Home > London > Daytrips - Cotswolds > Small-Group Day Trip to Oxford, the Cotswolds and Stratford-upon-Avon from London
USD $182.00
Small-Group Day Trip to Oxford, the Cotswolds and Stratford-upon-Avon from London
London, United Kingdom
Explore three of England’s most popular destinations on a guided full-day tour from London. You’ll visit Stratford-upon-Avon to see important sites from Shakespeare's life, then discover the charming villages of the Cotswolds region and wrap up the day in the famous university town of Oxford. Enjoy stunning scenery, historic sights and an introduction to the English countryside on this small-group tour. Numbers are limited to 16 people, ensuring a more personalized experience with your guide.
Make your own way to the meeting point in central London, then board a comfortable mini-coach for a scenic 100-mile (161-kilometer) drive to your first destination, Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of England’s greatest playwright, William Shakespeare.
Your guide shares informative commentary as you stop at the places in Stratford-upon-Avon that are relevant to Shakespeare's life, including Shakespeare’s Birthplace— the 16th-century house where he was born and lived until he was a young man; Holy Trinity Church—where he was baptized and buried; and his school.
After exploring the bard’s home town, stop briefly in Shottery for a photo op of the thatched-roof cottage of Anne Hathaway, Shakespeare’s wife. Then continue south to reach the Cotswolds, a beautiful region that became prosperous in the Middle Ages due to the wool trade.
Drive along one-track lanes that pass through gentle rolling hills, honey-colored villages, green pastures and ancient churches. With your guide, visit the medieval village of Burford, explore the Coln Valley, and see the villages of Upper and Lower Slaughter before stopping for lunch (own expense) in the market town of Stow-on-the-Wold.
After lunch, leave the Cotswolds and go to the city of Oxford, home to prestigious Oxford University, which was founded in 1167. Follow your guide on a leisurely walk around the university grounds, passing by colleges such as Christ Church, All Souls and the Divinity School, and spots where famous writers, artists and inventors studied. Hear about locals like J.R.R.Tolkien, CS Lewis and Lewis Carroll, and see locations that were used in Harry Potter movie scenes.
Have time to explore Oxford’s narrow streets and town center on your own, before returning to London in the evening.
The tour is highly recommended to all travelers. The guide and the driver are both professional. Excellent service from the tour company.
Review by: Grant W, May 2018
This is an excellent tour to see three distinct areas outside of London in the English countryside. Learn about Oxford University while traversing historic paths with lots of shopping near by. We had a great walking tour conducted by a local of Oxford who gave us the Readers Digest version of how Oxford works as a university, the history of the area, buildings, and famous people who attended Oxford. We didn't get to go into any of the buildings, unfortunately. The Cotswolds are a series of villages frozen in time and you get to see a lot of beautiful architecture, picturesque views, shops and pubs to eat at. Stratford-upon-Avon was very pretty, but very touristy. This might be my least favorite of the three when I thought it would top the list. The main street consists of mostly tourists stops however, the church and grounds where Shakespeare is buried are very beautiful. If I had my way again, I'd drop Stratford and pick up Bath as a stop. And lastly, our tour guide, Oz, was extremely knowledgeable about English history and handled all questions well, had great driving skills as he traversed us all day through London and then all our stops.
Review by: kuki, March 2018
Buildings are beautiful in Oxford. If you love Shakespeare and history this is the place to visit.
Review by: Joan B, January 2018
We loved our small tour group, which traveled in a comfortable, convenient van. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and had a great personality. The smaller size of our van allowed us to get close to the cottages in the Cotswolds and depart the bus for a stroll around the beautiful area and a bit of shopping. Our experience in walking around the Cotswolds was a highlight of our entire trip. The passengers on larger buses were prevented from departing the buses in the Cotswolds because the roads are so small and cant handle large vehicles. We enjoyed our visit to Stratford as well. We saw so much in a single day that we were quite amazed.
Review by: KC, December 2017
A lot to see and a lot to learn. Well worth it. The only issue is that we do not have a lot of time for Cotswold but you can take another tour to Cotwold if you want. You can get an idea but this tour does not spend a lot of time. The visit to Staratford upon Avon and Oxford is very nice.
