Mini Cooper Tour London: The Best London Layover Tour

A Mini Cooper tour of London is the best way to experience London in a short amount of time. What if you only have eight hours in London on a layover? Get out of the airport and into the city. Hop in a Mini Cooper with an experience tour guide and you'll be whisked around the city. No planning required!

When I traveled to Sri Lanka, I had about eight hours to spend in London before continuing on my way to Colombo. It was my first time visiting London, and there was no way I was just sitting around Heathrow Airport. But, I was pretty tired after an overnight flight from Toronto. Then, I had another 12 hour flight to Colombo coming up. I wanted to make the most of my time in London without too much effort and navigating my way around such a massive city.

Small Car Big City is the best way to see the most of London in a short amount of time, without having to plan anything. It is effortless. They take care of everything. With the help of a knowledgeable guide and driver, we got to see and learn so much about London. And you get to tour around town in a Mini Cooper! How cool is that? Meet Daisy, our ride for the day.

Small Car Big City: The Perfect London Layover Tour

The cars are really cute for zipping around town. You can drive quickly down every narrow, cobblestone street imaginable. Here's how you can book your Mini Cooper tour of London.

Getting to London From Heathrow Airport

There are a couple of ways to travel to London. First, you can take the Heathrow Express. This is the fastest way to get from Heathrow to London, taking only 15 minutes. This option is great if you're tight on time and you don't mind spending a little bit more money. For a one-way ticket, it can cost up to £25. But, if you book in advance, you can enjoy huge discounts, so I highly recommend doing that.

We took the Underground from Heathrow Airport to our destination (Green Park Station). It took about 45 minutes of travel time and cost around £6. Although it took a little longer, it was worth saving some money to do this. If you are able to splurge, you might consider booking a private transfer to the city from Heathrow.

Mini Cooper Tour London

Small Car Big City has several Mini Cooper tours. In addition to this shorter tour that's ideal for a layover, you can also book a half day Mini Cooper tour of London. There's also this really unique London gin tour in a Mini Cooper.

We booked the two hour private Mini Cooper tour of London. It's a tour through the eyes of a local, taking you to the best places around town. We got to see the iconic landmarks and the hidden gems, all in one tour.

The Mini Cooper seats three people, plus a driver. If you have more than three in your group, you can book multiple Minis and drivers and travel together in a convoy. We met our friendly and knowledgeable driver, Samantha, at a local coffee shop and set out on our way.

The Perfect London Layover Tour With a Local

Our driver, Sam, has lived all over London. She was thrilled to show us her favorite places around town. It was awesome to travel with such an enthusiastic and insightful guide. Plus, she really knew how to drive that Mini Cooper!

We whizzed around traffic and glided down the roads with ease. I couldn't imagine navigating some of these streets in a larger vehicle. We rode around with the top down, stopping for pictures along the way.

Every time there was a point of interest or a story, we slowed down as Sam gave us a history lesson. These weren't facts that you'd find in any ordinary guidebook or history book. We learned about neighborhoods and their quirky details.

Wine merchants London — The oldest wine merchant, established in the 17th century.

Sam showed us the oldest shop for fancy hats (Lock & Co) and the oldest wine merchant's storefront. In London, you're surrounded by a rich history no matter where you look. This city is full of stories and legends. I loved getting a small taste of this. It's something I never would have grasped if I had walked around the city on my own.

Twinings London — The original Twinings tea shop.

Even the malls have fascinating histories. We drove past the Burlington Arcade, which is a covered shopping mall. It opened in 1819 when Lord George Cavendish commissioned his architect to build a covered promenade of storefronts.

People liked to throw garbage out of their windows, and he didn't want any rubbish on his property. Nowadays, it's still a shopping center that you can walk through, protected from the elements.

Mini Cooper Tour London: Driving Around City Centre

While driving around the city, we learned about many important buildings and monuments that I'd only ever seen in photos before. It was awesome to see the most iconic places with my own eyes. As some of these landmarks were all over town, it would be difficult to see them in such a short amount of time otherwise. And I wouldn't attempt driving in London on my own, so I was happy to have an expert to navigate on my behalf.

Spotting Monuments and Buildings

Here are a few of the memorable sights we saw on this Mini Cooper tour of London. We drove past important old buildings like The Royal Court of Justice, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's Cathedral, Buckingham Palace, and Big Ben.

We caught glimpses of the Tower Bridge as we drove across the London Bridge. On this tour, we only saw the most popular tourist attractions briefly. This wasn't a problem because this tour focuses more on the unique places around the city from an insider's perspective.

