Your driver guide will meet you in the pick up area outside the front of Oxford Railway Station at 10am. Waiting is not allowed in the pick up area so they will arrive 5 minutes before the tour starts and will be standing with the Mercedes minibus holding a green sign saying Undiscovered Cotswolds. The pick up area is directly in front of the train station just past the bus stops and close to the bronze bull statue.
A real highlight of the tour which boasts plenty of Cotswold stone and thatched roofs, as well as holding the title of being the region's most haunted village. Minster Lovell is perhaps best known for the ruins of its 15th century hall, owned by generations of the Lovell family. A true hidden gem!
On route we go through some enchanting Cotswold villages to the town of Burford, often called the 'Gateway to the Cotswolds'. A very iconic town and home to one of the most beautiful and ancient churches in the region. Stories aplenty!
Our next stop is arguably the most famous Cotswolds town and regularly voted one of the prettiest villages in England; Bourton-on-the-Water. Known as the 'Venice of the Cotswolds' there is plenty to see and do with a wealth of attractions, shops, restaurants and tea rooms. Here you have free time to explore and enjoy some lunch.
Our next stop is the picturesque village of Lower Slaughter, one of the most romantic villages in the Northern Cotswolds and set in the most amazing countryside. Larger vehicles are not allowed into this village so we are the only small group tour allowed access.
The centre of the wool trade in the Cotswolds. Here you'll have time to browse among honey-coloured buildings, cosy pubs, narrow streets, interesting shops and tiny tea rooms.
A fairy-tale village of thatched cottages and beautiful landscapes that is away from the tourists. The home of several famous characters.
You will drive around 40 minutes back to Oxford where your driver guide will drop you off at Oxford railway station.
An absolutely splendid and informative day trip, start to finish. Super comfortable Mercedes mini-van and the best leader/driver ever. Each stop was perfectly picked and planned. Such an easy and relaxing day. The Cotswolds are not to be missed.
Of all the tours I have taken over the years Andrew was by far the very best guide. If you have an option choose Andrew. The Cotswold undiscovered tour was outstanding.
My wife and I had a great experience on this Cotswolds full day tour in early October. Our driver Vince was a really knowledgeable and considerate guide and we appreciated being able to visit a mix of very small and extremely quiet villages in addition to the big highlights in the Cotswolds.
Ian was a great guide. Loved that it was such a small group as well as the fact that we saw three small villages & three larger ones. I would highly recommend it.
My daughters and I did this tour and we all thoroughly enjoyed it! Sonia was our driver/tour guide and did an outstanding job. The seven person tour was the perfect size for the Cotswolds. We would highly recommend this tour.
It was a great day Vince was very accommodating and knowledgeable about the area. I would use this company again in England The villages on the itinerary very lovely.
The tour was interesting but very repetitive. The small town and villages were mostly the same with touristy nick knacky shops and overpriced cafes. The scenery was pleasant but not that visible from the van. Overall kind of bland tour.
Wonderful tour, start to finish.We went to remote villages, I would not have found in a million years. Driving down the very narrow country lanes was a daunting task which the driver did with ease. Very enjoyable! Worth every penny! Saw church door which inspired bits of the Lord of the Rings. Too many things to list.
Such great tour! Our driver/guide was excellent, the van was very comfortable and the towns we visited were beautiful!
My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed this tour. Ian was very knowledgeable and gave us ample time to explore the towns. We were lucky that the weather was perfect when we did the tour. The only minor complaint that I have is the vehicle is a tad too warm in the back.
Andrew was a wealth of information and with his sense of humour made the trip come alive.
Andy was such an amazing guide! He has so much knowledge of the local area and really enjoys his job. It made it really easy to get around as a solo traveller and it was great value :)
Lovely daytrip around the Cotswolds! Our guide Ian was super friendly and introduced us to lots of hidden gems. Would definitely book again!
Everything was perfect! Guide, places we visited would recommend this tour.
It was an amazing tour. Our guide was perfect. I recommend everyone to join this tour.
We visited 6 towns and villages, all perfect Cotswold character. I could have skipped one, maybe Great Tew or Minster Lovell, and would have enjoyed more time in another, like Lower Slaughter.
If you want a tour of the Cotswolds, this is the one to pick. When they say small, they mean small. There were just seven of us on the tour. Sonya was a great tour guide and an excellent driver. Her commentary was both interesting and informative.We stopped at six of the villages in towns, each with their own personality.
Our driver Sonya was excellent! Helpful, knowledgeable, organized, lovely guide for our first trip through the Cotswolds. The transportation was quite comfortable. Would definitely recommend this tour. The towns were beautiful and full of charm. (Although avoid summer weekend if possible as a couple towns so crowded it took away from the charm).
