Troy our trolley driver and expert commentator made the trip so worthwhile, with his humor,…read morepersonal stories and getting to know and tease many of us by name. Truly an expert tour provider!

My husband and I took this tour with our four teenagers, and we had a fantastic time! We were lucky…read moreto have a beautiful, clear day, which made the experience even better. Our trolley driver, Rob, was absolutely amazing. He was very knowledgeable about the mansions and shared so much interesting history along the way. He also gave us excellent recommendations for restaurants, nightlife, and parking. If you take this tour, definitely ask for Rob, he made the experience unforgettable!

Next tour is end of June 2025 in the Point area. You will love each House and garden.read more

This is a tour of the private gardens at people's homes. They only do this twice a year so it is…read moreworth it to go once. It is a walking tour, they provide you with a map and there are 13 homes. After you can go to a local church for a brown bag lunch, I got the roast beef sandwich, it was homemade roast beef!!! Delicious!!!

Ghost Walk tour was great ! Walking around town in a group was fun. Newport in the fall is…read moresomething to be seen very enjoyable and cool weather.

Fun tour of the dark history of Newport. Our guide "Michelle" was knowledgeable and informative on…read morethe history of Newport and supposed ghost sitings. She used a headset with a speaker which made it easier to hear on a busy Saturday night. This was our first visit to Newport, so we were interested in hearing about the history of the area and buildings. Michelle encouraged us to take photos in case a ghost was around and would be captured in a photo. The tour met at a statue at Eisenhower Park in Washington Square and the duration was about 1-hour across a 1-mile or so walking distance. An extended bonus tour to 4 additional haunted locations added about 20 minutes to the tour. This was a fun and interesting tour that I would recommend.

Everything from the staff to the beautiful cruise, the length of cruise time, informative info,…read morereasonably priced drinks was great. But, especially the staff! Would highly recommend. The only thing I would recommend is clearer directions on how to find the ticket check-in booth (Bowen's Wharf has several docks with boat cruise businesses).

Took the sunset cruise on the Madeleine. A beautiful boat and beautiful ride. Run brilliantly by a…read morefemale captain (Kyra) and mostly female crew - Hope and Spatch (sp?) You go girls!!!

We grabbed the last two seats on the Viking Newport Trolley tour and lucked out with Ray as our…read moreguide -- what a gem! Ray's storytelling made the city come alive, weaving in personal memories, local legends, and insider tidbits you'd never get from a guidebook. He clearly loves Newport and knows every corner of it, from Gilded Age mansions to hidden seaside gems. It felt like a friend showing us around his hometown rather than a scripted tour. Highly recommend -- just hope you're lucky enough to get Ray too!

It was a great tour however we started off late and by the time I left the parking spot I was…read moredrenched and hot. Jim was great however, the sound system from the microphone was so muffled. We couldn't hear anything he was saying, and that comes from all of us in the back of the trolley. It was unfortunate because he was great. Nothing bad about Jim but just bad sound system. Now I have to make a comment, I watched everyone get off the trolley after a wonderful day and I only saw two people give him a tip. Of course I gave him a tip. I can't believe people actually don't tip for a wonderful afternoon.

This beautiful 3.5 mile long area in Newport has always been a favorite of thousands. You get to…read moreadmire many mansions as well as the rugged ocean hitting the gigantic rocks. Many free parking options all around the cliff walk A worthwhile sight in Newport and it's Free !

I always say that I am going to do part of the Cliff Walk and then get sidetracked with visiting…read moreother places. This time doing a stretch of the Cliff Walk was a priority for me. I started visiting the 40 steps. There were a lot of people crowding the steps and taking photos. I enjoyed this part of the walk and would repeat again in the future if I came with friends. To get to the next session of the walk there is a detour that brings you by the next block and to the next entrance. I found the next section to be the smoothest walk and very scenic. After that, you see signs that there is some rugged terrain. You also get signs that you pass at your own risk and a reminder that you are passing through private properties. I highly suggest you wear proper footwear as there are some rocky sessions and uneven ways. If it is hot, you may want to bring water and wear sunscreen. Also check the map as there are sessions where it is clearly marked that the closest exit is some distance away. Still worth the walk as you get magnificent views and glimpses the back of some mansions/houses along the way. I exited at the Ledge Road exit.

My husband and I booked the Brunch Tour on 05/24/2026, it started at 9AM, it was a rainy day…read more Despite that we both had so much fun. The staff were all genuinely happy to work despite the rainy day. I personally thought that I wouldn't make the tour as I am not phyisically fit. But the 1st 3 miles were a breeze because most of the time it is going downhill. Then we had brunch- there was an assortment of croissants, muffins, breakfast pastries, coffee, tea and juices. They also provided 2 tickets each/ person for alcohol. No one in our tour drank alcohol as it was too early. The second 3 miles of going back was a tiny bit hard because you are going uphill, but because you are enjoying yourselves too much- you wont even feel the pain. The staff kept on asking if we want our pictures taken. That was constant. You don't have to ask them. They will ask you. This is truly a good experience. I am so glad we did it.

We booked Rail Explorers in Portsmouth RI for my son's birthday and we had the best time. It was a…read morebucket list item we wanted to check off. The first time I've seen it was on the show, The Real Housewives of RI. The weather was chilly and drizzly, but it turned out nice for us at our 5 pm departure. It's kid-friendly, we got to stop at a picnic spot with a fire and beautiful views of the water and the Newport bridge. It was easy but exhilarating; definitely a unique experience and I highly recommend. We booked a week in advance. The check in process was seamless. The ride took about an hour and a half with the stop at the picnic spot (there were bathrooms too). There is a parking lot as well. Yes, we would definitely do it again!

