This was my second Cotswolds tour, having previously taken one departing from London. One advantage of starting from Oxford is the shorter journey. In about 30 minutes, you are already in the beautiful countryside, therefore more time to explore on foot. I enjoyed this tour for two main reasons. First, you can get off the bus at each villages and walk around, and appreciate the charming streets and well-preserved historic buildings up and close. Second, expert guides from this tour company Go Cotswolds are local Cotswolds residences, and ours shared interesting details about the architecture, speciality shops catering to both residents and visitors, and the plants and birds we might otherwise overlook. If you enjoy food as much as I do, you will appreciate the local butcher, cheese shop and pubs. I would have loved more time to explore the main street of Burford, as one hour was not enough there. I felt the same way about Bourton-on-the-Water, where I found my most favorite fish and chips shops in UK. I would happily take this tour again.
About Activity
What's Included
Includes
- Pickup from central Oxford (St Giles Bus Stop C, outside the Ashmolean Museum) at 9.30am.
- Souvenir booklets with maps, photos and information
- Travel the back roads in a spacious, comfortable, 16-seater Mercedes minibus
- Fun, friendly, local driver-guide to share stories and enhance your day
Excludes
- Gratuities
- Food and drink - please bring your own, or money for food and drink on the go
Departure & Return
Departure Point
- This tour departs from Bus Stop C on St Giles, Oxford (outside the Ashmolean Museum). Please arrive 10 minutes before the departure time.
Return
- This tour departs from Bus Stop C on St Giles, Oxford (outside the Ashmolean Museum). Please arrive 10 minutes before the departure time.
Itinerary
A scenic, 40-minute drive from Oxford city centre brings us to the edge of the Cotswolds and the pretty village of Bampton – though fans of a certain TV show may know it better as ‘Downton’! There are cafés and shops here to stock up on snacks and a small Downton Abbey exhibition for the superfans!
After a 15-minute drive from Bampton, we'll arrive in the lovely village of Shilton - a hidden gem here in the Cotswolds! This charming village is off the tourist trail, quiet and peaceful, with a very picturesque ford (river crossing the street). It’s a beautiful place to stop and get snap-happy with your camera!
Leaving Shilton, we'll take the scenic back roads (30 mins), via the pretty villages of Eastleach and Coln St Aldwyn's, to arrive at your next stop - the popular village of Bibury. Home to the famous Arlington Row of cottages, Bibury is often described as "the prettiest village in England". See for yourself!
16-seater minibuses can travel on roads unsuitable for larger coaches - and the 40-minute scenic route from Bibury to Bourton-on-the-Water is a perfect example of this! Winding our way through the gorgeous Coln Valley, we'll arrive in the must-see village of Bourton-on-the-Water (a village where larger coaches cannot park). You'll have approximately 1 hour 15 minutes of free time here to explore this pretty riverside village. Perhaps have some lunch in one of the many charming tea-rooms or cafés, stroll along the river Windrush, shop for gifts or visit a local museum.
Leaving Bourton-on-the-Water, a 25-minute drive - passing through the lovely villages of Great Barrington and Taynton - brings us to your final stop in the historic Cotswold market town of Burford. Hike up ‘The Hill’ for gorgeous cottages and far-reaching views, shop for gifts and antiques, or have a cream tea in one of the local tea-rooms. Don’t miss the impressive ‘wool church’ of St. John The Baptist with its surprising history!
Language Offered
Additional Info
Cancellation Policy
Reviews
Great tour of the Cotswolds from Oxford. Colin was my tour guide and he made the trip fun and memorable. We had the perfect amount of time in each location. The coach was very comfortable (:
A great day out busy the highlights of the Cotswold. Friendly very knowledgeable guides and ample time at each spot. Small vans take the backroads which adds to the experience. Family owned company
Jason was a very safe driver and very knowledgeable guide to the beautiful Cotswolds. I truly enjoyed myself!
