6 Best Day Trips to the Cotswolds from London

The Cotswolds are one of England's most picturesque destinations and a perfect getaway from London. This region, designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, is dotted with traditional villages, honey-coloured stone houses and rolling hills that look like something out of a fairy tale. Whether you're looking for a day trip or a combined visit with other nearby cities, here are the best ways to explore the Cotswolds from the capital.

The best way to ensure that a trip to a new destination is a real success is to enlist the help of a guide who specialises in the history and geography of the place. And that's exactly what you'll get if you book a trip to the Cotswolds.

For around 10 hours, you'll travel in comfort on an air-conditioned bus with Wi-Fi and a professional guide, visiting some of the region's most iconic villages: Burford, Bibury and Bourton-on-the-Water, all known for their stone houses, bucolic landscapes and streets steeped in history.

It's an ideal way to discover the English countryside if you don't have much time in London and don't want to worry about logistics.

Useful information

• Duration: Approximately 10 hours
• Price: From £130
• Advantages: an excellent alternative for those interested in getting to know the Cotswolds quickly and without missing a thing.

If you want to combine nature and British history, this excursion to the Cotswolds with a visit to Blenheim Palace is an excellent option. You'll depart from London in an air-conditioned coach with a professional guide and head to the charming stone villages in the heart of England.

The itinerary includes a stop in Bampton, the village that served as the main setting for the TV series Downton Abbey, and the option to add a visit to Blenheim Palace, a World Heritage Site and the birthplace of Winston Churchill. Free time is also included in Bourton-on-the-Water, one of the prettiest villages in the region.

Useful information

• Duration: Approximately 10 hours
• Price: From £84
• Advantages: combines history, television and architecture in a very comprehensive excursion.

And if you want to discover another of the most impressive places in the United Kingdom, you can book an excursion to the Cotswolds and Oxford from London and learn all the secrets and history of the prestigious University of Oxford from an expert guide, as well as admire the stone architecture of the beautiful towns of Burford and Bibury.

You will travel in a minibus for small groups, allowing for a more relaxed pace and more personalised attention. Throughout the day, you will discover two of the most iconic destinations in southern England: the country's most famous university city and two of the most charming villages in the Cotswolds.

Useful information

• Duration: Approximately 10 hours
• Price: From £101
• Advantages: you will get to know Oxford and the Cotswolds in detail.

An ideal way to see some of England's most iconic sights in a single day is with this tour from London to Stonehenge, Bath, the Cotswolds and Stratford-upon-Avon. Accompanied by an expert guide and travelling in an air-conditioned coach, you will discover some of the country's most historic and beautiful spots.

The itinerary includes a visit to Stonehenge, with admission included, a panoramic tour of the elegant city of Bath, a scenic route through the rural landscapes of the Cotswolds and a stop in Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of Shakespeare. A complete excursion for those who want to see everything without any hassle.

Useful information

• Duration: Approximately -12 hours
• Price: From £116
• Advantages: combines history, architecture and rural landscapes in a single day.

If you are looking for a more personalised experience, this private tour to Downton Abbey and the Cotswolds is an exclusive option to discover the English countryside and relive the world of the famous series. You will travel from London with pick-up from your hotel and accompanied by an expert guide who will offer you completely dedicated attention.

The tour includes a visit to Cogges Farm, a key location in the series, and time to explore some of the most beautiful villages in the Cotswolds. You can enjoy the peaceful pace of the area, sample the local cuisine and stroll among stone houses and traditional gardens.

Useful information

• Duration: Approximately 9 hours
• Price: From £486
• Advantages: private tour with expert guide and admission to Cogges Farm included.

These types of transfers do not include a private guide as in the previous option, but they are similar in that they depart from an accessible point in central London, usually from Victoria Station. From here, the journey begins, taking you to different villages in the region, including Burford with its medieval aesthetic and Bibury with the historic St Mary's Church.

Other small communities such as Bourton-on-the-Water and Stow-in-the-Wold may be included in the itinerary, but it all depends on the excursion you choose. Some of these services include main meals, such as breakfast and lunch, while others may offer you a typical English afternoon tea at some of the final stops on the route.

Useful information

Prices: the most common price is around £150 per adult.

• Duration: 10 and a half hours.
• Advantages: with a tour like this, you can get a more complete picture of the towns that make up the Cotswolds region, but bear in mind that the bus is not as luxurious as the best tourist buses in London.

How to get to the Cotswolds by train

Excellent public transport links are one of the great strengths of the United Kingdom, and trains are the most convenient way to travel. For this reason, taking a train from the city centre to visit some of the most picturesque villages in the Cotswolds is the next option on this list.

There are several routes you can take, but the most direct and convenient is the Great Western Railway. This route will take you from Paddington Station, located in an area full of London's best museums, to the small railway station at Moreton-in-Marsh.

How to get to the Cotswolds by car

If you're comfortable driving on the right side of the road, you can rent a car and take the national motorways to Moreton-in-Marsh or the neighbouring community of Stow-on-the-Wold.

The M4 and M5 motorways will take you to the most important towns in the Cotswolds. I therefore recommend choosing a car rental agency close to these roads, as leaving central London in traffic can delay your entire sightseeing plans.

How to get to the Cotswolds by bus

The last option available to you is to use the UK's public bus system to reach other parts of the Cotswolds at a low cost. These buses also depart from Victoria Coach Station and, depending on your destination, the journey can be much longer or just as short as the other options.

For example, the route to Moreton-in-Marsh takes between an hour and a half, while the route to Gloucester or Cheltenham can take up to three and a half hours.

Here are some tips for your visit to the Cotswolds:

• Consider your own needs: travelling alone or as a couple is not the same as going on a family trip with more than 10 people.
• Accommodation: The Cotswolds is a fairly large geographical area that can offer much cheaper entertainment than other rural areas on the outskirts of London. There are hundreds of small hotels that will allow you to extend your visit if you feel like it, which is an interesting option if your trip to London is long enough and you have opted for one of the public transport alternatives.
• Rainfall: As in the rest of the country, there is a relatively high rainfall rate, so I recommend that you bring waterproof coats, even if you are visiting the area on a summer day.
• Sunscreen is a must: The Cotswolds itinerary runs through rural and natural areas, always outdoors, and it is advisable to protect yourself on both sunny and cloudy days.