Odalys G,    August 2017 Review: 5 star rating: Highly Recommended
I had gone with a group of 10 women from my church and let me tell you the tour was more than expected. Everything was very well organized. The Leeds Castle had a lot of WOW factors to it must go again with my husband. Dover was beautiful my husband and I will try to go there for our anniversary next year. Canterbury was amazing the guests of a wedding got caught in a rain shower, but everyone was smiling. The walk to Greenwich was a bit of a walk but when you get to the top of that hill that overlooks all of London, it was well worth it. And the river cruise was very nice. Our guide Danisha? and driver were EXCELLENT!!!
 

Review by:   Diane S,    August 2017 Review: 5 star rating: Highly Recommended
This tour was amazing!
 

Review by:   Barbara A,    August 2017 Review: 4 star rating: Recommended
This was a good choice for us, having been to the west and northwest of London during other U.K. Visits. Not too much time was spent in the coach. We liked that! A few small things would help the process: 1 leave on time or just a few minutes late, even though not all passengers are present. We were late to our private viewing at Leeds due to tardy passengers. This also made that visit shorter. 2 provide guidance about dining during the normal lunch hour. We expected this, so did not eat at Leeds. Give people a sense of when stops will occur at the start, and for how long, so this can be sorted out. 3 spend more time at Canterbury and skip Dover cliffs. Even on a nice day, the cliffs stop meant looking at a parking lot with just a glimpse of the cliffs. Canterbury was FABULOUS. The Cathedral was amazing and the town bustling with many places to eat and shop. Make this the centerpiece of the day. I am NOT a shopper, and still wanted more time in the town. 4 the stop in Greenwich was inconsequential, but the Thames ride from there was excellent. Other reviewers thought riding on the regular Thames cruiser was less than wonderful, but we enjoyed seeing the sights all along the river. The ferry stops to receive and discharge passengers were absolutely fine. These stops did provide the option of many getting off nearer to their hotels than if we had traveled back to the Coach Terminal._br/_ Overall, an excellent trip with a safe driver and a very knowledgeable and friendly guide. Choose this trip if you like history, shorter coach rides, have been to Stonehenge, and want to see a castle in a truly beautiful setting - water, birds, fowl, plantings - awesome.
 

Review by:   Ann Z,    August 2017 Review: 2 star rating: It was OK, but could have been better
Overall a rushed, disjointed tour. Complete chaos at the coach station - pure unorganized madness. We completely missed private tour at Leeds so we all just walked around the castle. Bus guide did not come with us, mention we would not be able to eat again until about 3:15 until after Leeds then a bus ride and tour of Canterbury - glad we ate early! Leeds was nice but somewhat boring. Guide didn't even mention events at back of Leeds property-WWII film and birds of prey! Canterbury was very nice since we happened to run into a very nice Cathedral guide inside. Our guide dropped us off there and left. Wishing I had just gotten off the bus and stayed there and ubered back to London. Went to Dover for literally ten minutes to take a meaningless photo with little info given by guide about cliffs. Greenwich was the same - there for ten minutes then rush to the bus. Overall a rushed day with guide who didnt bother to mention the important facts. There are 45 trains to Canterbury per day for 40 GBP return. Much better option overall.
 

Review by:   James D J,    July 2017 Review: 4 star rating: Recommended
This tour went very well. The tour guide was informative and kept you advised of what you were about to see.
 

Review by:   Deborah F,    July 2017 Review: 3 star rating: Worth doing
It was a fun tour, and the guide had a lot of information about the city of London, history, etc. The first part--a private tour of the Leeds Castle, was great. We were there early, so there was more privacy and we really got to experience it. The second part, the cliffs of Dover, were not great. We went to a little harbor and stopped for about 15 minutes to take a photo in the distance--I felt this was not described well in the tour explanation, and I thought we were going to be taken to the tops of the cliffs for the view. Canterbury was fine it was a nice cathedral, but it would have been better if the program had provided a guided tour, rather than just a 2-hour stop in the town. The final stop was Greenwich, and I felt it was unnecessary. The spot we toured was not all that interesting, and though the trip seemed to indicate a river-cruise at the end, all they did was put us on the standard water-taxi there wasn't even much outdoor seating, and the windows were almost opaque, so it was not in any way a scenic experience. Overall, I enjoyed the tour, but I felt that my expectations based on the description of the tour were not totally met.
 

