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- 2 Day Private Tour to Highclere Castle, Oxford and the Cotswolds
2 Day Private Tour to Highclere Castle, Oxford and the Cotswolds
Our 2-day private tour departing from London visits Highclere Castle, Oxford, and the picture postcard villages of the Cotswolds. Start your tour with pickup from your hotel in Central London. On your first day, explore the Cotswolds and enjoy a pub lunch in an ancient inn. You’ll also visit Oxford, with a walking tour of the university town followed by an overnight stay. Your second day is devoted to the world of Downton Abbey. Visit key filming locations from the making of the TV series including Highclere Castle, which is the real-life Downton Abbey.
Highclere Castle is open on selected days with limited availability. You can see available dates and availability on the Highclere Castle website. If Highclere Caste is unavailable, we recommend visiting Blenheim Palace, a magnificent stately home and birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill.
Day 1:
- Depart from London, with pickup from your Central London hotel
Picturesque view of Bourton-on-the-Water
- Drive along narrow English country lanes into the Cotswolds, an area of outstanding natural beauty. Fall in love with the English countryside as we stop in pretty villages including Bourton-on-the-Water, Burford, Taynton and Great & Little Rissington. We’ll also stop at the market town of Stow-on-the-Wold, where you can enjoy a pub lunch
- End the day in Oxford. Enjoy a walking tour of the historic university town, with a visit to the 15th century Divinity School, the university’s oldest classroom
- The rest of the evening is free for you to enjoy Oxford
- Stay overnight in Oxford (alternatively, stay in a Cotswolds village)
Day 2:
- Start the day with pickup from your Oxford hotel
- Our second day is devoted to the world of Downton Abbey, and we’ll visit real-life locations used in the making of the TV series and film!
Cogges Farm
- Start the day in Cogges Farm, the real-life version of Yew Tree Farm where Lady Edith’s daughter Marigold was raised by the Drewe family
- We’ll continue with a drive along narrow English country lanes. Stop at Shilton, used in Series Two to double for the pub where Bates found employment. Continue to the village of Swinbrook where Lady Sybil and Tom Branson spent the night on their aborted elopement
- Visit Bampton, which was used to portray the village of Downton. Enter St Mary’s Chuch where many weddings and funerals took place. See the Cottage Hospital and Mrs Crawley’s house during a guided walk, visit the village green, see the post office, Mrs Patmore’s Bed and Breakfast and The Grantham Arms pub
- Our final stop is Highclere Castle, the real-life home of Downton Abbey! Explore the dining room, bedrooms, walk down the grand staircase and more! You’ll also have time to explore the magnificent gardens and a special Egyptology exhibition
- From here, we return to London
Add an Extra Day
We can also add extra days if you would like to visit other locations in the area such as Stonehenge, Bath, Windsor Castle.
More info:
What’s Included?
- Pickup from your Central London hotel or other London location
- Hand-picked expert tour guide
- Transportation in an executive touring vehicle, comfortable and spacious
- Dropoff at your London hotel or other location
What’s Excluded?
- Food, drink, gratuities (optional)
- Entrance fees to Highclere Castle, Cogges Farm, Shakespeare’s birthplace, Oxford divinity school
- Accommodation – we can arrange accommodation for you. Alternatively, you can book your own 1-night stay in a hotel in Central Oxford. Please make sure your accommodation is within walking distance of Oxford Visitor Information Centre, 15 – 16 Broad Street
What if Highclere Castle isn’t open on my travel dates?
Highclere Castle is only open on selected days of the year. If it’s closed when you are visiting England, we suggest a visit to Blenheim Palace instead. Blenheim Palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the birthplace of Winston Churchill and considered England’s answer to Versailles!
Let’s plan your Tour!
Please fill out the form below and we’ll get back to you with a quote.
