Welcome to See Southampton Heritage Guides
See Southampton Heritage Guides – Sightseeing tours, tour guides and accessible tours
City Guided Walks
Explore the city’s amazing historical architecture, with the stories of Southampton’s centuries long history.
Private Walks and Tours
Book a guided tour for a group or private party, from our list of themed walks, or tailor one to your interest.
Accessible Guided Tours
We offer bespoke assessible guided tours, and have created a Southampton Accessible Walk map (PDF), to download.
More history in Southampton than you ever imagined!
See Southampton Heritage Guides is a team of tour guides and qualified local heritage experts, delivering a programme of walks and talks for local residents, visitors and cruise ship passengers.
Tours and Events
Southampton City Guided Walks
90-minute walking tours on Saturdays and Sundays:
May, July, September 2026 10:30-12:00
Please note: We are not running city guided walks on September 12, 13, 19, 20 as our guides will be supporting Heritage Open Days in Southampton.
February, April, June, August, October, December 2026 13:30-15:00
Walk the streets of Southampton old town, to explore the city’s hidden history, visiting medieval walls and medieval vaults. Trace the history from Roman port, to the times of the Normans who built the city’s castle, and on to the years of Southampton as an elegant spa town, and hear about the city’s pivotal role in WWII, along with the stories of famous ships, including the 1620 Pilgrim Fathers’ Mayflower and that of the tragic Titanic, along with tales of Southampton’s famous residents, such as novelist Jane Austen.
Meet at the Bargate, High Street (what3words: hosts.likes.lifts) beside the statues of the lions,
Tickets: £12.50 – book online via Eventbrite or pay on the day (cash or card). Your ticket also entitles you to a 20% saving on entrance to Southampton’s SeaCity Museum and the Tudor House Museum.
Special Walks and Tours
Our 2026-2027 programme includes:
Jane Austen in Georgian Southampton Southampton’s American Story
Southampton’s Second World War Story High Vaultage – Definitive Tour of the City’s Vaults!
Ghastly, Grim and Gory The QE2 Mile Explorer
Titanic Monuments in Southampton Christmas in Southampton (with festive refreshment)
Southampton City Weekday Walking Tours 45-minute Southampton Old Town Walking Tour
For details of the walks and tours, see our Special Walks and Tours page!
Group and Private Walks and Tours
We offer private tours for individuals and groups, with some of our most popular walks the Hidden History Heritage Walk, Titanic themed, covering the city in the Second World War, the story of the Mayflower, Medieval and Georgian Southampton.
We also have guides who can take you further afield, into Hampshire and surrounding areas.
Whatever your interest, we can find a guide to tailor a tour for you. Our Group and Private Walks and Tours page has more details.
The Westgate - open on Sundays
Visit the historic 14th Century Westgate, one of the main gates leading into medieval Southampton. Henry V with his band of brothers on their way to the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 passed through West Gate, as did the Pilgrim Fathers in 1620, ready to board the Mayflower at the busy, bustling medieval West Quay.
Special exhibitions explore the fascinating stories of the Mayflower and Southampton’s Second World War history.
Opening times: Sundays 10:00-12:00, 13:00-15:00 – free entry
2026 Talks at Portswood Library and Woolston Library
A series of monthly Wednesday evening talks – many covering the history of Southampton – will be given by See Southampton guides and Bevois Mount History members at Portswood Library (251 Portswood Road, SO17 2NG), starting at 19:30, along with a couple of talks at Woolston Library (Centenary Quay, Victoria Road, SO19 9EF), starting at 18:00. Talks last for about an hour, admission is free and there’s no need to book.
Portswood Library
11 March: Rebuilding the Town Southampton after the Blitz Godfrey Collyer
8 April: Gatti’s Restaurant – the Titanic’s ‘Ritz’ Ally Hayes and Wendy Stokes
13 May: Rigging Block Maker, Walter Taylor (1734-1893) Mark Newland
10 June: Southampton’s American Connections Nigel Philpott
8 July: The First Public Libraries in Southampton Ally Hayes and Wendy Stokes
12 August: Bevois – Prince of Southampton Jack Wilson
9 September: Early Development of Southampton Docks David Hornsby
14 October: The French Raid of 1338 Ally Hayes and Wendy Stokes
Woolston Library
14 April: King Arthur – Man or Myth Jack Wilson
14 July: Southampton’s American Connections Nigel Philpott
If you would like to book a talk, our team is always happy to provide guest speakers on a range of subjects. Contact us for details.
Southampton's 'American' story
2026 is the 250th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence in 1776, and America and Americans feature throughout many parts of Southampton’s history – from 1620 and the departure from Southampton’s West Quay of the Pilgrim Fathers on board the Mayflower and the Speedwell, to the major role America played in Southampton’s Second World War story.
Weekend See Southampton walks throughout 2026 will recount many of the fascinating stories of Southampton’s American connection.
Cruise Ship Shore Excursion Tours and School Tours
With more medieval walls still standing than any other city in the country, our maritime stories, and centuries-old merchant vaults to explore, we have a wealth of history to share with our visitors, and specialise in bringing the history of Southampton to life for cruise ship tourist guests and school trips.
Contact us for further information.
We’re among Tripadvisor’s top 10% of things to do worldwide!
Each year, Tripadvisor for Business recognizes travellers’ favourite businesses around the world, based on reviews and ratings collected over 12 months. At See Southampton we’re delighted to have scored a top spot due to our reviews – thank you to all who’ve taken the time to leave us a review.
We love sharing the history and heritage of Southampton with our guests – and it’s wonderful to receive the feedback and reviews from our tours and to know that our guests are as excited about our history as we are.