Review by:   Craig J,    July 2017 Review: 4 star rating: Recommended
Overall the tour was well run, the guide very knowledgable and passionate about English history, so interesting to listen to over the course of the day. We heeded suggestions from other reviewers to pack a lunch and were very glad we did as it gave us more time in Canterbury. Make sure you plan a little extra time to find Victoria Coach station, which is a few block walk from where the Victoria Underground station disembarks. Some helpful locals pointed us in the right direction. The private tour is based upon getting to Leeds Castle before it opens to the general public, which we did, barely, so our Leeds tour guide rushed us through the castle. Personally I would advocate for leaving London earlier to ensure you got to Leeds well before opening time. We did have a little time to look around ourselves, which we did.
 

Review by:   Lulaina,    June 2017 Review: 3 star rating: Worth doing
I liked this tour very much. The only bad thing, which didn't take me by surprise, was the short amount of time at Leeds Castle. I wish we could have spend more time there, and a bit less in Canterbury, but maybe that's because I ratber spend more time in castles than having a long lunch._br/_ I got to see the White Ciffs of Dover in a beautiful day!_br/_ Greenwich was also lovely, and the boat back to London which, btw, is public transport and not a cruise.
 

Review by:   David S,    June 2017 Review: 4 star rating: Recommended
This was overall a really nice day trip. The bus station the coach leaves from was super crowded, but we found our bus without problem. The tour guide was very good. Friendly, funny, and knowledgeable. Wish I could remember her name! Anyway, the first stop was Leeds Castle. It was very cool to have a private tour through the castle before it opens to the public. The castle itself is beautiful. For those who don't know, it is very old the oldest part is about 1000 years old, but it fell into disrepair and was purchased by a wealthy American woman in the 1920's. She made significant repairs, so it looks very nice, but do not expect it to be furnished with original pieces. It's still very cool, but you shouldn't expect it to look inside like it did 1000 years ago...or even 200 years ago. The rest of the grounds are nice, but there are a few too many goose turds lying around for my taste! We went to Hever Castle a few days prior, and the grounds there were significantly nicer and better groomed than Leeds. It's still beautiful, just not quite as nice as Hever. My biggest complaint about the Leeds portion of the tour was the hurried pace. We really only had time to do the private tour, then we hit the gift shop and restrooms for a total of maybe 20 minutes, and by then we wanted to eat some lunch, because our guide told us we wouldn't have another opportunity to eat until several hours later. Well, that only left about 25 minutes to walk over to the little cafe and grab a quick bite. The food there was okay, nothing special....only thing of note was the 2 or 3 ants that were casually crawling on the counter where the registers and food were. When my wife pointed them out to the girl behind the register, she just said Oh. and continued to ring us up. LOL!
 

Review by:   andiecip,    June 2017 Review: 5 star rating: Highly Recommended
Fabulous tour, saw so much packed into a day with Leeds castle, Canterbury church, free time in Canterbury, Dover, Greenwich to take the Thames boat cruise...saw and learned so much. Loved our tour guide John from Peemiun tours - he was so knowledgeable and so willing to answer any questions.
 

Review by:   safonovaks,    May 2017 Review: 5 star rating: Highly Recommended
Excellent trip, very rich with cultural and historic details, the guide Marina was very good! Worth doing!
 

Review by:   Preea,    April 2017 Review: 5 star rating: Highly Recommended
Just loved this would do it again if given a chance what a lovely day trip !
 

Review by:   Tatyana Z,    February 2017 Review: 5 star rating: Highly Recommended
Awesome tour! Able to get a tour of the Castle, view the insides of Canterbury, and had extra time for food and souvenir shopping. The smaller sized group was great!
 

Review by:   Juli M,    January 2017 Review: 5 star rating: Highly Recommended
Leeds is a beautiful castle. Our tour guide on the bus and the bus driver were entertaining and a great driver. I really enjoyed the tour of the castle ahead of the public and would have loved to see more of the grounds. Our tour guide was great in the castle was enthusiastic and knowledgeable. I wish we had all day to walk around the spectacular grounds and enjoy them. The lake with the birds was really lovely. Overall I thought the entire tour Leeds castle, Canterbury cathedral, White Cliffs of Dover and Greenwich ferry to Central London was too many sights in one day. Although I really enjoyed the Canterbury cathedral as well, we did not have time for lunch. The entire area around the Cathedral was packed with people and the restaurant where we tried to eat was not able serve 2 salads in over an hour. As a result, we had only the apples we brought with for the entire day. This wasn't healthy for my mom, who is diabetic. When we got to Dover the sun was setting, it was very cold and there were no food stands open. The beach was beautiful and the vision of the castle on the hill was breathtaking, but I was really hungry. When we got to Greenwich it was dark. we went back to see the sights the next day on our own. In short, this tour is a great value. However, bring plenty of snacks and water for yourself and prepare for a very long day.
 

