If you're short on time but want to experience the Cotswolds, book this half-day tour from Oxford. The region is known as an English countryside idyll with its gentle hills and thatched-roof villages, and you'll discover its highlights with the help of a guide. The experience includes sights of all the must-see villages including Bourton-on-the-Water, Asthall, Stow-on-the-Weld, and Woodstock where Sir Winston Churchill was born.

Guided half-day trip from Oxford to the Cotswolds
Relax on the scenic journey and listen to history from a guide
Travel to Burford and admire the ruined hall of Minister Lovell
Admire the bridges over the River Windrush in Bourton-on-the-Water
Stop in Woodstock, where Blenheim Palace can be seen

What's Included

Blue Badge guide
Hotel drop-off (select hotels only)
Transport by air-conditioned minivan
Bottled water and select beverages
Pick up and drop off on request from hotels in North Oxford
Pick up and drop off from Oxford Railway Station on request.

Meals not included

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

01:00 PM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Blenheim Palace (Pass By)

Stow-on-the-Wold Market Square

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Bourton-on-the-Water

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Burford

40 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Minster Lovell Hall & Dovecote

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Stroller accessible

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

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

Reviews

5.0

68 reviews

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

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 68 reviews

Very knowledgable and...

Peter_B, Sep 2023

Very knowledgable and nice guides. It was great tour and the small bus made it a little personal and an oppotunity to speak to the others.

Next time I’ll surely be with them afain

BiancaAnna_V, Aug 2023

All the tour is informative, well manage and the lady that guides is nice, kind and very intertaining

Lovely driver and guide....

Michelle_B, Jun 2023

Lovely driver and guide. We traveled the back roads which offered some beautiful scenery. If you do this tour and it’s a warm day, sit in the front row of seats. There are no air vents or windows for 2nd and 3rd row and the A/C doesn’t cool the back.

Response from Host, Jun 2023

Hi Michelle. We are glad you enjoyed the tour despite the warm weather. We are experiencing unusually warm weather for the UK right now and although the bus is air-conditioned, if it is very hot and the tour is full it can be difficult to keep the temperature very low.

It was an absolutely...

Sayuri_M, Jun 2023

It was an absolutely glorious trip even though it took only a half day. The driver was extremely skilled, and the guide was knowledgeable. It was a very well organized, comfortable, informative and good introductory trip to this beautiful area.

Great Day

Danielle_C, May 2023

Had such a wonderful time on this trip. Our tour guide was extremely informative from the history to the advice on where to visit at each of the stops. We had plenty of time to shop as well and see the sights.

Isobel Went Above and Beyond!!!

Matthew_C, May 2023

Isobel is a FANTASTIC tour guide. Her knowledge about the Cotswolds and the UK is extensive, and she has a wonderful sense of humor, as well. The bus is incredibly comfortable, and the destinations along the tour are absolutely charming. On a personal note, I lost a scarf that I inherited from my grandmother in the hours before our tour began. Thankfully, it was turned in to the lost and found at the Natural History Museum, and Isobel kindly offered to not only pick it up for me (since my family and I were only in Oxford for the day), but also to ship it back to my home in California. Isobel and her husband are fantastic all around and I absolutely recommend taking this tour!

Don't miss this tour!

Lois_H, May 2023

Isabelle was a fount of knowledge...everything from the history of cities, hamlets, and villages to ancestry of families and their present-day descendants. She was clever, entertaining, and an exceptional guide. David navigated tiny back roads with care and precision. A totally delightful half-day tour. So glad we booked!

Cotswold Taster Tour

Paul_J, Apr 2023

Having just a limited time in the area, this was a perfect tour for us, providing the opportunity to see and experience about 5 different villages in the beautiful Cotswolds area. Isabel and David were knowledgeable and shared freely of their love for the region.

1/2 day journey to Cotswold

Karen_S, Oct 2022

It was a lovely tour. Our guide provided useful information about the Cotswold area. Would have liked more photo stops along the way and staying a bit longer in the villages .

