Spend a day in the Cotswolds with this guided day trip from the city of Oxford. A region of postcard-perfect English villages, green hills, and manor houses, the Cotswolds has been designated as an Area of Outstanding National Beauty. See its highlights with a guide, and discover villages such as Asthall, Swinbrook, and Bourton-on-the-Water -- places that inspired writers and artists with their idyllic appeal. Through the day, you'll enjoy a mix of guided activities and free time to explore at your own pace.

Day trip to the scenic Cotswolds region from Oxford
Travel with a guide and learn about the history of the Cotswolds
Wander enchanting streets lined with tea shops and antique shops
Visit villages such as Bourton-on-the-Water and Swinbrook
Spend time in Woodstock, where Sir Winston Churchill was born

What's Included

Professional Blue Badge guide
Transport by air-conditioned minivan
Bottled water and select beverages
Pick up from hotels in North Oxford on request
Pick up from Oxford Railway Station on request

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

Taylor Institution Library
St Giles', Oxford OX1 3NA, UK
Tour departs from coach bays next to Taylorian Institution Library in St Giles. Please arrive at the departure point 10 minutes before the tour is due to depart. Please look for a dark blue minibus with ‘Explore Oxford and the Cotswolds’ written on the sides.

Start time

09:30 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Minster Lovell Hall & Dovecote

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Burford

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Bourton on the Water

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Broadway

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

High Street Chipping Campden (Pass By)

Stow-on-the-Wold Market Square

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Blenheim Palace (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
A minimum of 2 people per booking is required

Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers

Operated by Cotswold Exploring

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Susan_H

The guides, Isobel and David, were great. The knowledge and information given during the tour was interesting and exactly what I was looking for. This tour was one of the highlights of my two week trip and I highly recommend this tour if you want to see the area and gain some insights about the region.

Reviews

5.0

60 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 60 reviews

Great experience!

Rocco_P, Aug 2023

Great experience! Detailed explanation about everything we saw during the trip. Small group and experienced driver and guide made this trip awesome.

The guides, Isobel and...

Susan_H, Aug 2023

Fabulous tour of the beauty and history of the Cotswolds

Felisha_S, Aug 2023

A fabulous day exploring the Cotswolds. Isabol and David were wonderful guides. So knowledgeable and fun. I highly recommend them! Small group and very comfortable Van.

Delightful Day

Patricia_H, Jun 2023

Delightful day in the Cotswolds! Guide and Driver we’re both excellent and quite knowledgeable with lots of history of the area included. Nice size group and comfortable ride through a beautiful area of the UK. Highly recommended.

lori_h, Aug 2022

Fabulous day..totally worth the time great walking time!!!! Van comfortable….guides totally knowledgeable 🌟🌟🌟

Brilliant Cotswold excursion!

Carin_M, Jul 2022

A fantastic tour. Isobel and David were wonderful. Saw so many wonderful villages, plus the smaller tour allowed us to go into smaller towns too. Heard so many interesting stories and facts. Book if you can!

Great tour!

Susan_H, Jun 2022

Our trip and guides were amazing! They were so knowledgeable and we learned alot about the history of the Cotswolds, Oxford, and England. There is so much to see it flies by. We loved it!

Outstanding Value and Hosts

Alan_W, Oct 2019

Isabell and David are the most accommodating hosts and knowledgeable people. Anyone would be thrilled to take one of their adventures in the English countryside or towns. What an unexpected and fun filled experience for two American senior citizens. The pubs were great, the towns and local people so friendly and quaint. Rick Steves is making a big mistake by missing out on this team of professional guides and scholars so well versed in history and why so many of the stops warrant the time to explore them.

Cotswold tour

Kenneth_M, Aug 2019

David and Isabelle were gracious, knowkedfeable, friendly and full of interesting details of everything we saw. They were well worth every farthing and we highly recommend this tour

Entertaining and informative

James_Z, Jul 2019

Our tour guide, Isabel, and our driver (and her husband), David, made it a most enjoyable experience. From providing a lively and informative description of the sites and their backstories, to taking us to delightful villages not inundated by tourists, to providing 20 pence for entry to WCs along the way 😉, we were well-cared for. I highly recommend this tour!

We so enjoyed going on this tour. I...

Anthony_C, Oct 2017

We so enjoyed going on this tour. I would recommend it to anyone wanting to see the gems of the Cotswolds. Our tour guides were very knowledgeable about the area and gave us so much excellent information. They accommodated our needs and made everybody's day a great one.