Seven Dials

Sam drove our Mini Cooper, Daisy, down a road junction called Seven Dials. It's an interesting neighborhood where seven streets all intersect. There is a column in the middle with sundials at the top, pointing at each of the streets.

This neighborhood was one of London's most notorious slums in the 19th century. Criminals found it very easy to get away from the police; there were so many easy getaways with several streets to choose from. At one point, every building facing the sundial column was home to a pub. Today, it's an unusual location with only one pub at the apex.

Neal's Yard

In Covent Garden just down the street from the Seven Dials, we wandered into Neal's Yard. It's a quirky alley between Shorts Gardens and Monmouth Street that opens into a courtyard. It's named after the 17th century developer, Thomas Neale. There's an intriguing collection of shops and restaurants in brightly painted buildings.

St. Paul's Cathedral (and the Best Spot to View It!)

At first, we stopped at St. Paul's Cathedral for a quick peak at the front of the church. Sam drove us around the side of it for a glimpse of the dome. With her insider knowledge, she asked us if we wanted to check out the best view of St. Paul's Cathedral. Of course we did!

Sam dropped us off at a nearby shopping mall, One New Change, and told us to take the elevator up to the top floor. From up there, we enjoyed a fabulous view of the cathedral and the surrounding area. She said that she used to eat her lunch from up there every day, never growing tired of the view.

The scenery was stunning and she was right - this is the best place to check out the architecture of St. Paul's Cathedral, without the crowds!

One New Change - view of St Paul's Cathedral

Mini Cooper Tour London: Exploring Markets

On our Mini Cooper tour of London, we visited three different markets in London. At the first two (Covent Garden and Leadenhall Market), we were given some history about the markets and details about the architecture. We explored our final market a little bit more, the Borough Market.

While the first two markets were quite charming with several indoor shops, Borough Market reminded me of a traditional farmer's market. There were stalls overflowing with fresh produce, stands selling jars of preserves, and stacks of freshly baked bread.

Covent Garden Market

The Covent Garden Market in downtown London dates back to 1845. It runs six days a week, and you can find lots of food, events, a farmers' market twice weekly, and so much more.

Leadenhall Market

The Leadenhall Market has the most brilliant architecture from the 14th century. One of my favourite reasons to visit this market was simply to gaze at the stone carvings and intricate details all around. There are indoor and outdoor sections, and you'll find many boutique shops, restaurants, and more.

Borough Market

Borough Market is a historic food market with over 1000 years of history, making it one of the oldest markets in England. It's transformed over the years, once serving the greengrocers of South London. Nowadays, there's a huge focus on sustainability, community, and social connection.

There's really something special about wandering around Borough Market. I loved strolling under the old archways that people have walked beneath for centuries. There are so many fragrant smells lofting through the air from the food stalls and coffee carts. Aim to spend at least a couple of hours here if you have the time.

Leake Street Tunnel for Amazing Street Art

Mini Cooper Tour London: Leake Street Tunnel

And saving the best for last, this was my favorite part of the Mini Cooper tour of London. The Leake Street Tunnel is an authorized space for graffiti artists to create their masterpieces. Back in May of 2008, renowned street artist, Banksy, held the first Cans Festival here (a play on the French film festival).

Twenty-nine street artists from around the world were invited to paint sections of this tunnel. Since then, the tunnel was transformed into a pedestrian-only space. Artists visit regularly to create new works of art. The tunnel is constantly changing with new imagery and splashes of color.

With Daisy parked at one end of the tunnel, we were invited to explore and discover this impressive array of graffiti art from one side to the other. Some of the best pieces were found on the ceilings of the tunnel.

Can you believe that we saw all of those places in just a couple of hours? It was a great orientation to the city, especially for this first-timer. Even if you've traveled to London in the past, it's a great way to see the city in a short amount of time. You don't have to plan anything, and it's a unique way to see many sights. I learned a lot and it's definitely inspired me to travel back to London for more.

If you've got an upcoming stopover in the city, this is the ultimate London layover tour. This Mini Cooper tour of London is fantastic even if you're spending a few days in the city. You'll gain new perspectives from a local guide, plus you'll be driven around London (take a break from walking and public transit!). Book your tour today!

Mini Cooper Tour London: The Best London Layover Tour

Getting to London From Heathrow Airport

Mini Cooper Tour London

The Perfect London Layover Tour With a Local