podtour
Westminster: Parliament, the Abbey and Big Ben
You start on Westminster Bridge, where a poet saw a city without its smoke and whose sonnet carries a different date, then carry on beneath Big Ben, which is really a bell with a crack in it.
Covent Garden and the Strand: Theatres, a Market and Scandals: audio walk in London
From Seven Dials to the Savoy: the column no mob pulled down, a poet beaten up in an alley, the church whose famous front is really the back, puppets and a flower girl, a murder outside the opera, London's first thief-takers, Nell Gwyn at her door, a ghost with a date, and peace with Spain signed on the Strand.
What this walk is about
You start in Seven Dials, the star of seven streets whose column vanished in 1773, and not for the reason you'll hear, in the old neighbourhood of gallows ballads; on Rose Street, a poet was beaten up over a poem he hadn't written. In Covent Garden you discover that the most photographed portico in the square leads to a false door, that Pepys watched puppets here and Shaw put his flower girl here, and that under the arcades a fruit seller saw the singer Martha Ray killed. On Bow Street, London's first thief-takers were born; on Drury Lane, Pepys saw Nell Gwyn in her smock sleeves, and the theatre has its Man in Grey, a ghost first written down in 1945. Then down to the Strand: at Somerset House the peace with Spain of 1604 was signed, the Savoy was a palace blown up by rebels, and a hotel sits a wooden cat at tables of thirteen.
- Start
- The column that went to Weybridge
- Finish
- The fourteenth dinner guest
- Who it is for
- A walk for anyone curious about theatre and nightlife and crime and social history.
- Languages
- Spanish and British English
- Underfoot
- The walk has slopes or changes in level. There are cobbles or uneven surfaces.
The route, stop by stop
An outline of the walk. The full stories are in the app.
Loading the map…
Open a marker to see its page. Use two fingers to move the map on mobile.
- 1
The column that went to Weybridge
- 2
Ballads and last words
- 3
The ambush in Rose Alley
- 4
The false door of the finest barn
- 5
Puppets and a flower seller
- 6
A shot beneath the arcade
- 7
The Bow Street Runners
- 8
Nell at the door
- 9
Drury Lane's legend of the Man in Grey
- 10
The peace signed on the Strand
- 11
The palace blown up by rebels
- 12
The fourteenth dinner guest
Walking directions are based on mapped pedestrian routes. Check local access and signs; the route is not an accessibility guarantee. Times are approximate.
London, before you go
London makes more sense an area at a time than as one vast walk. Neighbourhoods change pace within a few streets; the sky may change while you find the next one.
More walks nearby
Soho: Refugees, Musicians and the Cholera Pump
You start in Soho Square, with the statue of a king who spent sixty years in a garden on the outskirts, and the church of the French refugees who filled the neighbourhood.
Whitehall and Trafalgar Square: Kings, Regicides and Admirals
You start by the lake where Charles II kept Russian pelicans and Balearic cranes, and pass the back of Downing Street, named after a diplomat who changed sides and sold out his old friends.
Good to know
What is Podtour?
An app for self-guided audio walks. Choose a city and a route, then listen to the stories behind its streets. You decide when to start and when to stop.
When can I download the app?
Podtour is coming to iOS and Android. There is no confirmed launch date yet. Join the waitlist and we will let you know when it is ready.
Does Podtour include attraction tickets?
No. Street walks and monument audio tours do not include admission tickets, transport or a guide accompanying you.
Can I listen without an internet connection?
Download the audio in the app before heading out, then listen offline. Loading the online base map and calculating a new route from your location require a connection.
What languages are included?
Every route includes Spanish and British English. The English version is adapted for English-speaking travellers, rather than translated word for word.
How do I get a whole city for free?
Join the waitlist, choose a city and confirm your email address. When the app launches, we will email you with access details. No card is required. You can also try one free route in every city.
Can I buy for myself or for a group?
Yes. Your own access is included and you can choose 0–5 guests: up to 6 people including you. Each guest saves up to €0.50 on a walk, €1 on a pack or €2 on a whole city compared with buying separately. The counter shows the total before you confirm one payment.
How do I share, and when must guests accept?
After paying, share your purchase’s invitation link. Each guest opens it in Podtour and accepts their place on their own iPhone or Android phone. They must redeem it within 30 days of purchase. Unclaimed places then expire and cannot be recovered or renewed. Access accepted in time is kept. Opening the link does not use a place; one account takes just one place, and no more people can join once all places are taken.
Can I add guests after buying?
No. Choose all your guests before confirming the first purchase. Afterwards you can share the places you paid for, but you cannot increase their number or restart the 30-day deadline.
Your first city,
on Podtour.
Join the waitlist. When we launch, your chosen city is yours to explore.
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A little welcome gift
Your first city,
on Podtour.
Join the waitlist and get one whole city free when Podtour launches. You choose where.
Podtour manages your launch request with your consent. You can withdraw it and exercise your rights as explained in our privacy policy. Privacy details.
One city per person. All its Podtour routes in Spanish and English. Available at launch. Offer details.