London's Finest Free Audio Tours
Audio tours are an increasingly popular way to tour London – simply download to your MP3 player and go. You can take things at your own pace, stopping off for a cup of tea, or popping in to explore a shop that catches your eye en route. Even better, a growing number of these audio tours are now completely free too! Take a browse through our free favourites below, reach for your comfiest pair of walking shoes, and explore London and its history in a whole new way, without spending a penny. If you’re looking for hotel accommodation for your London adventure, check out the Millennium Hotels site for the latest offers on hotels in Mayfair, the East End and across the capital.
Soundmap offer a range of London audio tours, all of which can be downloaded from their site free of charge. From Brixton to Soho, each of the tours is presented by someone who lives in the area they’re talking about, so you’re guaranteed the inside scoop on the best places to visit, eat and shop. All of Soundmap’s tours are packed full of stories, interviews with locals, and music too, and useful street maps for each tour can also be downloaded for free at their site.
If you’re a fan of Swinging Sixties London, then their King's Road tour is a must. A mecca for hippies, musicians and hipsters during the flower power era and the breeding ground for the renowned UK punk scene in the later seventies, the incredibly rich cultural history of the King’s Road is vividly expressed in this excellent tour.
Soundmap also offer tours of Brixton if you want to explore off the beaten track south of the river, as well as Camden and Brick Lane. The Brick Lane tour is presented by former Brick Lane resident and author Tarquin Hall. His vivid narration helps bring to life the fascinating history of this bustling multicultural area, from Jack the Ripper right up to the present day.
iaudioguide.com also offer a free London audio tour. Their free download is ideal for tourists new to the city, dealing as it does with all of the major tourist attractions, from Westminster to Buckingham Palace. You can use this guide as a walking tour to cover all of the big attractions, but it also makes an ideal primer for your visit, perfect to listen to on the plane to help you decide which sites you’d like to add to your essential itinerary.
One of the more unusual free audio guides to London comes via author Robert Wright. His London Walks site is full of fascinating tours, all of which Robert records as he actually walks them. They give a uniquely personal insight into the history of Robert’s home city, packed full of old-fashioned British charm and quirky anecdotes. A real Londoner’s guide to London.