Small Group Cotswolds Village, Stonehenge and Bath Tour from London

This was an incredibly enjoyable day, with our guide Lucy providing such a wonderful experience. The history and information about our destinations was delivered in an informative story telling manor that made you feel part of what had happened . I have to say we came away feeling richer in knowledge for the day. Our comfort was front of mind for Lucy which just topped the day off. Would absolutely recommend this tour to anyone thinking of going.. FYI Lucy I am going with the aliens 😁. Thank you Linda & Jim

A great experience from start to finish! Our guide, Val, was amazingly knowledgeable on all things British, and she kept the group on time but not rushed. This seemed like an ambitious itinerary, and we definitely didn't dawdle. But we had enough time in each place to do a leisurely walk and experience the area. And Val gave us valuable historical context ahead of each stop. This isn't the tour for someone who wants to really wander in each location, but it was perfect for traveling with a teenager who has a limited attention span! And as the adult, it was amazing to see all of this countryside in just a day trip, as we were in England for a limited time. Logistics of the pick-up and dropoff were easy, and the minibus was very clean. So much nicer and easier than the large motorcoaches. 100% would recommend the English Bus!

Highly recommend this excursion with the English Bus if you have any inclination to see Stonehenge and want to get exposure to Bath and taste of Cotswolds. I took the tube from my hotel to the Victoria Double Tree pick up point. I’m glad I allowed extra time because I couldn’t see the hotel when I came out of the underground and it took me a bit to find it. Use the restroom at the hotel before boarding the van. Nice restroom and you won’t have another stop until you get to Stonehenge. Two tours were meeting at the hotel, but they were friendly and careful to get the people on their chosen excursions. Yes, it’s about 2 hours drive to Stonehenge. Our enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide Cara used some of that time to give us overview history of Stonehenge as well as what to expect for the day. There was time for a nap or to eat your breakfast if you brought it, or to check out the rolling countryside along the highway. The van was comfortable with air conditioning and working usb charging outlets. Cara also had water if we wanted it. When we got to Stonehenge, there was time for a toilet stop before Cara led us to the shuttle bus that takes you to the stones. She gave us our admission wristband and gave us directions and timing for returning. I used the audio guide from Stonehenge that I downloaded before the trip to listen to each of the numbered spots around the circle path and I found it very helpful and informative. I spent more time outside at the stone circle on our beautiful weather day with the audio, than if I’d just read the posted signs. I found the age and history to be fascinating. In fact, I also spoke with the Heritage Foundation people onsite regarding the different ages of stones , and I spent almost our whole allotted time at the stones! No time to walk the 40 min path back; had to do the shuttle. And only had a few minutes to check out the reproductions of the ancient dwellings and run through the gift shop for a taste of mead! There seemed to be lots of fun, artsy and educational souvenirs in the shop, but I hadn’t allowed myself enough time to peruse: had to get to the van!! If you’re late, you would be shorting yourself and the van full on next stops! Bath was about an hour’s drive from Stonehenge. Cara gave us a map and suggestions for things to see and do and eat in Bath. She also led a short tour giving some history on the Abby and Bath houses (natural springs info). We did not enter the places during Cara’s tour; we viewed outside. I tried a Cornish bakery onion and cheese pasty (they were out of the traditional right then; more ready in half hour!), and did a flight of cider at the Stable, then meandered. I enjoyed Bath enough on this brief taste to make me want to come back maybe for a weekend or overnight and do an Abby tour, Roman bath tour and try out a spa here. There were some nice local shops here too like one with all sorts of whimsical tea pots ( think phone booth, Cheshire Cat, even a toilet!), an Edinburgh wool shop, hand blown glass, chocolates, etc. And a hands on Bath museum! Great place! And very walkable. On the way out of town, we briefly stopped for photos at the Royal Crescent. Then on through narrow, seemingly one lane (but it’s TWO way) roads at high speed, but very scenic to get a glimpse of a small Cotswolds town, Castle Combe. This stop is just long enough to walk the main street, soak it in/take pictures, check out old St. Andrew church and cemetery with tombstones potentially as far back as 1200s , have a 1/2 pint at the pub, use the loo, then board the van. This gives you a peek at the Cotswolds. If you’re looking for a day of it, do another day tour. This was just the right exposure on a full day excursion away from London. Again, I highly recommend this English Bus small group tour if you want to see Stonehenge along with some other towns of England. Great guide, great experience!

Incredible tour. Lovely sights and hilarious narration by Jon. He was a fantastic tour guide and I had an amazing time in the English country side, Stonehenge, and the lovely city of Bath. Jon really made the experience all the more memorable with his great sense of humor. Highly recommend!

