Full Day Cotswolds Tour & Shakespeare's Stratford From London
Recommended by 96% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
London, England
- 10 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Getting beyond London to explore the countryside can be difficult without a car or careful planning. This group tour makes it easy, taking you to Stratford-upon-Avon, birthplace of William Shakespeare, and into the Cotswolds. Visit villages such as Bibury and Bourton-on-the-Water, plus a lavender farm, with a balance of guided insights and free time to explore.
- Skip crowded public transport for a comfortable, private mini-coach
- Explore beyond London without having to rent a car
- Check off multiple locations without handling the navigation yourself
- Learn more than you would on your own, with insights from a driver-guide
Why Travelers Choose This Tour
See a lavender field and Snowshill—highlights often missed on other tours.
What's Included
- London Paddington Station pick-up
- Local driver/guide
- Transport by Mini-Coach (Max 16 Seats)
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Drop Off at London Paddington Station 6.00pm
- Gratuities
- Food & Drink: not included - bring a picnic, or use our local recommendations to find a place to eat
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- 7 London St, Tyburnia, London W2 1HL, UK
Our London Paddington Station pick-up is located at the bus-stop opposite Lite Bite Cafe Bar on London Street. Arrive early & enjoy a breakfast or coffee at Lite Bite Cafe. Look out for a silver Mercecdes mini-coach with our logo on the sides. The driver will be there to greet you!
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Operating hours.7:30 am
Itinerary
1
Paddington Station
2 hours • Admission Ticket Free
2
Stratford-upon-Avon
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
3
Cotswolds
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
4
Chipping Campden
50 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
5
Cotswolds
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
6
Broadway Tower
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
7
Cotswold Lavender
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
8
Snowshill
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
9
Cotswolds
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
10
Stow-on-the-Wold
1 hour 10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
11
Bourton-on-the-Water
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
12
Cotswolds
25 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
13
Bibury
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Paddington Station (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 16 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.8
based on 233 reviews
Carolyn_Z, Apr 2026
A fantastic full-day experience exploring the Cotswolds and Stratford-upon-Avon from London. The itinerary was well planned, the scenery was stunning, and everything ran smoothly from start to finish.
A special shout-out to our guide, Ash!!, who really elevated the entire day. He was knowledgeable, engaging, and made the history and stories behind each stop feel alive and interesting without ever feeling rushed or overwhelming. His easygoing style and attention to the group made the experience even more enjoyable.
Highly recommend this tour for anyone wanting a mix of beautiful countryside, history, and a well-organized day out from London.
Stanley_G, Apr 2026
Wonderful experience, but stops to short.. Tour guide Paul was great! Need less stops,so more time in towns.
Audrey_D, Apr 2026
This was an amazing tour! Ash was a great tour guide and had lots of interesting information for us. I was a bit hesitant to do this tour solo but it was great! The group was fairly small which I loved. Would 100% recommend! I felt a bit rushed in Stratford upon Avon, but I still think that the tour was amazing, especially considering the amount of locations we saw throughout the day.
Randall_H, Apr 2026
Excellent tour. Ash, our tour guide/driver was the best. He was very knowledgeable, friendly and gave a wonderful talk during the tour. He went out his way to get to know us by names. It was a small group of 17 and the mini coach was the perfect size and very comfortable.
Kaitlyn_R, Apr 2026
This is a wonderful tour, some of the stops feel like there is not enough time but really the times at the stops are pretty much perfect. Ash is a fantastic tour guide as well, he will do his best to answer all your questions and give you the best experience, not just for the Cotswolds but also tips for London as well.
FRANCISCA_G, Apr 2026
Our experience today was top notch, Ash our guide and driver was exceptional , very knowledgeable and a very safe driver , went out of his way to be the best all around !!
Bernadette_A, Apr 2026
We loved this tour. The ride was relaxing. All of the stops were charming places to visit and our guide was friendly and well organized and gave us interesting insights into the area.
Holly_O, Mar 2026
The tour was fabulous and we hit all of the must see spots. This tour covers much more than the other tours that I looked into.
Karen_T, Mar 2026
I would add this trip to every tine I am in London for at least a few days.
Ash was a terrific guide. Great sense of humor. Incredible driving and truly got to know each of us on the bus.
It's a full day, and still felt a bit rushed through the stops.
Nereida_F, Mar 2026
Incredible! I will be recommending this tour to everyone I know visiting London and would 100% do this tour again. Thank you Paul!
Graciela_P, Mar 2026
The Cotswold and Stratford experience was unbelievable beautiful, and Paul our guide went to extreme lengths to make it worth the value. He received an applause at the end from the passengers. Kudos!
Anais_F, Mar 2026
Yes, it's a little rushed, but without a car to drive, ourselves, this was perfect for us and we enjoyed our time at each of the 5 villages we visited (aside from Stratford-upon-Avon). Worth it and I recommend it if you want a good taste of the Cotswolds and the history of it! Our guide was wonderful!
Ruby_M, Feb 2026
Paul was such a caring and wonderful driver/tour guide. His instructions were very clear and disciplined in following the agenda. I could t have asked for a better person to do this tour. The weather cooperated so that was a plus!
see1508, Feb 2026
Although it rained for most of the day(?), Cotswolds is a beautiful part of the UK and definitely worth a visit, time permitting.
