Gangster Tour of London’s East End Led by Actor Vas Blackwood

Recommended by 98% of travelersBadge of ExcellenceLondon, England

Gangster Walking Tour of Londons East End led by Stephen Marcus

2 hours (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Journey through the world of organized crime with a one-of-a-kind walking tour through London’s East End. Guided by Vas Blackwood, who has appeared in numerous gangster films, hear real histories and fictional recreations of London’s criminal underworld. Visit filming locations, learn about the notorious Kray Twins, and discover landmarks and stories you're unlikely to find on your own.

Explore London's underworld in the company of an experienced actor
Hear interesting stories about real-life London gangsters
Visit filming locations, crime sites, and other notorious spots
Discover a side of London few other visitors get to experience

What's Included

Professional guide

Hotel pickup and drop-off
Food and drinks

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Whitechapel Rd, London E1 1BU, UK
The meeting point is inside the main bar area of the Blind Beggar pub, 337 Whitechapel Rd – 1 min walk from Whitechapel tube station. Vas will be signing images at the ‘Blind Beggar’ from 12:30-1:30pm before the tour departs. (Costs: Pics £20. Wall-mount Pics £40)

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Start time
.02:00 pm

What To Expect

Your tour through the London’s gritty criminal underworld begins in Whitechapel, an area brimming with illicit histories from Jack the Ripper to London’s most infamous gangsters. Meet your actor guide, Vas Blackwood, there, and set off on foot.

As you head into Whitechapel’s warren of alleys and backroads, hear about the famous Kray twins, brutal mobsters who ruled the East End in the mid-20th century. Learn about Ronnie’s rise to celebrity after publicly murdering his arch rival at the Blind Beggar pub, and about beloved London actress Barbara Windsor, who had a fling with Reggie Kray before marrying his feared associate.

Along the way, indulge in Vas’s colorful storytelling. Learn more about Cockney criminals like Brown Bread Fred and the Guv’nor, Lenny McLean, a former bareknuckle fighter and gangster who left the dark side to perform in the British classic "Eastenders."

Finish with a behind-the-scenes tour of "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" film locations.

Your insider tour ends back at the meeting point.

East End

2 hours • Admission Ticket Included

The Blind Beggar Public House Whitechapel

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed

Near public transportation
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 40 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

4.9

294 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 294 reviews

Tour de Force

Shane_H, Jan 2025

Very informative, hugely entertaining and very funny. Vas is a great tour guide, a very funny man who is very well informed on his subjects matter.

Ten Sand Bags - I recommend this tour

Sarah_M, Jan 2025

We had a great time on this tour, it was like no other tour we'd been on. Vas made us laugh, was very informative and showed us some great land marks. If you are a sensitive person and swear words offend you, I would stay away. Otherwise I would highly recommend, it was a highlight of our London trip.

This tour was amazing....

Victoria_K, Jan 2025

This tour was amazing. Vas was a brilliant tour guide. Definitely worth booking if you’re in London.

Excellent guidance &...

Pauline_H, Jan 2025

Excellent guidance & delivery from Vaz. He brought life and animation to the subject. Knew his background and is a wonderful raconteur!

Fantastic Tour , Lead by a top class gentleman

Elaine_F, Jan 2025

Vaz was amassing , He has such great knowledge of the area and he was greeted by a few locals , he was such a kind , funny, positive person who was a joy to be with , Very in-depth talks and you get a real insight of the struggle of the area but also how they banded together and had a great sense of loyalty , It’s a must to go on this tour you will not regret it.

Gangster tour

Lea_A, Nov 2024

Great tour with Vas. Vas interacted with everyone in the group and was very interactive. Would definitely recommend.

Excellent tour, highly recommended

Ian_P, Nov 2024

Amazing tour, highly recommended . Vas was a great guide, extremely knowledgeable and passionate and funny.

Unbeatable

TANYA_P, Oct 2024

Vas is the nuts! He had me laughing all throughout. The knowledge and the passion that Vas gives is unbeatable. I thought I knew everything about the Krays but he said things about them that I never knew. This tour is such good value and bloody fantastic

Uncle Vas gives a good tour

Sharmane_J, Sep 2024

Was a lot of fun hanging out with Uncle Vas for the gangsters of London tour. He was entertaining with the history of the Krays whilst also having to de-escalate passersby that want to throw their two pence into the discussion. I especially loved the context about the Kray’s lives that led them to their life of crime and the many people who’s lives they impacted good and bad. Vas also checks in with everyone on the crowd and tried to get to know everyone. You come away feeling like you have a new friend. I recommend the tour to anyone curious about the Krays or the East side of London apart from the Ripper stories.

Great Tour with Vas Blackwood

Donna_B, Sep 2024

The whole tour by Vas was brilliant he was an engage full of knowledge and delivered the tour in a funny and memorable way. I hope he will do more involving other historical people, I would definitely attend. Thank you so much Vas for a great afternoon on the 21st September 2024 and keep up the great work family.

1 million stars 🌟

Keilly_A, Sep 2024

Absolutely brilliant tour loved every minuite vas was brilliant funny and very knowledgeable engaging with the crowd found out many interesting facts that I never knew would highly recommend 💯

Tour is fantastic, definitely do it again.

Jamie_P, Sep 2024

Tour was fantastic, really enjoy our time. Vas Blackwood our guide is brilliant.. Very very funny.. helpful and friendly.. tons of backstory great at explaining how Ronnie and Reg rose up through east London. Would definitely go again, hopefully will.

Brilliant Tour

Nick_G, Aug 2024

Brilliant tour. Vas is absolutely amazing. It is mostly about the Krays. Finished in Shoreditch with a group trip to the pub

A must do trip

Linda_A, Aug 2024

Just listening to and seeing things I had never imagined would happen. Very interesting. And spiced up by Vas. Who was amazing

If you’re a fan of the genre- do this tour!

Jeff_S, Jul 2024

Vas was amazing! So personable, as he interacted with the group and he brings his theatrical skill to bear while telling great stories about this bygone era.

Fantastic tour!

Nicola_D, Jun 2024

We had such a great time in this tour from start to finish! Vas is brilliant! So funny, so friendly. Made ya feel welcome and included right from the start. Such a great tour . Vas was very knowledgeable about the subject & we found out lots of things we didn’t know before. Very interesting, would highly recommend to everyone . Thanks Vax for a great day out.👍🫶

Funny, factual and interesting

Sharon_A, Jun 2024

As an avid fan and having researched the Krays extensively I was impressed with Vas’s knowledge and his entertaining dialogue throughout .

Visiting Gangsterland

Mark_F, Jun 2024

Vas was welcoming but on point with the east end Geezer, cheeky chappy verbals. Everyone was fair game and often were 😂. Not the tour for anyone who dislikes industrial language but it was in context to the story being sold old about east end gangsters. Informative on the subject matter and including associated local history that gave further insight, my group thoroughly enjoyed the experience. You don’t finish at the same location so be prepared. We stayed in the pub for quite a bit lol.

Great fun for enthusiasts

Denise_R, May 2024

My husband loved this. Funny and informative for enthusiasts. Be warmed lots of swearing. Vas engaged the group and actively involved them.

Vas the legend.

Darren_B, May 2024

What can I say, Vas you are a legend. The tour was fantastic and he was brilliant. It lasted nearly 2 and a half hours and he was excellent and informative throughout. He is so kind and just a fantastic person. Highly recommended tour.

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