Review by: Molly M, December 2017
The trip was excellent and the diver/tour guide was wonderful. Private Group is the way to go-only 7 people in our group._br/_ First we went to Stratford-upon-Avon to see Shakespeares birth place. Walked through the house, got some great pictures. We had free time to check out the Main Street where I did some Christmas shopping. Then we headed to The Cotswolds- beautiful and scenic drive with lots of sightseeing and history along the way. Stopped in a tiny town called Stow-on-the-Wold for lunch at a pub founded in 947. We only had an hour here- wish we would have had more time! Lunch at the pub took the entire hour. More scenic driving- then arrived at Oxford. Had a local tour guide for this part- he was very knowledgeable. Walked all over, lots of great history and beautiful buildings._br/_ I definitely recommend this tour and will definitely book with them again.
Review by: Lawrence V, November 2017
Great having a small group - we only had 9 people for a 18 person tour. The bus was very comfortable. Our guide was great - great source of information. Loved Oxford, Cotswolds and Stratford upon Avon. Totally worth it.
Review by: Sheila h, October 2017
Great tour. I'm so glad we booked this small group tour. Jorge sp? was our driver and guide. The pick-up location was easy to find and he found us! He was very knowledgeable and very funny. When we arrived at Oxford, he turned us over to local guide, Debbie who was equally terrific. She showed us many Harry Potter movie location sites. Both guides took very good care of us, answering all our questions and giving suggestions._br/_ We thoroughly enjoyed our day.
Review by: James F, October 2017
Beautiful and entertaining day. Well worth the time and money.
Review by: David P, September 2017
Tour picked up two more guests not at the meeting location where all the rest of the group met and we lost about 45 minutes of our trip and had to rush through the first two stops. Then at the end of the day we were dropped off at a different location from our meeting place and were told to go to the subway to get back where we were picked up, which was a long way from where we were dropped off.
Review by: Matt, September 2017
My wife and I enjoyed Avon-upon-Stratford. The tour guide was very knowledgeable. This was our first stop of the day and great. The second stop A small village in the Cotwalds for lunch, it was a quaint little village but not much to see. As for Oxford, we were disappointed in the visit. too little
Review by: Peter S, September 2017
The tour guide / driver was excellent. Full of knowledge and sprinkled with humour.
Review by: Karen P, August 2017
A good day trip to give a good overview of the Cotswolds. Which is now officially one of my favourite places. Stratford on Avon was as expected, Shakespearian, very interesting as the history of such a world famous playwright deserves to be. And Oxford! I loved Oxford! absolutely going back there for at least a week and just walking and exploring! Walking around those beautiful buildings, it was awesome. To remember those magnificent buildings were built so long ago when it was literally hard work. Wow!
Review by: Matthew A, July 2017
Wonderful trip. Tony the guide/driver was hilarious. Teen daughters enjoyed his humor. Glad to ride in a van versus big bus for this tour. As always, wished for more time at all stops, but this tour provides a nice, concise overview of the areas since most tourists are on a limited time schedule. Highly recommend.
Review by: John C, July 2017
To begin, I want to state that the tour guide and bus driver were great. The problem with the tour relates to the vehicle van, the itinerary, concept of the tour, and time spent in each location.
Review by: Miriiam M, July 2017
The visit to the Cotswolds was more of an afterthought just enough time for a quick lunch which is unfortunate because the description and the photos of the tour said that we would have a walking tour of the Cotswolds. The tour guide and the driver were bickering for over an hour from London to Oxford because the bus driver was late. Very irritating. Otherwise, Stratford-Upon-Avon was lovely and Oxford was inspiring.
Review by: Eliza A, June 2017
This tour was a lot of fun and highly organized. Our guides, Preston at the wheel and Debbie were excellent. They made the day very pleasant and relaxed, and were both very knowledgeable. It felt like we were being shown around by family! Debbie, being a native of the area, shared a lot of interesting facts and stories. The itinerary was well-designed, everything ran smoothly, the pacing felt appropriate, and the small group format was nice. This was our first time to London/England and the tour was a nice way to experience a bit of the English countryside and also deeply historical/cultural sites. I highly recommend it and would do it again the next time we return to this part of the world.
