Tours & experiences

Hand-picked tours across the New Forest & the UK

Our team has been pulling together the best small-group tours, day trips and multi-day adventures around the New Forest & the UK for years. Mick reads the traveller reviews before any tour earns a spot on this page — if a tour's a dud, it doesn't get listed.

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408 tours in HistoryClear filters
The Ultimate Jack the Ripper Tour (Private Group Booking)
5.0 (228)
🛕 Culture & History
United Kingdom

The Ultimate Jack the Ripper Tour (Private Group Booking)

Walk through Victorian Whitechapel to explore one of history's darkest chapters. This two-hour private tour examines the 1888 murders attributed to Jack the Ripper, visiting the actual sites where five women were killed and the locations that shaped the investigation. Your guide unravels competing theories about the killer's identity while telling the often-overlooked stories of his victims—poor women whose lives ended in violence and whose names deserve remembering.

2 hoursfrom GBP $255
The Great British Pub Walking Tour: London
5.0 (192)
🛕 Culture & History
United Kingdom

The Great British Pub Walking Tour: London

Explore London's most storied pubs tucked away on quiet mews and cobbled lanes, where British history unfolded behind closed doors. Over two and a half hours, a seasoned local guide reveals the establishments frequented by gangsters, artists, royalty and film stars—from the Beatles' secret hideaway to the pub where Prince William drops in unannounced. You'll discover Georgian architecture, hear folklore tied to literary legends, and step inside one of the city's most notoriously haunted venues. No alcohol required; the stories alone intoxicate.

2h 30mfrom GBP $29
Explore Biblical Artifacts at the British Museum
5.0 (139)
🛕 Culture & History
United Kingdom

Explore Biblical Artifacts at the British Museum

This semi-private British Museum tour threads biblical narratives through ancient artefacts, placing key events on a chronological timeline. Over three to four hours, you'll read passages directly in front of the objects they describe, then engage in Socratic dialogue with your guide—answering questions yourself rather than absorbing interpretation. The approach anchors abstract scripture to tangible history, making both artefact and verse stick in memory. Ideal for those seeking deeper understanding of biblical context beyond Sunday readings.

3 hours – 4 hoursfrom GBP $56
Walking Tour around Spitalfields in the East End of London
5.0 (137)
🛕 Culture & History
United Kingdom

Walking Tour around Spitalfields in the East End of London

Traverse two millennia of East End history on foot through Spitalfields, guided by a local resident and devised by a prominent London blogger. Walk the streets where Huguenot silk weavers, Jewish immigrants, Irish families and Bengali communities built new lives, each layer reshaping the neighbourhood and the nation. The tour weaves together architecture, personal stories and social change across two hours, finishing with tea and cakes prepared using an 18th-century recipe in a Georgian townhouse.

2 hoursfrom GBP $65
Authentic London Sunday Markets with a Londoner
5.0 (120)
🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing
United Kingdom

Authentic London Sunday Markets with a Londoner

Walk London's East End on a Sunday morning with a local guide who navigates you through working-class neighbourhoods and their markets. Over three hours, you'll traverse hidden canal routes connecting Broadway Market's farmers' stalls, Hackney City Farm, Columbia Road's flower traders, and the vintage-filled sprawl of Brick Lane and Spitalfields. The route reveals how generations of Londoners have shaped these pockets of the city, with your guide filling the walks between stops with neighbourhood history and context.

3 hoursfrom GBP $29
Private Classic London Taxi Tour
5.0 (119)
🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing
United Kingdom

Private Classic London Taxi Tour

Travel through central London in a private electric black cab, stopping at the capital's defining landmarks over four hours. Your driver provides running commentary as you visit Big Ben, St Paul's Cathedral, Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Kensington Palace, Trafalgar Square, Tower Bridge and Borough Market. You'll have time to step out, photograph each site, and absorb London's layered history from a vehicle that's itself iconic.

