historical pub tour

Historic Pub Tours

The fun way to experience london, explore ancient laneways and amazing pubs and hear tales of naughty, crazy music legends, famous actors and infamous criminals., virtual experiences.

Bringing the best of British pub culture through this hilarious interactive virtual experience, and all from the comfort of your own home or office.

Perfect for drinks with friends, team building or a gift that's outside the box.

We're a collection of local and veteran entertainers, history buffs and musical guides, who've come together to show you the hidden depths of London and its secret venues and best locations. 

Experience London like a true local, in the company of a true local. 

Historic Pub Tours

Click the link above for more information

London has been home to some of the greatest musicians, artists, actors and criminals in history, from the Beatles, Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix to Karl Marx, George Orwell and Shakespeare.  

Come visit the same venues, pubs and areas that they all frequented, partied and played.

Want to visit London's most iconic landmarks and Old City sections, but don't want a regular boring tour? 

Why not discover and explore London, while taking regular breaks to enjoy a drink at some of London's grandest and most historical pubs too!

Join us for a walk through London’s infamous liquid history...

PURVEYOR OF LONDONS FINEST PUB TOURS

With over 3000 pubs in london, we handpick the best of the bunch for a leisurely stroll through the heart of london’s liquid history..

Believing small really is beautiful we maximize our group sizes to just 14 clients, helping us to explore the road less travelled and share some of London’s quirkier history along the way.

Whether you are a first time visitor to the city or lived here all your life, our local guides will open your eyes & ears to another side of London whilst sharing a drink or two with you along the way.

Samantha, UK “The tour was the most excellent way to spend an afternoon. We know London but this was a tour which shows you a different side of the City. Our guide, was very knowledgeable and friendly and we loved every moment. I hugely recommend this tour to both locals and tourists”

David, UK “In simple terms, a really interesting and liquid filled tour, calling on pubs which were either hidden secretively away down a side cobbled street........... or were full of history and haunted tales.....or both!”

Mateusz, London “I'm very interested in the history of London and not many people can surprise me with some new interesting facts but our guide on the tour showed to me that I still need to learn lot”

Teresa, Canada “It's the perfect mix of history, pop culture, beer and fun. We learned some interesting information, met some really nice people and enjoyed some great beer. You will have a blast on this pub tour!! 100% recommended!”

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we organise private tours too

Ideal for birthdays, celebrations and any other special event, you can experience London with your family, friends and work colleagues with a tour tailored to your interests.

“There is nothing which has yet been contrived by man, by which so much happiness is produced as by a good tavern or inn.” Dr Samuel Johnson

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Liquid History Tours

Founded by local Londoners to celebrate the quirkier side of London life & history. Perfect for the culturally curious, our small group walking tours delve into the road less-travelled. Escape the bustle and join us as we dive into the heart of London’s liquid history.

Tripadvisor

• London City Tours >

London Historical Pub Walking Tour

Our London pub tour takes you to some of the most historic pubs and watering holes in the city. It’s a great way to get a feel for one of Britain’s most famous cultural pastimes. You’ll get to visit London’s most famous pubs & ale houses on a guided afternoon walk. Your entertaining guide will share infamous stories about London, as you pass some of London’s most iconic landmarks.

London Pub Tour:

• Visit some of the oldest pubs, alehouses and taverns in the city! These ancient hidden gems will be brought to life by your guide
• You’ll visit at least 4 of London’s oldest inns, taverns and gin places
• Drink along “The Street of Shame”, following in the footsteps of Dickens and Shakespeare
• Hear stories about London’s most ghostly pub and learn lots of fun, interesting facts from your friendly guide
• Enjoy classic London sights including St Paul’s Cathedral as you walk through narrow cobbled streets
• At the end of the tour, why not enjoy some pub food like fish & chips?

Why take this tour?

English is famous for its drinking heritage, and London has long been associated with its many pubs and taverns. It’s a long-standing British tradition to enjoy a few pints of beer and this tour will give you a taste of this culture. You’ll get to see some of London’s most famous watering holes, with plenty of stories to keep you entertained along the way. A great way to spend 3-4 hours in the city!

Tour Includes:

• Professional tour guide
• Walking tour

Tour Excludes:

• The food and drink are not included in the tour price. You will need to bring some cash so that you can buy your own drinks.
• Meeting point: Outside St Paul’s Underground Station (Exit 2)
• End point: Close to Holborn Underground Station (at approx. 5-6pm)
• The tour lasts 3-4 hours
• This is a small group tour that operates with a maximum of 14 people
• You must give 72 hours notice of departure in order to cancel this product
• If you appear to be under the age of 25, you need to bring photo ID
• Its strongly encouraged for you to have some lunch before the tour, as there is not time to have lunch during the tour.

