Winchester Private Tour
About this activity
- Your booking is confirmed immediately
- This activity is available in your language
- This option includes FREE cancellation—book now, risk-free!
Experience Highlights
Step back in time to the days of Saxon kings, Benedictine monks and Victorian heroines on a 1hr 30 min private walking tour of Winchester. Starting from the Westgate, the medieval gateway at the end of the High Street, you'll walk through the ancient capital of Wessex and its maze of cobbled lanes with a local historian (language: English). The tour is exclusive to your group and includes outside access to landmarks such as the gothic cathedral, Winchester College and the ruins of Wolvesey Castle.
What’s included
- Private guide with a degree in history
- 1 h 30 min walking tour of High Street, Cathedral (exterior), Winchester College (exterior), Wolvesey Castle (exterior) and Great Hall (exterior)
- Digital booklet with map and recommended readings
- Indoor entrances (Cathedral, Great Hall, museums)
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Step by Step
Under the crenellated arch of the Westgate, the journey begins: your guide contextualises how Winchester went from Roman fortress to Anglo-Saxon coronation site. A few steps away, the cobbled avenue reveals the statue of Alfred the Great, symbol of Viking resistance.
On the cathedral forecourt you will hear the story of its Gothic nave, the longest in Europe, and of Jane Austen, buried next to the north transept. The guide shows medieval inscriptions and explains the exploits of William Walker, the diver who saved the flooded foundations by free diving.
The ramparts lead to Winchester College, England's oldest active school: its stone cloisters inspired Victorian writers and still echo with the singing of choristers. A short walk reveals the romantic ruins of Wolvesey Castle, home to powerful Norman bishops.
The story jumps back to Tudor times in front of the Great Hall, where the mythical Round Table attributed to Arthur hangs. From there, views of the Itchen Valley recall Keats' verses and Cromwell's campaigns. Your guide rounds off the experience with anecdotes about Winchester's liquor store, the medieval Jewish banker, and the bishops who transformed the city into an intellectual beacon.
In just an hour and a half, you'll have spun 2,000 years of unhurried history, with personalised stops for photos and questions.