Review by:   john b,    January 2017 Review: 5 star rating: Highly Recommended
we did this day trip while on holiday in uk ...our guide was well versed in all aspects of local history .when we did tour it was raining on and off but this did not stop us having a great day ...do not hesitate in booking this one
 

Review by:   Alton S,    October 2016 Review: 5 star rating: Highly Recommended
We really enjoyed this tour. Our guide was very informative and nice. The bus was comfortable and our driver really friendly. It was quite an experience to hear the history of the different sites as we drove through the countryside. The private viewing of Leeds Castle was wonderful. The Cliffs of Dover were beautiful and we even got a peek of France across the channel. The Canterbury Cathedral is simply amazing! All in all an excellent choice.
 

Review by:   Alexandra I,    October 2016 Review: 5 star rating: Highly Recommended
Great tour ,we wish we had more time in Dover ,and get to experience Dover castle,but still we got to see a lo
 

Review by:   Dolores O,    September 2016 Review: 5 star rating: Highly Recommended
Very good guide
 

Review by:   Carol,    September 2016 Review: 5 star rating: Highly Recommended
A wonderful day excursion. Arriving at Leeds Castle before the public was admitted and being able to tour the castle with our guide was fantastic! Seeing the Dover Cliffs and shore was very nice and the Canterbury Cathedral was wonderful. The park in Greenwich was very nice and the river cruise to end the day was very relaxing. The perfect day!!
 

Review by:   Leah Michele A,    September 2016 Review: 5 star rating: Highly Recommended
Frank was an excellent guide - very articulate and well-informed, personable and enthusiastic!
 

Review by:   Linda D,    September 2016 Review: 4 star rating: Recommended
Very enjoyable trip. It would have been good to spend more time in Dover and maybe get closer to the castle, but all in all the other sights made the trip very worth wild.
 

Review by:   Denise T,    August 2016 Review: 3 star rating: Worth doing
disapointed we didn't get to Dover but thats no ones fault but the border people but didn't like the so called cruise it was just on the water taxi a real cruise would have been better.Rest of the tour was great,
 

Review by:   Terry W,    August 2016 Review: 5 star rating: Highly Recommended
Good tour to get you out of London for a day. Canterbury was very interesting. Unfortunately, we were there on graduation day and main part of church was closed to tours.
 

Review by:   Mary V,    July 2016 Review: 3 star rating: Worth doing
More time should have been spent in Canterbury...just a gorgeous cathedral and village. Leeds was lovely. Greenwich, Dover, as well as the boat cruise were not very special. Could barely see out the boat's dirty windows so not the sunset cruise as led to believe. Richard, our guide, could not be more helpful.
 

Review by:   Martin S,    July 2016 Review: 5 star rating: Highly Recommended
Our tour guide, Steve, was great! My wife and daughter are still talking about this tour and Steve as one of the highlights of our 9 days in the UK. We had enough time to enjoy all three stops and the ride back into London on the Thames. Definitely worth the money.
 

Review by:   Marge K,    July 2016 Review: 5 star rating: Highly Recommended
The tour was very good and the tour guide knowledgeable about the areas we visited. Leeds is incredibly romantic and was excited to see the WW2 bunker as we passed the white cliffs of Dover. It was great to visit Canterbury and see its famous cathedral. I would recommend this tour to anyone.
 

Review by:   George S,    July 2016 Review: 4 star rating: Recommended
Not enough time at Leeds Castle. Wanted to figure out the maze but went to see the Green Man through the exit instead. Should spend less time in Canterbury.
 

Review by:   Sofia G,    June 2016 Review: 5 star rating: Highly Recommended
Great tour. Our tour guide, Steve, was great. He had to deal with a rude tour passenger and did so very well. He was entertaining and very knowledgeable. We loved Canterbury Cathedral the most. Leeds was also very nice. I would take a tour with this company again!
 

Review by:   Judith T,    June 2016 Review: 5 star rating: Highly Recommended
There were four of us in our group that took this tour. We thought it was wonderful. We loved everything. However we are all older and sometimes it was hard to keep up with the guide and we missed some things she said. It would have been great to have had a VoiceVox or Whisper so we could have heard everything she said. Otherwise it was a great day.
 