Review by: Jon, May 2017
Great way to see the countryside, great tour
Review by: Joelle P, March 2017
A super long day but you see a lot!
Review by: Jennifer K, January 2017
Loved it! Had a great small group only 14 of us and our tour guide, Oz, was very friendly and knowledgeable. Would've liked to spend a little less time in Stratford-upon-Avon and see a bit more of the Cotswolds, but it was a great trip overall. Oxford has amazing architecture and I'm sure it would've been easy to spend a good deal of time wandering the streets.
Review by: Christine Z, January 2017
Highly recommend this small group tour. Our family of five agreed it was the highlight of our vacation. Oz was the best tour guide and so informative. He kept the interest of our three girls ages 17-23 and even found the location where their favorite movie was filmed in the Cotswold area. An amazing experience for all of us!!!
Review by: Franny, October 2016
Great experience. Informative and very professionally run. Very comfortable van.
Review by: Franny, October 2016
Great experience. Informative and very professionally run. Very comfortable van.
Review by: Kristina C, August 2016
Tour was great! I was glad we did the small tour, we were able to see more of the Cotswolds. My favorite part was getting out of the van and walking around the Cotswolds, the photographs turned out great! Out guide was very knowledgeable and friendly! Great tour, thank you!
Review by: Lee Shun C, July 2016
The tour was good introduction tour for 1st timer. However, it would be preferred if more time were given for Cotswold for a more relax lunch and walking around the little town. Too much time were given at Stratford-upon-Avon instead.
Review by: Laurie M, July 2016
We had a fabulous trip--Trevor, the driver, was superb and Diana, our tour guide was wonderful--she even challenged an Oxford professor! _br/_ I'd recommend this to anyone who would like to spend a little time in the Cotswolds and Oxford.
Review by: Jacquelyn S, July 2016
I think the tour itinerary would have been great if the driver knew his direction and did not need the guide to assist. We got lost many times. The main problem was the guide herself. She was unfriendly, too strict on timings and was very rude. For example, lunch time was till 130pm 1 hour only and when my friends got out of the restaurant after using the toilet, she told them off and said that by 1.30pm, she meant on the bus, not walking out of the restaurant._br/_ She did not know much information about Cotswolds and Stratford-upon-Avon and just kept repeating facts such as 'it is a beautiful town, it is expensive, the tiles are special etc'. Last but not least, she refused to use the vehicles's GPS and relied on her manual map which took us on many wrong turns. And hence, the delay in getting to the different locations. Yet, she blamed it on the customers for being even one-minute late which is very unreasonable. I believe there should be at least a 50 refund and would expect that Viator or the tour agency have received similar complaints from the other customers on this tour as well as everyone said that they will be sending a complaint note. Please get back to me ASAP. Thank you.
Review by: ameveleigh69, July 2016
Deb our guide was awsome ...very relaxing way to see the country side .
Review by: Norman W, May 2016
This was an amazing day trip. Dave, our guide, was extraordinary he was so knowledgeable as well as personable He was a wealth of information He was able to provide us with arcane and behind the scenes information of the areas we traveled to that no one guide book could provide. My wife Monica and I would go on another tour with Viator and especially with Dave again and again. Dave: THANK YOU!
Review by: Arun, May 2016
Excellent guide, very informative, friendly and humorous. Went out of his way to show us a few extra spots of beauty in the Cotswolds because we had a little extra time. The tour delivered just what had been promised and was completed in very good time.
Review by: Walter A, May 2016
Great tour. Our guide was very knowledgeable, particularly about Oxford. The drive through the Cotswolds was wonderful.
Review by: Georgia S, January 2016
Had a wonderful time on the tour. The tour guide was very knowledgable and funny. The locations were beautiful and full of time to explore. Definitely would recommend the tour if you are interested in getting out of the city to see some incredible history.
Review by: John C, September 2015
Loved riding through the Cotswolds. Tour guide was a no show in Oxford. We wasted time waiting on another guide to finish his tour an escort us to a few places. Driver was great and did handle the problem as beat as he could.