4 hoursfrom GBP $380
Private Tour of West Cornwall - Highly Varied Full Day Experience
5.0 (117)
🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing
United Kingdom

Private Tour of West Cornwall - Highly Varied Full Day Experience

A full-day private tour through West Cornwall led by knowledgeable local guides who reveal both celebrated coastal landmarks and lesser-known archaeological sites. Over eight hours, you'll traverse fishing villages, dramatic beaches, Neolithic stone circles, abandoned tin mines, and medieval churches—weaving together the region's layered history without the coach-tour crowds. The route circles the area methodically, balancing major attractions with hidden corners that even longtime residents overlook.

8 hoursfrom GBP $635
Pilgrims' Path walk across the sands to Holy Island
5.0 (99)
🛕 Culture & History
United Kingdom

Pilgrims' Path walk across the sands to Holy Island

Walk across exposed sands to Holy Island at low tide, following a route steeped in early Christian history. This four-hour guided crossing echoes the journeys of Saxon and Celtic pilgrims travelling to honour St Aidan and St Cuthbert. Grey seals often rest on the flats, adding wildlife interest to the trek. The route is one-way; your guide drives you back from the island after free time to explore. Tide times dictate exact start times, which you'll receive upon booking.

4 hoursfrom GBP $29
Jack the Ripper and Victorian London Beyond the Shadows
5.0 (98)
🛕 Culture & History
United Kingdom

Jack the Ripper and Victorian London Beyond the Shadows

Explore Victorian East End history through the lens of Whitechapel's most infamous case. This 2.5-hour walking tour navigates cobbled streets where Jack the Ripper operated, but goes deeper—examining the poverty, social fracture, and everyday lives of residents that defined 1880s London. Led by historians with genuine expertise, you'll encounter the victims and perpetrator as real people embedded in their time, not sensational headlines. Gain understanding of how crime, class, and survival intersected in this pivotal urban neighbourhood.

2h 30mfrom GBP $18
Isle of Skye and Scottish Highlands Tour
5.0 (92)
🛕 Culture & History
United Kingdom

Isle of Skye and Scottish Highlands Tour

A bespoke three-day tour of the Isle of Skye and Scottish Highlands led by Niall McOwan, a guide with deep roots in the region and family heritage tied to Highland history. Travel by private air-conditioned vehicle to explore dramatic landscapes, cultural landmarks and historical sites shaped by Scotland's past. This is tailored exploration rather than standard sightseeing—Niall adapts the itinerary to your interests, whether focusing on heritage, landscape or local stories.

3 daysfrom GBP $3535
Angel Meadow Manchester History Tour with Author Dean Kirby
5.0 (91)
🛕 Culture & History
United Kingdom

Angel Meadow Manchester History Tour with Author Dean Kirby

Dean Kirby, author of Angel Meadow: Victorian Britain's Most Savage Slum, guides you through the nineteenth-century Manchester neighbourhood that Friedrich Engels called 'Hell upon Earth'. In ninety minutes, you'll walk rain-soaked streets where 30,000 impoverished residents battled survival amid the cotton mills and cellars of the Industrial Revolution. Kirby reveals the district's forgotten inhabitants—from scuttler gangs to lodging-house families—and their unexpected role in shaping one of the world's greatest industrial cities. Intimate group sizes allow proper questions and photography time.

1h 30mfrom GBP $20
The Cotswold Tour
5.0 (90)
🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing
United Kingdom

The Cotswold Tour

Spend eight hours exploring the Cotswolds with Johnnie, a driver and guide with three decades of local knowledge. You'll travel through rolling countryside in a private vehicle, stopping at villages and market towns to walk, browse independent shops, and take photographs. Johnnie shares stories about the region's history and character as you move between destinations at a leisurely pace. The day includes time for a pub lunch, cream tea, or casual breaks to absorb the landscape without feeling rushed.

8 hoursfrom GBP $500
Private Walk: Edinburgh Old Town and New Town
5.0 (77)
🛕 Culture & History
United Kingdom

Private Walk: Edinburgh Old Town and New Town

A three-to-four-hour private guided walk through Edinburgh's Old and New Towns, led by a locally-born guide with deep knowledge of the city's layout, history and hidden corners. You shape the itinerary to suit your interests. The walk takes you beyond coach-tour routes to quieter streets and viewpoints, with built-in time to browse, rest and photograph. Edinburgh reveals itself best on foot.

