Booking choice: The Complete Cotswolds tour, from $113 per person. Check dates Compare the options below
The Cotswolds National Landscape covers 787 square miles across six counties. The villages share a look, honey-coloured oolitic limestone and steep stone-tiled roofs, but they differ in size, setting and crowds.
The Complete Cotswolds tour visits four of the best-known in the central Cotswolds. Other tours reach the northern escarpment or the south.
The quick answer
For a first day trip, the four classic stops are hard to beat: Burford's High Street, Bibury's Arlington Row, Bourton-on-the-Water's river bridges and Stow-on-the-Wold's market square. For Broadway and Chipping Campden, pick a northern tour; Castle Combe and Lacock are usually paired with Bath.
Which villages does a day trip from London visit?
Most tours pick from the same central group: Burford, Bibury, Bourton-on-the-Water and Stow-on-the-Wold.
| Village | Known for | Complete tour | Other tours here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burford | Sloping High Street, wool church | Yes, 1 hour | Oxford day, Evan Evans, pub lunch |
| Bibury | Arlington Row, River Coln | Yes, 40 minutes | Most tours |
| Bourton-on-the-Water | River Windrush bridges | Yes, 1 hour 30 minutes | Broadway Tower day, Evan Evans |
| Stow-on-the-Wold | Market square, church yews | Yes, 50 minutes | Broadway Tower day, Stratford day |
| Chipping Campden | Golden High Street, market hall | No | Stratford day |
| Broadway Tower | Views over the escarpment | No | Broadway Tower day |
| Castle Combe | Stone bridge, film location | No | Usually with Bath |
Want the four classics in one day? Check dates for the Complete Cotswolds tour.
Check dates for the Complete Cotswolds tourWhy visit Burford?
Burford is the gateway to the Cotswolds: a long High Street of stone inns and shops sloping down to the River Windrush.
Its church of St John the Baptist is one of the great wool churches, built between 1160 and 1475, and the 16th-century Tolsey was the merchants' meeting house. Each May the town marks Levellers Day, for the mutineers held in the church in 1649.
Why visit Bibury?
For Arlington Row, the 14th-century terrace of weavers' cottages that William Morris's praise and the British passport made famous.
It is small and very busy at weekends. Read Bibury and Arlington Row for how to see it in 40 minutes.
Why visit Bourton-on-the-Water?
For the River Windrush running shallow and clear through the village green under a series of low stone bridges.
It is the most family-friendly stop, with the Model Village (a 1:9 scale copy of Bourton itself), Birdland, the Cotswold Motoring Museum and plenty of places to eat. That is why tours use it for lunch. It is also the most crowded on sunny weekends.
Why visit Stow-on-the-Wold?
Stow is the highest Cotswold town, nearly 800 feet up on the Fosse Way, with a big market square full of antique shops and tea rooms.
Look for the old market cross and the stocks, then walk to St Edward's Church, whose north door is framed by two ancient yews and is said to have inspired Tolkien's Doors of Durin. In 1646 the last royalist field army of the Civil War was defeated here.
Stow is the last stop on the Complete Cotswolds tour, with 50 minutes to explore.
Explore the Complete Cotswolds tourWhat about Broadway and Chipping Campden?
They are the stars of the northern Cotswolds, and you need a northern tour to see them.
The Broadway Tower day includes entry to the tower on the escarpment, with views over several counties. The Stratford mini-coach day adds Chipping Campden, Snowshill and Stratford-upon-Avon to Stow, Bourton and Bibury.
And Castle Combe and Lacock?
They are in the southern Cotswolds in Wiltshire, much closer to Bath, so London tours usually combine them with Bath and Stonehenge.
Castle Combe often tops "prettiest village" lists, but it is not on any of the central Cotswolds tours on this site. If it is a must, look for a Bath and Stonehenge day that stops there.
Which village should you prioritise?
If you only remember one, make it Bibury for Arlington Row; if you want to eat and wander, Bourton; if you like shops and history, Stow or Burford.
The Complete Cotswolds tour gives you all four, which is why it is the most booked day trip of its kind.
Four villages, one day: check your date for the Complete Cotswolds tour.
Check dates for the Complete Cotswolds tourFrequently asked questions
What is the prettiest village in the Cotswolds?
Bibury is the most famous, thanks to Arlington Row; Castle Combe and Bourton-on-the-Water are close contenders. It is a matter of taste.
Which Cotswolds village is best for a first visit?
Bourton-on-the-Water, for the river, the food and the family attractions, or Bibury for the classic postcard view.
Can you visit the Slaughters on a tour?
Not on the Complete Cotswolds tour. Upper and Lower Slaughter are a short country walk from Bourton-on-the-Water if you stay longer.
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Choose your day
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the season.
The Complete Cotswolds Small-Group Tour
- Minibus from South Kensington with a driver-guide, maximum 16 guests
- Burford 1 h, Bibury 40 min, Bourton-on-the-Water 1 h 30 min, Stow-on-the-Wold 50 min
- Check in 8:15am at Urban Baristas, 44 Harrington Road; back at the same spot in the early evening
Cotswolds & Stratford-upon-Avon Mini-Coach
Stratford plus the northern villages, from Paddington, max 16
Cotswolds & Broadway Tower Day Trip
- Guide and air-conditioned vehicle, maximum 19 guests
- Bibury 1 h, Bourton-on-the-Water 2 h, Broadway Tower 1 h, Stow-on-the-Wold 1 h
- Broadway Tower entry included
