Guided Tours
Visit Ely has always been incredibly proud of the city that we serve. From the majestic Cathedral to the riverside, there are fascinating facts and spellbinding sights wherever you look.
It might well seem like there is simply too much to see and discover, and that is where our expert guides come in. Join one of our team on a guided tour of our city.
Perhaps you want the perfect launching point for your visit? In that case, book one of our Ely Highlights Tours – a tour designed to give you that ideal introduction to the city; giving you the chance to explore afterwards at your leisure. Maybe it will fuel the fires of curiosity and before you know it you’ll be booked on one of our specialised tours covering a multitude of subjects ranging from Ely’s Riverside to the pubs and inns past and present!
Many of our tours have something special at the end: including Monastic Tours that end with tea and cake or a Riverside tour that ends with a fantastic carvery with riverside views!
Below you’ll find our ever-growing range of tours including dates and booking links for each one. Check back regularly to see what new tours are being added and the dates for current tours. Also, don’t forget October every year is our “spooky season” when we turn our attention to the spectres that haunt the streets of the city with our ghostly season of tours!
The Ely Highlights Tour
There is so much to see in Ely, so much to learn and sometimes we get asked “Where do I begin?” – We have the perfect answer- The Ely Highlights Tour!
Our expert guides are ready and waiting to lead you on a comfortable ninety-minute walk around Ely showing you the “Highlights” of our incredible city. With a 1.5-mile route, this is a delightful and relaxed amble. Starting and finishing at Oliver Cromwell’s House, this tour will look at the rich history of this medieval city including its architecture, its monastic roots, the unique relationship the city has with eels and the riverside, once the bustling centre of trade.
Tours depart from Oliver Cromwell’s House at 2 pm.
Tickets – £7.50
Available Dates
Saturdays – 2nd, 9th, 16th and 23rd March 2024
Easter Monday – 1st April 2024
Booking Link – The Ely Highlights Tour
The Riverside Ramble and Roast Tour
Ely is a location that has grown around the River Great Ouse. Once the bustling industrial centre of the City, it is now transformed into the perfect location for leisure and relaxation.
Discover the rich history of the riverside, including the Cathedral connection and the role played in the Brewing industry.
Tours will depart from Oliver Cromwell’s House at 2.30 pm and will conclude in the Riverside Quater of Ely at Riverside Bar and Kitchen where you will be seated for your fabulous freshly cooked carvary at approximately 3.45 pm.
Tickets – £20.00
Available Dates
Sundays – 24th and 31st March 2024
Sunday 21st April 2024
Sunday 19th May 2024
Booking Link – Riverside Ramble and Roast Tour
Sessions House Tours
Tours start at Sessions House at 2pm.
Tickets – £8.50
Available Dates
Saturdays – 27th January and 24th February 2024
Booking Link – Sessions House, Ely
Ely Through Architecture
Discover the rich history and the stunning stories that the stones that create the very fabric of the city have to tell.
From Oliver Cromwell’s House to the Monastic precinct, this tour offers a chance to explore like never before. How many times have you wandered and never looked up? Discover what you’ve been missing.
A perfect tour for residents and visitors alike, giving a glimpse into the hidden history of Ely.
Tours Depart at 2 pm from Oliver Cromwell’s House.
Tickets – £7.50
Ely – The Heart of a City Tour
Ely has been a bustling destination for over a millennium. From its beginnings as an island outpost in the undrained Cambridgeshire Fens to the vibrant Market City that attracts 4 million visitors to the East Cambridgeshire district every single year.
This tour will take you on a journey of discovery looking at the beating heart of the City, including the Market Square, the High Street and the areas of the city that kept the domestic life of Ely going.
Tours Depart at 2pm from Oliver Cromwell’s House.
Tickets – £7.50
Available Dates
Sundays – 30th March, 14th April and 12th May 2024
Saturday 18th May 2024
Booking Link – Ely – The Heart of a City Tour
Monastic Ely Tour
Ely is a settlement that has grown around the site of worship founded over thirteen hundred years ago. The cathedral sits within a monastic precinct of buildings that once acted as the limbs and support systems of the church in Ely.
Many of those fascinating buildings still stand and have been repurposed for the modern age. The stories woven into the stones however are ready to be told and you can hear them, through one of our expert guides who will lead you through this mesmerising element of Ely’s rich and diverse history.
Tours Depart at 2 pm from Oliver Cromwell’s House.
Tickets – £7.50
Available Dates: Check back for Dates or sign up to the Visit Ely Newsletter to be kept informed.
Signs and Symbols
Have you ever wondered what’s behind some of the plaques, signs and symbols dotted around Ely?
This fascinating tour takes you through the stories of the Littleport Riots Ely Militia and more.
Many of these surprising snippets of historical note are hidden in plain sight but have been lost to memory and the bustling modern way of life. Why not join our Guide and discover them anew?
Tours Depart at 2 pm from Oliver Cromwell’s House.
Tickets – £7.50
Monastic Ely Tour with Tea and Cake
Part of our “Tours with a Difference” programme
Ely is a settlement that has grown around the site of worship founded over thirteen hundred years ago. The cathedral sits within a monastic precinct of buildings that once acted as the limbs and support systems of the church in Ely.
Many of those fascinating buildings still stand and have been repurposed for the modern age. The stories woven into the stones however are ready to be told and you can hear them, through one of our expert guides who will lead you through this mesmerising element of Ely’s rich and diverse history.
Conclude your tour with a refreshing and relaxing mid-afternoon treat in the form of a hot drink and a slice of cake at the gorgeous Poets House.
Tours Depart at 2 pm from Oliver Cromwell’s House and concludes at Poets House, Ely where guests will be served a hot drink and cake to conclude the tour. This is included in the price of the ticket.
Tickets – £14
Available Dates
Sunday 3rd March 2024
Sunday 7th and 28th April 2024
Sunday 26th May 2024
Booking Link – Monastic Ely Tour with Tea and Cake
Ely Pubs – Past and Present
Join our expert guides as they take you on a journey through the rich malty history of Ely’s Inns and Pubs. Explore the pubs still serving, those now reused and reimagined and those long lost to the mists of time,
Starting at the Cromwell Arms (Oliver Cromwell’s House) and concluding at the Prince Albert, Silver Street where you can enjoy a pint of real ale or a glass of wine (included in the ticket), plus a 10% discount on the book ‘Ely Inns’ by Patrick Ashton, available from Oliver Cromwell’s House gift shop.
This tour will whet your appetite for a beverage and by the time you arrive at the Prince Albert you’ll be ready for the drink that is included in the price.
Tickets – £20.00
Available Dates – Check back for Dates or sign up for the Visit Ely Newsletter to be kept informed.
Private and Bespoke Tours
Are you looking for that truly special event for you and your family? A birthday with a difference or something different to do when friends meet? It might be that the dates and times don’t line up with what you need but you’d still love to do one of our tours as a group!
Visit Ely are happy to help. All of our tours can be booked for private groups (minimum two people) so that you can enjoy one of our brilliant tours just as you need it to be.
We offer a range of bespoke options including specific finishing locations – for example, why not book a table for your party at Riverside Bar Kitchen, for a delicious carvery, and before have a tour that takes in Ely’s Riverside and finishes with our guided waving farewell at the door of the restaurant so you can sit in comfort, eat and discuss the new facts and tales you’ve learned!
For all such enquiries, please complete the form below and we will be in touch!