3 hours – 4 hoursfrom GBP $230
Giants Causeway tour Belfast
5.0 (69)
🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing
United Kingdom

Giants Causeway tour Belfast

A private eight-hour excursion along County Antrim's coastal road, built around your interests. Travel from Belfast towards the Giants Causeway, stopping at landmarks like Bushmills whiskey distillery, the clifftop ruins of Dunluce Castle, or the swaying Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge. Groups of up to seven can customise the route—mix geological wonder with distillery tours, medieval history, or Game of Thrones locations. On-board WiFi keeps you connected between stops.

8 hoursfrom GBP $670
Private Greyfriars Kirkyard history tour
5.0 (69)
🛕 Culture & History
United Kingdom

Private Greyfriars Kirkyard history tour

Walk through Edinburgh's most historically charged burial ground with a knowledgeable local guide. Over 90 minutes, you'll encounter the graves and backstories of Covenanters, artists, spies, infamous criminals and a loyal terrier—figures whose lives shaped Scotland itself. Stand metres from their resting places whilst learning tales of martyrdom, grave-robbing, murder and devotion. Greyfriars Kirkyard is less monument than character study: each headstone unlocks a chapter of Scottish history that explains how the city became what it is today.

1h 30mfrom GBP $90
Historic Orkney Private Odyssey Tour by a native Islander
5.0 (65)
🛕 Culture & History
United Kingdom

Historic Orkney Private Odyssey Tour by a native Islander

A five-hour private tour of Orkney led by a native guide who moves beyond standard stops to explore the islands' archaeology and naval history as an interconnected landscape. Travelling in a small group vehicle (maximum four people), you'll visit Neolithic sites and locations tied to Scapa Flow's wartime significance. The itinerary flexes to your interests and pace, whether you're based locally or catching a cruise connection. Archaeological knowledge and local insight anchor each stop—no scripted commentary.

5 hoursfrom GBP $600
Women Of Westminster Walking Tour
5.0 (62)
🛕 Culture & History
United Kingdom

Women Of Westminster Walking Tour

Walk through Westminster's streets to discover the women who shaped British history, from royal figures to political campaigners, nurses and writers. This 2–3 hour guided tour begins at Agatha Christie's memorial near Leicester Square and traces statues and monuments honouring female achievement across education, politics, literature and wartime service. Your local guide reveals the stories behind familiar London landmarks, spotlighting contributions often overlooked in conventional sightseeing.

2 hours – 3 hoursfrom GBP $40
Culloden, Loch Ness + More
5.0 (61)
🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing
United Kingdom

Culloden, Loch Ness + More

A guided exploration of the Scottish Highlands centred on Culloden Battlefield, led by a former site interpreter with deep knowledge of 18th-century clan warfare and local history. Over 6–8 hours, you'll walk the battlefield itself, visit Urquhart Castle overlooking Loch Ness, meet Highland cattle at a working farm, and taste whisky at a Black Isle distillery. The route weaves through villages and includes stops for local food, with pick-up and drop-off from Inverness or nearby.

6 hours – 8 hoursfrom GBP $333
Scottish Highlands, Castles, Glencoe Day Trip from Edinburgh
5.0 (59)
🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing
United Kingdom

Scottish Highlands, Castles, Glencoe Day Trip from Edinburgh

This 11-hour private tour departs Edinburgh to explore the Scottish Highlands' most dramatic landmarks: Stirling Castle, the Trossachs, and Glencoe's towering peaks. Travels in a comfortable four-seat Nissan X-Trail 4x4 with a knowledgeable guide who reveals the region's history and hidden corners. Unlike coach tours, you'll move at your own pace without crowds or fixed stops, making it ideal for those wanting flexibility and genuine discovery.

