Sydney The Rocks Historical Pub Tour
5
Sydney The Rocks Historical Pub Tour
By Sydney Pub Tours
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
About
Combine drinks at The Rocks’ historical pubs with dinner on this walking tour in Sydney’s oldest European neighborhood. Experience authentic Aussie pub life as your guide takes you to some of the district’s most storied watering holes on this entertaining evening out. The tour includes four drinks, plus commentary from your guide about local history and great places to visit later on your own.
Lowest price guaranteeReserve now & pay laterFree cancellation
Ages 18-95, max of 15 per group
Duration: 2h 30m
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: English
More
Highlights
- Visit heritage pubs for Aussie drinks
- Learn about Sydney through the lens of its oldest European district
- Get exclusive access to a rooftop with sweeping views of Sydney Harbour
- Join an entertaining guide who serves up Sydney’s history with a twist
- Professional, local guide
- 4 drinks
- GST (Goods and Services Tax)
- Alcoholic Beverages
What's not included- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Meet your guide at Harts Pub in Sydney’s historical The Rocks neighborhood, where you begin your walking tour of five heritage pubs. At each stop, choose to drink a glass of Australian craft beer, cider, or wine. Dinner is also included. Throughout the evening, your guide shares the history of The Rocks, the story of the pubs claiming to be Sydney's oldest, and other entertaining tales from the past and present. Learn about former organized crime in the area, and find secret tunnels used for rum smuggling and other shady business. Traveling with your guide also provides access to places that are closed to the general public, including a historical convict jail cell and a rooftop that overlooks Sydney Harbour Bridge and the city skyline.
- Start:
- Harts Pub, Essex St &, Gloucester St, The Rocks NSW 2000, AustraliaThe guided tour begins at Harts Pub (cnr Essex & Gloucester Sts)
End:This activity ends back at the meeting point. - Not wheelchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 57530P1- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Minimum age is 18 years
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- Travellers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- This experience requires a minimum number of travellers. If it’s cancelled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travellers
- For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.
- If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 57530P1
From
AU$116.50
per adult
Select date and travellers
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Similar experiences
Itinerary
- Essex St &, Gloucester St, The Rocks NSW 2000, AustraliaThe guided tour begins at Harts Pub (cnr Essex & Gloucester Sts)
- 1The Rocks Pub Tour will visit 4 historic pubs on tour in 2.5 hours. The meal is self guided and can be enjoyed pre or post tour.
About the operator
Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
- Erika B0 contributionsFun Tour of the Rocks!This was a fun way to walk the Rocks and taste different types of beers. Our guide was very knowledgeable and funny.Written 24 December 2022
- jermelt40140 contributionsGreat pub tourIf ever in Sydney, take the Pub Tour with Gaz. He took us to a couple known spots and a few off the beaten path. All with great back stories and he assists with beer selections! A really fun couple hours with pizza and great beers!!Written 4 March 2019
- bobrosie0 contributionsIt's Not Only About BeerThis was one of our best excursions off of the Viking Orion, cruising out of Sydney. Gary, our guide, was full of interesting stories about the four pubs we visited, which really was an anthropological visit to historic and more current Sydney. The beers were good, but Gary's richness was the real treat here.Written 4 February 2019
- Matthew C0 contributionsGreat if you like history, great if you like beer, amazing if you like both!We were so incredibly impressed with this tour which 100% in line with all of the 5 star reviews. Coming from the US we knew beer would be different in Australia but this tour was a great way to try local brews that are actually good - no crappy light beers on this tour, but a good taste of Australia's craft brew scene. Surprisingly the beer wasn't even the highlight of the night - the tour is really exceptional. We learned so much about the area, the history, the immigrants, the political dynamics of the region. After this tour we enjoyed our walks around Sydney even more having a new perspective on the neighborhood. In our minds this is the best tour you can do in Sydney.Written 14 April 2018
