Our verdict
Best overall
London: Historic Pubs of Central London Walking Tour
Three or four of central London’s oldest pubs with a guide who knows why each survived. 4.9★ from 1,200+ reviews — the best-rated pub tour in the city.
4.9★ · 1,272from £35 GetYourGuide →
Best value
London: Jack the Ripper Tour with Historic Pub Stops
Jack the Ripper’s Whitechapel with stops in pubs linked to the case, about £29 for two hours. 4.8★ from almost 600 reviews.
4.8★ · 583from £29 GetYourGuide →
Skip it if
You want history, not a party
The bar and club crawl is a night out with drink deals, not a pub tour. Book it for a stag, a hen or a gap-year night — not for the architecture.
Which London pub tour should you book?
A London pub tour comes in three flavours, and they suit very different evenings. The historic pub walk is a guided history tour where the stops happen to be taverns; the themed pub walk (Jack the Ripper with pub stops) is a true-crime tour that lets you sit down; and the bar crawl is a ticketed night out. A brewery tour is the fourth option if you care more about the beer than the building.
| Tour | Price from | Length | Rating | What’s in the price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central London walk of 3–4 historic pubs | ~£35 | 3½ h | 4.9★ (1,272) | Guide and history; drinks per listing | History lovers, couples |
| Jack the Ripper tour with historic pub stops | ~£29 | 2 h | 4.8★ (583) | Ripper walk with pubs linked to the case | True crime with a pint |
| Bar and club crawl, 3–5 venues | ~£26 | ~6 h | 4.4★ (1,479) | Free entry, free shots, drink deals | Stags, hens, students |
| 3 Locks Brewing, Camden Market | ~£25 | 1½ h | 4.9★ (27) | Brewery tour and guided tasting | Craft beer fans |
Prices are per person, from our partner feed today. Check each listing for its age rule and exactly which drinks are included.
London pub tours and crawls you can book now
London: Bar and Club Crawl to 5 Central London Venues
from £26
See on GetYourGuide
London: Historic Pubs of Central London Walking Tour
from £35
See on GetYourGuide
London: Jack the Ripper Tour with Historic Pub Stops
from £29
See on GetYourGuide
3 Locks Brewing Company: Guided tasting and brewery tour
from £25
See on GetYourGuidePrices and ratings checked 21 Oct 2026; they change daily.
Historic pub walks: what you’ll see
The best historic pub walks stay in the old City and Fleet Street, where the Great Fire of 1666 cleared the ground and many taverns were rebuilt soon after. Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese at 145 Fleet Street, reached down an alley off Wine Office Court, was rebuilt in 1667; CAMRA rates its panelled rooms and sawdust-floored Chop Room as a three-star historic interior. South of the river, the George Inn on Borough High Street is, in the National Trust’s words, London’s last remaining galleried inn — Dickens knew it and mentions it in Little Dorrit.
A good guide fills in what the signs don’t — like the old notice over one Cheshire Cheese bar saying only gentlemen were served. The walking pace is gentle, with a drink at each stop, so it works as an evening plan in itself.
Pub crawls and bar crawls
The bar and club crawl is the most-reviewed crawl in our partner feed — almost 1,500 reviews. It’s a different beast: a host, three to five bars and clubs, free entry and shots, and a late finish. Its rating is lower than the history walks’ (4.4★ against 4.9★). If you want a crawl with a theme, the Ripper pub tour is the better pick.
Breweries, gin and the beer mile
The 3 Locks brewery tour at Camden Market is short, cheap and rated 4.9★ — good if you’re already in Camden for the street art or the market. Free Tours by Foot also offers a Bermondsey Beer Mile route as a private tour. Our partner feed doesn’t currently carry gin or whisky distillery tours for this page.
Which pub tour for which evening?
- A first night in London, couples or friends over 30: the historic pubs walk — three and a half hours, history first, and you’ll leave knowing where to drink for the rest of the trip.
- True-crime fans: the Ripper tour with pub stops. Two hours, about £29, and the drinks come with a story.
- A stag, hen or birthday: the bar and club crawl — the point is the night out, not the history.
- Beer people: the Camden brewery tour, then stay in Camden Market for food.
- Families: none of these. Try a Harry Potter walk or a street art walk instead.
How British pubs work (for first-timers)
Most pubs have no table service for drinks: you order and pay at the bar, and often for food too, giving your table number. Buying “rounds” — one person buying for the group, then the next — is normal among friends. Tipping the bar staff isn’t expected. A guide will steer you through all this, and tell you which ale to try if the row of handpumps is baffling.
Practical tips
- Age: you must be 18 to buy alcohol in England; drinking tours are adults-only.
- Pace yourself: three or four stops in three and a half hours adds up. Eat first — our food tours can be the first half of the evening.
- Other evening ideas: a London by night bus tour or a ghost walk.
Questions people ask
What is the best pub tour in London?
Are drinks included on London pub tours?
What is the best pub crawl in London?
How old do you have to be for a pub tour in London?
What are the oldest pubs in London?
Are there gin or whisky tours in London?
Sources
- CAMRA — Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, 145 Fleet Street (checked 21 Oct 2026)
- National Trust — The George Inn, Southwark (checked 21 Oct 2026)
- CAMRA — The Sherlock Holmes, Northumberland Street (checked 21 Oct 2026)
- GOV.UK — Alcohol and young people (checked 21 Oct 2026)
- Free Tours by Foot — London tours (historic pubs) (checked 21 Oct 2026)
- GetYourGuide — nightlife and bars in London (partner feed)
Written and checked by the Private Tours London desk