Tour Booking

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Reserve Your Spot with Confidence! Full Refunds with 24 Hrs Notice. Reschedule at any point, even after tour, if space allows!

Historic London Pub Tour

Tour Information

Historic london pub tour highlights.

Join us on the City of London pub tour to see the most; iconic, historic, and unusual pubs in London.

You will get to experience London like a true local visiting some of London's best traditional pubs and hidden gems with an entertaining local guide.

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Click here to view our full selection of free London walking tours .

We will explore secret alleyways and hear Tales from some of London’s greatest pubs, from where people have imbibed for over 500 years.

We will learn about the origin of London's famed Gin Palaces of the 19th Century as we wander through streets that would have been home to beggars, thieves, and vagabonds.

We'll discover five iconic watering holes visited by some of London's most infamous characters, each with a history to tell.

These include some of the best-preserved traditional pubs in England.

Each pub we visit will have a very different atmosphere and history but all share a fine offering of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks in a wonderful building.

Highlights:

• Visit pubs frequented by London's most famous poets, writers, and free thinkers!
• Follow in the footsteps of Queen Elizabeth I and visit the hardest-to-find pub in London.
• Explore parts of London as a local and get away from the tourist crowd.
• Drink in a pub that has actual jail cells in the basement from medieval times.
• See the first Irish Pub outside of Ireland.
• Hear the tales of and visit some of the famed Victorian Gin Palaces!

What else you should know

It's a walking tour, but there's not a lot of distance involved.

Having said that, the alleys can be very narrow and there are a small number of steps to climb throughout. Wear comfortable shoes! 

Pubs will accept cash or card payments for drinks as you prefer. You will need to pay for your own drinks during the tour!

This is a tour for guests aged 18 and over only.

What to bring : Photographic ID (18 years and over only) .

Where: Outside The Blackfriar Pub (opposite Blackfriars Station - North of the river Thames). The tour finishes near Holborn Station.

Duration: Approximately 2.5 - 3 Hours

When:  Wednesdays at 16:00 Book online HERE .

Cost: This tour is free to take, and you get to decide what, if anything, the tour was worth when it's done. A name-your-own-price tour is a tour for anyone's budget.

The average cost of a pint is £7.

And much, much more

North america, united kingdom & ireland, middle east & india, asia & oceania.

"The London Pub Tour Specialist"

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Historic city pub tours.

Fleet Street Tour

Holborn Tour

Covent Garden Tour

Wapping Tour

Oxford Tour

Dublin Tour

Liverpool Tour

• London Tavern Trails

HISTORIC LONDON PUB TOURS

FOLLOWING THE END OF UK GOVERNMENT COVID RESTRICTIONS, OUR TOURS ARE NOW FULLY UP & RUNNING AGAIN

London Tavern Trails™ operates private pre-booked guided walking tours of London's historic pubs

★   To go on a London Tavern Tour, make a booking by e mail or phone, or book online using the "Book Now" buttons on this site

★   Meet on the pavement outside the designated tube station at the agreed time

★   A London Tavern Tour visits 4 historic pubs and lasts around 2½ hours

Our walks combine London, history, old pubs and real ale.

London is the most visited city in the world. Its rich heritage is embodied in its streets and buildings, its walls, rivers, gates, towers, squares, monuments and churches, and in its public houses. The pub is an integral part of London life and there is only one way to experience and enjoy the diversity of London and its pubs, and that is on foot. London Tavern Trails™ provides guided walking tours of London's historic pubs. Join an experienced guide from London Tavern Trails™, and you will:

✱   Visit the historic pubs of London

✱   Learn about their heritage

✱   Discover the history of the area and its inhabitants

✱   Find out about the origins of inns, taverns & public houses

✱   Savour England's national drink (=beer !)

London's pubs have fascinating stories to tell. London taverns of real antiquity are few and far between, but there are a handful of 16th, 17th & 18th century treasures, along with some fine Victorian and Edwardian inns. Our knowledgable guides have a life-long passion for London, its ale-houses and its history. Join them for a guided walking tour and drink in a piece of history.

England's national drink is beer and, more specifically, real ale. Real ale is a natural product brewed using traditional ingredients and left to mature in the cask from which it is served in the pub, through a natural process called secondary fermentation. It is this process which makes real ale unique amongst beers and develops the wonderful tastes and aromas which processed beers like lager can never provide. All real ales contain the same basic ingredients, but each real ale tastes different, according to the types of malt, hops, yeast and water used in the brewing process. All historic pubs visited on London Tavern Trails' walking tours serve these traditional real ales. But, by the way, don't feel obliged to drink real ale - the choice is yours : beer, lager, stout, wine, spirits, soft drinks or whatever takes your fancy.

