Group Walks
Group Walks Are you responsible for finding activities for your club, W.I., group of students etc.? Or are you visiting the City and looking for a private guided tour? We are pleased to offer private guided tours for Groups, 1&1/2 hours long. These are usually around the Town Centre, the Old Town, or the area associated with the Titanic and the Docks, though other areas of the City can be covered, if requested. Contents of the walks are open to discussion. They can be our Hidden History Tours, which concentrate on the medieval town, including visits to a number of the old wine vaults. However, individual Guides are specialists in walks concentrating on other aspects of the City’s history, for example: The Titanic World War II The Mayflower Notable and Notorious Women of Southampton Southampton’s Parks Southampton and the Spitfire. Southampton’s Docks Jane Austen Dates and Cost Please contact us to discuss charges and dates. Special rates and contents are on offer for School parties, especially for younger children. Illustrated Talks Many of our Guides also offer illustrated talks on a variety of subjects. Please contact us to discuss availability and charges.
Hidden History
Hidden History See Southampton and the Southampton Tourist Guides Association popular Hidden History Walks* are a stroll through the past of the City, exploring the Walls of the Old Town, with your Guide recounting tales of yesteryear, and bringing to life historical characters, and life-changing events.ee We will tell you about Southampton’s association with the Romans, Saxons and Vikings, the building of the Town Walls – standing since the 1300s – and the City’s ancient legends. We have ‘keys to the city’, enabling us to open up the locked doors of the Medieval Towers and Wine Vaults! We will see the Bargate, Southampton’s most famous monument; walk along the Western Walls with distant views to St. Mary’s Church and the New Forest; pass the oldest Church in the City, St. Michael’s, and the oldest Museum, Tudor House. Places associated with Jane Austen’s time in the city are included, and the City’s Spa Period from 1750-1830 is described. The Mayflower and Speedwell departed from Southampton, and important locations associated with the Pilgrim Fathers are covered, as is the City’s connections with the Titanic, which sailed from here. The City’s role in conflicts from the Battle of Agincourt, through to the Blitz and Normandy Landings on D-Day are also addressed. Walks last 1&1/2 hours and are gently-paced, however some stairs are involved. If you have any problems with these, or with heights or enclosed spaces, please let our Guide know, and they will be able to adjust to help you. Walks will finish near the lower end of the High Street – your guide can assist with directions to any part of the town you wish to visit or head to thereafter. Walks run at 10.30am and 1.30pm on Saturday and Sundays from April until end September, starting from the Lions at the Bargate in the City Centre. The cost is £7, children below 16 are free, but must be accompanied. Walks will then take place on Saturdays and Sundays during the winter months October – March, commencing at 1.30pm at the Bargate (but not on 24 or 31 Dec). The majority of City Centre Car Parks are well placed for access to the Bargate, especially the Eastgate and Albion Place Car Parks. Please note parking is free on the Western Esplanade on Sundays until 1pm, which gives time enough to enjoy our Sunday ‘Hidden History’ summer morning walk! * For 2023/24, Southampton’s two guiding associations, See Southampton and the Southampton Tourist Guides Association are working in partnership to deliver a series of Southampton History Walks on weekends throughout the year. SEE Southampton – More history than you ever imagined!
About
The history of See Southampton! In the Spring of 2014 a small group of newly qualified local Southampton tour guides, who were all great friends, decided that it was time for a fresh and exciting approach to guided walks and tours in Southampton. See Southampton was formed. Since then, See Southampton has gone from strength to strength delivering an entertaining programme of walks and talks for visitors, cruise ship passengers and residents in Southampton. Walks are provided in a variety of languages, whilst interpreters are available also. But See Southampton is much more than just a guiding organisation, offering an information service to cruise ship passengers visiting the city; delivering library talks; publishing heritage articles in the Daily Echo and running an exhibition in the Westgate Tower telling the story of the Mayflower and the Speedwell. Meet the Tour Guides The guides who form See Southampton are very dedicated and come from a wide range of backgrounds including the legal profession, medicine, education, entertainment, linguistics and engineering. All have been trained and examined to the exacting and very high standards of the Institute of Tourist Guiding of which they are all members. One of our guides has served on the Executive Board of the Institute of Tourist Guiding. See Southampton is determined to maintain the high quality of its guiding services and the knowledge of its guides. To this end, a programme for CPD is already in place whereby levels of skills and practical experiences are enhanced. See Southampton Tour Guides: Jack – Katie – Martin – Godfrey – Nigel Southampton – UK City Culture bid for 2025 See Southampton supported the ‘Southampton bid for the UK City Culture 2025’ and was on ITV News Meridian in May 2022. Southampton Cruise Tourist Information One of See Southampton’s most successful initiatives has been volunteering within the port terminals providing tourist information to arriving cruise passengers. This has enabled us to ensure that our cruise visitors have an enjoyable and enriching visit to our City. Join our team! We are extending our team of volunteers to greet cruise ship passengers. If you have a broad knowledge of Southampton and other local places of interest as well as a good understanding of local travel arrangements we would be pleased to hear from you, particularly if you speak a second language such as French, German, Russian, Dutch, Polish, Cantonese or Italian. Contact us! Collaboration See Southampton is committed to working collaboratively with all organisations promoting Southampton’s history and heritage, as well as local businesses and educational establishments. Awards See Southampton have been winning awards, including Gold Awards from SO Stars, holds TripAdvisor ‘Travellers’ Choice Awards’ and been awarded two silver awards for ‘Best Guided Tour/Event of the Year’ by Tourism South East’s ‘Beautiful South Awards for Tourism’.
Events
See Southampton – Upcoming events and tours
See Southampton Heritage Guides
Welcome to See Southampton Heritage Guides Welcome to See Southampton Guided Tours See some of Southampton’s wonderful architectural, historical and cultural heritage with our tour guides. Tours & Events Private Group Walks Book a walk for a group or private party, tailored for your interests, with a qualified local history expert. Contact us Accessible Guided Tours Guided tours are for everyone! We offer a sign language interpreter, voice amplifiers, ramps, lifts, and accessible toilet facilities. More information 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 Click poster for brochure PDF 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. Autumn and 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. Book Events 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 2024 – see our events page or join us on Facebook for current opening information. Our Sunday walks will conclude at the Westgate. New for 2024 is also a D-Day and Titanic Exhibition. Subject to volunteer availability, the exhibitions 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. Book Events Click poster for dates & details Talks at Portswood Library – FREE! A series of talks covering the history of Southampton. 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. Library talk dates & times 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 2024, close to the Westgate exhibition. Map and Tour – “From Parks to Port” 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. Accessibility Information “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. Information & Map Award Beautiful South Award See Southampton has won a prestigious accolade at the Beautiful South Awards for Excellence 2023. Read the full article in the Southern Daily Echo Reviews Click here to leave us a review!