Review by:   Judith T,    June 2016 Review: 5 star rating: Highly Recommended
There were four of us in our group that took this tour. We thought it was wonderful. We loved everything. However we are all older and sometimes it was hard to keep up with the guide and we missed some things she said. It would have been great to have had a VoiceVox or Whisper so we could have heard everything she said. Otherwise it was a great day.
 

Review by:   Gabriela K,    June 2016 Review: 5 star rating: Highly Recommended
Really great trip and the tour guide Steve was amazing. Very knowledgeable and witty
 

Review by:   Carol P,    June 2016 Review: 5 star rating: Highly Recommended
Great trip, got us to some sights easily. Our guide was very good. Only disappointment was not having enough time at Greenwich to see the time/distance museum.
 

Review by:   rmatuska,    June 2016 Review: 5 star rating: Highly Recommended
Great tour with an even better tour guide. The weather wasn't the best, so John helped make the day better by modifying, with everyone's approval, the tour timings. Canterbury and the White Cliffs of Dover are definitely not to be missed!
 

Review by:   Victoria S,    June 2016 Review: 5 star rating: Highly Recommended
This was one of my favorite tours! Canterbury felt like stepping back into time, it was amazing and there were plenty of little shops around. Leeds Castle was breathtaking! I definitely recommend this tour for anyone who wants to get out of London and see some other sights. It was one of the few castles you could take pictures inside. Would have loved to have more time exploring the grounds of the castle and maybe less time in Greenwich. I think it could have been better communicated to the person giving the castle tour that just because we needed to be back on the bus by a certain time doesn't mean they use all of that time for the tour. There was hardly any time left to explore the grounds and go to the gift shop because the castle tourguide thought she had up until the time we needed to be back on the bus.
 

Review by:   carolawhite3,    June 2016 Review: 5 star rating: Highly Recommended
This was a wonderful day trip, nice to get out of the city and see a bit of the beautiful countryside. Leeds Castle is beautiful as is the Cathedral in Canterbury. Our tour guide, Sev, was wonderful, very knowledgeable and made the experience great!
 

Review by:   Nathan B,    June 2016 Review: 3 star rating: Worth doing
The tour guide was great, very informative and engaging. The sites were also quite impressive. However, we had a poor experience with the driver not knowing where he was going, causing a 1 hr delay, resulting in reduced time thru the day.
 

Review by:   Kathleen B,    June 2016 Review: 4 star rating: Recommended
Great tour. Very full day of touring outside of the normal London sites. The tour guide, Richard, was extremely knowledgeable and Dave, the driver did a great job. I would recommend this tour to anyone who wants to get out of the city and see some great sites.
 

Review by:   Bruce M,    May 2016 Review: 5 star rating: Highly Recommended
very interesting and a very good value!!
 

Review by:   Richard M,    May 2016 Review: 5 star rating: Highly Recommended
Very well executed! Looking forward to my tour to Oxford and Bath!
 

Review by:   David D,    April 2016 Review: 3 star rating: Worth doing
The Leeds Castle tour wasn't as interesting as it could've been. Dover Castle was on the tour, and looked infinitely more impressive. Canterbury was far and away the highlight of the trip, but the guide was a little too involved. She spent a lot of time explaining locations and restaurants and things, and that really cut into exploring time. That was disappointing, because the town was easy to navigate, and I'd have enjoyed more free time there. All in all, it was a good deal for the cost, but it could've easily been much, much better.
 

Review by:   JoAnne F,    March 2016 Review: 4 star rating: Recommended
Tour guide was not very Interesting, she keep forgetting what she was going to say.
 

All Traveler Reviews...

USD $125.00
Leeds Castle Private Viewing, Canterbury and Greenwich Day Trip from London - Add to del.icio.us Delicious Leeds Castle Private Viewing, Canterbury and Greenwich Day Trip from London - Add to Digg Digg Leeds Castle Private Viewing, Canterbury and Greenwich Day Trip from London - Add to Reddit Reddit Leeds Castle Private Viewing, Canterbury and Greenwich Day Trip from London - Share with facebook Facebook Leeds Castle Private Viewing, Canterbury and Greenwich Day Trip from London - Add to StumbleUpon StumbleUpon
Free Booking Service
Why Book Ahead?
Currently viewing:  Leeds Castle Private Viewing, Canterbury and Greenwich Day Trip from London