1 hour
Virtual tour
History
English
Plague
Tour running:
THU, SAT 4pm EDT
THU, SAT 4pm EDT
Book Your Tour
If you have any issues with payment, please email us at [email protected] with the city, date and time of tour, and how many adult and child's tickets you need so we can assist you.
If a tour is fully booked, or you are looking to book a *Group or Private Tour - please email us about Group & Private Tours options.
*Please note - Group & Private Tours are specifically organised for your group and therefore subject to a premium price. Flat fee rate applies for groups of 6 and under.
Why take this online tour?
Our local guide from London will take you on a one hour tour through the history of the plague epidemic that hit the city in the middle of the 17th century. The tour will highlight the consequences of this disastrous event and walk you through the history of various infections that have disrupted the world along the time, not to forget the remedies, the superstitions that resulted, and the positive outcomes that humankind finally encountered.
Highlights
- Our guide will share with you the importance that the plague and disease in general have had on human history.
- Learn about the death rates and how the epidemics have led to the improvement of today’s medicine.
- Interesting and devastating facts about the errors of science of the time will be displayed to you by our guide.
- You will be sharing a unique live-online experience with people from all over the world and will be able to interact personally with our expert guide.
- Accessible from wherever you are, this is the most convenient “travelling” experience you ever had !
- Receive a $10 voucher for Secret Food Tours with every online tour you buy.
A tumultuous tale of tragedy, loss and resilience
In this live experience, you will learn about the history and the context of diseases and on their impact on world history, with London as an example. London, as most of the larger cities of the time, used to be a place where the population greatly lacked hygiene. The cramped living conditions and the usage of the River Thames as a waste dumping ground resulted in terrible human disaster, Bubonic plague, more well known as the “Black Death”.
Our guide will not only draw out the picture of the disastrous outcome of such an epidemic but how epidemics have impacted the history of the city of London through the time, and how they ended up changing the structure of its society in its whole.
In the early 1660’s the industrialization was in its beginnings and as a consequence the pollution rapidly increased in the cities. While a thick black smoke from the surrounding factories filled the air over the city of London, its public sanitation was at its worst. The streets became more and more repulsive: open sewers filled with rats and spreading out revolting, unbreathable smells. What was going to happen was invisible to the eye, but yet clearly inevitable.
Our guide will tell you how the government finally was forced to take the decision to improve the life of the population. You will learn which role various elements like vinegar, fire or tobacco had during the epidemic. You will be revealed the secret of black colored gondolas and will be able to understand how the city managed to recover from Black Plague and end up rising from its ashes. How the plague inspired the creation of foundations for studying new diseases, how it motivated the growth in arts and science. Learn about plague doctors, research on the dead, aid workers and more.
During this online - live experience, travel with our expert guide throughout the tragedies of history. Learn about the cures, the old methods of safe keeping, the fragility of humankind and how it all could still lead to a positive outcome.
With any online tour, you'll also receive a $10 gift voucher which you can use to book any Secret Food Tour, valid for 2 years!
All times specified are in Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)
Photos of
The Plague
See Our Other Online Secret Tours
Virtual Tours
Help Center
Frequently asked Questions
I just booked a Virtual Tour, how does it work?
As soon as you book your tour, we’ll email you all the details including the date and time for your virtual experience. All tours are conducted using Zoom. The email will include a direct link to join the live experience at the speculated time and date.
Do I need a camera?
Even though your camera doesn’t need to be on during the tour, our guides appreciate interacting with participants so feel free to switch it on and talk to our guides.
What if I'm runnig late?
Please note you can join the tour at any point in time. If you are running late, you can join when you can but please note these tours are non-refundable.
Is it a video or a live tour?
All of the experiences are live and the guides will not be able to pause the tours if you need to leave for a few minutes
Please utilize the “Chat” section of your Zoom dashboard to ask the Coordinator a question and at the time-frame for Q&A with the Guide, the Coordinator will select questions sent in by guests to ask our Guide.
Can I share the link of the virtual tour?
You are unable to share your link past the number of passengers you have booked for. If you purchase multiple passengers for one tour you will be able to share your link with them by forwarding the booking confirmation email.
What is the refund and cancellation policy?
All of the tours are non-refundable. You may reschedule your tour provided you offer a 96 hours’ notice.
If the cancellation is our own fault, you will be offered to reschedule your tour, or a voucher for equal credit or alternative a refund.
How do I join the tours?
All tours are conducted using Zoom. The email will include a direct link to join the live experience at the speculated time and date.
Before joining the tour, you will need to have installed Zoom on the device you will be using. To check your requirements you can go directly to this website.
What happens after the Tour?
If you joined a cooking lesson or any other experiences that may involve the preparation of food or drinks, you will receive an email with all the recipes discussed during your tour. You will also receive a link that links to our Trip Advisor page so you can review the experience.
Cooking Classes
For the Italian Cooking Classes, you will receive a PDF with recipes for the classes. Please note that the pasta and sauce selections will vary depending on ingredients available to our Chefs with unpredictable grocery availability during this time.
