Welcome to See Southampton Heritage Guides
See Southampton Heritage Guides – Sightseeing tours, tour guides and accessible tours
Guided Tours
See some of Southampton’s wonderful architectural, historical and cultural heritage with our tour guides.
Private Group Walks
Book a walk for a group or private party, tailored for your interests, with a qualified local history expert.
Accessible Guided Tours
Guided tours are for everyone! We offer a sign language interpreter, voice amplifiers, ramps, lifts, and accessible toilet facilities.
More history in Southampton than you ever imagined!
See Southampton Heritage Guides is a team of qualified local heritage experts and tour guides, delivering an entertaining programme of walks and talks for visitors, cruise ship passengers and local residents.
Events & Tours
Discover Southampton’s History - Guided Tours
90 minute guided walks, including visits to Southampton’s towers and vaults.
- Days: Saturdays and Sundays from 1st Oct to 31st March 2025
- Time: 1:30pm
- Location: Meet at the Lions on the north side of the Bargate (SO14 2DJ)
- Cost: £7.00 per adult, accompanied children free. Payment by cash or card.
Winter walks will depart from the Bargate at 1.30pm on Saturdays and Sundays between 1 October 2024 and 31 March 2025.
Southampton’s tour guiding associations, See Southampton Heritage Guides and the Southampton Tourist Guides Association are working in partnership in 2024/25 to deliver an exciting programme of Southampton History Walks, supported by Go! Southampton. Click here to view brochure PDF
The team from See Southampton Heritage Guides will be delivering the 1.30pm walks in October and December 2024 and February 2025, whilst the 1.30pm walks in November 2024, January and March 2025 will be delivered by our colleagues from the STGA.
The Westgate
In 2019 SEE Southampton made a display in the Westgate covering the history of The Mayflower and The Speedwell and the ‘principal players’ involved in its story, in readiness for the marking of the Mayflower 400th anniversary in 2020.
Whilst many of the events connected with the anniversary had to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the display was completed and has been open on many weekends and will continue in 2025 – see our events page or join us on Facebook for current opening information. Our Sunday 1.30pm walks in February will conclude at the Westgate at approx. 3pm.
The Westgate will re-open for 2025 on Sunday 2 February. In addition to an exhibition on The Mayflower and Speedwell, there will be displays covering the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen in Southampton; the 70th anniversary of Southampton’s heritage steamship, SS Shieldhall and references to D-Day and the American Wall and RMS Titanic. Therefater – and subject to volunteer availability – The Westgate will be open on Sundays between 10am – 3.30pm approx.
Southampton's Hidden History
Let us reveal the hidden history of your city! Southampton history walks depart the Lions by the Bargate at 10.30am and 1.30pm on weekends between April – end September, and then at 1.30pm during the autumn and winter. History walks are being staged by See Southampton and Southampton Tourist Guides Association, supported by Go! Southampton.
Talks at Portswood Library - FREE!
A series of talks covering the history of Southampton. Dates for 2025 talks and library venues will be announced shortly.
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.
D-Day 80
Throughout June 2024, See Southampton commemorated the 80th anniversary of the Normandy Landings 1994 with a series of events. There is still an opportunity to check out our free to enter temporary D-Day exhibition at the Westgate on Sundays. See Southampton guided walks will stop at the American Wall / D-Day Wall throughout 2025, close to the Westgate exhibition.
See Southampton's Accessible Guided Tours
We ensure that our guided tours are accessible to those with (visible or non-visible) physical and learning difficulties, and are wheelchair and mobility scooter friendly.
"From Parks to Port" - See Southampton's map with Accessible Trail
See Southampton have produced a map that details accessible places of interest, and includes lifts, toilets, ramps and facilities that can be easily accessed by wheelchair and mobility scooter users.
Award
Beautiful South Award
See Southampton has won a prestigious accolade at the Beautiful South Awards for Excellence 2023.