- Glenn8740 contributionsGreat experienceWe took the afternoon pub tour to the 3 pubs that each claim to be the oldest in Sydney and it was outstanding. Gary was enthusiastic, very knowledgeable, funny and personable. You could tell he loved what he was doing and I would definitely recommend the tour to everyone who likes history, a good time and don't forget the great beers!Written 17 February 2018
- Brad H0 contributionsGreat VIP Tour!Gaz called us the night before the tour and said we were the only two booked for the night. He was happy to provide the tour and even though it was just us we had a great time. We learned a lot about the history of the Rocks and Australia’s beer culture. The pizza was great and would recommend the bacon pizza. Thanks Gaz for a memorable tour that we would recommend.Written 28 October 2017
- Jamie D0 contributionsPhenomenal TimeOne of the best highlights to an amazing trip. The tour was great! Gary was very knowledgeable about the history in The Rocks and it was not rushed. I recommend this tour to anybody going to Sydney. I'd do it again and plan on it when we go back. In fact, we have been on a few beer tours in The States and this one in Sydney was far better than anything we had ever been on here in the U.S. Thanks Gary!Written 14 September 2017
- Q-Dizzy0 contributionsFantastic, authentic Australian experienceBrilliant tour full of history, great company and a unique look at what it means to be Australian, both historically and in present day. This tour takes you through Sydney's historic Rocks area to venues rich in history and in no way short of a story, allowing you behind the scenes access into underground breweries and archaeological sites alike - all the while having some of Australia's best craft beers in your hand. Perfect night out on the tiles.Written 14 September 2017
- Fhidayat0 contributionsGaz is Awesome and very knowledgeable of his Oz history!The four of us family were lucky to get personalized tour of the Rocks' pubs tour from Gaz. He is an awesome guide: funny, very knowledgeable of the Rocks pub history, and a very engaging delivery style. We had fun and learned a lot that night, even after 5 brews. We'll track him down again in our next visit. Hopefully soon!Written 8 September 2017
- Sam C0 contributionsAmazing Tour Exceeded ExpectationsThe Pub Tour with Gary was unreal! Exceeded my expectations. Lived in Sydney all my life, but still found the tour so entertaining and Gary's knowledge of the area is second to none. Thanks Gary!Written 1 August 2017
- _daisy_bryant940 contributionsAmazing night of hops and history!!I have been working in the Rocks for months and it was so interesting to finally discover its history through exploring its laneways and hidden corners. Gaz was the perfect tour guide; his knowledge is stellar and his passion shines through! Plus he is HILARIOUS. I honestly would love to do this tour again and whether you're a Sydney local or a tourist, it should be the top of your to-do list!Written 1 August 2017
- Andrew J0 contributionsAwesome informative night with beerAmazing night out, I'm not normally huge on history but when you can weave beer, murder and tiles A+Written 1 August 2017
- Bede I0 contributionsGreat history, Great beers, Great fun.What a night! Gaz is a legend, knows his history so well and tells it in such a funny entertaining way. The beers are amazing, not to mention the crocodile and emu pizza. This is such a good tour and would recommend to anyone who loves a good drink with friends and learning about the hidden gems of sydney. Definetley a must!Written 1 August 2017
- Benjamin A0 contributions🍻Good company, great beer and a fantastic tour! I highly recommend, if your visiting Sydney or you live here. I promise you'll have an absolute blast. CheersWritten 1 August 2017
- Debra W0 contributionsTop job GazThis was our first Dream Trip and to have this tour as part of it was totally outstanding.... I am not a beer drinker really but thoroughly enjoyed them... as did my partner... the information and the way it was told was really awesome...Written 27 July 2017
These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
5.0
127 reviews
Excellent
123
Very good
4
Average
0
Poor
0
Terrible
0
Nathan Hamelund
Seoul, South Korea21 contributions
Gregg was our tour guide for this event. He was extraordinary! His knowledge of the city and the venues visited on the tour was what made the tour amazing. Gregg gave us perfect beer recommendations and knew so much about each brewery. I highly recommend trying to get a tour with Gregg; it will be well worth your time and your money. The only hitch we encountered today was that the Australian Heritage Hotel did not understand that we were with the tour group initially and they charged me for the meal and drink that was supposed to have been included. This was addressed with the hotel staff and remedied, however.
