Chawton and Jane Austen Tour

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. I look forward to spending a day together on the footsteps of Jane Austen! This tour is a perfect day-trip from London to discover an authentic English countryside village with unique connections to one of the most famous writers in the world. Chawton is a picture-perfect, quintessentially English village in the heart of the South Downs National Park, in Hampshire with fairy tale thatched cottages, a beautiful park and cosy stone church But Chawton is best known for being the place where Jane Austen lived happily the final eight years of her life and wrote or completed most of her famous novels, including Emma and the final version of Pride & Prejudice. As the world celebrate the anniversary of Jane Austen’s 250th birthday, 2025 is definitely the perfect year to visit Chawton. On this one-and-a-half-hour guided tour, I will take you on a journey of discovery through the village that Jane Austen knew and loved and provide you with lots of information about the connections between many of the beautiful village cottages and Jane’s life. In addition, I will give you glimpse into what life is like in an English village today based on my personal experience of Chawton resident.

   1.3 h

2. The House where Jane Austen lived the final eight years of her life with her mother, sister (both named Cassandra) and best friend Martha Lloyd. The tour starts outside Jane Austen’s House, that is right in the heart of the village, and ends outside Chawton House, the country mansion inherited by her brother Edward. In my introduction I’ll provide you with some general information about this important building although, for a proper deep dive, I strongly encourage you to visit it before or at the end of my tour – it is definitely worth it! Jane Austen’s House is today a well-run museum managed by a Foundation and is generally considered the best place in the world to immerse yourself into Jane Austen’s world. Access to Jane Austen’s House in NOT included in my tour. My advice is to book your ticket in advance on the House’s website as access is limited and in high demand.

   Passes by

3. The Elizabethan country manor house inherited by Jane Austen's brother Edward in 1797, along with the Chawton estate and many other properties in Hampshire and Kent. Jane Austen often mentions Chawton House in her letters and warmly refers to it as “The Great House”. During the tour, we will stop outside the entrance to Chawton House, where I will provide some general information and context about this important building. However, for a more complete experience, I invite you to visit it at the end of my tour, as it is really worth seeing. The house is managed by a foundation and is beautiful inside. It has a splendid park covering 275 acres, which is mostly open to the public all year round free of charge. Chawton House is a splendid example of a typical English gentry country mansion with beautiful interiors and many connections to Jane Austen. Entrance to the House is NOT included in my tour. Advance booking is not necessary - tickets can be purchased directly on site.

   Passes by

4. The beautiful Victorian church that is now the parish church of the village of Chawton but which, in Jane Austen's day, was the private chapel of the Knight family and part of the Chawton House estate inherited by her brother Edward Austen Knight.

   10 min

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Reviews

Ratings come from 51 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Showing reviews written in English.

• 5Passionable passione campagnz with Laura

  Laura was a charming and friendly person. Her passion for Jane Austen and village life made her tour incredibly interesting and engaging. She was very knowledgeable. I would recomend her tour.

  emanuelacrottiSeptember 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5Local Tour Guide

  Laura, a local in Chawton, gave a lovely, in-depth tour of the significance of Chawton and its connection to Jane Austen. She walked us through the small town of Chawton, telling us about the history of the town and the legacy that lives on today. If you plan to take the tour, I recommend checking the entry times for the Jane Austen and Chawton House to ensure you have enough time to go through each and try on some historical clothing for photos as well before Laura’s wonderful tour.

  E4109AEashleysAugust 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5A Gifted Guide, Researcher, and Scholar on Jane Austen

  Laura is a brilliant guide, researcher, presenter, and inspiring to listen to her research on Jane Austen. She was accommodating, sensitive, and impressive. I appreciated her attention to the smallest detail. For example, we were looking at the thatched roofs, and I asked for information about the creatures on the rooftops. She shared what she knew and researched. She is a humble and courteous guide. She let us add our ideas and extensions. Laura listened and supported. She gives award-worthy guides. It’s important to note that she also is a resident of Chawton. I HIGHLY recommend her as a guide. Amazing.

  evelynb811July 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5Jane Austen Italian tour

  Fantastic Italian tour with Laura She is so well prepared, very passionate amd dedicated. I will definitely recommend her . We had an amazing time Thank you Laura

  pamelanL5243JZJuly 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5A great way to visit Chawton!

  I am part of a small group which meets to chat in Italian every fortnight. This tour was a supplmentary event, to make us work our Italian harder! From start to finish it was fascinating, clearly explained and thought-provoking.

  Inspire755618June 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5Laura's passion for Jane Austen’s beloved Chawton made our day

  We had a fantastic day with Laura! Her passion and enthusiasm really shine through as she talks and walks through the gorgeous little Village of Chawton. It was so interesting learning all the little facts! Thanks so much for a great day!

  Christo_RenouJune 2026via Tripadvisor

Know before you go

How it compares in Portsmouth

• Its from-price is 83% below the median of the 26 experiences we list in Portsmouth.
• Its length is typical for the group.
• By number of reviews it ranks 3 of 26.
• The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Portsmouth

Portsmouth is a naval city on the English south coast, where HMS Victory, the Mary Rose and a historic dockyard stand beside a seafront of shingle.

Portsmouth stands largely on Portsea Island, on the Solent, and has been Britain's chief naval base for centuries. The Historic Dockyard holds HMS Victory, Nelson's flagship at Trafalgar, the Victorian ironclad HMS Warrior, and the Mary Rose, Henry VIII's warship, raised from the seabed in 1982 and shown in its own museum. The Spinnaker Tower, a sail-shaped viewing tower, rises over the harbour at Gunwharf Quays.

Top-ranked sights in Portsmouth: Spinnaker Tower, The Mary Rose Museum.

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