Oxford, Cotswolds, Stratford-on-Avon and Warwick Castle Day Trip from London

London, United Kingdom

A region officially designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty can't possibly be a bad place to spend a day. On this 10-hour day trip from London, you'll visit this so-named English area, the Cotswolds, as well as Oxford, Stratford-upon-Avon and Warwick Castle. Immerse yourself in England's history and scenery as you travel through rolling hills, admire picturesque villages, visit the birthplace of William Shakespeare and tour one of the most prestigious universities in the world.

Depart London and head northwest to three of England's most-visited places - university town Oxford, a famous Tudor-era home in Stratford-upon-Avon and medieval Warwick Castle.

Oxford
Your day trip from London begins with a journey across the Chiltern Hills to Oxford, the City of Dreaming Spires and home of the oldest university in the English-speaking world. Oxford's elegant, timeworn buildings and courtyards have inspired generations of scholars (including Bill Clinton and his daughter, Chelsea, Hugh Grant and Kate Beckinsale). During your walking tour, you will see the Bodleian Library and Christ Church College, where Harry Potter scenes were filmed and where Albert Einstein studied. Tour also includes admission to Christ Church.

Stratford-upon-Avon
Next, you'll travel through the rolling hills of the Cotswolds, an area steeped in gentle English beauty, history and heritage. Look out the window to admire the thatched-roof cottages and charming inns. You'll arrive in Stratford-upon-Avon, birthplace of the famous playwright William Shakespeare. You will visit Shakespeare's Tudor-era home, with its typical parlor, bedrooms, kitchen and buttery.

Warwick Castle
Then it's a short drive to medieval Warwick Castle, whose magnificent towers and ramparts remain mostly intact. You'll travel back through 1,000 years of history as you cross the footbridge to a bygone world of banquets, battles and ceremony. Climb the winding staircase to the Princess Tower, or, if you're feeling brave, visit the spine-chilling dungeons where prisoners were tortured. You might wish to take a stroll through the castle's lovingly tended gardens, where archery, falconry and jousting take place in the summer months.

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USD $112.34

Traveler Reviews

Review by: Ronald S	April 2012
Excellent.

Review by: Vaughan P	April 2012
Great Trip

Review by: Vaughan P	April 2012
Our tour guide Trevor was great had a great sense of humour and he brought to life the places we visited especially Oxford and Stratford-on-Avon.

Review by: Angus F	March 2012
Very good, the English countryside is amazing. Our guide and driver were good, our guide shared his knowledge with us all day and the driver waited patiently and drove safely. We could have spent longer at Stratford and less at Warwick Castle. Make sure you get a quick lunch at Stratford as the bus will leave without you if you are running late.

Review by: Jorge S	March 2012
A great trip. Our guide excellent and very knowledgeable. The bus arrived on time, a great driver. We were back in London on time. I will definitely buy more Viator trips. Thanks.

Review by: Scott	March 2012
The tour was very good. Both the Guide and Bus Driver were very professional. There was plenty of interesting and there was plenty of time, at the main stops to wander around alone. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the tour to anybody.

Review by: Shawn	March 2012
Wonderful trip! Our guide was very knowledgeable about the sites we visited. My only disappointment was in Warwick Castle. Too touristy for us but the peacock garden was amazing! Good place for families with young kids - they seemed to be having a ball! I would also have liked to see more of the "neighborhoods" in the Cotswolds. I don't think the "drive-by" down the main road gave us the full Cotswold experience. A couple of trips down a side road would have made it a much better experience. The coach was great and comfortable and everyone on the tour was friendly. All in all, it was a great day out!

Review by: Herbie	March 2012
Wonderful day with the group. We had a very sweet guide that explained us all what we need to know, we noticed that the tour was very good organized and let us go around quietly with no hurry and no stress. We enjoyed all three destinations and were happy of our day.

Review by: Diane M A	March 2012
First, the positives: the bus was clean and comfortable, and our driver, Christina, was awesome. The bus was always were it supposed to be at the designated time._br/_ The cons: We reached Warwick Castle late in the day as planned; unfortunately, many of the exhibits were shut down for the day. Perhaps Stratford would have been more fun if the weather had been nicer and we could have enjoyed wandering around the village. The supposed Shakespeare things were a huge disappointment. Lastly, our guide told several of us that it would be best to get dropped off at a certain stop and then take the #52 bus as it "would drop you off right across from your hotel.". It didn't, stranding us in the dark in an unfamiliar area. Loved Oxford, but wouldn't recommend this trip.

