London

Small-Group Tour: Historical Pub Walking Tour of London

Greater London, United Kingdom
Likely to Sell Out

From $31.64

Select Date and Travelers

Free cancellation
Up to 24 hours in advance.
London Tours
All London Tours
Audio Guides
Kid-Friendly
Likely To Sell Out
Private and Luxury
Unique Experiences
  • 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English

Overview

Experience London’s traditional drinking scene on this afternoon pub crawl. Accompany your guide on a fun and educational tour in and around the city, where you’ll visit at least four historic pubs and taste different brews (own expense). Pop into centuries-old ale houses, see literary haunts favored by writers like Charles Dickens, and learn about local drinking culture through the ages.
  • Visit four traditional London pubs in London Bridge, the City of London, Fleet Street, and Holborn
  • Discover what a real London pub looks like on a visit to an alehouse in Blackfriars
  • Sit down in a pub once frequented by Charles Dickens and Arthur Conan Doyle
  • Small-group tour with a maximum of 14 people ensures a more personalized experience

Why Travelers Choose This Tour

Pair a walking tour of London's oldest neighborhood with visits to multiple atmospheric, historical pubs.

What's Included

  • Local guide
  • Food and drinks
  • Gratuities

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

  • 30 Newgate St
    30 Newgate St, London EC2V 6AA, UK

    Outside ST.PAUL'S UNDERGROUND STATION (EXIT 2) Meet outside Caffe Nero on Panyer Alley

End point

  • Holborn
    Underground Ltd, Holborn Station, Kingsway, London WC2B 6AA, UK

    The tour has no fixed end point, but you can expect to finish close to Holborn station or the Royal Courts of Justice on the Strand

What To Expect

Your afternoon pub tour begins at St. Paul's, where you will meet your guide and set off for the first stop of your tour. As you walk, check out city attractions like St. Paul's Cathedral and the bustling Fleet Street. Pass the site of a Shakespearean playhouse, then pop into the art nouveau Blackfriars for a drink. Grab a pint (own expense) and enjoy colorful stories from this neighborhood's banking community.

Next, head down Fleet Street, flush with pubs and gin palaces to service the journalists and literary greats of the day. Stop at a proper London boozer for a civilized drinking experience. Buy yourself a delicious local ale (or two), admire the authentic medieval decor, and enjoy the buzz as regulars and newcomers fill up the wooden tables surrounding the horseshoe bar.

Continue along Fleet Street, the former stomping grounds of Charles Dickens, who once resided in Furnival’s Inn (now Holborn Bars). Visit a 17th-century pub that was a favorite of Dickens and fellow writers Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Alfred Lord Tennyson. Sip on a delicious beer and cider (not included) and soak up the literary history of the place.

Your tour ends at the edge of Covent Garden with plenty of time (and insider information) to continue the fun at another local pub.

St. Paul's Cathedral (Pass By)

Blackfriars Bridge

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

St Bride's Church (Pass By)

Fleet Street (Pass By)

Dr. Johnson's House (Pass By)

Prince Henry's Room (Pass By)

Royal Courts of Justice (Pass By)

Lincoln's Inn (Pass By)

Sir John Soane's Museum (Pass By)

Covent Garden (Pass By)

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Minimum age is 18 years
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Service animals allowed
  • Near public transportation
  • Most travelers can participate
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 14 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

  • For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
  • If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
  • Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
  • Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveler Photos

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Traveler Tips

Thoroughly recommended for couples and mature family groups, Not suitable for children.
I highly recommend this fun, factual tour; just remember to pace yourself,
Note that a couple of the usual pubs are closed on Sunday, but was great all the same.

