Small-Group Cotswolds Tour (From London)
Recommended by 97% of travelers
London, England
- 9 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Experience the English countryside on a small-group tour to the Cotswolds and take a break from the hustle and bustle of London. Travel by minibus with a driver-guide who shares details about the region's history. Explore remote outposts, charming villages, and winding country lanes, as you take in the best of the Cotswolds on this relaxing day trip from London.
- See more in one day with your guide, ideal for people with limited time
- Escape the London crowds and head to rural England
- Includes hassle-free round-trip transportation from London
- Enjoy a small-group tour for a more personalized experience
Why Travelers Choose This Tour
This tour visits Stow-on-the-Wold, which is skipped by many other Cotswolds day trips.
What's Included
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Driver-Guide
- Lunch
- Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Urban Baristas - South Kensington44 Harrington Rd, South Kensington, London SW7 3ND, UK
The meeting point is Urban Baristas coffee shop, near South Kensington station. Guests are welcome to use the coffee shop facilities. The tour departs by 8.25am, but please arrive to check-in by 8.15am.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Operating hours.8:25 am
Itinerary
After boarding your transport and heading out of London and into the British countryside, you’ll arrive at your first stop, Burford, known as the gateway to the Cotswolds. You’ll have time to stroll the quaint high street and admire houses more than 600 years old.
Next up is the village of Bibury, often described as the prettiest in England. Enjoy a snapshot of traditional English country life as wander along the river and snap photographs of Arlington Row; a set of weavers cottages now emblematic of the area.
You’ll stop for a hearty lunch in Bourton-on-the-Water, another gorgeous village, before reaching your final stop, Stow-on-the-Wold. Find out how this town inspired *Lord of the Rings* and enjoy free time browsing antique stores before you start the journey back to London.
Next up is the village of Bibury, often described as the prettiest in England. Enjoy a snapshot of traditional English country life as wander along the river and snap photographs of Arlington Row; a set of weavers cottages now emblematic of the area.
You’ll stop for a hearty lunch in Bourton-on-the-Water, another gorgeous village, before reaching your final stop, Stow-on-the-Wold. Find out how this town inspired *Lord of the Rings* and enjoy free time browsing antique stores before you start the journey back to London.
1
Burford
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
2
Bibury
40 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
Bourton-on-the-Water
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
4
Stow-on-the-Wold
50 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Most travelers can participate
- Children under the age of seven are not permitted to travel
- Operating Hours: 9:00 - 18:00
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 16 travelers
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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 2,950 reviews
Steve_K, Jun 2026
Great way to see the Cotswolds The four towns were very interesting
Very good overall way to experience the area. Sean was an excellent tour guide
Taylor_L, Jun 2026
Nigel was a fantastic tour guide! He offered great recommendations for each destination and was very knowledgeable on the history of England and the Cotswolds. We even stopped at the Rollright Stones on our way back to London. This was a great way to see the Cotswolds when short on time!
Jorge_A, Jun 2026
Prepared for the drive. Wear comfortable walking shoes. Toni was an excellent guide. He shared a lot of derails that we would have missed.
Spencer_D, Jun 2026
Ollie was a fantastic tour guide and provided great insight into the different towns we went to. The whole day was absolutely fantastic and would recommend it to anyone looking to do a tour in the Cotswolds. I also liked how it was a small group of people. It was also awesome that you were able to walk around on your own at each sight but could also ask Ollie for recommendations.
Mark_B, Jun 2026
This is a great way to see the English countryside and get a taste of life in four small towns in Cotswold. Our guide,Sean, was knowledgeable, friendly and a great driver on very narrow roads.
April_C, Jun 2026
What an amazing experience. The scenary was breathtaking. Our tour guide was a wealth of knowledge, funny and such a joy to be around.
