Experience a wealth of England’s rural and historical treasures, and the fictional ‘Downton Abbey’ village, on this full-day trip from London with an expert guide. Marvel at splendid Blenheim Palace, the UNESCO-protected country house where Sir Winston Churchill was born, and discover the enchanting scenery of the Cotswolds, with visits to an idyllic village: either Bibury or Bourton-on-the-Water. Lastly, explore the pretty village of Bampton to see some of the locations where the much-loved TV series, ‘Downton Abbey’, was filmed, and enjoy time for lunch here before returning to London.

Full-day trip to Blenheim Palace, the Cotswolds, and Downton Abbey village from London, led by an expert guide
Explore Blenheim Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the birthplace of Sir William Churchill
Revel in the quintessentially English villages and thatched-roof houses of the Cotswolds from the comfort of a luxury coach
Visit the charming village of Bibury or Bourton-on-the-Water
Enjoy a walking tour of the village of Bampton, featured in Downton Abbey as Downton village
Please note a visit to Highclere Castle is not included

What's Included

Professional guide
Air-conditioned vehicle
Free WiFi on coach
Audio guide
Blenheim Palace, State Rooms and Gardens (if option selected)

Optional gratuities
Food and beverages
Hotel pickup and drop-off

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

Victoria Coach Station
Victoria Coach Station, 164 Buckingham Palace Rd, London SW1W 9TP, UK
Tour departs at 9 am (boarding at 8.30 am), Victoria Coach Station, Gate 1-5, Evan Evans Tours

Start time

09:00 AM

End point

15 Victoria St
15 Victoria St, London SW1V 1JU, UK
Tour finishes near Victoria Station

What To Expect

Depart Victoria coach station by comfortable, air-conditioned coach, and travel northwest into scenic Oxfordshire.

After approximately 1.5 hours on the road, stop at UNESCO-listed Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of Sir William Churchill. Head inside, put on your audio headsets to hear commentary from your guide, and stroll around the opulent State Rooms of this magnificent stately house, built in the 1700s. Admire the priceless artworks and tapestries that adorn the walls and view the formal gardens on a leisurely walk in the grounds.
 Back aboard your coach, soak up the views of the gorgeous Cotswolds region, where rolling green hills give way to stone-built market towns and thatched villages. Stop in at one of two charming villages: the picture-postcard hamlet of Bibury, to amble past its famous weavers’ cottages, originally built as a wool store in 1380, and the 12th-century St. Mary's Church.
 Or, drive on to idyllic Bourton-on-the-Water, sometimes known as ‘Little Venice’ for the series of handsome low bridges that cross the Windrush River that flows through the village center. Amble through the lanes and admire the lush greens, quaint shops, and stone banks along the riversides.
 Finally, continue to Bampton, the classic English village that doubled as fictional Downton village in the famous TV drama series of Downton Abbey. View the church where Lady Mary and Matthew Crawley were wed and the house that served as Isobel Crawley’s home. Pass the old school that was Downton Hospital and buildings that starred as two village pubs. While you’re here, take the opportunity to relax over lunch (own expense) at a local restaurant or café, and then return to London where your trip finishes at Westminster.

Blenheim Palace

2 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Bampton Heritage & Visitor Centre

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Bourton on the Water

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Burford Library

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Please Note: this tour does not visit Highclere Castle
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Near public transportation

Infants must sit on laps
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
For a wheelchair user : Please inform us in advance if you intend to bring wheelchair.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 52 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

Traveler Tips

The trip itself is wisely planned giving you enough time to see the most.

Reviews

4.5

475 reviews

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

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 475 reviews

We had enough time to...

Maria_B, Sept 2023

We had enough time to explore surroundings. Guide was very helpful. Cotswolts was very nice. Journey was comfortable

Perfect Cotswold Tour

PatriciaS_E, Sept 2023

First rate tour! Our guide was knowledgeable, told little snippets of stories, just enough, but not constantly (that was my young adult son’s comment). There was enough time at each stop- loved all, Blenheim Palace and Burton-on-Water was perfect Cotswold village. Had just enough time at each stop. Everything was perfectly on time!

