London: Stately Landmarks, Old-Fashioned Pubs, and Upscale Accommodations near the River Thames

Despite popular belief, many of London's most recognizable landmarks aren't technically located in London but in the twin city of Westminster. Here, you can see stately historic icons such as Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, and Westminster Abbey, whose Gothic spires have been a symbol of London since medieval times. Follow the River Thames northeast to London proper's East End, and the foggy banks are steeped in much grittier history: shrouded alleyways wind behind rustic medieval buildings that were the scene of Jack the Ripper's infamous attacks.

On this guided tour from Premium Tours, you'll see these landmarks up close on bus and coach tours. Click here to see the full itinerary.

For four or five nights, you’ll stay at the ultramodern Grange Tower Bridge Hotel. Opened in 2011, the five-star hotel features a full-service spa and an infinity pool, as well as 3-D TVs in every room. From your hotel, take a quarter-mile walk to the historic Tower of London, which served as the home of monarchs like King Richard the Lionheart and William the Conqueror before becoming primarily a prison in the 16th century.

Open-Air Bus Tour and Coach Rides Past Big Ben and Historic Sites

On an open-top bus tour of London, included in this deal, you'll get up close to Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the London Eye, and the Houses of Parliament in a restored 50-year-old bus. After seeing the city from its streets, you'll float through it on a guided river cruise on the Thames. Later that day, your group will observe the Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace.

An evening coach ride to the East End spotlights some of London's more macabre landmarks that have been immortalized in books and movies. Among these is Royal London Hospital, which inspired The Elephant Man, and Wallace Plaque, which commemorates the site where Braveheart's William Wallace was killed in 1305. In Whitechapel, you'll play private eye as you trace the darkened streets and corridors where Jack the Ripper murdered several prostitutes in the late 19th century in London's notoriously unsolved case.

An air of mystery also pervades the nearby Sherlock Holmes pub. Stop here to nosh on hand-battered fish 'n' chips, sip English ale, and don a deerstalker hat amid several artifacts that immortalize Holmes, such as black-and-white movie stills, original cartoon depictions of the character, and the head of the Hound of the Baskervilles, which is mounted on a wall.

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