Reviews

5.0
2,913 reviews
Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews
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Reviews by Viator travelers.
Showing 1-10 of 2,913 reviews
Even if you don't like beer, you should do this tour
Isa_S, Jun 2023
I personally don't care for beer but it was fascinating to hear so much about the history of alcohol in London. I didn't know that gin was a London specialty--and that so many pubs make their own! My wife had a cask beer (they'll explain what that is during the tour) at every pub and I had gin at two and cider at two. (Total of four pubs) Our guide Mark knew everything about EVERYTHING. He even knew different types of pigeons?? I am absolutely sure the man is burdened with infinite knowledge. Absolutely fantastic time. Six stars. I would do it four times over.
Historical pub crawl
mlpsbb, Jun 2023
Interesting history of 4 pubs, 2 of which were gin palaces! Mark was an excellent tour guide sharing much detail at each stop. He was informative and added a bit of humor to each story! Mark is a keeper!
My husband and I took...
Amy_S, Jun 2023
My husband and I took this tour while our daughters shopped nearby. This was excellent. Dave, our guide, was funny and shared great info on both pub history as well as London overall. Wouldn’t have found these places on our own most likely and highly recommend this for a few hours in the afternoon. Enjoyed meeting the others in our group as well. Fun crowd.
Freddy is tops when it comes to tours.
Richard_H, Jun 2023
Freddy was an excellent guide. Very knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and engaging. He truly loves giving tours and interacting with people. We had a wonderful time on the tour and highly recommend booking with Freddy.
Great tour with Ricky and...
Margaret_D, Jun 2023
Great tour with Ricky and diggity the dog . Very worth will so much history and the old puds are well worth it would recommend this tour Margaret and nic
Amazing tour
Timothy_R, Jun 2023
Amazing small group tour. Lyndon was very informative and so much fun. We had a blast visiting the pubs and learning history.
A great tour and a great guide
Bronwyn_C, Jun 2023
Chris was an engaging and knowledgeable guide taking us for a pint in great venues. The pubs were interesting and Chris giving us a bit history in each area was a bonus. One of the best tours we have done in London. Thanks so much Chris!
Great Tour
Elizabeth_V, Jun 2023
The pubs that were picked were good and interesting. Each one was a little different and it was quite enjoyable. The guide had a perfect mix of history about the city, history of the pubs and good humor.
No Ripper
billspobox, Jun 2023
The narrative was very poor and uninteresting. We were left very disappointed having had high expectations. Try another tour opperator.
Must do while in London
Phil_M, Jun 2023
This is a must while in London! Kevin was very informative and funny! Highly recommend! Thank you Kevin! You are the best!
Response from Host, Jun 2023
Cheers for the tip-top splendid review!
Awesome Tour by Claire
Harish_A, Jun 2023
This was an amazing tour, Claire who was our guide was fantastic and full of local knowledge. I would have never learned about some of the historic pubs she toured us. Also, besides the pubs, during our walks from pub to pub she shared many local locations and the history along the way, that was amazing! Please ask for Claire when you book this tour!! Kumar, USA
Cheers to All!
Santosh_P, Jun 2023
The walking pub tour was fun and we learned some history of the places we visited. Lyndon was an excellent tour guide and he watched out for all of us in the tour group.
Very fun historical pub tour!!
Candy_R, Jun 2023
Chris was a fabulous guide. Lots of history and interesting facts about the pubs on the tour. Time to order a drink and visit with ew friends. Great way to spend the afternoon! Thanks Chris!
Loved it
monika_p, May 2023
The guide was excellent. He had great anecdotes and answered all our questions. Recommend it a lot. Great way to know some of the culture
Response from Host, May 2023
Cheers to you Monika!
Fun experience
Eric_F, May 2023
Lyndon is an excellent guide. He is very warm, patient and knowledgeable. The tour is a great mix of history and drinking.
Perfect afternoon around Lindon city
Jeanette_H, May 2023
Linden our tour guide was amazing, super informative, and he really went above and beyond expectations. We had an excellent group of people and got to cover a lot of ground on foot around London city. Beer/gin pubs were rich in history, and overall I just had a great time making new friends along the way