Patricia_M, Jun 2026
A colleague and I took The Cotswolds tour and really enjoyed the experience. Our driver/guide Sean was friendly, communicative and knowledgeable. He had a good sense of humor and was a skilled driver for the narrow roads when we got into the smaller towns. The bus was quite comfortable and his playlist was good. The 4 stops on the tour were enough to give us a sense of the different towns and what makes the area so special. It was nice to be able to go and come back on the same day. I'd highly recommend this tour to anyone in London who is not keen on renting a car. The Cotswolds are quite spread out, so this tour made our visit possible given our limited timeline and lack of rental car.
Anil_O, Jun 2026
It was a veery pleasing trip with my family. Van was very comfortable and our driver/guide was just amazing. Definitely recommend, worth the money.
Arthur_L, Jun 2026
The tour was wonderful with ample time at each destination The tour guide, Nigel, was excellent! He was humorous but very knowledgeable.
Debbie_K, Jun 2026
It was really special to get to see the countryside and the old stone buildings. Great day with family.
Cynthia_M, Jun 2026
You stop at many different villages so can see how different they can be. Our tour guide, Sean, very well informed and very entertaining.
Spero_C, Jun 2026
Our trip to the Cotswolds was fantastic until the end. We got to see beautiful places in the cotwolds and had enough time to visit each of them. Our guide was knowledgeable and we learned a lot on the trip. If you have never been to the Cotswolds before, I recommend it.
Everything was great until the end. After we left our last spot, Stold on the Wold, we were supposed to start traveling back to London. Instead, our tour guide made an unexpected stop to a farm from a TV show to appease 1-2 of the individuals on the tour. We were dropped off and told he would be back in 20 minutes. We didn’t want to go to this farm nor knew it was going to happen. All of the seating was in the sun and there was nothing to do but wait. The bus wasn’t even around when we wanted to go back to the bus early. It was a long day and we didn’t want to be standing around, waiting. The tour should not be altered because of one or two people. We paid just as much as they did. It was such a disappointing end to a nice day.
Samantha_P, Jun 2026
We were really excited about our day trip to the Cotswolds but overall were disappointed with it. First, the guy checking us in was not friendly or helpful. Due to his lack of communication we ended up last on the bus with terrible seats in the back where you couldn’t even see out the windows. It was very frustrating and we couldn’t enjoy the drive out to the Cotswolds. And not only was the air con unreliable but the driver refused to turn it on until she was in the vehicle. We were all packed in the bus barely able to breathe! The driver also tried to tell us we couldn’t sit in different seats when we got back on the bus after the 1st stop. I’m sorry, did we have assigned seats? If it’s first come first serve than we should be able to sit wherever we want. We paid just as much as everybody else, let someone else have the crap seats in the back for a change. We stopped in 4 different towns and each stop felt rushed. Barely time to see anything before it was time to go. And each stop was packed with tourists. It made it very hard to enjoy any of the locations. The drive back into London at the end of the day took a lifetime and we couldn’t wait to get off that horrid bus especially after a long day and having the horrid music blasting for hours. I wouldn’t recommend.
Judith_B, Jun 2026
Our Cotswold Trip was the favorite of our week long trip to London. Our tour guide Nigel was excellent and provided so much educational information throughout the day trip and much appreciated banter as well.
David_V, Jun 2026
We certainly enjoyed visiting four Cotswold villages, with free time in each, and our engaging and gracious guide Ollie had excellent recommendations at every stop.
Patricia_M, Jun 2026
Captured the essence of the Cotswolds. We had the good fortune to have Ollie as our tour guide. He was welcoming and friendly throughout the trip; historically knowledgeable about the Cotswolds; informative about how villages came into being; great sense of humor and engagingly funny.
Dave_H, Jun 2026
The Cotswold is a fantastic tour! Ollie, our driver was amazing! He is a very interesting guy and had just the right amount of commentary to make without yakking all day long. Highly recommend this tour!
Jim_K, Jun 2026
Rob was a terrific driver and this is a great, stress less way to experience the Cottswolds. I recommend it!
Myles_H, Jun 2026
The tour is awesome! David, our velvet voiced driver/guide was one of the highlights of the tour. He was so knowledgeable about the history of the area and fun facts about London’s history. Also, The Cotswolds were breathtaking! Gotours is A+!
