Blenheim Palace Tour and The Cotswolds Custom Day Trip from London
London, United Kingdom
Discover England’s outstanding beauty and rich historical and cultural heritage on this day trip from London. In the company of an expert guide, get up close to the grandeur of Blenheim Palace, a UNESCO-listed Baroque manor house where Sir Winston Churchill was born. Then, enjoy a panoramic tour of the Cotswolds, with stops at two of the region’s most beautiful parishes. End your tour with a trip to Bampton, the quintessential village that featured as Downton village in hit TV show 'Downton Abbey.'
Start your day by making your own way to Victoria Coach Station to meet your guide. Settle into your seat aboard a luxury coach, then relax on the journey to Oxfordshire, a picturesque county roughly 1.5 hours away.
Make your first stop at the UNESCO-listed Blenheim Palace (entry not included), the birthplace of Sir William Churchill. With your headset switched on to ensure you can hear your guide’s commentary clearly, set off on a tour of the lavish State Rooms. Delve into the history of the 18th-century manor house, and get up close to priceless works of art and tapestries. Then, enjoy a stroll through the landscaped gardens.
Next, hop back inside your coach and gaze out of the window as you journey through the Cotswolds, a region of outstanding natural beauty characterized by charming parishes and thatched villages. Stop in Bilbury, and walk with your guide to Arlington Row, a set of pretty cottages that date back to the 14th century.
Continue on to the ‘Little Venice’ of the Cotswolds, Bourton-on-the-Water. Have your camera ready as you wander down the high street, lined with shaded greens. Then, feel the tranquility wash over you as you head across arched stone bridges for views of River Windrush. You'll also have the opportunity to stop in at a local restaurant or cafe for lunch (own expense).
After, head to Bampton, a quintessentially English village that featured as Downton village in the hit TV show Downton Abbey. See the church where Lady Mary and Matthew Crawley married, and the house that was once the Crawley family home. Pass Downton hospital and take in other sites such as the fictional Grantham Arms pub.
When the time comes, return to your coach for the journey back to London, where your day trip concludes at Victoria Station.
This trip was great and worth the price. Our guide Celia was wonderful and she and the driver made our trip. Even though there was a small mishap not caused by tour or guide, but by crazy driver who ran into my husband even though we were standing on side of road in a very small village lady just ran into him with her car thank heavens he wasn't hurt guide was very upset but it wasn't her fault. We love the places we visited and wouldn't hesitate to book again.
Review by: Susan, October 2017
Only 1 hour at Blenheim
Review by: jesse d, September 2017
Excellent tour. Our tour guide Phil was outstanding. He had so much info and was a delight. Had been to London many times but the countryside and it is definitely worth it. Blenheim also was very interesting particularly for Churchill fans. Highly recommended.
Review by: andrew w, August 2017
GREAT GUIDE AND DRIVER COTSWOLDS GOOD BLENHEIM PALACE DISAPPOINTING
Review by: judy, August 2017
Great tour - guide was a jerk.
Review by: renee m g, August 2017
We were only given an hour and a half at Blenheim Palace-NOT NEARLY enough time for a residence that is larger than Buckingham Palace. When I booked this tour it said Blenheim Palace and the Cotswolds. We stopped at two other stops-Burton on the Lake and Brampton before Blenheim Palace and after the Cotswolds. I did not get to take in any of the tours of the private parts of the house of Blenheim Palace there are three extra tours you can book at a small. additional price to see the family rooms and I barely got to experience the two tours included in the regular ticket price. Many of the members of our group expressed displeasure at spending such a short time at the Headliner of our tour. When I booked this tour I knew the home was 2 hours outside of London and figured we would be given at least 3-4 hours to experience this wonderful English Palace. If you want to see all Blenheim has to offer, go on your own you can easily take the tube and a bus to get to Blenheim which I found out too late.
Review by: Claudia M, July 2017
A great day of contrasts!! Small Cotswolds villages and the great palace home of the Churchill family which is similar to other palaces of the era. The most fun part was the village of Bampton to see the locale of the exterior Downton Abbey scenes.
Review by: Katherine K, July 2017
This was a good day and we really enjoyed the Cotswolds!
Review by: Lei W, May 2017
It was a well organized trip. I've learned to much about English history. The CotswoIds area is lovely. I wish we could stay at Blenheim Palace a hour longer. I felt that we were hurried out of the magnificent palace. It was interesting to listen to the palace's tour guide. Unfortunately I had to abandon the tour to rush out to see the garden. Places such as Bourton-on-the-water was nice but not that interesting. Probably just gave an opportunity to have lunch.
Review by: Brian J, October 2016
It was a great trip that took us to beautiful parts of the Cotswalds, including the Downton Abbey village of Bampton. My only complaint is that 25 minutes was not enough for the stop here and in Bibury. But our bus driver, Tom, was very capable and our guide, Chrissy, was excellent and very thorough and very good at directions and explaining what we were seeing. Our trip back to the city was very well organized.
