If you’re a Londoner, or you’re planning a third or fourth visit to the capital, then you might think that you’ve seen and done just about everything there is to see and do. But the fact is that we spend most of our time looking at the city from the same angle, and that there are new perspectives and insights to be gleaned with the help of a guided tour of the city (or, at least, a small part of it). Getting around London is easy thanks to excellent transport links; you can travel from Clapham Junction to London Bridge in just under fifty minutes, meaning that you’ll be able to cram multiple tours into the same day.

Let’s look a few of the best tours the city has to offer.

Climbing the Roof of the O2

The O2 arena is one of the most distinctive landmarks on the London skyline, and if you’re interested in seeing the city from on-high, it’s among the best places from which to do so. When the weather is clear, you’ll be able to see for up to fifteen miles, and you’ll have a choice of doing it in the daylight, or at night time.

Abandoned Underground Stations

Hidden London is a fantastic means of seeing the history of London’s underground infrastructure up close. In practice, what this means is plenty of disused underground stations and lost tunnels. It’s pretty spooky down there, but it’s also interesting, especially for those fascinated by city planning and civil engineering.

Harry Potter Tour

Venture to the Warner Bros. Studio in Leavesden and you’ll be able to go on a behind-the-scenes tour of the sets used in the Harry Potter series, each of which is dressed with carefully-maintained props and costumes. If you’re taking children (or adults who’ve grown up with the series), then a visit to this tour is a must.

Another option for fans of the series is to go on the free walking tour of the locations Harry visits in London. There’s Leadenhall Market, which formed the basis for Diagon Alley, and of course, the famous platform 9 ¾ entrance at King’s Cross.

James Bond Tour

Another option for fans of British film comes in the form of the James Bond walking tour. 007 got into his share of scrapes in the capital, and this tour celebrates all of them. Of course, London is also where many real-life military intelligence operations were planned and executed – and while they’re not about to let you traipse around modern MI6, you will be able to delve into the history of British espionage in numerous locations around the city.