Eva, Jun 2026
Can highly recommend this small group day trip to the Cotswolds!
Coaches cannot travel the country lanes that our air-conditioned and very comfortable mini bus was able to. Our driver and guide (Chris P) was very friendly and knowledgeable and kept to the itinerary. We spent a lovely day visiting the Cotswolds and enjoyed the stunning countryside.
walter_e, Jun 2026
Quaint villages were interesting. Ollie was very informative and funny. Also a good driver. Well worth it.
Gail_I, Jun 2026
A lovely day out in the country. We visited four quite different villages. Rob, our driver, gave a thorough commentary prior to each visit. Lots of funny stories; great music onboard and safe driving.
Elaine_R, Jun 2026
Tony was an excellent guide with an excellent playlist. The villages were charming and everything we could hope for. My only suggestion for improvement would be to visit 2 villages instead of 4, allowing for more time at the 2.
Steve_M, Jun 2026
The countryside is beautiful The towns quaint and charming
The tour was rushed
When I booked this your website said we would return to London at 9:30 pm
For reasons unknown we needed to rush through every town so we could head back to London by 4
Nobody on the coach requested this timeline
We were instructed that this was the plan
Disappointing
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Hi Steve, we're glad the Cotswolds and its towns made the impression they deserve to.
We believe this review may have been posted to the wrong page. Our tours run in small 16-seater Mercedes minibuses rather than coaches, and the return time shown on our website is approximately 5:45pm. We never schedule a 4pm return, and we have never advertised a 9:30pm one.
If you did travel with us and your day ran differently, please get in touch with your booking reference at james@gotoursuk.com and I will look into exactly what happened.
If you travelled with another operator, we'd be grateful if the review could be moved to the correct page, as it helps future travellers judge each company fairly.
Thanks, James
Fenny_Y, Jun 2026
The trip was okay overall, but I was somewhat disappointed. There wasn’t much guidance, so you were largely left to explore on your own. Also, the time spent in each village was quite limited—just enough to walk around, take some pictures, and then move on.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Hi Fenny, thanks for the feedback. Our tours are designed as an introduction to the region, and we believe destinations are best enjoyed at your own pace rather than following a guide with a flag. The majority of our guests love that freedom. We appreciate the honest feedback. Best, James
Sasha_F, Jun 2026
We had a lovely time with Sean our driver/guide. I really recommend this tour as the group is small, you get information on every town you visit and it’s an absolutely stress free experience.
Rachel_M, Jun 2026
I had a lovely time on this trip. I was excited to visit the Cotswolds and I was not disappointed. Our driver and guide, Nigel, was very informative and made the trip that much better! Great experience!
Barbara_M, Jun 2026
Really enjoyed this get-away from the hectic city to get an stress-free taste of the beautiful and unique Cotswolds. Friendly and knowledgeable driver/guide in a very comfortable minibus that allows for private time in each town to wander on own.
Bridget_T, Jun 2026
This tour was wonderful! Ollie was an absolute delight. Thanks to him, the vibe and the energy was always high and the group felt super comfortable getting to know each other and having fun! He’s a pro at navigating the cotswolds tiny roads and the drive was super smooth! Would definitely book this again!
Ilene_L, Jun 2026
We missed this trip I was looking forward to. My email said be there 8 25. We hit a small traffic problem in our cab going there and they left at 830. Said we needed to be there at 8 15. They did not wait for us. We were 5 mi uses late. Very disappointed!
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Hi Ilene, we're sorry you missed the tour. We understand London traffic can be unpredictable, however our check-in time is 8:15 with departure by 8:25. Unfortunately you arrived a considerable time after this and we have an obligation to our guests who did arrive on time to not impact their day. Although disappointed on this occasion, I hope you are still able to visit the beautiful Cotswolds one day. Best, James.
From $126.65
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Small-Group Cotswolds Tour (From London)
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