Rebel Tours (2025)

08/03/2025

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY, from your favourite Rebel women! 😉

“Kia Ora” from me (Charlie), currently back home in New Zealand, which was the first country in the world to give women the vote, in 1893!

Swipe to meet a couple of the rebel wāhine (women) who were trailblazing suffragists, and both absolutely key to achieving universal suffrage here in Aotearoa New Zealand.

1.) Kate Sheppard: many people are perhaps already familiar with Kate, and she’s a very recognisable face, as she’s on NZ’s $10 note! She’s been on the note since 1993, which marked 100 years since she and her fellow Kiwi suffragists won the vote.

Kate was actually born in Liverpool, and emigrated from England to NZ with her family in 1868. She quickly became a high profile and active member of numerous organisations. She went on to lead the suffrage movement in NZ, and is NZ’s most famous suffragist.

2.) Meri Te Tai Mangakāhia was the first woman to address Te Kotahitanga Parliament, submitting a motion in favour of women being allowed to vote for, and stand as, members of the Parliament. Under Colonial law, Māori were losing land, and Meri felt that Māori men weren’t progressing to resolve land disputes with the Crown — she believed that Queen Victoria might respond better to requests from other women. She noted that Māori women were landowners, and should not be barred from political representation.

Meri paved the way for Māori women’s empowerment and has inspired many generations of Māori women.

As the sun sets on IWD in NZ, the day is only just getting started in the UK! Are you looking for a way to celebrate after the London IWD March? Why not join our feminist retelling of Whitechapel in 1888, by joining this evening’s “Jack the Ripper: What About the Women” walking tour! Link in bio.

With Love & Rage from Charlie and Ellie (swipe to the final photo)! 😁

06/02/2025

LAST CHANCE TO VOTE FOR US! We have been nominated for ‘Best Guided Tour’ at the awards - if you haven’t already, we’d really appreciate if you could take a minute or two to vote for us! Tomorrow is the very last day you are able to vote and you can that at www.londonforgroups.com/awards-2025, or you can also use the link in our bio.

Thanks for all your support since we started Rebel Tours, it really means the world 🥰

28/01/2025

It’s a bit bleak outside this week! ☔️ But thankfully, you can now explore Britain’s rebellious history indoors! 👊🏾

We’ve moved our “Rogues and Rebels” tour inside the National Portrait Gallery… come face-to-face with some of the incredible people who have shaped British history! Abolitionists and suffragettes, actors and writers, antifascists and anarchists, the first Polynesian to visit England… and many more!

The tour is running tomorrow morning at 10.30am, and again this weekend — so head over to our website, and book your place now!

22/01/2025

The pod just dropped! Last month, Charlie and Ellie were special guests on L.A. Not So Confidential’s forensic psychology podcast, discussing ethical crime tourism. If you’ve been on our “Jack the Ripper: What About the Women” tour, you’ll know the vibe!

Look up LA Not So Confidential wherever you get your podcasts, and it’s the latest episode. Give it a listen!

Alternatively you can see the original livestream on YouTube at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/live/zTQ2BB0D4vM?si=3JkHDgkGPleJVmQR

08/01/2025

We’re super chuffed to be up for an award! have kindly nominated us for ‘Best Guided Tour’ 🤗🤘🏽

It feels awesome to be recognised for all the hard work we’ve put into Rebel Tours since the Ol’ Pandemic Times, as well as being in a group with other incredible people!

We’re super grateful just to be nominated, but…we would love to win! 😝 So if you’ve ever enjoyed one of our walking tours and you want to support, please vote for us on the London for Groups website, the link is in our bio - thanks so much! ❤️👊🏽

14/11/2024

It’s finally that time of year…our favourite festive walking tour is now available to book!

Nothing says Christmas like Charles Dickens - A Christmas Carol is probably the most famous Christmas story ever written. And you might say that nothing says London like Charles Dickens, whose many characters, scenes and locations are inspired and set on the streets of the Big Smoke.

Join us as the Christmas ghosts lead us around the capital to discover the real locations where the novelist worked, walked and drew inspiration - from the grandeur of the Inns of Court to the dismal and overcrowded slums.