I highly recommend a trolley tour through Newport. There is so much history here that you might…read moremiss if you don't take a formal tour to get the details. Our tour guide and driver was quite funny and very informative. Getting tickets online was easy and meeting at the pick up spot was also very easy. Our ticket included The Breakers-also recommend.

The tour guide, Tom was almost non-intelligible. If I heard every fifth word he said that was being…read moregenerous. On more than one occassion he rudely told everyone on the trolly/bus to be silent so he could do his work. Was the tour interesting, sure if you want to see the lives of the robber barons of the 19th and 20th century. More than a bit of a tourist trap.

The Preservation Society of Newport County is a non-profit organization based in Newport, Rhode…read moreIsland and its top priority is the preservation and conservation of its historic houses and their collections. This work includes restoration of roofs and windows, conservation of fragile textiles, cleaning and restoration of valuable paintings and much more. At any given time, dozens of projects are underway. A visit to the Newport Mansions is a donation to The Preservation Society of Newport County. During the holiday season, The Breakers, Marble House, and The Elms welcome visitors with spectacular holiday displays so it was a great opportunity to visit. In addition to the house holiday display, there is an outdoor holiday display called Sparkling Lights at The Breakers from November 22 to December 29, 2024 on select evenings. Admission is only at 4 pm, 4:30 pm, 5 pm, 5:30 pm and 6 pm. Gates close at 6:30 pm and the house and grounds close at 8 pm. Timed admissions tickets can be purchased online at https://www.newportmansions.org/. Tickets include access to the lavishly decorated rooms inside the house during the same visit. About a week prior, I bought 2 tickets for December 20, 2024 at 6:00PM ($40.00 each) and I was really looking forward to it. However, there was a winter advisory and it was snowing on the day of. Driving conditions were unsafe. I was worried I was going to lose my money since the website indicated tickets may not be resold, non-transferrable, non-refundable, and cannot be used for a different date. I tried calling the Preservation Society of Newport County, but there were just prompts and I couldn't talk to a live person. I sent a direct message to @newport.mansions through Instagram and they responded promptly that I could receive a refund by emailing info@newportmansions.org. Gary Ruff, Associate Communications Manager, responded and instructed me with what information he needed to provide the refund. I was so appreciative. Thankfully, the snow cleared and temperature warmed up a bit so I bought 2 tickets for December 29, 2024 at 4:00PM ($40.00 each). All the decorated Christmas trees, the 15-foot-tall poinsettia tree, poinsettias, garlands, wreaths and fresh floral in the interior of The Breakers were beautiful and then walking through the lights and illuminated displays of the outdoor 13-acre landscape was just a cherry on the top. The Preservation Society of Newport County also partnered with Stoneacre Brasserie to offer holiday treats and adult beverages. Thank you to The Preservation Society of Newport County for everything you are doing to protect, preserve, and present an exceptional collection of house museums and landscapes.

The family (wife, 10 y/o son, 2 y/o daughter) were visiting Newport and looking fo some activities…read moreto do. I noticed that the Newport mansions were on every to-do list, with the Breakers being the top choice of many. I looked at their website as well as other reviews and saw that this may not be the best place for younger ones. I saw that no strollers were allowed and I didn't think a tour of an old mansion is something my 10 y/o would be interested in. So I decided to take a solo trip on a nice Friday morning while the rest of the family slept in late at the hotel. The Breakers opens at 10 AM. The visitors parking lot is on the corner of Ochre Point Avenue and Victoria Avenue. There are other lots nearby but read the signs as they are for other buildings...The parking lot had adequate space when I arrived at 10:15 or so, but by the time I was leaving at about 11:45 is was pretty packed with visitors having to park in the rear overflow lot. Once you reach the front gate of the Breakers mansion, there are COVID restriction and general rule signs. As you proceed you can go to the left to buy tickets, use the bathroom or enter their cafe. Tickets are about $26 for adults and $8 for children 6-17 years old. The cafe has a bunch of premade food items, drinks, snacks, premade sandwiches... and few seats with tables. There are some more seats and table just outside of the cafe. Before you enter the mansion, there are signs showing you how to use their self tour audio app. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND DOING THIS...AND BRING HEADPHONES. You download the Newport Mansions app from the App Store onto your Apple or Google device, select the mansion you are visiting and begin the tour. The audio tour was excellent and follows you through the tour route of the mansion. I enjoyed listening to all the interesting facts about each room via bluetooth earbuds while my hands were free to take photos with my camera. You only thing you will need to do is to advance (click the play button) the tour to the next room before entering. There are some interesting facts about the mansion as a whole and each individual room. You can also stay around longer in each area for additional facts, essentially lengthening the tour. Without the audio tour, you will have to fread the printed information sheet. You go through the main floor, upper floor and back down into the service area where the kitchen is. You then exit through the gift shop. The gift shop has lots of interesting items, which includes typical magnets, mugs and prints, but they also have some luxury items like platters and wine stoppers as well as a small jewelry section. You finally exit out onto the side of the mansion and are able to walk back around outside to the front where you entered. Before sure to walk through the opened gate to the right of the mansion which takes you through a small garden to the back. Here you can see the Cliff Walk path and the ocean. Overall, I had a great time...It was a lot more interesting than I thought it would be. The entire tour took just over an hour without listening to the extra information about each room. (During the tour, there are a few instances where you have to ascend/descend steps - I did NOT see any elevators - so you may want to call ahead to check if you cannot climb steps) Again, I highly recommend downloading the app and listening to the audio tour via headphones. It allows your eyes to focus on the beauty of the mansion instead of reading. Lastly, the mansion is right off of the Cliff Walk path...so be sure to make the short ride (or walk) north to Narragansett Avenue and visit the Forty Steps.