Cotswolds Countryside Day Tour

This is an English-language itinerary operated by Premium Tour. There was no prior notice regarding the meeting procedures, so you need to read the itinerary details carefully. The meeting point is at Victoria Coach Station, Gates 18-20. Once you find the location, go directly to the innermost gates. Check-in and boarding begin promptly at 8:00 AM. No numbers are issued, so if you want to sit near the front, simply wait right at the gate—it is first-come, first-served for seating. Premium Tour uses its own large coach, which is in good condition, and the driver is very skilled. This tour visits three small towns. The first is Burford, which is very pretty, but there is heavy traffic and many tourists, leaving not many scenic spots for photos; you need to walk into the alleys for more quiet. The shops on the main street are just average. The stop is 70 minutes, and you need a 20-pence coin for the public restrooms. The second town is Bibury, a very lovely village with a 90-minute stop. If you have lunch, you will have about 40 minutes left to look around, which is just enough time to see the famous Arlington Row. There are four choices for the main course at lunch (chicken breast, fish and chips, ravioli, and Caesar salad) and two choices for dessert (lemon tart and sticky toffee pudding). The quality is quite good, and coffee or tea is included. Dining time is about 40 minutes. Those who love photography might want to skip lunch to have more time to explore the town. The third town is Stow-on-the-Wold, which is mainly for shopping with an 80-minute stop. There are quite a few shops to browse, but not many landscapes to photograph. You need a 50-pence coin for the public restrooms. Overall, if you are looking to experience a quiet countryside village atmosphere, this falls a bit short because there are many tourists, and aside from Bibury, the other two towns are heavily commercialized. However, the highlight of the tour was the star guide, Eva. She made the entire trip extremely lively and filled the bus with joy, making up for the shortcomings of the itinerary. The timing was managed very well, and we returned to London around 6:30 PM. In summary, Premium Tour is a good local agency, and if you happen to get their star guide, the entire experience will be greatly enhanced.

Nice chill trip to visit stone cottages in Cotswold. Also a chance for cream tea and buying local produce, quite the British experience. Guide Eva was super charismatic which made the trip so much better.

the places were magical! it’s as if you’re in a storybook! lunch was very good too. I just didn't quite like the guide, he's funny, though most of the time I couldn't understand what he was saying because he speaks very fast and sometimes all I hear were gibberish. It would be really nice to understand more about the place. Still all good.

Guide Ava and driver Ricky has been wonderful in providing an enjoyable experience. Tour has only about 20 odd persons so has lots of space in bus for everyone to stretch. The lunch at Swan Hotel wasnt very good (the chicken is too dry so choose other options if you can and the dessert apple crumble end up to be raspberry crumble which was too sour).

Great break from london. It was refreshing to see the country side thru the charming Cotswolds. James (tour guide) and Henry (driver) are the best duo fot this trip. the journey time is just to explore the whole itenerary. The tour is comfortable to explore the area. Highly recomended.

it was a wonderful journey. Tom our guide made it fun with his knowledge of history of cotswolds but also with his fun style of delivery. the place itself is very beautiful and should not be missed

The three scenic spots arranged by the travel agency are exquisite in scale, and you can just stay for one or two hours to finish them. Burford basically only has one street, and Stow-on-the-Wold is mainly for browsing shops. Only Bibury is purely for enjoying the scenery, and there are many places along the way. The rural scenery is so relaxing. The tour guide and driver team are Eva and Keith. The introduction is humorous and they take good care of the tourists. On the return trip, it was impossible to get off at the original station due to road conditions. The tour guide personally confirmed with each tourist where they were going, told them how to transfer, and provided three A drop-off location, very considerate.

The three Cotswolds towns each have their own characteristics. Unfortunately, I came in winter and could not see the green grass in the photo. Also, most shops are closed on Sundays, so it’s better not to go there on Sundays if possible.

The tour guide was very enthusiastic about explaining the history of each place. We especially loved the beauty of Bourton-on-the-Water, and the steak pie for lunch was delicious, making it a pleasant trip for us.

beautiful awesome little town with loads of cultural history that one can have… enjoyed e little town walks and e great companion of the awesome tour guide Nicholas and skillful driver slyver !!! great trip!