• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Notes of Nomads

Crossing Cultures, Pushing Boundaries

  • Home
  • New here?
    • About us
    • Get Free E-Book
  • Blog
  • Web Stories
  • Destinations
    • Africa
      • Egypt
      • Morocco
      • Tunisia
    • Asia/Oceania
      • China
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Japan
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Mongolia
      • Myanmar (Burma)
      • Sri Lanka
      • Taiwan
      • Vietnam
    • Europe
      • Bosnia & Herzegovina
      • Bulgaria
      • Croatia
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Greece
      • Ireland
      • Italy
      • Montenegro
      • Poland
      • Russia
      • Serbia
      • The Netherlands
      • The UK
      • Turkey
    • The Americas
      • Bolivia
      • Guatemala
      • Peru
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
    • Email us
    • Work with us

The Jack the Ripper Tour, London

Europe · March 31, 2014

This post may contain compensated links. See our Terms of Use for full disclosure.

Welcome to the streets of London's East End, year 1888. A time of great hardship, of hunger and disease. They were desperate times, to be sure. And if all that wasn't grim enough, there's a serial killer on the loose, sweeping terror through the streets of Whitechapel.

Jack the Ripper is one of the most notorious characters in British crime history. More than 120 years later, the unsolved brutal murders of five (possibly six) women, all prostitutes or at least allegedly open to proposition (you know what they say about desperate times), continues to grip the public consciousness. The story has been the subject of countless books and films, has paved the way for advancements in criminal investigation and even created a new field of study.

Visiting London today, one has the opportunity to walk the very streets of Whitechapel that Jack the Ripper did with your very own Ripperologist. Retrace Jack the Ripper's steps, visit the actual crime scenes and hear all the ghastly details of the circumstances surrounding each case.

Organised Jack the Ripper walking tours depart every evening in Whitechapel. We went on “The Jack the Ripper Tour”, the only tour to use Ripper-Vision™, a state-of-the-art projection system that awakens the Jack the Ripper legend with real crime scene sketches and photos beamed onto city walls.

The Jack the Ripper Tour with Ripper-Vision™

In addition to being Ripperologists, all guides of this tour are members of the Cloak and Dagger Club, a theatrical performance team who bring old crime history to life, so you can be sure of thrilling story-telling.

The Jack the Ripper Tour with Ripper-Vision™

The Jack the Ripper Tour not only explains the grim murders but is a fascinating window into Victorian life and the social context at the time. While a lot has changed, there is much that hasn't. Have your guide point out the pub that Jack the Ripper's victims, reportedly known for their love of the bottle (there are those desperate times again), were known to frequent. Still in operation, you can go there yourself for a sinister after-tour scotch. Take the Tube home and imagine Jack the Ripper wandering the underground. Yes, what was known as the Metropolitan Railway (the world's first underground) that today forms part of several of London's Tube lines was already in operation during that fateful “Autumn of Terror”.

Whether you're a visitor or a Londoner yourself and looking for a thrilling evening out, then take The Jack the Ripper Tour. And yes, I do realise I just described retracing the steps of a serial killer as a fun time. It's just the guides are so wonderfully knowledgeable and entertaining that it's hard not to enjoy yourself.

The Jack the Ripper Tour with Ripper-Vision™

Have you ever been on a Jack the Ripper Tour? If not, would you?

What: The Jack the Ripper Tour with Ripper-Vision™

When: Daily

Time: 7:30pm start (tour duration approximately 1hr 45 mins)

Where: Meet at Exit 3 of Aldgate East Station

Cost: £9.00

Bookings: Book online here

We wish to thank The Jack the Ripper Tour for hosting us. As always, we tell it like it is.

Share this post:

FacebookTwitterPinterestRedditLinkedInEmail

Filed Under: Europe Tagged With: the united kingdom

Jessica Korteman

Jessica Korteman is an Australian travel writer, based in Tokyo, Japan. Never without a pen and paper, you'll most often find her delving into the world of festivals and culture.

Reader Interactions

Comments

    Join the conversation. Leave a comment... Cancel reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Britt Skrabanek says

    April 14, 2014 at 3:21 am

    “And yes, I do realise I just described retracing the steps of a serial killer as a fun time.”

    That line totally cracked me up! I’m sure I would find it fun as well, even if the theme is a touch dark. : )

    Reply
    • Jessica Korteman says

      April 15, 2014 at 3:55 am

      Kindred spirits ;)

      Reply
  2. Juliann says

    April 7, 2014 at 8:00 am

    A Jack the Ripper tour is at the top of my husbands list of things to do in London. He and my mother read everything they can find about these crimes. I know there are probably several tours to choose from, but this one sounds perfect. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Jessica Korteman says

      April 11, 2014 at 1:10 am

      We thoroughly enjoyed this one, Julie. I didn’t know much about Jack the Ripper before the tour but everything was explained extremely well and in an enthralling way so it was easy to get pulled into the story. I can only imagine how interesting it would be for Ripper enthusiasts like your husband and mother. Bet they’d have lots of great questions for the guide!

      Reply
  3. Heather says

    April 6, 2014 at 9:34 am

    I love this kind of stuff (minus the brutal killing, of course). I went on a Gangster tour of Shanghai’s former French Concession neighborhood (which had a roaring opium trade in the 20s and 30s) and enjoyed it very much. Like your experience, the guides made all the difference. We had two guides and one pulled out a fake gun during one of the stories and let off a few shots. The startled reactions of the passers-by were almost as fun as the tour itself!

    Reply
    • Jessica Korteman says

      April 11, 2014 at 12:58 am

      Wow, I can only imagine, Heather! Not too many places you can get away with pulling out fake guns nowadays haha Something to add to the list when we return to Shanghai!

      Reply
  4. Sam says

    April 1, 2014 at 2:07 am

    This sounds very interesting, but I’m not sure it’s my thing! Doing the Eating London Food Tour a few months ago, we stopped at one spot where a victim was found, and the story of that alone (even though it was during daylight, and the spot is now an ugly car park) was scary enough! (And is it just me that despite being from London, I still think of Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer rather than the East End killer when I hear ‘Ripper’?!)

    Reply
    • Jessica Korteman says

      April 4, 2014 at 2:50 am

      Safety and comfort in numbers, dear Sam! ;)

      Reply
  5. Bruce says

    March 31, 2014 at 11:56 am

    Ripper-Vision; that made me laugh. If I was there, I’d take the tour Jessica; you sold me with your writing.

    Reply
    • Jessica Korteman says

      April 4, 2014 at 2:50 am

      Thanks Bruce! It’s a bloody ripper of a time! ;)

      Reply

Primary Sidebar

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Recent Posts

  • White Day in Japan: Japan’s Complicated Second Valentine’s Day
  • Valentine’s Day in Japan: The Meaning of the Chocolate you Give
  • Seijin no Hi: What Happens on Coming of Age Day in Japan
  • Fugu Fish: The poisonous Japanese Puffer Fish you can buy online
  • Japanese Rock Paper Scissors: How ‘Janken’ Rules Life in Japan
Lonely Planet Pathfinders badge image

© 2021