Portsmouth Guided Walk: A Journey Through 800 Years of British History

Embark on a guided walk through 800 years of British history in Old Portsmouth. Delve into the lives and stories of its people, with options to explore World War 2, industrial archaeology, and more. Suitable for all ages and accessible for wheelchairs and dogs.

Duration: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • HMS Warrior 1860 - Our starting point of this unique part of British naval history.\n\nPlease note: We do not enter the dockyard or visit any ships.\n- Spinnaker Tower - Spinnaker Tower a world-famous tower\n- The Round Tower - The Round Tower is our defensive history. Admire the architecture\n- Portsmouth Cathedral - Admire one of our…
What's Included
  • Guidance from a knowledgeable guide
Additional Information

Please be advised that the tour does not include the Historic Dockyard or its onboard visits.
Old Portsmouth embodies over eight centuries of history, playing a pivotal role in Britain’s global involvement.
The tour emphasizes on the narratives of its inhabitants, their life, love, and losses, rather than mundane timelines or simplistic buildings.
The…

Location
The Hard Interchange
Next to Mudlarks Statue 30m outside the Historic Dockyard in front of Warrior 1860. 75m from The Hard bus interchange or 100m from Portsmouth Harbour Station & Gosport Ferry. Car park is in Wickham Street PO1 3EF. The Portsmouth Clean Air Zone doesn't apply to private cars, vans or motor cycles.
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.9
(108 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Global50599699465
Feb 16, 2025
Weekend celebrating my little sister’s “big” birthday!! - My family and friends had the pleasure of taking a walking tour of Old Portsmouth with Steve last weekend. It was a fantastic experience. Steve's knowledge of Portsmouth's history was incredible, and he shared it in a way that was both fun and engaging. He focussed on the people and their stories of life, love, and loss, rather than just dates and buildings, really bringing the history to life. I highly recommend Portsmouth of the Past walking tours to anyone interested in learning more about this historic city.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
R1338frchrisw
Jan 25, 2025
Interesting, informative and thoroughly enjoyable - Steve arrived for the tour on time, resplendent in his Union Flag hat and carrying a large shoulder bag. The meeting place was outside the gate to the Historic Naval Dockyard but be aware, the the tour does not include a visit inside. Our party consisted of 9 senior East Anglians and was pre-booked for the day of Storm Eowyn. At the start of the walk the weather was unpleasant but not fierce and Steve gave us a choice of retreating to the pub, where he would deliver his presentation using the extensive library of pictures in his bag, or continuing the walk as planned. We chose to walk. The walk was through the old town and the sights, architecture and tales of the times were enthusiastically brought to life by our knowledgeable and humorous guide with the help of the contents of his bag. The history of Portsmouth is long and rich and every street has a site of interest and a story. The route takes about 90 minutes to cover, over level ground, and has occasional areas of cobbles. Steve was considerate of our age and even the least mobile among us was able to keep up with the pace. Our tour ended in atrocious conditions but we had been well informed and entertained. No fee was asked but Steve accepted discretionary donations, and we're pleased to add to the thousands of pounds he has raised for Cancer charities over the years.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ronniu2016
Nov 30, 2024
First class walking tour - Steve was already waiting when we arrived and greeted us warmly. He went on to give us a really fun, informative tour. Steve is highly enthusiastic, carries loads of information with him, but didn’t overload us with dates. Instead he offers a real insight into the social history of all aspects of Portsmouth life. We were brought up locally, and he was equally interested to hear our stories too. Excellent tour and we highly recommend him.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
C984hocatherineh
Nov 20, 2024
This Portsmouth tour is a must! - The Guide provided a wonderful tour, very informative and most interesting and kindly accommodated a route finishing at the Cathedral where I needed to be next. There are old photos and pictures shown to you as well which are great for helping you understand Portsmouth's past.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mariadrimoura
Oct 28, 2024
Great walk! - I very much enjoyed the tour with Steve. His stories and comments were informative and entertaining! As i told him, now the budgeting begins for me to return and visit the ships and the museum!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Michael
Oct 27, 2024
Highly recommended tour. - We had a great entertaining and informative couple of hours with Steve walking around old Portsmouth. His local and general historical knowledge is vast and mixed with great presentational skills made an enjoyable experience. We will definitely book this again and highly recommend it for anyone considering it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jasonrz3100yw
Sep 7, 2024
Small Town, Big History - Steve was an amazing guide! Even on a rainy day, he made the deep history of the area entertaining and very enjoyable. Highly recommended!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
James
Sep 2, 2024
Enjoyable walk with information given. - Steve was very informative and engaging, loved his humour also, the walk lasts about 1.5 hours. You get to see most of the sights you would want to with the addition of information you would otherwise not be aware of… Added benefit is Steve donates half his takings to cancer research, what a guy, thank you Steve.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
R7951lzdavids
Aug 30, 2024
Excellent tour - Excellent - very informative and entertaining - lots of stories & facts about Pompey's past - really glad we went on Steve's walk.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
David_w
Sep 8, 2024
Good but almost didn't happen - The tour was good but Viator hadn't passed the booking on to the tour guide so he was about to go home !
Review provided by Viator
Select Date and Tickets
up to 12 guests
1 Adult
February 2025
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Today