Exeter's Red Coat Guided Tours
Red Coats Guided Tours Programme
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 may only exceed 15 people at the guide's discretion.
Tours will only go ahead with a minimum of two people, and may be subject to cancellation or alteration without notice. Please note that there is a limit to the number of people that can join each tour.
There is no need to book in advance.
Our walking tours depart from the Hooker Statue on Cathedral Green (apart from the Historic Quayside tour and Canal Boat tour) and last approximately 90 minutes, unless otherwise stated.
Exeter's Historic Quayside and Canal Boat Tour depart from the Custom House Visitor Centre on Exeter's Quay.
All tours start promptly at the time advertised.
Only assistance dogs are permitted to accompany owners on the tours.
Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult at all times. Adults remain in charge of the children and are responsible for their care and control.
Some tours contain steps, slopes, and steep or rough ground.
All tours except for the Canal Trip, Churches, Cemeteries and the Catacomb, Cathedral Close & Bishop's Palace Garden and Forgotten Exeter are accessible by wheelchair and mobility scooter, or have an alternative route.
GROUPS TOURS & TALKS
Red Coat Group Tours, Coach Commentaries and Illustrated Talks
Groups of 10 or more are not permitted on public tours.
Group Tours, Coach Commentaries and Talks must be booked in advance and incur a small charge.
A minimum of 14 days' notice is required.
If you wish to make a group booking, please contact guidedtours@exeter.gov.uk
SPECIAL TOURS
Online booking essential in advance
All special tours start at the Devon War Memorial on Cathedral Green unless otherwise stated.
Sunday 4 May 2025 at 11.15am & 3pm
Talk at Exeter Guildhall (there is a fee of £5 per ticket)
Thursday 8 May 2025 at 11am
Talk at Custom House Visitor Centre
Tales of the Land and Songs of the Sea
Sunday 8 June 2025 at 12pm
Enquiries:
Exeter's Red Coat Guides, Exeter Tickets, 89 Fore Street, Exeter EX4 3HX
T: 01392 265866 Email: redcoat.admin@exeter.gov.uk
Custom House Visitor Centre, The Quay Exeter EX2 4AN
T:01392 271611 Email: customhouse@exeter.gov.uk
Summer Programme 2025
1 April 2025 - 30 September 2025
All tours depart form the Hooker Statue on Cathedral Green (unless stated otherwise).
Exeter's Historic Quayside and Canal Boat Tours start outside the Custom House.
|
Day |
Tour (approximately 90 minutes) |
Start time |
|
Monday |
Forgotten Exeter & St Nicholas Priory |
11.00am |
|
|
Cathedral to Exeter |
11.30am |
|
|
Medieval Exeter |
2.00pm |
|
Tuesday |
Tudor Exeter |
11.00am |
|
|
Market, Merchants & Mariners |
11.30am |
|
|
Exeter’s Historic Quayside |
2.00pm |
|
|
Ghosts & Legends |
7.00pm |
|
Wednesday |
Exeter’s City Wall (2 hours) |
11.00am |
|
|
Canal Boat (July – August – 1 hour)* |
11.00am |
|
|
Medieval Exeter |
11.30am |
|
|
Introducing Exeter (1 hour) and the Devon & Exeter Institute (optional) |
2pm |
|
|
Cathedral Close & Bishop’s Palace Garden** |
2.30pm |
|
Thursday |
Forgotten Exeter & Tuckers Hall |
11.00am |
|
|
Exeter Old & New |
11.30pm |
|
|
Georgian Exeter |
2.00pm |
|
Friday |
Tudor Exeter |
11.00am |
|
|
Cathedral to Quay |
11.30am |
|
|
Churches, Cemeteries & the Catacomb*** |
2.00pm |
|
Saturday |
Introducing Exeter (1 hour) |
11.00am |
|
|
Royalty in Exeter |
11.30am |
|
|
Medieval Exeter |
2.00pm |
|
Sunday |
Exeter’s City Wall (2 hours) |
11.00am |
|
|
Exeter Old & New |
11.30am |
|
|
Exeter’s Historic Quayside |
2.00pm |
* There is a fee for this tour. Tickets are available on the boat.
