Shared Group Downton Abbey and Highclere Castle Tour from London
Description
Visit Highclere Castle, the Cotswolds village of Bampton and other sites on a full-day 'Downton Abbey' tour from London! After traveling to Oxfordshire with an expert guide, knowledgeable about the hit British TV series, visit Cogges Manor Farm (entry included) and then on to Bampton — the real Downton village. See Bampton Library (entry included), the church and the popular Grantham Arms pub, and then pass the afternoon at Highclere Castle, the Grantham family home. Tour the state rooms and gardens and learn all about the real-life Carnarvon family who own the estate. Numbers are limited to 18 on this small-group tour, ensuring personalized attention from a guide.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Leave London’s Marble Arch by air-conditioned minivan, and travel west to the rolling limestone hills of Oxfordshire. On the journey, your guide will keep you entertained with tales and trivia about the Downton Abbey TV series that has a fan base spread all over the world. Filmed mostly in and around Oxfordshire, the British period drama of Downton Abbey documents the dramas and scandals of the fictional Crawley family and their servants in the days leading up to and after the First World War. Hear insider gossip about characters such as Lady Mary, and discover little-known facts about the shooting locations included on your tour. Stop at a farm nestled in the hills near Cogges and enjoy a hot drink (own expense) in the farm’s rustic cafe before discovering a few of the farm’s filming locations.
Photo stop
Continue to Bampton in the Cotswolds, a quintessentially English village that was used extensively as Downton village throughout the entire series. On a walking tour, enter Bampton Library — which doubles as Downton Cottage Hospital, see the village church — the site of Lady Mary’s wedding to Matthew Crawley — and the house that was once used as the Crawley family home. Stroll along the main street, seeing shops used for filming as well as sights such as the fictional Grantham Arms pub.
Continue to Highclere Castle, Downton Abbey itself, to explore with your guide. Explore the lavish estate that surrounds the castle and hear all about Highclere Castle’s role as the Grantham family home. Enjoy lunch or a snack in the onsite tea rooms that serve food from the castle’s kitchens, then step inside Highclere Castle to explore its stately rooms. See the dining, music and smoking rooms that Lady Sybil graced with her presence and learn about the real-life family who have owned Highclere Castle since the late 17th century: the Carnarvons. In the basement is the special Egyptology exhibition, thanks to the 5th Earl of Carnarvon’s excavations in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt. Take in further areas of the famous filming site; the Red Stairs, saloon, gallery and bedrooms, before returning to your minivan. After departing Highclere Castle, we will quickly visit Burghclere to see Portal Hall, the location for Downton Village School, before the relaxing journey back to London.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Please note: Once the booking is submitted all sales are final, non-changeable, non-transferable and incur 100% cancellation penalties
- British weather can be variable and so guests are advised to check the weather forecast and dress appropriately. It is recommended to bring some warm clothes with you especially in the winter months and layers are good for adapting to the ever-changing weather conditions. It is a good idea to wear appropriate footwear as there is walking involved on our tours. England is known for its rain so it is advisable to bring a waterproof jacket or umbrella with you.
- Large bags and backpacks are not permitted in the Castle grounds. A small storage area is available at the Visitors Reception. Picnics are not permitted within the gardens.
- Photography and videography is not permitted inside the Castle but can be used on the Castle grounds and lawns for personal use only.
- Pushchairs are not permitted inside of the Castle but can be used around the Castle grounds and lawns.
- Highclere Castle Special Event: 'Living with a Film Crew', 8th to 14th May 2026. Your ticket includes talks on Highclere and other film locations, a guided tour of the Castle State Rooms, Galleried Bedrooms, Egyptian Exhibition and a signed copy of Lady Carnarvon’s book ‘A Year at Highclere’.
- Highclere Castle Special Event: 'Teas, Tours and Timeless Tales', every Tuesday June 2026. This special event date will include a Guided Tour of the Castle, time in the Egyptian Exhibition, Grounds and Gardens, complimentary refreshments and a signed copy of Lady Carnarvons book "Seasons at Highclere". Also included are admissions to Cogges Manor Farm, (Yew Tree Farm) and Bampton Library, (Downton Cottage Hospital).
- Highclere Castle Special Event: 'Magic of the Movies', Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th September 2026. This event date will include entrance to Castle, Gardens & the Egyptian Exhibition. Also includes optional highlights such as Costume Exhibition, Jazz Band, Dancing with Brooks & Baker, Vintage Car Exhibition, The chance to take part in Highclere's “Magic of the Movies” film clip and much more.