This was an awesome day of sight seeing. Nolh was an excellent tour guide, very knowledgeable and made the trip fun. Stonehenge, Bath and the Cotswolds are all must see places when visiting London.

Just another 5 star review! We did a day tour to the cotswolds, Stonehenge, and bath. Having the mini-bus was so great because our party of 7 basically filled it feeling like a private tour for a lower cost. The guides were fantastic and they gave us space to relax, answered our million questions, taught us so much about all of the locations we went to, recommended shops/bites, and took family pictures when we asked. They snuck in all kinds of little experiences along the way and with the smaller bus (van) we were able to travel some non-highway areas that cut down on the travel time and increased the adventure! We were there in April so we got to see all of the spring flowers and little lambs as we toured. We really can't say enough good things about the experience.

First rate and cheerful well paced trip in a comfortable and air conditioned van. Nohl was a wonderful and amusing guide offering plenty of historical insights. The Bath portion allows time to visit the Roman baths, have a cream tea, and a brief walk about. Highly recommend for those who don’t want to miss Stonehenge and a brief visit to a Cotswold Village.

I highly recommend this tour, 11/10! John was our guide and driver for the day. We selected the London Eye meeting point with a 8:45am pickup time. Tip-best toilet near by is at the Premier Inn on the Southwest corner of the meeting spot, you will need to ask for a key. John was on time and we were first in the 15 passenger van. The van then headed to the Double Tree meeting spot and picked up the rest of the passengers. It was about a 2 hour drive to Stonehenge. John's lively commentary during the drive was fantastic, and the 'points system' keeps you on your toes! When we arrived at Stonehenge John went to purchase our tickets while we had a few minutes to prepare for the tour while deciding if we would walk the 1.5 miles (full sun, no water on trial) to the site or wait in a long line for the facilities bus to take us from the visitors center to the Stonehenge site. The queue for the bus was the worst part of the day. It took about 15 minutes, full sun, zero seats, and the lady working at Stonehenge let the 'public line' move way faster than the 'tour line' - John even spoke with her to try and get the very time sensitive 'tour line' to move faster and she was very rude to him about it. The facilities bus ride was fine, but they could and should have packed more people on the bus in order to make the line move faster. We arrived to the Stonehenge site and it was not really what I expected. The grass was extremely dry, mostly dusty dirt. There is a rope around the stones with security guards around-you are not allowed to touch the stones except twice per year. On the day we visited, it was the first day the school children were out of school, so there were school children everywhere. My Stonehenge tip is have sunscreen, an umbrella, water, be prepared to stand a lot, walk a lot, and have patience. Also, be sure to allow time to get back on the facilities bus from the stones to the mandatory exit through the visitor center/gift shop. We had plenty of time at Stonehenge, John determined the faculties bus queue line time and based that on our requested time back at the van! Next we headed to Bath. Beautiful drive from Stonehenge to Bath, took about an hour. On the day we were in Bath it was university graduation and the main streets were packed! John navigated the busy roads very well. A Bath bonus was we were provided with a printed map of Bath with the highlights of the city. My family chose to have lunch and cider at The Stable, I highly recommend the cider flight and mac n' cheese. We went on the walking tour with John-also highly recommend and very informative about the Roman baths. Next we headed to Cotswolds. The roads are extremely narrow and there was a lot of tight maneuvering. We went to Castle Combe, absolutely breathtaking! You can walk the entire town in about 5-10 minutes, then see the church with the oldest faceless clock, grab a pint at Castle Inn, and still have plenty of time to sit while enjoying the views. The drive back to London was about 2 hours. John was fantastic, asking everyone where their nearest drop-off to their hotel would be and organizing the easiest drop-off for everyone. For us, this reduced our walking time after a long day of walking in the hot sun, by about 10 minutes! Endless water bottles were provided in the van, fantastic free addition, especially on a hot sunny summer day. The tour van had amazing air con, seats were like airplane seats but with more leg room. Yes, it's a long day, almost exactly 12 hours, but worth it! *No need to pre-purchase your Stonehenge tickets, your guide will purchase them on site, and you will pay via cash/card after you return to the van from Stonehenge. This was our 5th full-day tour of our vacation and I can easily say it was the best due to John's hilarious commentary and his passion for England! I HIGHLY recommend this tour!

Val was amazing. She provided a wealth of information, was very knowledgeable, and had a great sense of humor. She played excellent music as well.

Hands down the best tour I have ever been on and I have travelled a bit. I loved seeing all the sights but what made it the best tour ever was the tour guide, Valerie. She was full of a wealth of fascinating details and told them in such a way that you were drawn into everything she said. I would highly recommend this trip.