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
(154 Ratings)
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Kat_ric
Feb 8, 2026
Well worthwhile tour of old Portsmouth - Thanks for a great tour of Portsmouth, we found out a great deal about the old Town, Hot Walls, Spice island. So much so that we went back on the evening to revisit some of the highlights. Steve is very knowledgeable and conducts the tour to suit the interest of the people joining. Thank you Steve
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Owlibird
Nov 20, 2025
Friendly and informative walking tour - highly recommended! - Steve was really friendly knowledgeable and informative, he clearly enjoys what he does and donates the money he is given to Cancer research UK. Only a shame that more people weren’t with us to benefit from his knowledge and raise more money for charity today. Thanks Steve!
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Daniel
Oct 31, 2025
Great history lesson. - Excellent learning experience and good fun. Thoroughly engaging guide (Steve) who clearly enjoys the whole history of Portsmouth and imparts many good anecdote and gem of information.
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S7140xlmargareth
Oct 20, 2025
Excellent introduction to historic Portsmouth. - We contacted Portsmouth of the Past at short notice to ask if a tour could be possible on a specific date. We had a prompt reply to confirm that if an early afternoon suited it would be possible. Steve contacted us to say where and when we should meet and sent a useful reminder on the day. It transpired that this was to be a private tour for just the 2 of us. It was very informative as well as entertaining - and we were delighted to learn that half of our donation (there is no charge for the tour - just pay what you feel is appropriate) would go to Cancer Research UK. Very highly recommended.
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Jeffrq6861zk
Oct 12, 2025
Excellent Walking Tour of Old Portsmouth - Organised the Portsmouth of the Past Walking Tour a few days prior and sent an email with some queries. Steve responded pretty well straight away and the communication from him for the next few days was excellent. On Friday October 10th we met Steve at the designated spot and headed off. There was no one else on the tour so it was quite personal. Steve is a thorough professional that knows the history of the area extremely well, including number of anecdotes of the past. Whilst there is no charge for the tour we did contribute some money for him and his nominated charity (Cancer UK). Steve is an excellent guide of which I would highly recommend Portsmouth of the Past Walking Tour, if you want an interesting tour of the old Portsmouth area.
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Tessapuma
Oct 12, 2025
Fun & informative walking tour of Old Portsmouth. - Steve was a great tour guide, with a wealth of knowledge about Old Portsmouth. He made the tour fun too with some humorous facts along the way. It took about 1.5 hours which was ideal for us. He also raises money for Cancer Research UK by donating any tips he receives to them. I would recommend taking the tour whether you are a local or a visitor
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Rosemarygw4668db
Sep 27, 2025
An Informative Tour of Portsmouth - We needed to kill time prior to our cruise ship departure and booked the guided walking tour for the early afternoon. Steve did an excellent job throughout our tour of Portsmouth. He has vast knowledge of the area and shared many stories and tidbits to make the experience more meaningful and enjoyable. We highly recommend him.
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Eric
Sep 15, 2025
Tour of Portsmouth - An enjoyable walking tour. Steve was both knowledgeable and humorous with his stories of old Portsmouth. I would throughly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Portsmouth and wanting to learn a bit about the city.
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Denandrog
Sep 12, 2025
Fascinating guided tour - Steve is an excellent guide. We used to live in Portsmouth and Steve told us lots of surprising things we didn’t know. The walk was a gentle stroll around the back streets and hidden passageways of Old Portsmouth whilst Steve told us lots of numerous and interesting facts and stories. I would 100% recommend this tour.
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Simoneo_11
Sep 9, 2025
Informative as well as humorous walking trip - We decided to do this tour at the last moment. We were very pleased with the professionalism and knowledge of Steve the guide. The tour lasted 1.5 hours and was full of anecdotes and humour as well as historical facts. Would strongly recommend this walk to anyone visiting Portsmouth for the first time as it will give you an understanding of the city’s colourful history! I never realised how many famous people were born here !
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From $13
up to 12 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).