** Access to the Bishop’s Palace Garden may be restricted at short notice
*** Entry to the Catacomb is dependent on bat activity and may not be possible
Walking tours last 90 minutes unless stated otherwise.
Guided tour may be subject to cancellation without notice.
Tours will go ahead with minimum of 2 people.
Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
Only assistance dogs are permitted.
Forgotten Exeter
Monday 11am & Thursday 11am
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
Cathedral to Quay
Monday11.30am & Friday 11.30am
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.
Medieval Exeter
Monday 2pm , Wednesday 11.30am & 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.
Tudor Exeter
Tuesday 11am & Friday 11am
Some of the surviving buildings from the turbulent Tudor period.
Markets, Merchants & Mariners
Tuesday 11.30am
Exeter's commercial prosperity, past and present, will be highlighted by this walk through some of its lesser known areas. It will also introduce you to some truly fascinating characters whose lives contributed to the story of this ancient city.
Exeter’s Historic Quayside
Tuesday 2pm & Sunday 2pm
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.
Ghosts & Legends
Tuesday 7pm
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.
Exeter’s City Wall
Wednesday 11am (2hours)
Discover the fabulous history of the Roman's City wall, of which 70% still remains. Some uneven surfaces and steep slopes.
Canal Trip (1 hour)
Wednesday 11am (only July - August)
A brief description of the Historic Quayside, followed by a 20-minute one-way trip along the canal as far as Double Locks pub. There is a fee for this tour, you may wish to buy a return fare on the boat. This tour starts outside the Custom House on Exeter Quay
Introducing Exeter
Wednesday 2pm & Saturday 11am (1 hour)
This circular taster tour does exactly what it says in the title; glimpses of over 2,000 years of history and introduces visitors to Exeter of its rich and varied past. On the Wednesday afternoon tour there is an opportunity to finish the tour with a visit to the Devon & Exeter Institution.
Cathedral Close & Bishop's Palace Garden
Wednesday 2.30pm
Learn how the buildings in the Close have evolved through time, and visit the peaceful Palace gardens.
Exeter Old & New
Thursday 11.30am & Sunday 11.30am
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.
Georgian Exeter
Thursday 2pm
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.
Churches, Cemeteries and the Catacombs
Friday 2pm
Visit some of the city's medieval churches and burial grounds, and, if the bats allow, discover the cathedralesque Victorian Catacombs.
Royalty in Exeter
Saturday 11.30am
A new tour that highlights visits to the city by Royalty, from Alfred the Great in the 9th century through to the present day. And they weren't all gracious visits!
Please note that online booking is no longer required.
If you wish to make a group booking, please contact guidedtours@exeter.gov.uk
Winter Programme 2025/2026
1 October 2025 – 31 March 2026
No tours on 25 and 26 December. Mystery tour on 24 December and 1 January.
Throughout the period of Exeter Cathedral’s Christmas Market all tours (unless stated otherwise) will start outside the Devon & Exeter Institution, No 7 Cathedral Close.
|
Day |
Tour (approximately 90 minutes) |
Start time |
|
Monday |
Forgotten Exeter & St Nicholas Priory |
11.00am |
|
|
Exeter Old & New |
2.00pm |
|
Tuesday |
Cathedral to Quay |
11.00am |
|
|
Tudor Exeter |
2.00pm |
|
|
Ghosts & Legends |
7.00pm |
|
Wednesday |
City Wall (2 hours) |
11.00am |
|
|
Cathedral Close & Bishop’s Palace Garden** |
2.00pm |
|
Thursday |
Forgotten Exeter & Tuckers Hall |
11.00am |
|
|
Medieval Exeter |
2.00pm |
|
Friday |
Cathedral to Quay |
11.00am |
|
|
Georgian Exeter |
2.00pm |
|
Saturday |
Medieval Exeter |
11.00am |
|
|
Royalty in Exeter |
2.00pm |
|
Sunday |
Exeter’s Historic Quayside |
11.00am |
|
|
Introducing Exeter (1 hour) |
2.00pm |
** Access to the Bishop’s Palace Garden may be restricted at short notice