Reviews(293)
Amber was the best tour guide! She brought Downton Abbey to life with her stories! We enjoyed the day and recommend it!
Small group, very comfortable bus, and a very involved guide, attentive to our questions. Unfortunately, we could not benefit from all the explanations he gave because we do not speak English fluently. But we still managed to ask a few questions and understood the answers. We really appreciated the visit to Highclere Castle, where we recognized places seen in the series. A very beautiful castle with a huge park.
Great variety of stops for the true Downton Abbey fan. We enjoyed Nick and Tobey and would recommend the tour.
This excursion was our last out of a three week vacation. We saved it for last because we were most excited about Highclere. Jinni was good… She was knowledgeable enough. There was more than one time, however, throughout the day where we felt as though she was not as enthusiastic about the “adventure” as we’d hoped a guide would be. There were long lapses of silence on our lengthy drive to/from Highclere. By the time we got to Highclere, there was allotted time to explore the exterior and interior of the castle, unfortunately just not enough time to amply tour the other exhibit below the castle. Furthermore, it was not made clear to the group that Jinni would not be joining up with us either just before we entered the castle for the interior tour, nor awaiting us upon exiting the exhibit below. As it was, the restrooms were suggested (by Jinni as we arrived to Highclere to park) to be made a priority before our departure from the Highclere grounds, yet there was not adequate time to explore the special exhibit below the castle AND also wait in the lengthy line for the restroom upon exiting. Had Jinni joined us on our interior tour, perhaps some adjustment in time of departure may have been considered. It was asserted by Jinni that her stated departure time was critical. Needless to say, Jinni’s lack of presence on the castle grounds at Highclere made for a long and uncomfortable ride back to London… In addition, there was a special event/presentation for us all at Highclere, which we were made aware of prior to our booking. It might have afforded Jinni’s clients the extra time needed to use the restroom (or spend more time in the exhibit below the castle) had Jinni took it upon herself to collect our copies of the book written by the Countess of Carnarvon (which was a parting gift from the Countess) and then Jinni tasked to distribute them upon our return to the bus before departure. As it was, we each had to allow for time to head to the gift shop to collect our own book after the castle tour. Just a helpful suggestion.
Jinni, our tour guide, was fantastic. She explained everything that we were going to see beforehand and was very knowledgeable about the places we were visiting. The tour to Highclere Castle (Downton Abbey) was a dream come true. I still can’t believe I was there. It is a beautiful home and the grounds are amazing. This tour is definitely worth it.
Everything about the castle tour and Downton experience was top notch. The guide, however, was not really into it. Thankfully we were only with her for the transportation and not the on-site tour. There was a lot of opportunity for her to give insight into the landscape and tour itself the trip but she did not seem like she wanted to be there.
It was a long day… but a rewarding and fun day for all Downton Abbey fans. To actually see the great hall, staircase, the library and so much more. We got a special treat, Lady Carnavon made a presentation about how it was to film in her home and received a signed copy her latest book,A Year at Highclere. Jenny, our tour guide was fun to spend the day with. She was very knowledgeable and entertaining! And Prince, our driver was superb with his driving skills on very narrow roads. Highclere was the hi-light of the your but it also included a stop at Coggs Farm, Brampton and Red brick church/schoolhouse. Our smaller tour bus can make stops where the big buses can’t. Highly recommend for those Downton fans!!m Photography not allowed in the castle ;(
This is an excellent tour. It stopped at many filming locations/points of interest of Downton Abbey. Our guide, Ginny, was excellent - knowledgeable, charming, funny. Our driver, Prince, was excellent also - safe and good driving in heavy traffic. The tour was outstanding - the owner of Highclere Castle spoke to us about the castle and also filming the program, our guide was great and we got a free book autographed by Lady Carnarvon. Interesting and the day passed by quickly even for someone who doesn’t watch Downton Abbey.
Overall, fantastic tour with exceptional guide Toby and a professional driver, another Toby. The farm and Bampton visits seemed like fillers, but Highclere carried the day. Very happy to have taken this tour. Overall, it took 11 hours, but even if you only mildly liked Downton Abbey, you will enjoy this tour
Guide Toby and driver Prince were great. Loved seeing the places that I’ve seen on tv in the series. Castle was beautiful and loved learning the history.