Response from Host, Oct 2022

Hi Karen Thank you for your feedback. Unfortunately, there are only so many stops you can fit into a 5.5. hour tour. We stopped 4 times on the tour which equated to 2.5 hours of time spent off the minibus. We also stated at the beginning of the tour that we would be happy to pull over for additional photos of the countryside on request. No-one asked us to do this. We also operate full-day tours visiting more villages and offering more time for photos.

Wonderful tour, very...

Richard_W, Oct 2022

Wonderful tour, very knowledgeable tour guide. Very informative. The scenery was absolutely beautiful. Thank you!

My lovely tour to Cotswold's

ZviaElgali, Sep 2022

Wonderful experience, totally recommended for the vast knowledge, the care for every detail, the company and everything included.

Fantastic experience

Sue_B, Sep 2022

Isabel and David were friendly, efficient, informative and shared their love of the Cotswolds. We really felt as if we had a greater understanding of the area. We would recommend their tour!

Cotswold 5 hour tour

Kristine_G, Aug 2022

What a lovely tour. Just the right amount of driving the countryside, and time to wander. Our guides were amazing and attentive. The narrative was very informative.

Great way to see the Cotswolds!

AnneMarie_B, Aug 2022

What a fantastic introduction to this beautiful AONB! Isobel was incredibly knowledgeable and friendly, and the driver was superb. We stopped in several small villages and drove through several others, all while learning interesting information about the Cotswolds. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone who's interested in seeing this part of England!

Perfect “taster” tour

Delaney_E, Aug 2022

The couple that led the tour was so friendly and super well informed about the area. I absolutely loved the tour, it was the perfect “taster” for anyone that wants to experience the Cotswolds but doesn’t have a ton of time.

Alan_K, Jun 2022

Good overall coverage given it is a taster for half a day. This is especially important for 1st tkme visitors like us.

Response from Host, Jun 2022

I am sorry that you only felt we deserved an average rating for this tour. I would be interested in knowing what you felt could have been improved in your opinion to give us a higher rating. The tour covers a significant area of the Cotswolds in 5.5 hours with 4 stops and drives through some beautiful scenery. We couldn’t really cover any more in this time. This is a ‘taster’ tour and an introduction to the Cotswolds. We have full-day tours which go to more villages. Thank you for taking the time to give us feedback.

It was a lovely drive...

Stefane_D, May 2022

It was a lovely drive with stops in the Cotswold. The guide was super knowledgeable and knew the best spots for photo ops. Enough time at each stop to explore, and the drive itself is very pretty. They went above and beyond when we asked for tips on where to eat a Sunday roast back in Oxford by calling a bunch of places.

Wouldn't hesitate to take the same tour again!

Dag_K, May 2022

The guide and the chauffuer, Isabelle and David were marvellous. Very interesting tour which gave new experiences and insights in the most compelling way. We really recommend the tour. (You will miss out!) Best regards, couple from Sweden in April 2022.

Beautiful day

MARK_P, Mar 2022

We did not have a lot of time during our short visit to Oxford, but I desperately wanted my wife and daughter to get a taste of what lies outside the town. What better than this offering that is literally called a 'taster tour'! Isobel was a wonderful guide, immensely knowledgeable and personable about all aspects of the area, from the history of limestone to which musicians did their recording in the area. We had two planned stops, which afforded us the opportunity to explore on our own a bit. And we were blessed with almost perfect weather. It was a great day by all measures. A special shout-out to the driver David, who affirmed my decision never to drive these routes on my own. How he reversed the van on that little Minster Lovell lane I will never know! Highly recommended.

Great experience

Alex_P, Aug 2021

Ed and David were friendly, knowledgeable, and so accommodating. Our train was running late so they adapted quickly to pick us up from the train station. We really enjoyed the beautiful little towns and all of the information we learned about them. Ed and David are a great pair who have the ability to play off of each other making the trip very interesting. They were great at adapting their information to include more about the things we asked about. We would highly recommend!