11 hoursfrom GBP $270
1 Hour Private Otley Ghost Tour
5.0 (59)
🛕 Culture & History
United Kingdom

1 Hour Private Otley Ghost Tour

Explore Otley's shadowy past on this 65-minute walking tour through a medieval market town where tragedy, folklore and unexplained happenings linger in the streets. Your guide leads you past the town's most notorious haunted locations and neglected burial grounds, unpacking layers of darker history rarely discussed. You'll hear documented ghost accounts, regional legends and curious tales that reveal why Otley's charm runs deeper—and darker—than first impressions suggest. Meet at the clock tower in Market Place.

1h 5mfrom GBP $16
Private Guided Tour of the British Museum
5.0 (54)
🛕 Culture & History
United Kingdom

Private Guided Tour of the British Museum

Skip the queues for a focused 2.5-hour private tour through the British Museum's finest pieces. Your Blue Badge guide holds a Classical History degree and steers you past the crowds to unpick the stories behind the Rosetta Stone, Egyptian artefacts, Parthenon sculptures, Roman glass, Pompeian frescoes and Bronze Age treasures. Groups of up to six fit one price. Fast-track entry means you walk straight in.

2h 30mfrom GBP $250
Private Royal Mile walking tour - Discover the history of our most famous street
5.0 (53)
🛕 Culture & History
United Kingdom

Private Royal Mile walking tour - Discover the history of our most famous street

A two-hour walking tour of Edinburgh's Royal Mile led by a lifelong local guide who grew up and studied in the Old Town. Robert, a primary school teacher, navigates you through the UNESCO-listed streets in traditional Scottish dress, revealing centuries of history through someone who knows these closes and wynds intimately. You'll move at a steady pace through one of Britain's most storied thoroughfares without entering the major attractions.

2 hoursfrom GBP $85
London Gin Safari: A Spirited, Juniper-Fuelled Jaunt
5.0 (53)
🍜 Food & Cooking
United Kingdom

London Gin Safari: A Spirited, Juniper-Fuelled Jaunt

Pedal through London's backstreets on a guided cycle that weaves gin history with street culture. Over three and a half hours, you'll navigate Dickensian alleyways whilst sampling spirits from a converted Victorian gin parlour mounted on wheels. The tour traces how this spirit shaped the city's social fabric, stopping at vibrant food markets and graffiti zones. Between cycling segments, you'll taste three gin samples, two full drinks and a cocktail, all served with irreverent commentary and genuine London character.

3h 30mfrom GBP $85
Loch Ness, Culloden, Clava and whisky/gin tour from Inverness.
5.0 (50)
🛕 Culture & History
United Kingdom

Loch Ness, Culloden, Clava and whisky/gin tour from Inverness.

A customisable 4.5-hour private tour through the Scottish Highlands centred on Inverness, led by a local guide in traditional dress. You'll explore Loch Ness's shoreline, visit Culloden and Clava's ancient sites, and choose between distillery tastings or castle visits. The itinerary flexes to your interests—spot Highland cattle, hear bagpipes, absorb regional history and folklore straight from someone who knows these glens intimately. Groups of up to eight travel in a minivan; smaller parties can opt for a luxury Land Rover.

4h 30mfrom GBP $368
Belfast Black Taxi Tour - Private Tour
5.0 (50)
🛕 Culture & History
United Kingdom

Belfast Black Taxi Tour - Private Tour

This 90-minute private tour navigates Belfast's mural-covered streets in a luxury Mercedes, guided by locals who lived through the city's decades of division. You'll hear firsthand accounts of the political tensions that shaped neighbourhoods from the 1960s onwards, and witness how Belfast has shifted towards reconciliation. The tour visits areas once marked by conflict, now transformed into open-air galleries telling stories of resilience and change. It's history told by those who lived it, not from a distance.

1h 30mfrom GBP $145
Shipwreck Hunters
5.0 (48)
🐠 Water Activities
United Kingdom

Shipwreck Hunters

Explore the Clyde's submerged history aboard a dedicated vessel hunting for shipwrecks, including the renowned MV Captayannis. This two-hour excursion uses live sonar to pinpoint wrecks whilst you scan the water for marine visitors. Binoculars and identification cards help you spot everything from submarines to seals, with warm refreshments served throughout.

