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Booze, Brothels & The Bard: A Walking Tour of London's Bawdy Borough

5.0 Excellent 110 reviews
|
2h
|
English
Free cancellation · up to 24 hours before Instant confirmation Live guide

Ratings & Reviews

5.0
110 reviews
5
109
4
1
3
0
2
0
1
0
Ratings collected from Guidekin & Viator & Tripadvisor

Overview

Guidekin summary

Explore Borough and Bankside through stories of prostitution, literary figures and a pub ghost. A guided walk is included, with the area's bawdy past as its focus; gratuities are excluded. 4.99 from 110 reviews at €24 per person for 2h.

From the guide

Travel through a thousand years of history, meeting William Shakespeare, medieval Winchester Geese prostitutes, Charles Dickens, the ghost of a nineteenth century pub landlady, and the wonderfully named Doorkins Magnificat!

On our walking tour we'll visit the areas around Borough and Bankside, which being outside the jurisdiction of the City of London were for centuries the site of seedy goings on. We'll learn how the area had been notorious for prostitution since the arrival of the Romans, visit the locations of Southwark's two most notorious prisons of which parts can still be seen today, take in the sights of a millennium-old market, view the remains of a medieval palace, and find Shakespeare's Globe Theatres both old and new!

The walking tour begins outside Borough Station, ends near London Bridge Station, and will take around two hours. Total distance is about two miles.

Ticket sales will be limited to fifteen attendees, to ensure maximum enjoyment for everybody on the tour.

Schedule & Availability

Runs Fri, Sat, Sun
Departures: 11:00, 14:00
Scheduled through September 2027

This tour runs Fri, Sat, Sun, departing at 11:00, 14:00. Scheduled through September 2027. These are the operator’s scheduled departures, not a live seat count: availability is confirmed at checkout. Schedule last checked October 1, 2026.

What's Included

Walking Tour Guide

What's Not Included

Gratuities

Itinerary

St George the Martyr Stop 1
The only remaining part of the Marshalsea Prison
5 min
Crossbones Graveyard & Garden of Remembrance Stop 2
The final resting place for thousands of Southwark's outcast dead
5 min
The largest extant reminder of Southwark's beer trade Stop 3
5 min
London's last surviving galleried coaching inn Stop 4
5 min
Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret Stop 5
Europe's oldest surviving operating theatre
5 min
London Bridge Stop 6
The world famous and iconic London Bridge
5 min
Southwark Anglican Cathedral Stop 7
London's oldest surviving gothic church
5 min
Borough Market Stop 8
A one thousand year old food market
5 min
Winchester Palace Stop 9
The remains of one of the most prestigious homes in medieval England
5 min
The Clink Prison Museum Stop 10
The site of the notorious Clink Prison
5 min
Shakespeare's Globe Theatre Stop 11
The reconstruction of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre
5 min

Departure & Return

Start point

We meet outside the exit of Borough Station. Please aim to arrive five minutes early as the tour will start on time. If you aren't able to make the tour or you will be late, please message me on +44 7783 401 129 so that I know whether to send you our live location on WhatsApp.

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Additional Information

  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

1+ daysFull refund
0-1 daysNo refund

Compared with other Walking Tours

TourPriceDurationRatingGroup
This tour · #17 of 92€242h4.99 (110)shared
The Great British Rock and Roll Walking Tour€382h4.99 (2069)shared
London Sightseeing Walking Tour with 30+ sights€235h4.97 (865)shared
Drag Queen Disco Diva Tour - Silent Disco Walking Tour€451h 30m4.98 (428)shared

Ranked #17 of 92 in Walking Tours by Guidekin score (rating weighted by review volume). Prices here run from €17 to €714, median €31; typical length 2h. 11 of 92 are private. Figures are live from the tour cards; the rubric is our handpicked set, not the whole market. Compare all 92 Walking Tours

From € 24 / person