Review by: Brian J, October 2016
I already wrote that.
Review by: c3murphy, October 2016
Very fast pace. Beautiful area. Just whets appetite for more time in Cotswalds and Blenheim Palace.
Review by: Andrea S, October 2016
Blenheim is a beautiful palace but there really isn't enough time to appreciate all of its charms, so move quickly! The Cotswolds are just amazing and I could have used more time there as well, but they did stop in three different villages, which was great. I can't decide if the one drive-by was a bonus or an exercise in frustration, since I so wanted to stop and look around, but we didn't. Beautiful countryside.
Review by: Marlaine T, September 2016
Wonderful trip. Informative tour guide. Toured three towns in the Cotswolds along with Blenheim Palace. A must for any serious tourist to the London area!
Review by: Rita N, September 2016
I thought the tour was great and we had a lot of free time to explore at our leisure._br/_ The tour guide Sheila and the bus driver Laurie were great._br/_ Thank you for a great experience.
Review by: Susan B, September 2016
I was disappointed that we were not able to spend more time at Blenheim Palace. We hardly had enough time to tour the palace and no time to look at the gorgeous gardens. And I was also disappointed that we were not able to view the private residences due to the family being there because of a horse show that was going on. It would have been helpful if we were told this when we booked our tickets and we could have picked another day. Also, I think this tour would be better if only one stop was made in the Cotswolds and the rest of the time spent at the palace.
Review by: KARTIK.MOHLA, September 2016
The tour guide was extremely rude during the entire trip. He made very personal remarks against quite a few of the tourists only because they were 2 minutes late. His descriptions also suggested a very strong tone of superiority rather than being neutral and grounded. Despite being very particular on time, we only managed to get 40 minutes for lunch which meant having a quick hustle to find a place to eat rather than eating peacefully in a nice restaurant. When I asked him if he could point me to a few options I had read on TripAdvisor, he had never even heard of those restaurants!
Review by: mjburr, August 2016
Had a great day with Lesley on this tour. Could have spent more time at the place and gardens though. But over all a wonderful tour.
Review by: Tom M, August 2016
Great tour. Sandra was superb as a guide.
Review by: Tiffany S, July 2016
This tour was really well done. My tour guide, Debra, was so knowledgable, hilarious, and kind. I was kind of skeptical about how many 5-star ratings these trips have, but now I understand why.
Review by: Rose E, July 2016
We did not really care for our guide, Rodney. He was not very informative or friendly. However, we still had a good time on this tour. The Cotswolds are very charming and pretty. Blenheim Palace is also quite something to behold. Another thing that was nice about this tour is I felt like we had plenty of time in all locations, which is not always true of tours.
Review by: Lucinda D, July 2016
With Blenheim palace leading the title we were somewhat disappointed to arrive there at 4.05pm to be told by palace staff that the palace would be closing at 4.30pm. We were given more time to eat lunch than see the palace. We specifically chose this tour because we thought it would be the best to see the tour. Bitterly disappointed.
Review by: Shannon, July 2016
We did not really care for our guide, Rodney. He was not very informative or friendly. However, we still had a good time on this tour. The Cotswolds are very charming and pretty. Blenheim Palace is also quite something to behold. Another thing that was nice about this tour is I felt like we had plenty of time in all locations, which is not always true of tours.
Review by: Edith H, June 2016
This was an OK trip, but not as good as I had expected. The bus was half an hour late picking us up and we spent a disproportionate amount of time on the Cotswolds, leaving us short of time at Blenheim. I would very much have preferred an earlier start both planned and executed and more time at Blenheim. The tour itself was pleasant with a charming guide and comfortable bus seats. The promised bus wifi did not work.
Review by: Einar Olav H, June 2016
A very nice and knowledgeable guide. Relaxed and friendly. The itself was nice, a long day, but still relaxed and we got a lot of information. A perfect tour if you want the overview of Cotswold. Blenheim Palace needs a full day to see it all
Review by: elisedonchi, May 2016
Loved our tour guide Shiela made the day fun _br/_ Blenheim Palace was lovely to see just wish we had more time
Review by: dorie, May 2016
Excellent tour - our guide Sheila was a lot of fun and very informative. The tour gave you a great taste of the Cotswolds enough to want to go back!!.
Review by: sandie k, May 2016
The woman who booked this trip over the phone failed to tell me that there were 2 different trips for the same destinations, number 19 and number 66, the difference being the price of the museum which we had to pay even though the brochure stated that it was included in the price. They said the trip would return at 6 and it came back at 7:30. There was not enough time to see the palace either since the tour included 53 people and they were all trying to see the same things at the same time. The tour guide on the bus was excellent.
Review by: Raeline S, November 2015
what a lovely place to look thru.