Review by: Jeannie R, September 2015
The drive was beautiful and the stop at Oxford was informative and engaging. The stops in Stratford and the Cotswalds were token stops in that the day's itinerary was ambitious and time was tight. We had a good driver but he was not friendly. I cannot recommend this trip. We feel it was overpriced and would visit the sites differently next time.
Review by: J Keith C, September 2015
Our walking tour, which is the ONLY reason we booked this tour was a NO SHOW?! So 30 minutes later we got a sub and he had to cut the tour short because we had to head back.
Review by: Annilise F, August 2015
Great driver who was very knowledgeable and entertaining with stories of the area.
Review by: Helen, July 2015
Would have preferred to have missed Shakespears Cottage and spent mor time in the Cotswolds Village, felt a little rushed
Review by: Salman Saeed S, June 2015
A wonderful trip!
Review by: Morley S, May 2015
There were only two selected picture stops only, otherwise to take some pictures on route were done at speed and therefore blurry. Oxford tour guide was excellent.
Review by: Mary Jo K, May 2015
Very nice tour. Small group was great and Tony, our guide, was great! The Cotswold area was beautiful and with the small minibus we went on a number of back roads.
Review by: Rod, April 2015
The trip was very rushed as it tried to do too much. We had no guided walks in either Stratford or in Oxford and were mainly left to find our own way about. The driver was pleasant helpful and the vehicle was fine.
Review by: ctaylor63, April 2015
Great tour with a very knowledgeabl tour guides who were able to answer all of our questions and bring the history of England to life.
Review by: Michael E, January 2015
First the tour guides. We had Tony for the first part - mostly as a driver. He was a lot of fun and intelligent to talk to. He would drop us off at each of the sites and arrange a pickup. This was a little unexpected for me, but with the narrow streets and limited parking, this was probably the best that could be done. Andrew was our guide for the walk through Oxford. He was intensely passionate about the topic, and I really appreciated this as I would have been lost without all of the information. His excitement was enough to carry me through.
Review by: Joan B, October 2014
We had a wonderful guide in Chicago Mike. His narration was great and he fill Ed us with many facts previously unknown. Would highly recommend this tour.
Review by: Jo Audrey L, October 2014
great
Review by: Robert F, October 2014
It started badly, with the bus arriving late at the pick up location. At Oxford, the guide took us on a walk around town and then left us with only 25 minutes to eat, shop, use the bathroom, and find our way back to the bus. Needless to say, it would have been nice to have more time to explore the town on our own. The Cotswolds were nice. We ate a good lunch at "The Old Stock Hotel" in Stowe upon the Wold. Stratsford-upon-Avon was a tourist trap. The Shakespeare house consisted of a five minute walk through. The only restrooms outside of the Shakespeare center are pay facilities and they clearly aren't using the funds for cleaning. They were filthy and disgusting. We took a side trip to the Slaughters, which was very nice.
Review by: Nancy L, September 2014
We expected more time in Oxford and Stratford-upon-Avon and we could have skipped the other villages in the Cotswolds. The guide and driver, Carol and Max, were very good and knowledgeable. We were disappointed that we did not see the insides of any buildings in Oxford and the free time of 30 minutes was not sufficient to do anything worthwhile. We undestand that some things are not within the guides control but I would recommend anyone considering this trip to investigate where and how long you will visit the locations.
Review by: Christy S, September 2014
So thankful I paid the extra for the Small-Group. Our van was able to go where the larger buses can't. Our guide was AWESOME!
Review by: Michelle D, August 2014
Oxford was good and Stratford upon Avon, but I was so disappointed with where we were taken in The Cotswolds. I was expecting to drive through villages filled with Thatch cottages and we never saw one until we arrived in Stratford upon Avon. This was a deciding factor in my booking the tour with you. Our driver, Mike, was a nice enough guy but I really think tour would have been better for me with a British guide ( Mike was American). Nothing against Americans but when I'm in a country I'd like a native of that country to be telling me it's history and I was after a truly British experience and was somewhat disappointed.
Review by: Sally-Anne P, August 2014
Great tour and fantastic driver. His Irish humour was infectious, and when combined with excellent historical knowledge, the day was exactly what I'd hoped for.
RSS Feed