A ‘Smokin’ Experience

Cities in Sound’s Cuban Cigar Walk audio tour offers a brilliant opportunity to experience the neighborhoods of Mayfair and St James’s at one’s own leisurely pace. For cigar smokers, this fun and photogenic tour is a must-do. Even for non-cigar smokers, strolling about some of London’s most exclusive streets while visiting a host of wonderful shops and learning about all sorts of fascinating facts is a great way to spend a few hours. History buffs in particular should find this tour extremely worthwhile (as well as some of the other dozen or so tours offered by tour host, Cities in Sound).

Obviously, any cigar tour of London is going to be filled with lots of juicy tales about everybody’s favorite stogie smoking world leader, Sir Winston Churchill. The tour takes you past the Bond Street Allies Statue which features Churchill and FDR as well as a variety of the celebrated Prime Minister’s favorite shops as well as one of his former residences before ending at the Cabinet War Rooms. But to assume the connection between cigars and London begins and ends with Churchill would be short sighted indeed; there’s a whole lot more to the story than one great leader with an expensive habit.

From the newest spots for sampling cigars in luxurious style to age old cigar shops teeming with history, the tour offers an excellent excuse to snoop around in some of London’s most character-full retail spaces. In addition to a wealth of knowledge about cigars, there are plenty of tidbits and anecdotes about art, history and more. Advice on where to do a bit of shopping, have a pint, grab a bite and even spend the night are offered at relevant intervals throughout the walk. The narration is well annunciated and even keeled with very detailed directions. Perhaps most impressive is the suggestion of which cigar to smoke for optimal timing from one point of the tour to the next.

If the Cuban Cigar Walk sounds like your cup of tea (or tumbler of rum or Scotch as the case may be), have a look at the Cities in Sound website for information once you’ve booked your cheap flights to London. A wide range of options are available from a simple and inexpensive mp3 download of the audio tour to fully accompanied walks for small groups as well as cigar sampling, Champagne tasting, personalized tours of the Cabinet War Rooms, jazz club dinner parties and more.