Historical London Pub Tour: Discover Ale Houses and Literary Drinking Dens
5.0
4,386 Ratings
Greater London
Embark on a 3.5-hour historical pub tour in London, exploring ancient ale houses and literary drinking dens. Discover the stories behind iconic pubs, taste different ales, and follow in the footsteps of Charles Dickens. Limited to 14 people for a personalized experience.
Duration: 3 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • St. Paul’s Cathedral - Enjoy fine views and quirky history
  • Blackfriars Bridge - Visit London’s finest art nouveau pub
  • St Bride’s Church - Hear the tale of the “wedding cake” church
  • Fleet Street - Explore the “street of shame” and visit a number of historic pubs
  • Dr. Johnson’s House - See the home of the famous wordsmith and meet his favourite cat Mr Hodge
  • Prince Henry’s Room - See a building dating to 1610 and gateway to the Knight’s Templar
  • Royal Courts of Justice - Listen to the legal tales enjoy the majestic architecture
  • Lincoln’s Inn - See London’s oldest tailor and traverse the heart of legal London
  • Sir John Soane’s Museum - Be inspired to return to this exquisite collection
  • Covent Garden - We finish our walk on the edge of Covent Garden with more pubs and restaurants a short walk away
What's Included
  • Local guide
What's Not Included
  • Food and drinks
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

Experience the charm of historic taverns and literary bars during a 3.5-hour evening pub stroll in London. Focused on the vicinity encompassing the City of London, the tour includes visits to a minimum of four of London’s most iconic historical pubs, where your guide will suggest different types of beers to try (not included). Get to know the backstories of these pubs, understand the contrast between Elizabethan coaching inns and Victorian gin establishments, and stop by the pubs once patronized by the famed British author Charles Dickens. The tour is capped at 14 participants, ensuring a customized experience from your guide.

  • Minimum age is 18 years
Location
30 Newgate St
Newgate Street
Outside ST.PAUL'S UNDERGROUND STATION (EXIT 2) Meet outside Caffe Nero on Panyer Alley
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(4386 Ratings)
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854isabellah
Mar 28, 2024
Will walking tour! - We had a great time on our tour. Will was very informative and we loved the bits of history! I would recommend this tour to anyone coming to London!
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Judgejilly
Mar 27, 2024
Not just for beer lovers! - Will was very informative and entertaining. The tour was at a leisurely pace, but never felt slow. Great stories about each point of interest both at the pods and along each route. Plenty of time for pictures, beer, and conversation at each stop.
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Melissa
Mar 26, 2024
Will walking tour - This was a good experience. He gave great info and appreciated the time frames of 20,30,40 minutes for pubs. The time between the pubs was also enjoyable.
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Carol
Mar 26, 2024
Best Way to Spend an Afternoon in London! - Will is a fantastic guide. He's very knowledgeable in the history of London, answering all our questions. He took us to four pubs with plenty of character and legacy. I appreciate the drink recommendations at each stop, too. Highly recommend this tour - don't visit London without it!
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Leigh
Mar 26, 2024
Informative Pub Crawl - Great (although somewhat soggy) afternoon pub crawl with Will! Friendly, knowledgeable guide took us thru the city to 4 noteworthy pubs with stops at religious points of interest along the way including St.Paul’s Cathedral. Informative and fun, we learned about the history and lore of each pub and point of interest as well as received advice on beer selection! Would definitely recommend it to a friend!
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Daniellemv1867vo
Mar 25, 2024
Pub Fun with History! - Our tour guide Kevin was fantastic and told us so much stories about all the history of London and some iconic pubs that tell the story of this beautiful city. This was a lovely tour and would highly recommend!
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Adventure64826703713
Mar 25, 2024
Wonderful historical pub tour experience - Kevin did a great job of telling us all of this history of where we were and which pub we were going into. Highly recommend!
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Carok767
Mar 25, 2024
Nice tour - We went on this tour on Saturday and had a great time with our guide Will and the other participants (11 in total). Will took us to 4 pubs, all special in a way, where we had time to get to know the venues and each other. Will had a lot of historical knowledge to offer. Thank you!
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Sdbpa
Mar 24, 2024
Liquid history historic pub tour - Will was an excellent guide and provided plenty of insights that were historical and funny. He was very knowledgeable and took us around the different pubs and provided great information at each stop. He was also very knowledgeable about helping us choose our beers/drinks and my favorite was the whiskey gin with a splash of ginger and my wife loved the pornstar martini at our last stop.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jamesrq6951dr
Mar 24, 2024
Fun tour! - I took my dad on the tour for his birthday. Wil was a fantastic tour guide and despite us being locals, took us to three wonderful pubs we had never been to before. Wil gets the perfect balance of teaching you history of London, history of the pub you are going in and giving you time to sit, have a drink and enjoy your company and the ambience of the pub. Would highly recommend!
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