Exeter Red Coat Guided Tours

About

Discover one of the oldest and most beautiful cities in England with Exeter’s Red Coat Guides.

These FREE guided walking tours operate daily throughout the year, offering a wide range from which to choose.

Meet your Red Coat Guide at the starting point and discover historic Exeter for yourself.

Tours will only go ahead with a minimum of two people and may be subject to cancellation without notice.

Our walking tours depart from the Hooker Statue on Cathedral Green (apart from the Historic Quayside tour) and last approximately 90 minutes, unless otherwise stated. All tours start promptly at the time advertised.

Only assistance dogs are permitted on tours, and children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

 

If you wish to make a group booking please contact guidedtours@exeter.gov.uk 

 

Face coverings are not mandatory but strongly recommended

A social distance of 2 metres is recommended

Do not attend a tour if you are feeling unwell

Tours will only enter sites or properties that are Covid secure.

Out of consideration for the guides and others on the tour, you must not attend if you have symptoms or have recently been exposed to Covid-19. If neither of those apply to you then we would strongly encourage you to take a lateral flow test before joining a tour, and only attend if the test is negative 

 

Enquiries:

Custom House Visitor Centre, The Quay Exeter EX2 4AN

T:01392 271611 E:customhouse@exeter.gov.uk

 

Summer Tour Programme: Friday 1 July - Monday 31st October 2022

Forgotten Exeter 

Monday 11.00am & Thursday 11.00am - This tour is not accessible to wheelchairs & shop mobility scooters 

Be intrigued by hidden corners and curios of the city, long since gone from memory. The tour is mainly focused on the North West corner of the city within the city walls. Tuesday’s tour finishes outside St. Nicholas Priory and Thursday’s tour finishes outside Tuckers Hall on Fore Street.

Introducing Exeter

Monday 11.30am & Saturday 11.00am (1 hour)

This circular taster tour does exactly what it says in the title; glimpses of over 2,000 years of history, and introducing visitors to Exeter of its rich and varied past.

Medieval Exeter

Monday 2.00pm, Wednesday 11.00am & Friday 2.00pm

This tour celebrates the time when Exeter grew rich from the woollen cloth trade. See many of the surviving medieval buildings, including ‘the house that moved’, then walk across the Medieval Exe Bridge to view the restored Cricklepit Mill. The tour finishes on Exeter’s Historic Quayside.

Exeter Old & New

Tuesday 11.00am, Thursday 2.30pm & Saturday 2.30pm

Learn about Exeter’s history from pre-Roman times to the present day. Visit the 11th century Castle Gatehouse – probably Britain’s oldest Norman building – and Northernhay Gardens, the first public gardens in the country.

Exeter’s Historic Quayside

Tuesday 11.30am & Saturday 2.00pm

Starting at the Custom House, discover the port of Exeter, once one of Britain's busiest, and hear about its fascinating history. Stroll out and back along the river and canal and finish at the Custom House.

Churches, Cemeteries & the Catacomb

Tuesday 2.00pm & Friday 11.00am - This tour is not accessible to wheelchairs & shop mobility scooters

Visit some of the city’s medieval churches and burial grounds, and, if the bats allow, discover the cathedralesque Victorian Catacomb.

Tudor Exeter

Tuesday 2.30pm

This tour looks at buildings which survive from the Tudor period and gives an idea of what life was like for the citizens of Exeter during this turbulent period .Finishes on the Historic Quayside

Ghosts & Legends 

Tuesday 7.00pm & Thursday 7.00pm

Find out why Exeter is reputed to be one of the most haunted cities in the country. Visit many of Exeter’s historic buildings and listen to chilling tales about their ghostly history. Suitable for all ages.

Heart of Exeter

Wednesday 2.00pm

From the quiet and tranquillity of the Cathedral Close to the hustle and bustle of the High Street, follow the development of Exeter from Roman times to the present day. This circular tour ends outside the Devon and Exeter Institution which occupies one of Exeter’s historic buildings and houses some of the city’s most important books and literature, and will be open to the public.  