Blenheim Yes - Bampton/Downton Abby No

George_B, Sept 2023

Our guide Kevin was very good. He mixed history with humor and was very engaging. The visit to Blenheim was a highlight. Lunch at Bourton-on-Water in the Cotswold was nice but a little touristy. Disappointed with the visit to Bampton to see where Downton Abby was filmed. Very short with no time to really take in the church and homes or to doing any souvenir shopping. Bampton should not be advertised as a trip feature. It was only a relatively quick stop that was disappointing to the Downton Abby fans in our group.

Response from Host, Sept 2023

Hi George_B, Thank you for leaving us feedback about your tour. Any feedback we get is important for future visits. We are thrilled to see the team provided excellent service especially the tour guide Kevin, we will of course pass on the kind words over to him. We look forward to welcoming you again on another tour. Best wishes Evan Evans

No Downton Abbey village for us 😔

Kathryn_O, Sept 2023

Blenheim Palace was amazing...Cotswolds beautiful but rushed. No Downton Abbey Village visit as "traffic was too busy"! Not good enough when that's all we wanted! Great host and bus driver. Long drive.

Response from Host, Sept 2023

Hi Kathryn_O, Thank you for your review, we are so sorry to hear you didn't enjoy you your tour with us. We have taken onboard your feedback and we hope we can improve for all our customers in the future. We hope you try another of our tours soon! Best wishes Evan Evans

Gross bus stop

Amy_C, Sept 2023

The place where the bus meets is filthy stunk so bad just couldn't go the worst place to get on a bus

Response from Host, Sept 2023

Hi Amy_C, Thank you for your review, we appreciate you sharing your experience. We take matters like these very seriously and would like to investigate further. Please email details of your booking to reservations@evanevanstours.co.uk and we will investigate. we hope this hasn't deterred you from travelling with us in the future, we would love to see you on another of our tours soon! Best wishes Evan Evans

Day in the Cotswolds

George_J, Sept 2023

Our guide Chrissy was very professional and pleasant. The stops in the Cotswolds were wonderful and entertaining.

Response from Host, Sept 2023

Hi George_J, Thank you for your fantastic review! We are so glad to hear you had a great experience with us. Our team appreciates that you noticed our efforts. We will pass on your kind words to Chrissy. We hope to see you again soon! Best wishes Evan Evans

I did not get on the bus....

Louisa_P, Sept 2023

I did not get on the bus. I had an emergency dental appointment early in the morning that ran slightly late. I got to the coach station to the gate that the ticket said & then was directed to another gate. As I was talking to the staff member at the gate the coach pulled out & they would mot stop.it for me to get on.. I tried to call your office on the day & no answer. I have sent an email & no reply. I even found your office address is Soho & came to the office but security would not allow me up. I was trying to contact you to see if I could get back on the tour another day. I am back.in London next week. Kind regards, Louisa Pietersen louloupietersen@gmail.com

Response from Host, Sept 2023

Hello Louisa_P, Thank you for your review, we appreciate you sharing your experience. We take matters like these very seriously and would like to investigate further. Please email details of your booking to reservations@evanevanstours.co.uk and we will investigate. we hope this hasn't deterred you from travelling with us in the future, we would love to see you on another of our tours soon! Best wishes Evan Evans

Fantastic Trip

Slavko_V, Sept 2023

Well organised tour, Chrissy the guide was very knowledgable. Zenon was a very experienced and safe bus driver. Blenheim Palace was absolutely amazing and a must see for everyone. Cotswold area was picturesque and didn't disappoint. The English gardens were colourful and quaint and took you back to a time of yesteryear. Evans & Evans tours were very well organised and the Air-conditioned coach was a god send on the very hot day.

Response from Host, Sept 2023

Hi Slavko_V, Thank you for taking the time to share your opinion about our services. We are glad that our team did a great job. We take pride in providing a clean and comfortable space for all of our guests, so our team appreciates that you noticed. We will pass on the kind words over to Chrissy and Zenon. We hope to welcome you onboard another one of our tours in the future! Best wishes Evan Evans

Fun time in the Peak District

Abdulrahman_A, Sept 2023

This was a very good tour enjoy it very much I would recommend to get a light jacket for the cavern it’s need and it’s worth it , I went to the castle on the 1st stop which is a steep 10 min walk up might want to skip this one and go check the other things as time is tight , both guide on this tour were excellent and we enjoyed it

Response from Host, Sept 2023

Hi Abdulrahman_A, Thank you so much for this 5-star review. We really appreciate you being a customer and helping to share the word about us. We hope to see you again on another one of our tours! Best wishes Evan Evans

Too much time on the bus and too little at the sites.