Comfortable and delightful half- day tour with Jason in a small, intimate group setting. As a local, he provided great history of the Cotswolds and key points about each unique and beautiful honey- colored village. Highly recommend !
Wonderful experience! The coach was comfortable and our driver and guide was entertaining and informative!
We booked Go Cotswald Day Tour from Oxford via Viator. It was easy esp with prices in US$. Wendy was a great guide. She gave us highlights before arrival at the various stops and had clear instructions as to departure locations and times. She also shared some special impromptu stops or sights. It was a short introductory tour to the Cotswald, with more to explore.
Kind, knowledgeable and engaging! I now plan to use Viator for booking in the future. It was my first time and very pleased. Thank you!
Colin was an excellent guide very knowledgeable of the area gave us interesting pertinent information and allow us to do many things on our own at our own pace in each stop. He also showed us many off-road areas. We probably would have never seen highly recommend this tour.
Excellent information and easy paced with quirky facts! Loved the polite courteous and informative tour and guide!!!!! Thank you soo much!
I was actually slated to stay in Morten-In-Marsh, but that tour was sold out so I extended my time in Oxford so I could take this trip - what a GREAT decision. The pickup location was so easy. The tour group is small which is what I loved most - the vehicle let's you transit places the big buses simply can't. Our guide was Elaine - I hope all of you are fortunate with to get paired with her - she's brilliant - so well spoken and so full of knowledge. She's an excellent driver and was so friendly and fun. The Cotswolds are exquisite to see - I highly recommend you do it with Go Cotswolds !!!!!!!
This was the most pleasant and informative tour my wife and I have been on. The Cotswolds exceeded our expectations and Steve the driver and guide was funny informative and genuine. My wife called him a “National Treasure.!” If we take another tour through Viator we’d try to find one Steve was guiding for GoCotswolds.
Very nice day - good introduction to the Cotswold area. Dave our driver was great and kept us on a good time schedule. I would leave off Bilbury - it was so crowded there was absolutely no charm factor. Use that opportunity to have a longer stay at another place like like Burford
The driver/tour guide has been so nice,intelligent and chatty that it won’t make you feel sleepy on the road.
This was a truly special tour that perfectly captured the quintessential villages and beautiful countryside of England. Thanks to the small group and bus size, we were able to visit quieter, hidden-gem villages untouched by mass tourism, alongside the more well-known spots. At each destination, we were given the perfect amount of free time to explore and enjoy at our own pace. Peter was an incredibly kind and knowledgeable guide who brought the history and culture of England to life. Highly recommended for anyone wanting an authentic look at the English countryside! (Note to the tour company: Peter kindly took a group souvenir photo of us, but I haven't received it via email yet. I would be so grateful if you could check on this, as I would love to have a copy to remember this wonderful trip!)
Book it! Absolutely amazing! The guide was talking lound and clear, he was easy to follow and so wonderful that we got to see some of the less touristy villages as well! The only thing was that in Burton-on-the-water - 1hour,15min was too little. Should have had 2 hours here. So many cute shops and things we wanted to see, but had every little time to discover when we also needed to eat. But absolutely amazing trip!
Lots of nice villages and towns but not enough time between stops. Some stops were not really necessary and staying longer to the most busy places would have been nicer. The driver was very kind and helpful with lots of information to share between locations
Our guide Wendy was delightful and informative—a very enjoyable day. Traveling in a minibus we were able to go on back roads and see much more of the Cotswolds.
The tour was wonderful. The visited towns were charming. Our guide, Pete, was very friendly, and his pronunciation of English was very clear and easy to understand. The stories he told were very interesting and entertaining. 100% recommendable. The only detail is that we would have liked to spend more time at each stop; a suggestion is to extend the duration of the excursion.
Excellent all driver explanation and punctuality The excursion is worth it It's better than renting a car and going freelance
The guide, a very kind and very prepared gentleman. The villages visited on the tour are a real wonder!!
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