Review by: Vanessa, November 2015
Lovely grand palace but would have been better if there was more time at Blenheim. Felt rush inside the palace and briefly looked at the garden only. It is definitely a place where you can spend 3 or 4 hours there. A good introduction to the history and to see the palace but would need another visit.
Review by: Valerie T, October 2015
Rodney was a great tour guide...very knowledgeable about the places we visited and humourous as well._br/_ I enjoyed the sights we visited...a contrast in the natural beauty of the Cotswolds and Downton Abbey Village, and the over the top grandeur of Blenheim Palace was great to see. I would like Viator to be more clear about the package price not including the entrance to the Palace. We had to pay during the bus drive to the Cotswolds, an unexpected cost that we were not made aware of prior to the trip.
Review by: Larry W, September 2015
Arrangements were good -- bus comfortable and tour guide pleasant and knowledgeable. My only suggestion would be to have 2 rather than 3 stops in the Cotswolds so there's a little more time at each one.
Review by: Diana A, September 2015
Great tour/leader and enjoyed the bus drive there and seeing the Cotswolds. Only negative was that I accidently left my camera at Blenheim, and it was not turned in. Otherwise, a great trip.
Review by: Atika M, September 2015
Very good tour- it was great seeing the lovely Cotswolds and there was just enough time for the Palace though not enough for its gardens. Our guide Norma was very pleasant and knowledgeable.
Review by: Richard W, September 2015
Really loved the stop at the little village in the Cotswolds and Blenheim Palace. I would have cut out the other two stops and spent more time at the gardens at Blenheim Palace. Be careful about what trip you book, some include admission at Blenheim, others do not.
Review by: Marina V, September 2015
It was very good experience but I wish we had more time in Blenheim palace, I think one village visit in Cost wolds should be cut to make more time for palace
Review by: Diane Y, September 2015
We had a great time on this tour! The coaches were on time and our tour guide, Kevin was ve entertaining and informative The places we visited - Blenheim Palace and he Cotswold's - were beautiful and an amazing experience. Downtown Abbey, however, was a little disappointing. I really recommend this trip!
Review by: ABRAHAM K, August 2015
If your like a true historic house, this is the place. Famous more for its Churchill connection than for its primary owners, it has a beautiful interior and nice gardens. Our tour ran smoothly. The house has its own docents which are excellent. You can get a bite to eat there as well.
Review by: Judi R, August 2015
Very nice day out. Got lucky with great weather and thus the scenery was just lovely. Blenheim was much larger than I expected. It's a quick stop in Bampton but that was much smaller than expected so the short visit was more than enough time. Still quite a kick for this Downton fan to visit.
Review by: Warren T, August 2015
Tour was good but not worth the price. Palace was good but not enough time. Enjoyed the other 2 stops._br/_ Tour guide was good and informative. Coach station at Victoria was dreadful, really third world standard._br/_ Coach was clean and comfortable. OK, but not again.
Review by: Charles O, August 2015
As promised
Review by: Ines N, August 2015
Lovely tour guide. A great day out. Got some lovely pictures and was amazed by the gardens of Blenheim Palace. Loved seeing Churchill's birthplace.
Review by: Thomas G, July 2015
Would like to have more time at the palace. One hour is not enough time to see the inside of the palace and the gardens.
Review by: Sandra H, July 2015
Too much bus time and not enough time at Blenheim one hour! Suggest cutting out stop at Bampton - not much there, really although I suspect it does help a lot with the marketing and leave more time at Blenheim. The guide, Norma, was wonderful.
Review by: Carole L, July 2015
Unfortunately we went on a day where it poured with rain, and the tour guide repeated everything in Japanese. Since she gave lots of superfluous information, sometimes several times, it was a lot of talking! Interesting to see the Downton Abbey village location of Bampton. Not enough time at Blenheim ...if it had been a good day, time to explore the gardens would have added to the experience.
Review by: Jasveen, July 2015
Fantastic! Palace is beautiful.
Review by: amy z, June 2015
Beautiful scenery, had a wonderful day.
Review by: Bee Kieng T, June 2015
Excellent.Would have been better if another village stop is included.
Review by: Kathye B, June 2015
The trip was very underwhelming, we had a guide who had to conduct in both Japanese and English it was distracting and boring because she seemed to be very preoccupied with translating, the Downton abbey sights were extremely disappointing only 2 minor ones the stops everywhere especially the lunch stop were much too short._br/_
Would not recommend this trip to anyone
Review by: vishal2108ray, June 2015
If you love a lazy relaxed tour through beautiful countrysides and lush green meadows bathed by golden sunlight, this tour is for you. We visited the most beautiful villages of England. Bibury is like a fairytale town, Bourton has more hustle bustle and is a very lively village and Downton is a lovely quaint town as if stuck in the past. Our guide Marianne was very knowledgeable and pleasant and made the tour even more enjoyable. I would recommend spending as little time inside Blenheim palace and rather explore its vast gardens and lakeside. And do try to take the tour on a sunny day!
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