Patsey_B, Sept 2023

At the beginning our guide had some good lines about England and the royalty...so we laughed. However, she had little knowledge about Downton Abby and even asked residents in the streets. As a teacher myself, I felt badly for her as she was obviously unprepared. We spent a long time on the bus...not worth it at all. The day was warm and there was no water for us. I bought the last four bottles of cold water in the small market before departing for London.

Response from Host, Sept 2023

Hi Patsey_B, Thank you for your review, we appreciate you taking the time to write to us. We are sorry to hear that you didn't thoroughly enjoy your tour with us. We appreciate you sharing your experience and feedback. We will take on board your comments and speak to our guides to make sure that they are reminded of our standards. We hope to see you soon! Best wishes Evan Evans

A Day in the Cotswolds

Sheryl_R, Sept 2023

Wonderful trip....timing at each stop was perfect...lunch in the little village was amazing!! The Cotswolds were lovely.

Response from Host, Sept 2023

Hi Sheryl_R, We would like to thank you for your kind words and for sharing it with the rest of the community. Our team works hard to provide the best service and it makes us very happy that it reflected during your visit our establishment. We hope you come see us again soon! Best wishes Evan Evans

Terrible

Melissa_H, Aug 2023

The trip is advertised as 1st Downton Village. When we boarded the bus our guide stated we would probably skip it so we could get back to London on time because of traffic. We didn’t because some of us were upset. But we spent 2 hours on bus with no commentary from driver to Blenheim castle. We had two hours at castle where we could download a self guided tour on our phone but weren’t advised to bring our headphones prior to tour so 26 people in our group all had the volume of phone up to hear your it was hard because you could hear others phones set at different pace than your own. Then back on bus for over hour to 1 very busy Cotswold town of Bourton-on-the-Water where we had exactly 1 hour ten minutes to walk see sites go to toilet and get something to eat. Then back on bus for 45 more minutes to Downton village where we were allowed to spend 30 minutes. The guide did NOT even know where the church from Downton Abbey was located and had to ask people in town then he called Cousin Isabella house “cousin Elizabeth “. He kept saying some of you might have seen show but there’s not much of interest here if you haven’t. Most of you probably haven’t. I’m sorry but the first words when looking at this tour are titled Downton Abbey village! That’s why 90 percent of us were on tour! Guide knew ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about the show, filming sites, what scenes were filmed where etc. then rushed back on bus for over two hours back to London! Complete waste of time and money. Do NOT NOT NOT recommend!!!

Response from Host, Sept 2023

Hello Melissa_H, Thank you for your review, we appreciate you sharing your experience. We take matters like these very seriously and would like to investigate further. Please email details of your booking to reservations@evanevanstours.co.uk and we will investigate. we hope this hasn't deterred you from travelling with us in the future, we would love to see you on another of our tours soon! Best wishes Evan Evans

Day trip

Rebecca_H, Aug 2023

I thought the tour was ok but not exceptional… our group felt was not as advertised … Downton Abbey Village was a ten minute tour of serval spots used in the show… that should be explained when booking. The Cotswolds stop was rushed, we had time for lunch with 20 minutes to look at the village on the water… over all I could not recommend this tour.

Response from Host, Aug 2023

Hi Rebecca_H, Thank you for your review. We appreciate your feedback. We understand your frustration with not having alot of time on the Downton Abbey section of your tour. We do state on our website the different stops on this tour. We are sorry to hear you were disappointed with the cotswolds section too. If you would like more time and detail in the cotswolds we have a tour called the cotswolds small group tour, if you would like more information please visit our website. We hope to see you again soon! Best wishes Evan Evans

Good but could be better

Oindrila_M, Aug 2023

All good. But seats should have numbers or automatically nearby allocated for groups buying tkts together. My 4yo had to sit alone. And the walkie talkie was useless