The guide was fantastic. We were a small group that received a lot of attention from the guide and his knowledge and humor made for an exceptional day and experience.
This was a fantastic tour! Our guide Andy was incredibly personable and knowledgeable about the area. The villages were idyllic and we had just enough time in each one. Highly recommend.
Excellent tour! Our guide shared lots of interesting information and history about each stop. We had time to wander around and experience some villages. Transportation was comfortable. Highly recommend!
Excellent trip and Andrew was a great guide. He shared so much about the area and all the little villages. An enjoyable trip!
Beautiful country and knowledgeable, friendly guide. Comfortable van well planned trip.
We had a lovely day exploring the Cotswolds. Would definitely book with the same company again.
A wonderful drive through the Cotswolds. We saw a lot of beautiful buildings, gardens. churches and local history. The tour guide seemed genuinely fond of his job and made an effort to get home in the time we wanted.
A lovely day in the Cotswolds! Andrew is the perfect guide with so much knowledge, humour and passion. I highly recommend this tour.
Excellent itinerary and guide. In addition to the delightful Cotswold neighborhoods, our guide added in a quick view of the King's stone neolithic area. That turned out to be the highlight for my wife!
I’ve been to Oxford/London a few times and always wanted to visit the Cotswolds so I finally booked it. This tour was perfect for a solo traveler who didn’t want to drive on my own. It was a small group of 6. We stopped in 6 different towns, but it seemed like more because our guide, Sonja, pointed out other towns and sites along the way. She was an excellent guide, enthusiastic, had tons of information, related stories all day, very knowledgeable, answered all questions and all with a cheerful attitude. I agree with another review that we probably could have done without Bourton-on-the-Water even though I had an excellent lunch there. It was just so crowded, a nice Saturday and Sonja said that many families come out to picnic on days like this. I think our group decided we liked Stow-on-the-Wold best. With some of our free time the group enjoyed a drink at The Porch House which Sonja pointed out is England’s oldest Inn. It was a full 8 hour day! I would highly recommend booking it!
Sonja, was very friendly and helpful as very informative.
We had an awesome day in the Cotswolds! Great variety of villages and sights. Tour guide was very helpful and knowledgeable.
Very comprehensive visiting six villages and towns which were all very picturesque. The guide was very personable and knowledgeable and a really good driver.
It was lovely and never felt rushed despite covering a lot of ground. Low key and relaxed with a wonderful and friendly tour guide.
« Great tour! Six different stops in a full day is fantastic. We were a group of seven people in a comfortable Mercedes minivan. Being in a small group made some areas more accessible, which was great. Our driver-guide, Vince, went the extra mile to show us this beautiful region. After a while, you get used to the very narrow countryside roads, but I would never want to drive there myself! »
Great and comfortable way to explore the Cotswolds if you're by yourself and do not have a car. We explored various towns with enough time in each one. The guide was very knowledgeable and kind. Would 100% recommend.
Andrew was pur guide in the Cotswold tour June 25th. We have never had a better guide anywhere in our worldwide travels. MANY THANKS! Charles and Jane Frances Fanning
This is not so much a tour as it is transport between Oxford and six different towns/villages. No commentary during the drive between towns, and not a lot of information given. I had done the same tour years ago and it was excellent ... lots of interesting information and anecdotes throughout our journey. I had returned with my adult children, hoping for the same experience. (Also regret that the Mitford church has been dropped from the tournandnalsonthe most idyllic house/church point where we stopped for a photo op -- highlights of our last trip). Previously, our guide walked with us at several points (once taking us over a field!) and we felt we had spent the whole day with someone who loved the Costwolds and wanted to share his enthusiasm. No doubt my disappointment resulted from my high expectations that we would have a similar, intimate experience. However, if you are just looking for a way to reach several of the villages, it's a great choice, as the driving was excellent.
Brilliant tour of the beautiful quintessential English villages! Ian, our driver and tour guide, was excellent, gave us a lot of interesting information, guided us to the most interesting places, and always gave us enough free time to experience the places ourselves! The tour was in a group of 6, perfect for small-scale touring and a cosy atmosphere. As for the itinerary, it was very well selected, and the times written online were quite accurate. In short, what an amazing experience, highly recommended!
Sonja did a great job. She took us to some wonderful places, including at least one that is not on the normal tour list. She was informative and knowledgeable. My only suggestion is where there was "downtime"-- like time driving from village to village-- she could have shared more local trivia, fun facts, etc., rather than there just being silence.