Written 12 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cheers for the glowing review Nathan. I'm going to get it framed so all the guides can see it in the office!
Hopefully we see you on tour again.
Regards,
Gregg
Written 16 October 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Maree E
1 contribution
The experience was really good and our guide (Dave) aka Simon was excellent. Very informative not rushed and a different look and feel of the rocks and historical hotels/pubs. The only thing would be that we thought it was a little over priced, especially if you had the meal options. The choice of food and quality wasn't great, which did detract from the experience. However in saying that we did enjoy our tour.
Written 13 January 2025
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for sharing your feedback, Maree. I’m glad to hear you enjoyed the tour and Simon’s insights into The Rocks and its historic pubs! I appreciate your thoughts on the meal options and will pass them along to the team. We’re always looking to improve and hope to welcome you back for an even better experience in the future!
Cheers, Ellen
Written 17 January 2025
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Brian S
3 contributions
Jan 2024 • Couples
Dave our tour guide was funny and very knowledgeable on the history of the area as well as on life in the 1800’s in Sydney. We visited and drank in 4 historic Pubs and Taverns in the area. The tour was relaxing yet well paced, we never felt rushed. A great fun filled tour with Dave!
Written 26 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for the review! We're thrilled to hear you had a great time and enjoyed the historic pubs. Cheers! Ellen
Written 6 August 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Rosebud
2 contributions
Feb 2023
We had a great time on this pub tour. Our guide Gregg (aka Dave) was very knowledgeable and entertaining. His enthusiasm with the stories he shared about the pubs and the history of Sydney throughout our walks along the way were great! My husband enjoyed the beer and I enjoyed the wine! We chose the 6:30 tour - which had an added benefit of starting the walk when still light and ended after dark which gave you a night time perspective of pub hopping. I would highly recommend this tour. Thanks Gregg for a wonderful time!!!!!
Written 14 February 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for your rave review of Gregg, he'll be chuffed to hear it!
Cheers,
Cat
Written 1 March 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Helpfully
Worksop, UK90 contributions
This trip was ok. There were approximately 12 or 14 of us. 3 people dropped out quite early. The guide was informative, and we did have a choice of drinks. We wouldn't call the pizza gourmet. The rooftop view didn't happen. When we booked the trip, in the information we received, it was stated that we would receive a souvenir, photo, and vouchers. These also didn't appear. It's not the best trip we have done.
Written 26 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi there,
Thanks for taking the time to review and I'm sorry the tour was not up to your expectations.
Could you please email us at info@daves.com.au with a screenshot of the booking confirmation where it says the pizza is gourmet and that you will receive a souvenir, photo and vouchers? I'm not aware of this tour ever including these details so I would like to ensure our listing is correct and up to date.
Again, thank you for bringing this to our attention and I'm sorry your experience was not as expected.
Kind Regards,
Cat
Written 4 April 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Daniella D
20 contributions
July 2022
We took this tour back on July 18th. We really enjoyed this tour. Dave was our guide and picked some great local brews to drink including one called picked monkey. He told some great stories about the history of Sydney and also stories about brews we were drinking. This is a great tour if you love history and love to drink beer. It is a small group so you get a lot of attention and information. Go on this tour if you can.
Written 11 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks Danielle...i hope you were told the story of where the 'Pickled Monkeys' name comes from before you tried it!
Regards,
Gregg
Written 11 September 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
jagrats
7 contributions
Feb 2024 • Couples
This experience was so much more than our expectations.
We were lucky enough to have Pinno as our tour guide who went above and beyond to make us all feel welcome and included.
His knowledge is exceptional and extremely well delivered. We were often laughing and in awe of his fantastic "Aussie" lingo.
I learnt a lot and met some lovely people, which was a bonus.
Thanks, Pinno. We will definitely recommend this great tour to our friends and family.
