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PRIVATE TOUR ITINERARY

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England's Cotswolds offers a delightful mix of period manor houses, beautiful gardens, picturesque honey-colored Cotswold stone villages, village charm and romantic valleys. With your own driver-guide, explore flower-boxed Cotswold villages, the elegant Georgian town of Bath, the sweeping countryside, Shakespeare's Stratford, exuberant English gardens, the spires of Oxford, and Windsor Castle, the largest occupied castle in the world, and the Queen's favorite weekend residence.

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Day 1: Arrive London Heathrow & Bath

Morning arrival at London Heathrow Airport where you will be met on arrival by your chauffeur-guide. Depart for the immaculately preserved village of Lacock, favorite of film producers and settings of Downton Abbey, Harry Potter and Pride and Prejudice. Enjoy lunch at a former coaching inn and explore the picturesque streets, historic cottages, untouched by modern times, including the fine Romanesque Cloisters and Chapter House of Lacock Abbey. Continue your journey to Bath for a two-night stay at the Queensberry Hotel, located in the heart of the Georgian town, a short stroll from the Royal Crescent. The Queensberry Hotel is a proudly independent luxury townhouse hotel.  

 

Day 2: Bath & Castle Combe

This morning, enjoy a private-guided walking tour visiting the splendid Georgian surroundings of the Royal Crescent and Circus and the places that inspired Jane Austen’s famous novels. You’ll enjoy lunch in the elegant interiors of the Pump Room, built between 1789-99—and the setting of Jane Austen’s Persuasion and Northanger Abbey—and tour the incredibly preserved Roman Baths. By late afternoon, take a short excursion into the countryside surrounding Bath to the idyllic village of Castle Combe (filming location of War Horse) where you’ll have time to explore prior to dinner at the Castle Inn, included this evening. 

 

Day 3: Corinium Museum OR Highgrove Royal Gardens

Depart Bath for a visit to either Highgrove Royal Gardens, family residence of King Charles III and the Queen Consort, or the Corinium Museum in Cirencester—depending on opening times. The Corinium museum’s principal collection consists of highly significant finds from the Roman town of Corinium, the town which became Cirencester. At Highgrove Royal Gardens, you will explore the incredible gardens on a guided tour, from the magnificence of the Thyme Walk to the serene, otherworldly setting of the Stumpery. From family life on the estate to tales of how HRH has crafted each garden from scratch, your tour will offer a rare glimpse into the life of the former Prince of Wales, now King. Continue to the pretty village of Stow-on-the-Wold for a four-night stay at Stow Lodge. Stow is an attractive Cotswolds village featuring a mixture of quaint shops, tea rooms, local pubs and restaurants set amongst period house and picturesque honey-colored Cotswold stone cottages. Dinner is included tonight at Stow Lodge.

 

Day 4: Sudeley Castle & Chasleton House

This morning, visit Sudeley Castle, a 15th-century country house where Henry VIII, King Edward VI, Queen Elizabeth 1, amongst others, all have connections. The centerpiece is the Queens Garden, so named because four of England’s queens — Anne Boleyn, Katherine Parr, Lady Jane Grey and Elizabeth I — all admired the hundreds of varieties of roses found here. Continue to Chastleton House, a fine unaltered Jacobean manor house with gardens laid out the same way for 400 years, also setting of the costume drama Wolf Hall. This afternoon, a full afternoon English tea will be waiting for you at a local treasure, an award-winning restaurant with spectacular views across the peaceful Cotswold valleys.   

 

Day 5: Hidcote Manor, Chipping Campden & Sezincote House 

This morning, depart for a scenic tour through a few Cotswold villages. Visit Hidcote Manor & Gardens, the greatest of all gardens, created by the talented American horticulturist, Major Lawrence Johnston. Continue to the pretty honey-colored stone village of Chipping Campden with its covered Jacobean market and a good selection of pubs for lunch. This afternoon, visit Sezincote House, featuring a renaissance-style garden beautifully set in the rolling Cotswold countryside. Return to Stow via the pretty villages of Lower and Upper Slaughter.

 

Day 6:  Bourton House, Bourton-on-the-Water & Snowshill

Depart Stow for Bourton House, an award-winning three-acre garden surrounding a fine 18th-century Manor House. From Bourton, continue to Bourton-on-the Water, one of the most picturesque Cotswold villages famous for its river setting with beautiful low bridges, where you will also have opportunity to visit the Cotswold Motoring Museum. This afternoon, visit Broadway Tower, a 19th-century folly where William Morris once lived featuring beautiful views to the Cotswolds, and from where you may enjoy a country walk to the pretty village of Broadway. 

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Day 6 Stratford-Upon-Avon

Today, depart for nearby Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare, one of the most influential poets and playwrights to ever live.  You’ll visit Shakespeare’s Birthplace, enjoy a private-guided walking tour of sights associated with Shakespeare’s life and time in Stratford, and visit Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, a twelve-roomed farmhouse where Anne Hathaway, the wife of William Shakespeare lived as a child. Return to your accommodation Gourmet dinner is included tonight.

 

Day 7) Oxford & Blenheim Palace

Today, depart for Blenheim Palace and the famous university town of Oxford. In the morning, visit Blenheim Palace, a magnificent estate set on 2,100 acres of beautiful parkland—landscaped by Lancelot “Capability” Brown—and home of the 12th Duke and Duchess of Marlborough as well as birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill. On departure, stop in Bladon, the resting place of Winston Churchill, alongside other members of the Churchill family, at St Martin’s Parish Church, just outside Blenheim Palace grounds. This afternoon, enjoy a private-guided walking tour of Oxford, known as the “City of Dreaming Spires” and home to England’s oldest university. Walk through the impressive campus buildings that are still home to the university’s main ceremonial and educational functions, admiring the impressive architecture. Arrive at the Randolph Hotel in the heart of Oxford for an overnight stay. This grand historic five-star Victorian hotel has long been Oxford’s landmark hotel in the heart of the town.

 

Day 8) London Heathrow Airport

Depart Oxford for London Heathrow Airport for your return flight. If time permits, visit Windsor Castle.  

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