It would have taken me days on my...

Nancy H, Aug 2017

It would have taken me days on my own to have experienced the Cotswolds so thoroughly. Terrific day for my three friends and me.

Isabelle was an excellent, excellent...

Yvonne C, Sep 2016

Isabelle was an excellent, excellent guide. Knowledgeable, elegant, full of the anecdotes that make a place special We were lucky! Driver also very good forgot his name, David I believe? Would recommend this Cotswold small-bus tour

Experiencia para no recomendar

SERGIO_G, Aug 2022

Buenas tardes, En general no me he quedado satisfecho de la excursión. La duración en las localizaciones no están bien planificadas y no se siguieron cómo se indicaban. Cierto es que hay muchos pueblos para visitar en la excursión, pero para unos el tiempo es insuficiente y para otros sobra. Comento mi experiencia según la planificación: Minster Lovell Hall & Dovecote Stop: 20 minutes -> Demasiado tiempo para lo poco que tiene el pueblo. Tal vez esta parada podría no incluirse en el tour. Burford Library Stop: 30 minutes -> La duración es correcta. Da tiempo para ver el pueblo y tomarse un café. Bourton on the Water Stop: 30 minutes -> La duración es correcta. Da tiempo para callejear, hacer fotos y entrar en tiendas. Broadway Tower Stop: 60 minutes -> Realmente no hubo parada en Broadway Tower y no pudimos hacer fotos para lo peculiar de la localización. Sí se hizo la parada en Broadway con tiempo suficiente para comer y visitar el pueblo, pero la distancia que hay entre Broadway y Broadway Tower es tal que no se puede hacer por cuenta propia durante esta parada. Cotswold Lavender Stop: 15 minutes -> Pasamos por un prado de lavandas y se hizo una parada de menos de 5 minutos para tomar unas fotos y porque la guía preguntó si alguien quería parar para hacer fotos (cosa que no preguntó cuando pasamos por Broadway Tower). En Snowshill la parada fue de 10 minutos. Muy poco tiempo para callejear y hacer fotos... y con prisas para volver al autobús e irnos. High Street Chipping Campden Stop: 40 minutes -> No se hizo parada para pasear por el pueblo. El conductor hizo un recorrido con el autobús por el pueblo y ya. Ni parada, ni 40 minutos. Stow-on-the-Wold Market Square Stop: 45 minutes -> En Stow sí hizo parada de 50 minutos pero para lo que tiene el pueblo, con 20 minutos hubiera sido suficiente. Blenheim Palace Stop: 15 minutes -> Aquí no hizo parada, a la que pasábamos por Woodstock la guía nos señaló dónde estaba la entrada al palacio y ya. Igualmente reconozco que la guía no paró en ningún de dar informaciones de los pueblos y costumbres, y que el conductor era un buen conductor, pero la planificación de la excursión no se siguió como se indicaba en la oferta. Por mi parte, las paradas donde tenía mayor interés fueron las que no se cumplieron con lo indicado en el tour. No recomendaría un producto donde no se cumplen las condiciones establecidas. Un saludo, Sergio Garza Merino

Response from Host, Aug 2022

Gracias por su comentario y siento que la excursion no les gusto. Desafortunadamente cuando se escribe la descripcion de estas excursiones en el sito Viator, se tiene que seleccionar cada punto donde hay paradas de una lista de localizaciones dada por VIator y no es siempre exacto. Por ejemplo, Snowshill. La parada es en el pueblo, no es en el parque de Cotswold Lavender, pero el punto mencionado por Viator era Cotswold Lavender, Snowshill. Tambien, algunas veces hay cambios que tenemos que hacer cuando vemos que aspectos de la excursion no funciona bien o si la situacion en cuanto a uno de las atracciones cambia - por ejemplo, Blenheim. No tenemos mas el derecho de entrar en el parque del Palacio para tomar fotografias. Es mi culpa que no hice estos cambios inmediatamente. Es lastima que Minster Lovell no les gusto. Es una parada muy popular con la mayor parte de nuestros clientes. He corrigido todas las descripciones ahora.

Belle visite

Louise_D, Jul 2022

Très belle excursion dans les Costwolds. Notre guide Isabel était très intéressante. Nous avons appris beaucoup sur l'histoire de la région.