Ahead of my trip to London, my husband, friends and I knew we wanted to maximize our time in the city, so we decided to book a couple tours.

On our first full day together we booked an evening River Thames cruise. The cruise wasn’t guided, but we decided to look up information about the buildings we passed while we sailed. The cruise departed near Tower Bridge. There happened to be a bridge opening right after we pushed back from the dock, so we had the unique opportunity to sail underneath the open bridge. The cruise sailed east, toward Canary Wharf. The ship turned around and continued past Tower Bridge toward the popular London Eye. It was a misty evening, but we still enjoyed seeing the city aglow from a different perspective.

The next morning we went on a private guided architecture tour. We booked the tour through Context Travel. We met our guide at St. Paul’s Cathedral and spent time exploring the City of London. Our guide had a background in art and history and offered plenty of insight into the local architecture. With so many old and modern buildings, it gave us a small glimpse into the city’s architectural history. We concluded the tour at one of the oldest pubs in the city, The Seven Stars. We enjoyed a round of drinks before moving on to our next activity.

— Katie Skrzek, vice president/digital director