As well as commentary from our knowledgeable driver/tour guide, a playback video providing information of each location is shown prior to arrival at each destination so if you're looking for a more personalised walking tour, this is not it.
ScottD_M, Feb 2026
Get to the meeting place early so you don’t get stuck in the last row or you will be crammed in with another couple. Too many people on a small van.
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Thank you for joining our Cotswolds tour and for your feedback.
Our experience is designed as a small-group day tour in a luxury Mercedes minibus, which many guests choose specifically for the comfort, visibility, and friendly atmosphere compared with larger coaches. Seating is first-come, so arriving early can help secure your preferred spot, though we always aim to keep couples and groups together where possible.
We hope you still enjoyed the beautiful villages and scenic stops — and we’d love to welcome you back on another Shakespeare Coaches tour soon.
Elyse_D, Feb 2026
Paul is an incredibly knowledgeable and personable guide. He had the time tables down to a science, knowing exactly how long we would need in each place we stopped. The day never felt rushed and we saw so much!
Dawn_H, Feb 2026
I scheduled this tour as a substitute for another tour that was cancelled...this tour covered a similar path. Paul, our guide previously lived in Stratford and was very knowledgeable about the villages in the Cotswolds. This is a small group tour so we had a coach that could more easily navigate the narrow village roads...that was a plus! the coach is well maintained, but to help you plan, please know the seats are small with no tray table and limited seat storage if you're going to shop along the way. (I believe there is a bit of a trunk/boot in the back that could be used for storage.)
Because the Cotswolds are a distance for our London origin point, the narration along the journey was sparse in the beginning. It would have been nice to learn a bit more about the geography along the way, and I was disappointed that our travel through Oxford did not include a drive by the university. It is not part of the current tour itinerary but I'm suggesting it as an add to break up the silence on the journey out.
Once in the Cotswolds we saw lovely villages and had the opportunity to stroll at our leisure. The drive between the villages was filled with the narrative...sometimes via a pre-recorded video from the tour company. That part felt a bit more like a commercial pushing the shopping more that the history and architecture of the area. When Paul narrated he was able to provide much more of the type of information I appreciated. Of the villages we visited, I could have done without Bourton-on-the-Water....a little too touristy.
Our final stop was Stratford, and this was the whole reason I took the tour. The stop in Stratford was another "at your leisure" visit but was not enough time to take in all of the Shakespeare sites.
At the end of the day, I was glad I took the tour. It was a lovely ride through English countryside, and provided an excellent sampling of villages along the way.
Lauren_K, Feb 2026
My teenage son and I had a great day exploring the Cotswolds. This tour had so many of the highlights and the bus was very comfortable. Our guide Paul was wonderful and very knowledgeable. Would definitely recommend!
Parvathi_R, Oct 2025
Nathan was our tour guide, and he guided us brilliantly throughout the trip, making sure we didn't miss any of the Cotswolds' attractions. The Cotswolds was a dreamy place to visit, and we cherished every moment of the trip. Kudos to the team and the friendly group we traveled with! It was indeed a trip to remember.
Elisa_S, Oct 2025
My daughter and I loved this trip SO much. Our tour guide and driver, Nathan, was so lovely. He clearly loves the area (who wouldn't?) and gave some local flavor to all the sites, augmenting a video explanation of the history, things to note, and even bathroom locations, of each of the stops that occurred on our approach. We were lucky to have perfect weather (after a lot of rain on our other days...), which made the trip idyllic. 100% recommend!
Tinatulip, Oct 2025
This is a trip worth taking if you love to visit the country side. We visited quite a few little towns. My only disappointment was we were unable to go to Stratford upon Avon.
Mikayla_M, Oct 2025
Paul was great. Very informative and good speaker. He was also very adaptive with some changes and we got to see some pretty routes. We really enjoyed this tour. However, I guess it pays to do your own research because even though Stratford upon Avon was the headliner for this tour, we werent told until right before leaving that we wouldnt be going due to an annual festival. Why this tour is able to be booked during a planned annual festival is the question. Kind of frustrating.
Karen_S, Oct 2025
Paul was a great guide! He took us through some beautiful countryside and by some little known areas. He was very informative about all of the places we visited.
Anne_P, Oct 2025
Good size group. Enjoyable day out. Paul made sure we got to see as much as possible. He also knew the area very well.
Douglas_S, Oct 2025
Beautiful, historical, and immensely interesting!
See how things were done several hundred years ago and why they did them the way they did.
LuVon_J, Oct 2025
Comfortable ride through the English countryside with Paul. He is an excellent tour guide and very personable. The small group works well!
Debra_R, Sep 2025
Paul was awesome very knowledgeable I would recommend him absolutely every time. The ride was very comfortable and we felt very safe.
Ron_R, Sep 2025
Amazing tour! The beauty is unparalleled. Our guide, Paul, was outstanding. He went out of his way to ensure we had the best experience.
Emily_S, Sep 2025
Paul was great and everything was beautiful. The little villages were picturesque and they’re all close to one another. It was a great day.
Dennis_T, Sep 2025
The small bus (16 passengers) is perfect to see the villages of the Cotswold. Paul did an excellent job both driving and explaining what we were seeing.
From $136.72
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Full Day Cotswolds Tour & Shakespeare's Stratford From London
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