Qype User (Caroli…)
Yelp
Having lived in London for some years, I find it hard to get excited about most tourist tours of the city any more. However, the Duck Tour offers something very different: an amphibious vehicle. This adds to the experience in two ways. First, you're travelling around in a historic vehicle used in the World War II D-Day landings. Its windows roll up in fine weather, it only seats about 30 people so tours are smaller and more personal, and the bright yellow vehicles are really eye-catching so children can have fun waving at passers-by.
Second, your tour combines land and water travel - in the same vehicle. First, you take a tour around the major landmarks in the conventional way; then you drive down a ramp alongside the MI6 building and into the water for a boat trip along the Thames. Driving straight into the river like that is somehow ridiculously exciting!
I've taken the tour twice, and found the guides to be really entertaining: they do their best to ensure that the trip is enjoyable even if you get stuck in the traffic or have to make a detour. People of all ages seem to have a lot of fun, making it particularly good if you are entertaining a mixed age group. Do make sure to book though: the tours can fill up well in advance.
Each tour lasts around an hour and a quarter, and takes in Westminster's main sights such as the Houses of Parliament and Trafalgar Square. The booking office and departure point are, conveniently, just behind the London Eye.