🎄Meet your rebel guide outside the John Soane 🎄Museum in Lincoln’s Inn Fields.
🎄This tour lasts approximately 90 minutes and finishes in Covent Garden.
🎄Tickets at just £15 pp and kids go free! (13 and under)
🎄Booking is essential! Please don’t show up without booking your place.

11/11/2024

You can now meet the Rogues and Rebels of the National Portrait Gallery!

We’re so happy with how our newest galley tour is going this month - and we’re heading indoors just in time for the cold and wet weather!

These lovely ladies thoroughly enjoyed an alternative side of British history, exploring new perspectives and characters largely forgotten by the history books (when they really shouldn’t be!)

Book a public or private tour any day of the week, always with small groups and reasonable prices - it’s important that our tours always remain accessible! This is also a great way to support a small local business as well as contributing to responsible and sustainable travel 😊❤️

Head over to our website to book a tour or DM us if you have any questions ❤️👊🏽

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02/11/2024

We hope you had a spooky Halloween Rebels! 🎃 How cute are the members of the Architecture Club on yesterday’s special tour?

We showed them a beautifully quirky former hostel for sailors in Limehouse ⚓️ We spoke about support for sailors docked in London’s ports, Limehouse as an essential part of the Docklands, and the industries that were part of Britain’s imperial machine.

Do you want to come and walk the Docklands with us? Just let us know! Which areas would you love to know more about? ⛵️

16/10/2024

Remember, Remember, the fifth of November! 🔥

Join us on a rebellious adventure through one of the boldest plots in British history! Welcome to 1605, the year of gunpowder and treason!

You know the one…That time when a bunch of Catholics tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament to kill the King and all his government.

But what do you really know about the Gunpowder Plot, besides it giving us an excuse every year to light a bonfire and set off fireworks? Join us on a walking tour through Westminster to find out!

We’ll meet Guy Fawkes, his co-conspirators and other characters as we follow the clues to discover the ins and outs of the plan, the events that led up to it and a sprinkle of conspiracy to top it off!

The tour runs on the 3rd, 4th and 5th of Novemberst multiple times but places are limited so make sure you secure a spot. Kids are welcome and under 14s go free, just bear in mind we’ll also be doing some historical deep dives 🤓

Head over to our website to book, link in bio! ❤️👊🏼

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15/10/2024

Here are some of our lovely recent guests huddled together on Brick Lane. The building they’re standing in front of hasn’t always been an eatery and hotel — up until 1991, it was a pub called the Frying Pan.🍺

If you look carefully, you can still see the name of the pub and the frying pan logo in the terracotta brickwork at the top of the building. You can swipe to the next photo for a closer look. 🙂👉🏼

It’s pretty well-known that back in August of 1888, a woman by the name of Mary Ann or “Polly” Nichols had been drinking here. She later bumped into a friend who tried to urge her to return to the lodging house with her, but poor Polly had no money for a bed, and had been turned away. Tragically, this encounter would be the last known sighting of Polly alive.

There are all sorts of stories that we hear on the streets of Whitechapel about Polly. I’ve heard some guides describe her as “young” — and whilst I’m in my forties myself (and do indeed consider myself a young woman!) — I don’t think that people are picturing a 43-year-old woman when they’re being told about her. Polly had enjoyed a rich life full of experiences. She’d come to Whitechapel after her marriage ended — her husband had blamed her drinking, but was it more to do with the fact that he’d been having an affair with the neighbour?

Another story we frequently hear others saying about Polly is that in Whitechapel, she was a pr******te. There’s actually no real evidence of this, and as public historians, of course we have really looked.

Join our “Jack the Ripper: What About the Women” walking tour, to hear more of Polly’s story. We’ll also tackle the “they’re all pr******tes” claim, and discuss why police sometimes drew this conclusion, despite any supporting evidence. We’ll also explore how and why alcohol played such a big role in the lives of people in Whitechapel in 1888 (spoiler alert: women weren’t the only ones drinking).

The tour runs every day at 6.30pm, but pre-booking is essential — link in bio.

12/10/2024

‘Tis the season for Covent Garden!

As the weather turns a little colder, Covent Garden really comes to life! This is actually one of the best times to visit (ahead of the Christmas rush!) as the markets and surrounds ready themselves for the festive season. There’s always something going on, and the community has a wonderful lively vibe!