Cathedral Close & Bishop's Palace Garden

Wednesday 2.30pm - This tour is not accessible to wheelchairs & shop mobility scooters

See how the buildings in Cathedral Close have evolved through time before exploring a section of the City Wall and entering the Bishop's Palace Garden itself, enjoying unique views of the Cathedral and learning of the development of the Palace and its uses over 800 years. This tour finishes on Cathedral Close.

Cathedral to Quay 

Thursday 2.00pm & Sunday 2.00pm

Starting in the picturesque Cathedral Close, proceed into elegant Southernhay before viewing the impressive city wall. The tour then continues to the river Exe and finishes on Exeter’s Historic Quayside.

Georgian Exeter

Friday 11.30am

Hear how Exeter’s transformation came about, from industrial hub into an elegant Georgian city. Discover how trade was replaced with commerce. Explore the architectural splendours of Southernhay and find out about some of the colourful characters that resided in Exeter at the time. This tour finishes in Princesshay. 

Exeter’s City Wall

Sunday 11.00am (2 hours) - This tour is not accessible to wheelchairs & shop mobility scooters

Discover the fascinating history of the City Wall which dates back to Roman times. Despite attacks by Vikings, William the Conqueror, King Stephen, Perkin Warbeck, Cornishmen in the Prayer Book Rebellion and both sides in the English Civil War, 70% remains standing. Finishes in the city centre.

 

Daily Tour Programme from 1st November until 31 March 2023

Please note that online booking is no longer required.

Forgotten Exeter

Monday 11.00am & Thursday 11.00am

Be intrigued by hidden corners and curios of the city, long since gone from memory. The tour is mainly focused on the North West corner of the city within the city walls. Monday's tour finishes outside St. Nicholas Priory and Thursday’s tour finishes outside Tuckers Hall on Fore Street.

This tour is not accessible to wheelchairs & mobility scooters

Medieval Exeter

Monday 2.00pm, Wednesday 11.00am & Saturday 2pm

This tour celebrates the time when Exeter grew rich from the woollen cloth trade. See many of the surviving medieval buildings, including ‘the house that moved’, then walk across the Medieval Exe Bridge to view the restored Cricklepit Mill. The tour finishes on Exeter’s Historic Quayside.

Cathedral to Quay

Tuesday 11.00am & Friday 11.00am

Starting in the picturesque Cathedral Close, proceed into elegant Southernhay before viewing the impressive city wall. The tour then continues to the river Exe and finishes on Exeter’s Historic Quayside.

Georgian Exeter

Tuesday 2.00pm

Hear how Exeter’s transformation came about, from industrial hub into an elegant Georgian city. Discover how trade was replaced with commerce. Explore the architectural splendours of Southernhay and find out about some of the colourful characters that resided in Exeter at the time. This tour finishes in Princesshay.

Ghosts & Legends 

Tuesday 7.00pm

Find out why Exeter is reputed to be one of the most haunted cities in the country. Visit many of Exeter’s historic buildings and listen to chilling tales about their ghostly history. Suitable for all ages.

Cathedral Close & Bishop's Palace Garden

Wednesday 2.00pm

See how the buildings in Cathedral Close have evolved through time before exploring a section of the City Wall and entering the Bishop's Palace Garden itself, enjoying unique views of the Cathedral and learning of the development of the Palace and its uses over 800 years. This tour finishes on Cathedral Close

This tour is not accessible to wheelchairs & mobility scooters

Exeter Old & New

Thursday 2.00pm & Saturday 11.00am

Learn about Exeter’s history from pre-Roman times to the present day. Visit the 11th century Castle Gatehouse – probably Britain’s oldest Norman building – and Northernhay Gardens, the first public gardens in the country.

 

Introducing Exeter

Friday 2.00pm & Sunday 2.00pm (1 hour)

This circular taster tour does exactly what it says in the title; glimpses of over 2,000 years of history, and introducing visitors to Exeter of its rich and varied past.

Exeter’s Historic Quayside

Sunday 11.00am

Starting at the Custom House, discover the port of Exeter, once one of Britain's busiest, and hear about its fascinating history. Stroll out and back along the river and canal and finish at the Custom House.