2 hoursfrom GBP $300
Private Invergordon Shore Excursion of the Highlands (12 Pax Max)
5.0 (47)
🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing
United Kingdom

Private Invergordon Shore Excursion of the Highlands (12 Pax Max)

A seven to eight-hour private Highland tour departing from Invergordon with a dedicated guide and driver for up to twelve passengers. You'll visit Culloden Battlefield, Clava Cairns, Inverness, and Loch Ness, meeting a local historian devoted to the region's most famous legend. The journey concludes at Singleton Distillery. Your guide shares stories of Highland history, folklore and traditions throughout, with flexibility to adjust the itinerary to suit your group's interests.

7 hours – 8 hoursfrom GBP $700
6 Hour Private London Sightseeing Tour
5.0 (45)
🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing
United Kingdom

6 Hour Private London Sightseeing Tour

Travel across London in a traditional black cab piloted by a driver who has spent years mastering the city's every street and landmark. Your guide holds official accreditation and will navigate you from west to east, revealing the capital's layers of history, heritage and culture over six hours. Collection and drop-off happen at any central London location of your choice, with complimentary water and charging points included throughout the journey.

6 hoursfrom GBP $499
Coastal Charms: St Andrews & Kingdom of Fife Private Day Tour
5.0 (44)
🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing
United Kingdom

Coastal Charms: St Andrews & Kingdom of Fife Private Day Tour

An eight-hour private tour through Fife's most compelling corners, starting with Falkland Palace's Renaissance gardens before moving to St Andrews to walk the hallowed links of the famous golf course, then exploring the castle and cathedral ruins that shaped Scottish ecclesiastical history. The day concludes at Kingsbarns Distillery, where you'll witness how local grain becomes single malt. Your driver tailors stops to your pace and interests, travelling in a comfortable Mercedes minivan with live commentary throughout.

8 hoursfrom GBP $412
LONDON Westminster Private Walking Tour fully flexible
5.0 (44)
🛕 Culture & History
United Kingdom

LONDON Westminster Private Walking Tour fully flexible

A three-hour guided walk through Westminster and the City of London with a local guide who knows the neighbourhoods intimately. You'll pass major landmarks—Buckingham Palace, Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, Covent Garden—while learning two millennia of royal history, political intrigue and current London life. Designed for travellers short on time, this tour hits the essential sights and reveals quieter corners most visitors miss. Your guide offers pre-trip advice on eating, shopping and navigating the city.

3 hoursfrom GBP $300
London History Taxi Tours
5.0 (42)
🛕 Culture & History
United Kingdom

London History Taxi Tours

Explore two millennia of London's story in a private black cab, guided by qualified historians and experienced drivers who know every corner of the city. This four-hour tour adapts to your interests—whether you want rapid-fire landmark spotting or leisurely stops at neighbourhood gems. You'll see the capital's layers of history unfold from street level, with narration that goes beyond guidebook facts to reveal how the city actually works.

4 hoursfrom GBP $507
Wrexham 'Welcome To Wrexham' Half-Day Private Tour
5.0 (42)
🛕 Culture & History
United Kingdom

Wrexham 'Welcome To Wrexham' Half-Day Private Tour

Explore Wrexham through the eyes of a lifelong AFC supporter who watched the club's transformation firsthand. This three-hour private tour visits filming locations from the Netflix series whilst your guide shares insider anecdotes, behind-the-scenes details, and the club's unvarnished history—from its pre-Hollywood struggles to its present revival. You'll discover what locals actually think of Wrexham, beyond the TV narrative.

3 hoursfrom GBP $166
Orkney Mainland Private Tour
5.0 (41)
🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing
United Kingdom

Orkney Mainland Private Tour

A seven-hour private exploration of Orkney's Mainland led by a local guide with deep roots in the islands. You'll navigate five millennia of history at Neolithic sites, encounter the archipelago's distinctive wildlife, and taste small-batch local produce made by your guide's own food business. Travel in a silent electric Mercedes, learning how Orkney generates world-class renewable energy whilst keeping its carbon footprint minimal. Ideal for travellers wanting substance over superficial sightseeing.