We were lucky enough to have Pinno as our tour guide who went above and beyond to make us all feel welcome and included.
His knowledge is exceptional and extremely well delivered. We were often laughing and in awe of his fantastic "Aussie" lingo.
I learnt a lot and met some lovely people, which was a bonus.
Thanks, Pinno. We will definitely recommend this great tour to our friends and family.
Written 28 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for the review! We're thrilled to hear that Pinno made your experience unforgettable. We'll definitely pass on your kind words to him. We're looking forward to welcoming your friends and family on our tours! Cheers, Ellen
Written 6 August 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
rebeccapX8299YL
Birmingham, Alabama2 contributions
Jan 2023 • Couples
My favorite part was the interesting bits of historical information about Sydney, The Rocks, and the pubs. Our guide Greg (short fat Dave as he referred to himself) was knowledgeable and enthusiastic. He made the whole experience very entertaining. And the beer was no less than I expected in Australia.
Written 15 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for taking the time to review! We've already passed this on and let Gregg (aka short fat Dave) know he is a 5 star guide.
Cheers,
Cat
Written 15 January 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Brunno R
1 contribution
Nov 2024 • Couples
The tour was amazing!! Nice stories with good beer ❤️
The walking distance is not that long, so don’t be afraid of getting tired or sweaty haha
I suggest choosing a comfortable shoes though.
We decided to have the meal first and then went to the meeting spot.
Tanya is awesome! She made the experience more enjoyable and funny.
Thank you Dave’s tour team.
The walking distance is not that long, so don’t be afraid of getting tired or sweaty haha
I suggest choosing a comfortable shoes though.
We decided to have the meal first and then went to the meeting spot.
Tanya is awesome! She made the experience more enjoyable and funny.
Thank you Dave’s tour team.
Written 1 January 2025
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for the fantastic review! I’m so glad you had a great time with Tonia—she’ll love hearing your kind words. Comfortable shoes are definitely a top tip for the tour! Hope to see you again soon.
Cheers, Ellen
Written 7 January 2025
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Troy D
2 contributions
Feb 2020
Great fun on this tour! Our tour guide (Rob) was entertaining and informative. He kept things moving at the just right pace, and kept us laughing - and learning. We saw and heard about the very beginnings of Sydney - the good and the bad. Great experience!
Written 29 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks heaps for letting us know how much you enjoyed your recent pub tour of The Rocks with Rob. We'll be sure to pass on your kind words to him. Cheers
Written 4 March 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Is Gaz still working for you and doing tours? Who would be the tour guide for October 30th 6:30 pm tour?
Written 10 October 2022
I don't see available dates in June 2019, we are interested in booking on June 1, 2019
Written 21 April 2019
Related to the comment below, is this tour still operating? The website notes that you've merged with Dave's, but the Dave's website doesnt show this tour listed on their website. The latest reviews for this tour are from 1 year ago, so I'm wondering if this still runs with Gary?
Written 5 April 2019
Hi, Gary (Gaz) still runs tours as part of Dave's and the tour is on Dave's as The Rocks Pub Tour. You can add a meal at the tour start or end as an extra.
If you specifically want Gary, please email us and we'll tell you when he is on.
Regards,
Gregg (a Dave)
Written 6 April 2019
Brian L
Miami, Florida
I'm wondering about the relationship between this company (Sydney Pub Tours) and Daves Pub Walks. I am asking because the Sydney Pub Tours website directs you to go to Daves website. But, the tours on trip advisor show up as different tours, visiting a different number of bars, different prices, and that this one (Sydney Pub Tours) includes food.
Thank you for clarifying,
Written 20 August 2018
Hi Brian,
Sorry we didn't see this question.
Sydney Pub Tours and Dave's merged over a year ago.
The tours are very similar, although the pubs can be different. With the Dave's tour, you can purchase a meal as an extra pre or post tour.
Regards,
Gregg (a Dave)
Written 6 April 2019
Showing results 1-4 of 4
Buy it with
Top rated
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.