Very good pub tour
Chuck_R, May 2023
Excellent introduction to historic pubs. Guide was excellent, service was very good at all the establishments
Best tour in London!
Bella_G, May 2023
Our favorite tour in London!!!! Kevin was the best guide we’ve ever had. The tour was fun, informative, and the perfect experience. We walked through parts of London we would’ve never seen otherwise. Each pub had historical meaning and an awesome background. We had a drink at each one and were never bored. Would recommend this tour to everyone coming to London!!!
Response from Host, May 2023
Boom! What a great afternoon and tip-top spiffing review of a fine afternoon down the old battlecruiser. Cheers to you!
Must Do Tour (even for non beer drinkers)
Lori_S, May 2023
Adam was an amazing guide; funny, witty, knowledgeable and lots of fun to hang out with for the afternoon. The five of us had a great time learning about Lindon’s pub history as well as learning about other local landmarks, history and curiosities. Two of us are not beer drinkers but we enjoyed ourselves just as much as the beer drinkers did. The gin pub was fabulous. Thanks again Adam for a great tour as well as all the recommendations for restaurants, pubs and other sites to see.
Fun with people, history, pubs and beer!
Mark_K, May 2023
Fantastic mix of history and fun with our guide Claire! Started near St Paul’s and visited 4 very different pubs. We were joined by liquid history book author and illustrator at the end of our trip. We enjoyed ourselves so much that most of the group stayed an extra 2.5 hours at the last pub (including our guide Claire!). Would highly recommend to anyone!
Response from Host, May 2023
History, pubs and beer! What more could you ask for? Thanks for keeping us going and continuing to support the pub industry as it continues its recovery. Cheers wholeheartedly to you!
Great tour
Eric_C, May 2023
Very enjoyable tour. Our tour guide was very witty and had many great tales about the pubs we visited, as well as for the surrounding district.
Pubs and History; A Great Duo
Susan_L, May 2023
Touring London’s historic pubs with Will was such a treat!! In addition to tasting some new beers in cozy pubs, Will shared so much of the history of not only the pub, but of the sights along the way! A fabulous way to see London from a unique perspective.
A fun afternoon!
Deborah_D, May 2023
Learning about the different pubs and their history. By doing a tour such as this, you can engage more in the local culture.
Response from Host, May 2023
Thanks for joining and apologies for not quite hitting our usual 5* standards on this occasion. Cheers!
Great pub walking guide
Deborah_W, May 2023
Interesting facts were shared about the pubs visited and many sites we passed on the way between them. Our guide was very knowledgeable and interesting! As well, he was very attentive to our needs as my partner couldn't walk as fast as the rest of the group and our guide took special care to help us blend in. Thank you so much, Lyndon!!!
Response from Host, May 2023
Sounds like a great afternoon and apologies for not quite hitting our 5* standards on this occasion. Cheers!
Great Mix of History and Drinking
Sophia_B, May 2023
Had a great time- perfect mix of fun history facts and hanging out in pubs. Wouldn’t have been to these places unless it was with the tour, and I loved that.
A must
Stephanie_A, May 2023
Excellent!!! Our guide (the Irish one) was delightful, history, comedy, and drinks, a must have experience!!! Really formative and fun experience
Amazing solo, as a couple, or with friends
davidcook, May 2023
The guide was informative, down to earth, and "one of the group"...which made this walking tour, that I did solo, much more fun.
Lover it !
Veronique_T, May 2023
Great tour. Really informative and fun. Images and facts. Recommand 100% tour anyone interested to find more on Jack the ripper victimes !
Excellent Tour
Dana_S, May 2023
Highly recommend, visited 4 historic pubs while hearing lots of colorful London history from our very knowledgeable & entertaining guide, Kevin.
Response from Host, May 2023
4 pubs, 3hrs and 2000 years of history. Cheers!
A Fantastic Experience!!
Matthew_C, May 2023
Dave is a fantastic tour guide! We expected to learn a bit about the history of each pub we visited, but were delighted by his knowledge about the City of London, as well. This is a comprehensive tour with everything you could want from a pub crawl experience. We absolutely recommend this tour if you are planning a trip to London! 10/10!!
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