7 hoursfrom GBP $235
Exclusive York - Private Personally-Designed Walking Tour
5.0 (41)
🛕 Culture & History
United Kingdom

Exclusive York - Private Personally-Designed Walking Tour

A private two-hour walking tour of York tailored to your interests, led by a qualified guide who reveals the city's medieval character beyond the usual stops. You'll navigate the compact centre on foot, taking in the iconic Minster's exterior, the encircling city walls, and the timber-framed Shambles whilst discovering quieter passages and hidden details. Your guide uses iPad illustrations to bring history alive and arranges collection from your chosen meeting point—hotel, landmark, or elsewhere in the city.

2 hoursfrom GBP $150
Classic London Tour
5.0 (39)
🚌 Day Trips & Sightseeing
United Kingdom

Classic London Tour

A private black taxi circles London's headline sights over 4–6 hours, collecting you from your hotel and ferrying you past Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, St. Paul's Cathedral, and the London Eye. Your driver narrates the history and context as you move through the city, handling navigation so you can simply absorb the landmarks. Bottled water and light snacks included.

4 hours – 6 hoursfrom GBP $440
The Beatles: Lennon and McCartney Songwriting History Tour
5.0 (39)
🛕 Culture & History
United Kingdom

The Beatles: Lennon and McCartney Songwriting History Tour

Track how two contrasting childhoods in Liverpool shaped the songwriting voices that became the Beatles. This four-hour taxi tour visits the actual locations where Lennon and McCartney's partnership took shape—from John's formative years through the meetings that sparked their creative collision. A chronological journey through the streets and landmarks that witnessed pop music's most consequential partnership emerge.

4 hoursfrom GBP $196
Food Walking Guided Tour of Perth
5.0 (38)
🍜 Food & Cooking
United Kingdom

Food Walking Guided Tour of Perth

A three-hour guided food walk through Perth, Scotland, led by a local who shares the city's character and heritage. You'll visit up to seven independent venues sampling Scottish staples—from Cullen skink and haggis to whisky and cranachan—with each stop revealing something about Perth's food culture and history. The route covers gentle terrain across the city centre, punctuated by tastings that add up to a substantial lunch.

3 hoursfrom GBP $80
Billy's Black Cab Tour of London
5.0 (38)
🛕 Culture & History
United Kingdom

Billy's Black Cab Tour of London

Four-hour guided tour through London with Billy, a black cab driver and recent history graduate who combines driving with walking segments to reveal the capital's 2,000-year narrative. Travel in a private, air-conditioned cab whilst hearing lesser-known stories about the city's development, key historical events and the neighbourhoods that shaped modern London. Billy's approach moves beyond standard tourist routes to show what genuinely makes the city compelling.

4 hoursfrom GBP $625
Bath: Local Pubs & Historic Sights Walking Tour (3h)
5.0 (37)
🛕 Culture & History
United Kingdom

Bath: Local Pubs & Historic Sights Walking Tour (3h)

Walk through Bath's finest Georgian quarters with a local guide who knows the city's social history inside out. Over three hours, you'll pause at three characterful pubs to taste regional ales and ciders, sampling what locals actually drink. The tour strings together Bath's most significant architectural landmarks while unpicking the town's 18th-century life and times. A proper introduction to both the built landscape and the drinking culture that shaped it.

3 hoursfrom GBP $38
Private Guided Tour of Windsor Castle PLUS and History
5.0 (36)
🛕 Culture & History
United Kingdom

Private Guided Tour of Windsor Castle PLUS and History

A seven-hour private guided tour centred on Windsor Castle, the sprawling royal residence where Queen Elizabeth II spent her life and was laid to rest. Your guide leads you through the State Apartments and around the castle grounds, then into Windsor town beside the Thames. The itinerary also takes in Runnymede, where memorials to the Magna Carta and JFK stand—a stop many operators skip. On the return to London, you can arrange a detour to Kensington Palace, where Diana raised William and Harry. The journey suits all fitness levels and wheelchairs.

7 hoursfrom GBP $735
Some tours listed with Viator, a Tripadvisor company. Prices and availability confirmed at checkout.