Review by: Gary B	March 2012
This was a great day trip out of London. Our guide was very knowledgeable and he did a great job. I would recommend more time in Stratford and less time and detail in Oxford.

Review by: omik	February 2012
It was good to go on a trip like this for a refreshment.

Review by: Anna Maria D	January 2012
Very good tour. It give you the opportunity to visit alot, if you have a few days. Great guide. Everything was well planned and organized.

Review by: Nancy B	January 2012
Great tour guide and excellent places to visit!

Review by: Anna F	January 2012
Had a WONDERFUL time! The guide was excellent, the bus ride was smooth and the tour was very interesting and fun.

Review by: Jing-Heng S	January 2012
The trip was fantastic even the tour guide and bus driver were also as nice as the tour. It's a happy and pleasure to spend the time on this tour :) However, the time for each stop were just a little bit short to finish it all due to the reason of "one-day-tour". Anyway, I still recommend it to other tourist or who is seeking a trip. Viator is the best way to discover the world if you don't want to spend too much time and money on planning the trip and transportation :)

Review by: John J	January 2012
Good value and superb information from our man Rodney. Docked one star because this particular tour felt a bit rushed -- would have enjoyed a bit more time at Stratford, for example. Otherwise a very good experience.

Review by: hokysg	December 2011
Great!

Review by: Connie	November 2011
It was a great tour and our guide knew everything you could hope for, time in the towns to explore and very comfortable arrangement all around.

Review by: Woody	November 2011
An amazing tour, the sites were terrific, the driver and guide unbelievable. Phillip - love the traditional English attire..... dont ever lose it.

Review by: GAVIN M	November 2011
Great much more than I expected _br/_ The scenary was remarkable and the guide was so helpful and interesting

Review by: Joannehe	November 2011
Make sure the weather is going to be good. London rains a lot and this trip has a lot of walking outdoors. Evan Evans was good. They put us on a brand new bus, the guide has good knowledge on the area. Love the castle. Love the college. Shakespeare's birthplace is the only place I regret spending time on.

Review by: Di	November 2011
May be a bit too much for one day but on the whole enjoyable. Would recommend. Our tour guide was great.

Review by: Marcelo Sechieri C. Neves	November 2011
We had a wonderful time in this tour. The guide was very helpful and polite. Congratulations.

Review by: Arthur O	November 2011
Good

Review by: Marichu M	November 2011
This was a really great trip. The guide was knowledgeable and although you would wish to have more time in each stop, whatever time was given was sufficient to get a taste of each place. I especially liked the fact that lunch was not imposed on the group. Sheila, our guide, even went out of her way to say that it would be perfectly alright to buy something to eat at any of the stops and eat it on the bus (as long as it doesn't smell!) so that we will all have more time to explore each place.

Review by: Ulrike W	November 2011
All in all it was a nice day out. Oxford was really great and Stratford could have been as there seem to be some nice places. But due to a full timetable it was too less time to have a satisfying look around. For Warwick Castle - which is indeed a lovely place - it would have been great if there was any information that it is run by Merlin Entertainments... Our guide was lovely!

Review by: Joann C	October 2011
The trip was okay. Not much time for us to see Oxford - we didn't even get to see the chapel at the Christ Church College. In Stratford before we got off the bus we were advised to buy sandwich as lunch and took it to the bus. However the bus didn't get to the meeting spot until 5 min past the time that we supposed to have left the town. I stood in the cold for 25 minutes and kept wondering if I went to the wrong meeting spot.

Review by: Srinivasa RAO m	October 2011
The whole trip was very enjoyable. The guide shared lot of information which is very useful for a first time visitor to London. More time at warwick would be useful.

Review by: gigimrs	October 2011
Loved the tour. Phil was the absolute best guide. Very helpful, knowledgeable, witty, couldn't have been better! Oxford was amazing. Could have had more time in Stratford on Avon. The Halloween theme at Warwick was not my favorite but the kids were on holiday and they were having a ball. Highly recommended.

Review by: Charles K	October 2011
We had a great time, and would recommend this day trip to our friends. When touring Warwick Castle, please remind guests that they should only attempt the climb to the top of the Ramparts Tower if they are in good shape. Not an activity for "couch potatoes." There are hundreds of steep, narrow, winding steps to the top and back down again. Even so, this was our favorite stop on the tour.