Of course you could just wander around on your own, but all you’ll really get a sense of is nice shops and cool places to eat and drink. But there is a very unique history here, as well as some incredible people who make up the community that hides behind the shop fronts…

We introduce you to the community and their stories on our “Misfits of Covent Garden” walking tour — daily at 3pm.

Let us show the REAL Covent Garden — booking essential (no walk-ups), on our website (link in bio).

01/07/2024

Showing some love for NEAT!

Guests on our Plant Power Vegan Food Tour have been loving ’s new artisan ciabattas. 😋 It’s definitely one of the healthier stops on the tour, and the addition of ’s stracciatella cheese makes this sandwich next level!

There’s still a few spots left on the tour for both today and tomorrow if you’d like to join us not only for some good eats in Camden, but some pretty funky history as well. 🤘🎸

Booking essential — link in bio. 🌱

28/06/2024

We were very sad to read this morning that this will be our friends at ’s last weekend in . They’re a small indie store that’s been there for years, fantastic food, and Rebel Tours have been proud to support them as a regular stop on our Plant Power Vegan Food Tours. ✊🏼 🌱

So today’s food tour at 1.30pm will be our last visit to V Burger — there’s still a couple of hours to book on if you’d like to join us last minute! We love V Burger’s shakes and cannoli — it’s sad to realise that today is the last day our guests will be enjoying these. 😿

If you can’t join us today, our vegan food tour of Camden does run regularly, so you can always join us another date — in either case, do head over to our website (link in bio), as booking is essential!

And if you can, do get down to V Burger this weekend and show them some love. 🫶

The Rebels wish the team at V Burger all the best, and we are going to miss you loads. We’re absolutely gutted. 💔

18/03/2024

🇮🇪 St Patrick’s Day 2024 was an amazing success! ☘️ Thank you to everyone who joined us to celebrate an Irish London - we sold out every slot 🤗

We are so happy and proud that this has become our most popular event of the year, the people we meet on every tour make it such an incredible experience, we love coming together to celebrate London’s rich Irish history 💚

As you can see, the craic in the pub later was tremendous 😅 Don’t miss out next year! Lá fhéile Pádraig sona dhaoibh! 💚🤍🧡

A big thank you also to the beautiful for coming along and supporting us, we love you!

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29/01/2024

As Veganuary draws to a close, we want to help you stay VEG FOR FEB!!! 😋🌱

We’re doing a special offer on our vegan food tour for the entire month of February (and you can get the same deal for what’s left of January, too)!

Save £10 when you book for two via our website (link in bio) — simply select the “2-4 VegFeb” ticket which is a ticket valid for 2 people.

Pictured here, recent guests are enjoying a V’egg Harissa bap from Mildreds Restaurants, pizza from Purezza and Vburger Camden’s incredible shakes! Just some of the awesome food you’ll sample on our tour.

So what are you waiting for? Head over to our website, and join us in Camden for some of the best vegan eats London has to offer!

(Menu may vary, depending on the day. We regret that gluten free cannot be accommodated on this tour.)

27/01/2024

Here are some of our guests outside the Bow Street Police Museum, formerly the site of Bow Street Police Station — home to the Bow Street Runners, effectively London’s first police force, founded in the 18th Century.

Here, famous prisoners including the Kray Twins and Oscar Wilde were held — and “unruly” residents of ‘The Kip’ (a famous lodging house in the nearby Seven Dials), were wheeled up here in a barrow by constables.

Learn more on our “Misfits of Covent Garden” walking tour, which takes in both Covent Garden itself and the neighbouring Seven Dials.

There is still space on both tomorrow’s (Sunday’s) tour as well as Monday’s — both running at 3pm, so head over to our website to book your place!

25/01/2024

Doing Veganuary?! It’s not too late to book on to tomorrow’s Plant Power Food Tour! 🌱👊🏻

Join us at 1.30pm in Camden to eat your way around some of the most delicious plantbased food, as well as hearing about the history and culture of one of London’s coolest neighbourhoods. 🤘🏻🎸

Pictured are a vegan “bacon” bap from our friends at , as well as twice-cooked “fish” and dim sum from — but these are just some of the tasty eats you’ll try, so do come hungry!

Booking is essential, so do head over to our website and grab your ticket: https://rebeltours.co.uk/plantpowerfoodtour

Rebel Tours