Response from Host, Aug 2023

Hello Oindrila_M, Thank you for your feedback, we appreciate you sharing your experience. We are sorry to hear you had a difficult time regarding the coach journey. We do not have allocated seats however this is something we are considering, we appreciate your comments. We hope to see you again soon! Best wishes Evan Evans

Millicent_L, Aug 2023

I would have liked to just gone to Blenheim. The next stop village was a tourist trap but I did enjoy the next town. Cut the day down by two hours most of the people were older and exhausted

Response from Host, Aug 2023

Hi Millicent_L, Thank you for leaving us feedback about the tour. We are glad that our team did a great job. We work very hard to ensure that our customers get outstanding service, and it makes us very happy that it reflected during your recent visit. We agree that we would like to give more time at each venue however due to time constraints unfortunately this is not possible. If you would like to see any of these locations in more detail we have a villages of the Cotswolds tour that allows more time and more in depth commentary. We hope you come visit us again soon! Best wishes Evan Evans

Viator has taken us on tours in UK & France & they have been excellent tours.

James_D, Aug 2023

Loved Blenheim Palace and enjoyed exploring the place at our own pace. Cotswolds were very crowded but still enjoyed seeing the villages.

Response from Host, Aug 2023

Dear James_D, thank you for the lovely review. We are delighted that you enjoyed your tour. Hope to see you soon! Best wishes, Evan Evans Team

Nice View of the Countryside

Robert_H, Aug 2023

You would have to be a really hardcore Downton fan to recognize any of the location sites but still a very nice ride through the English countryside and some nice stops in quaint villages. Would recommend booking a weekday tour, our Saturday tour encountered loads of locals at the stops. Good balance to a London tour!

Response from Host, Aug 2023

Hi Robert_H, Thank you for leaving us a fantastic 5* review! We continuously work to create good experiences for our customers, and we are thrilled to see we were able to offer you a memorable day! We hope you come visit us again soon! Best wishes Evan Evans

Fun adventure

Jay_G, Aug 2023

Kevin was a very knowledgeable guide. We really enjoyed learning about the filming locations in Downtown Abby Village. He was also very kind and thoughtful.

Response from Host, Aug 2023

Hi Jay_G, Thank you for taking the time to share your opinion about our tour. We are glad that our team did a great job. We take pride in providing a clean and comfortable space for all our guests. We will pass over your lovely words to Kevin. We hope to welcome you onboard again very soon! Best wishes Evan Evans

A relaxing day tour outside of London

Sherry_F, Aug 2023

This was a very relaxing day, and we especially enjoyed Blenheim Palace which was magnificent. The Cotswolds villages were lovely, and the only thing that I would change with the tour is the pace. We did not have long enough to take a proper lunch break. Perhaps consider visiting only one of the villages so we could have double time there to have lunch and to shop. Our tour guide, Omar, was very good, but I think he could have slowed down the walking pace just a little bit. He needed to take into consideration the age of some of the travelers who had a little bit of a problem keeping up.

Response from Host, Aug 2023

Hello Sherry_F, Thank you so much for your 4* review and also for your suggestions on the tour timing! This tour is a fantastic one, and one of our most popular tours however the timing is tricky! As if the first stop has a problem with allowing too much time, there is an issue later on in the tour, we might not be able to enter all of the venues.However, thank you very much for your insight and we will have a look at your suggestion – we were actually just reviewing the tour timing today as, I am sure you can imagine with the current situation, everything is changing on a daily basis at the moment! Thank you for traveling with us. Take care, Evan Evans

Tour description is deceptive

Kalyani_V, Aug 2023

1. Blenheim palace was given too much time. It is really not a palace just the ancestral home of the Churchills. 2. The Cotswolds visit was just a drive through with a stop at one village with a stream and restaurants. 3. The trip to Downton Abbey was just a stop at the village and not the residence itself. Our guide Deborah was excellent and made up for what the tour lacked.

Response from Host, Aug 2023

Hi Kalyani_V, Thank you for your review, we appreciate you taking the time to write to us. We are sorry to hear the tour didn't reach your expectations. We try to schedule and plan all of our tours to get the best out of the day and destinations. If you are interested in seeing more of the cotswolds we have a villages of the cotswolds tour which goes more in depth. If you would like more information on that we will be more than happy to give it you. We hope you travel with us again soon! Best wishes Evan Evans

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