Private Tour Winchester: Walk with Historian Dr Lillian Cespedes Gonzalez

Join historian Dr Lillian Cespedes Gonzalez on a private tour of Winchester, exploring its rich history and iconic locations. Learn about legends, notable figures, and dive into the Anglo-Saxon past with an expert guide!

Duration: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • The Arc - Winchester Library now exhibiting a statue to Licoricia of Winchester one of the most important women in the history of this city. We will stop briefly and talk about her story.
  • Winchester Cathedral - One of the most spectacular Gothic cathedrals in England, we will talk about its humble origins in the Anglo Saxon period, to its full glory that you see today.
  • Winchester College - Part of the top 5 colleges in the UK. This is an iconic building in the city, and next to the house were Jane Austen died in Winchester.
  • Wolvesey Castle - Now in ruins, this was once the palace for the bishop of Winchester, and the venue where Queen Mary and Phillip II of Spain had breakfast during their wedding.
  • Guildhall Winchester - Winchester Guildhall is our gateway to King Alfred Statue, in commemoration for the great Anglo Saxon King of Winchester and Wessex.
What's Included
  • Gratuities
What's Not Included
  • Lunch
  • Private transportation
Additional Information

Join historian Dr. Lillian Cespedes Gonzalez, who completed her history studies from undergraduate to PhD in Winchester, for an insightful tour of the city. You’ll receive in-depth historical explanations and experience the local charm that makes Winchester a unique and memorable place.

Discover the legends surrounding some of Winchester’s most iconic sites and meet notable figures like Licoricia of Winchester, along with the stories of many bishops who contributed to the city’s esteemed reputation. Additionally, you’ll explore the Anglo-Saxon era by tracing the steps of King Alfred of Wessex.

It’s a rare opportunity to explore the ancient capital of the kingdom with a medieval historian!

  • Winchester is a very hilly city so if you struggle with hills, it is not recommended
Location
Winchester Train Station
We will be waiting just outside the main entrance of the Station, on the side of Station Rd.
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.9
(38 Ratings)
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E820ucmaevem
Jul 19, 2024
A Fascinating Look at Winchester - This was a wonderful private tour! Dr. Lilly Cespedes gave us a fascinating look at Winchester's early history. The weather was horrible, but it did not deter her or us. This tour is well worth going on. I would love to do another tour with her.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ian_g
Jul 8, 2024
Great tour and insight - Lillian was a great guide: she knew the topic inside and out; was passionate about it and was more than happy to accommodate any requests or questions we had. Its just the sort of person you want to guide you through Winchester.
Review provided by Viator
Sharmini_m
May 30, 2024
Good intro to Winchester’s history - The guide was quite knowledgeable and interesting about the history and characters of Winchester. She spoke movingly about the Jewish wealthy woman Laoricia.
Review provided by Viator
679deboraha
May 24, 2024
Fabulous tour!! Highly recommend!! - This was the most wonderful tour! To have the opportunity to tour with just your group…in our case just two people….was priceless. She was so full of knowledge that it was fascinating! I can’t recommend her highly enough. Winchester has such a long wonderful history. Enjoy it on this tour and you will learn while having a great visit.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Y4778nzpaolar
Mar 30, 2024
Amazing experience - Lili was amazing, she is very well informed and showed us the best spots, she also is very knowledgeable. Highly recommend her tour !
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Viccsk
Mar 5, 2024
Fantastic tour! - This walking tour was really informative and a great way to see the key areas of the city. Lilly is so knowledgeable and shared loads of interesting historical facts and stories with us - we absolutely loved it!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Donna_n
Feb 24, 2024
An Enjoyable Education! - We met with Lillian on a very rainy day but that didn't dampen her enthusiasm to educate us on the history of Winchester. Her knowledge of British and European history is very impressive and she answered every question, even obscure ones, in great detail; illustrating her passion for history and love of Winchester and the county. Highly recommend this Winchester tour with Lillian.
Review provided by Viator
Maria_w
Feb 15, 2024
Wonderful tour of winchester!! My neice n nephew were so impressed - In depth knowledge of the city and ir’s history and landmarks … jane austin The cathedral king alfred etc
Review provided by Viator
Wesleyew
Feb 3, 2024
Totally engaging and fascinating- thank you Lillian! - Just brilliant. Lillian was utterly engaging throughout. Immense depth of knowledge- fielded all our ad hoc questions with ease. Truly passionate about the history and community of the area. The tour was fascinating. I highly highly recommend this tour and Lillian’s expertise and general enthusiasm if you’re in the Winchester area.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
760ninaj
May 17, 2024
Avoid if you can - Unfortunately, we’ve had a really bad experience with this company. I booked a tour in March for when my family was visiting in mid-May. Given how long ago we booked, I messaged the company four days ago to find out whether or not everything was still going ahead. After initially swift responses by the company in March, there was complete radio silence for the last four days. Even with three individual follow ups, I heard nothing back. I called on Friday twice only for it to go to voicemail. I’m currently 36 weeks pregnant with a poorly back so I needed to be certain of plans before doing a two-hour car journey leaving in the early morning the following day. After a few failed attempts to reach them and speaking to Viator, I got a text message that the company hasn’t had any internet and that I’ll receive a confirmation in the evening. At 10pm, I had to follow up to find out if the tour was still going ahead for the next morning. I then received pretty aggressive and unreasonable text messages from the company saying I’ll receive a confirmation “in due course”. At 11pm, they cancelled my tour for the next morning because I dared to ask for some clearer communication and instructions for where and how to meet the tour guide the following morning when I could have been asleep hours ago. Petty, unreasonable and entitled. Given how many other tour operators there are in the country who are great at communicating, have reasonable staff and access to internet (in 2024) - I’d suggest you look elsewhere for booking your tours.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 15 guests
1 Adult
September 2024
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