But don't just take OUR word for it. See what others have to say about our historic pub tours by clicking on one of the Trip Advisor icons on the right of this page.

Our 4 classic tours (Holborn, Fleet Street, Covent Garden and Wapping) are detailed on this website. You can choose from one of these tours or a bespoke tour to suit individual requirements. Possibilities include the historic taverns of Belgravia, St. James's, Smithfield, Southwark or Westminster. A bespoke tour can include as few or as many pubs (within reason !) as you wish.

London Tavern Trails™ was founded by, and is owned and managed by John Edwards and Morris Jones. We both graduated from London Universities and have each spent the majority of our working lives in London. We have a passion for London and its rich history and for London pubs. We believe that real London pubs are unique pieces of living history which are central to an appreciation of the city and its bygone days.

The tavern tours take-in carefully selected historic pubs, which are often English Heritage listed buildings and often listed in CAMRA's National Inventory of historic pub interiors.

Each walk lasts around two & a half hours, which includes a number of refreshment stops en route in carefully selected historic pubs.

We will tell you about the history of each pub visited on the tour and inform you about the history of the local area. You will discover things about beer and brewing that perhaps you didn't know. All the pubs we visit serve real ale, as well as other beers, wines and spirits, and soft drinks. There is no obligation to buy a drink or spend money in any of the pubs we visit.

We welcome children of 14 years of age and over on our guided walks. Under UK Licensing Laws, children under 16 are allowed in pubs so long as they are accompanied by someone who is 18 years or over. But different pubs tend to have different rules, so please ask us in advance if you intend to bring a 14-17 year old on one of our tours. Children under 18 are not permitted to buy or to consume alcohol in a pub.

We are supporters of the Campaign for Real Ale. CAMRA campaigns for real ale and real pubs.

• Public Tours
• Private Tours
• Meet the Team
• Transport & Travel

Covent Garden Historic Pub Tour

Do you love london's old pubs.

This is the perfect tour if you want to learn about London in a more ‘fluid’ and ‘refreshing’ way…

On this 2 and a half hour tour we will visit four famous pubs, stopping for a drink in each. At the end you are welcome to say and carouse through the evening and into the night, though we suggest you take heed of the wisdom of Winston Churchill who said “I have taken more from Alcohol than alcohol has ever taken from me.”

Sure! Our guides tend to be booked quite far in advance – especially during peak times – but please email [email protected] with your request. We tend to have more availability on shorter private tours of 1.5 – 2 hours in length. As of January 2023, prices start at £250.

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The past by the pint

Founded by two cambridge students with a passion for hops and history, we handpick the best of cambridge's incredible pubs for your delectation..

We believe in giving you an authentic, intimate slice of local pub culture, so we maximise our group sizes to 6. Whether you’re visiting for the first time and want to explore the city’s iconic landmarks via some historic pubs, or you’re a beer buff who wants to see Cambridge’s most unique alehouses and breweries, we have a tour to meet your needs!

Heritage Pub Tours

Join us for a guided tour through cambridge's most famous pubs and alehouses, whilst drinking in some of cambridge's iconic sites and stories..., private hire tours, get in touch to find out more about our private hire tours - bespoke tours tailored just for you perfect for birthdays, special occasions and corporate events .

[email protected]

Tour Operating Hours

• Friday 6pm - 8pm
• Saturday 3pm - 5pm
• Saturday 6pm - 8pm
• Sunday 3pm - 5pm
• Sunday 6pm - 8pm

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From our reviews of pubs around the country to interviews with some of Britain’s most fascinating landlords. From tales of historic pub culture and to autobiographical stories from our life as pub go-ers! We update our blog every 2 weeks, and we promise to educate, elucidate and tittillate your passion for pub culture with every post!

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Parkersburg Historical Tours offering 5 new tours

PARKERSBURG, W.Va . (WTAP) -Parkersburg historical tours offer new tours throughout different parts of history in town such as the Civil War, the oil and gas industry, and the ability to create your own tour.

Visitors start and end the tours at Point Park where they can spend three hours viewing the different sites of history.

Mary Barbara Hannah says she hopes these tours will continue to grow and maybe have a little fun with them.

“I feel like this is just the beginning of what I like to see expand,” Mary said. “Some of my other ideas are to use local actors and actresses as tour guides and let them be the ones to dress in period clothing if they want and host the tour on the tour bus. I think there’s so much great opportunity here in Parkersburg.”

You can book a tour by either contacting her at (681) 507-6188 or by visiting Parkersburgtours.com as well as information about each tour.

“I would be so happy for people to reach out,” Mary added. “Tell me what you’re looking for and we can put it together.”

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