Review by: Wai-yee P	October 2011
I love castle and Warwick castle has topped my list of favourites!! If only I had ENOUGH TIME!! It would have definitely been helpful if the tour guide had suggested what to see first since time was so limited but luckily I had the chance to ask one of the friendly staff at the castle - they were extremely nice and helpful! Luckily I saw what I mosted wanted to see - the bedrooms, dining hall but I didn't get to see the dungeons, towers and gardens. _br/_ All in all the castle was amazing - and I would probably have to go again to see the rest.

Review by: Linda P	October 2011
Biggest complaint is there was not enough time to enjoy the quaint town where Shakespeare was born or Oxford University. The trip to Warwick castle should be eliminated then there would be more time to enjoy the Stratford-on-Avon and Oxford. Also in advertising this side trip - just omit 'Cotswold' as you just drive through the area. On a positive note, we'd like to go back to Shakespeare's birthplace area and Oxford University for a more indepth visit.

Review by: lisfreeman	October 2011
A fantastic day! Our guide was so informative and spoke most of the way to our first stop of Oxford and on each drive to Stratford-on-Avon and Warwick Castle. She was funny and very friendly. Both her and the driver took time to ensure we were comfortable (i.e. air con etc) and helped with information on the other tours Evans offer. Nothing was too much trouble. _br/_ You don't actually stop in the Cotswolds, but they slowed down for important landmarks and we still felt as though we'd seen the gorgeous scenery. _br/_ We were allowed to explore Warwick Castle at our leisure which was nice._br/_ I would definitely book this tour again with Evans and recommend any of their products.

Review by: JPO	October 2011
Enjoyed the tour. Would have liked to spend more time in Stratford-on-Avon. Tour was longer than anticipated. Missed Oxford. Had tickets to a play in London that night.

Review by: balphysio	October 2011
Really enjoyed it. Good commentary. Good value

Review by: ALEXANDRE C	October 2011
The hotel pick up service is very helpfull_br/_ The tour was less interesting than the Windsor, but related to the service everything was ok. Warwick was a great surprise.

Review by: Frank S	October 2011
We thoroughly enjoyed the tour especially the expert commentary from Rodney our guide._br/_ Perhaps three places in one day is too rushed and we would have preferred to have only visited Oxford and Stratford and left Warwick Castle for another day.

Review by: Karine C	October 2011
We thoroughly enjoyed our day trip out of London and our guide, Cosette, was excellent.

Review by: tyronetrp	October 2011
great day trip

Review by: Anonymous, Australia	June 2010
Fabulous day trip - it covers quite a long distance but has been planned out extremely well and we spent just enough time at each location. Highly recommended.

Review by: TERRY Z, United States of America	June 2010
Quick over view of the 3 sights, however the Cotswolds was a speedy bus ride though a winding road so really had no feeling for the famed area. The other locales were handled efficiently and as usual each area could have been longer in duration, but then it would be more than a day - if all 3 were covered. All in all very satisfied.

Review by: Ana-Maria S, Romania	June 2010
very knowledgeable and funny guide, she has a fantastic sense of humour. Warwick is a perfect destination for children with so many activities for them

Review by: Sue O, United States of America	June 2010
Wonderful trip. Warwick Castle was the best part. Host was extremely good!

Review by: Anonymous, Australia	May 2010
Was a wonderful experience would recommend to anyone

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	May 2010
Great! sufficient time at all locations.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	April 2010
We loved it. Excellent tour guide. Excellent bus driver. Excellent trip!

Review by: Joe C, Australia	April 2010
Tour guide was excellent and really knew her stuff. Warwick Castle is a must see! In fact the whole trip is a must especially if you want a diiferent view than the city of London.

Review by: Ursula G, United States of America	April 2010
our leader was excellent.

Review by: Dirk M, South Africa	April 2010
What an amazing tour. If you are visiting London, this trip is a must because you get a sense of the "real" rural, historical England. The guide was knowledgeable and amusing and it gave context to everything we saw. Warwick Castle was particularly interesting, with waxworks and live actors combining to provide "an experience" rather than just another castle. If you know and like British history, I really recommend this tour. I probably could have spend half a day at each place, but I'm sure it is the same with any tour. The price covered entry into everything, and each is quite expensive so it's excellent value for money too. There is quite a bit of walking especially in Oxford and to enjoy all three places you really should walk around - there were complaints from a few of the chubby Americans. - With so much to see, there is very little time for shopping or souvenir hunting if that matters to you. I liked the fact that this tour attracted adults and not kids.

Review by: Katrina W, United States of America	March 2010
Oxford was too short and it would have been nice to know we weren't stopping in the Cotswolds, but it was an great day including a cream tea across from The Bard's house and a falcon show.