I truly enjoyed my tour of Cotswold with Ian. He did an amazing job and I was lucky enough to be with a great group of couples on this small group tour I did alone.
It's a long day but worthwhile. You will see plenty of the cotswolds and learn about the history. See the beautiful villages and the informed commentary from the driver.
When planning our time in Oxford, I knew that visiting the Cotswolds was an absolute must. Like many travelers, I spent quite a bit of time researching tour options before discovering Undiscovered Cotswolds Tours and their full-day small-group tour from Oxford. The opportunity to visit smaller villages inaccessible to large coach tours, combined with their outstanding 4.9-star TripAdvisor rating and glowing guest reviews, made the decision an easy one. We met Ian, our driver and guide, at the designated meeting point in Oxford, and as we set off, I jokingly told him that, based on their reviews, I had very high expectations. I’m happy to say the experience exceeded them. Over the course of a wonderful seven-hour journey through the heart of the North Cotswolds, we visited six beautiful towns and villages: Minster Lovell, Burford, Bourton-on-the-Water, Lower Slaughter, Stow-on-the-Wold, and Great Tew. Each stop felt like stepping into the pages of an English fairytale. Honey-colored stone cottages, winding lanes, gentle rivers, ancient churches, ruins, and gardens overflowing with spring blooms created postcard-worthy scenes everywhere we turned. The pace of the tour was wonderfully relaxed, giving us ample time to wander charming streets, browse little shops, enjoy lunch, take far too many photographs, and simply soak in the timeless beauty and atmosphere of the region. It was one of those rare days that makes you slow down, breathe deeply, and fall in love with England all over again. One especially memorable surprise was an unscheduled stop at the ancient Rollright Stones — a mysterious prehistoric site with portions significantly older than Stonehenge. The complex includes three distinct monuments built over thousands of years: The Whispering Knights (c. 3800–3500 BCE), an ancient burial chamber and the oldest part of the site; The King’s Men (c. 2500 BCE), a striking Neolithic stone circle; and The King Stone, a solitary standing monolith added centuries later. Standing among those weathered stones, surrounded by quiet countryside and centuries of legends, felt both eerie and magical. My husband and I couldn’t resist joking that if we suddenly heard a strange buzzing sound — very much like the standing stones in Outlander — neither of us was volunteering to tumble mysteriously back through time! Throughout the day, Ian was informative, personable, and clearly passionate about the region, adding history, stories, and local insights that made the experience even richer. The vehicle was clean, comfortable, and very well maintained, which added to the overall enjoyment of the tour. If you’re looking for a well-organized, comfortable, and memorable full-day tour of the Cotswolds from Oxford, we highly recommend Undiscovered Cotswolds Tours. For us, it was truly a five-star experience.
I was very pleased with this tour. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and approachable. In my personal opinion, Bourton-on-watercould be skipped and substituted for a different stop. It is full of big bus tours. I enjoyed the smaller villages where big buses can't fit.
So very happy I did this adventure would highly recommend for the solo traveler
This was a small group tour of 7 people. Saw the beautiful Cotswold area with several great photo opportunities. Few other tourists in the smaller villages. Everything was smooth from reserving to pickup and drop off. Everyone was timely when given free time to explore. Some walking required. But they will accomodate you if you want less walking. This was a gem of a day trip from Oxford. I would highly recommend this. Ian was a wonderful guide and super knowledgeable. Good value for your money.
Ian was a perfect host/guide. So knowledgeable. So helpful. Just all together a wonderful time. The Cotswald's are awesome-not to be missed! I'd been before, but I loved how Ian gave us the perfect mix of beloved favorites and new, charming places I never would have known about
This was an absolutely wonderful tour. Our two tour guide, Andy, somehow wrapped up the history of England with a wonderful exploration of the architecture and history of five stunning villages. I have been to the Cotswolds before, but I had never received such a thorough and delightful understanding and context. Andy was a wonderful storyteller and brought us to nooks and crannies that I would’ve never found on my own. I loved it!
Such an interesting and charming area. Andy was a well informed kind guide. We loved hearing his stories about Cromwell and seeing Tolkiens Door at St Edward’s. One of our party walked with two walking sticks and he went out if his way for us multiple times. He even dropped us back at our Hotel. Highly recommend this tour.
Amazing tour of Cotswolds. Loved small group and our guide was fantastic with great sense of humor and details about area that made it special. Learned so much about the area.
A day in beautiful country villages. Mixing historical sites with classic Cotswolds shops and homes. A wonderful guide who blended important history with current village life. A favorite tour of my holiday.
We had a small group of 7 people including my daughter and I. Our tour guide Ian was great, he is very knowledge and very pleasant. Very nice tour, I highly recommend!
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