Cotswolds in a Day Tour from Moreton-in-Marsh / Stratford-on-Avon
Description
Experience the best of the northern Cotswolds with a fun, friendly local guide in a small group of up to 16 people. We'll explore picture-postcard Cotswold towns and villages including Chipping Campden, Stow-on-the-Wold, Bibury and Bourton-on-the-Water. There's also the stunning Dover's Hill viewpoint, scenic back roads, and our "secret" off-the-beaten-track village, which many customers agree is a highlight of the tour! Tours depart from Shakespeare's Stratford-upon-Avon, or from Moreton-in-Marsh in the Cotswolds, so make an ideal day trip for visitors staying in these towns. It's also very easy to take a day trip by train from London Paddington, Oxford or Worcester (to Moreton-in-Marsh), or from Birmingham (to Stratford-upon-Avon). If you're travelling from London or Oxford, we think it's best to take the train to the Cotswolds and meet a tour here - you'll skip all the traffic, take a charming, scenic train ride, and get to spend even longer in the beautiful Cotswolds!
Tour Options
Itinerary
On this tour you'll explore the Cotswolds
Passengers joining the tour at Stratford-upon-Avon will be collected from Shakespeare's Birthplace Coach Terminal at 08.50. Then, we travel to the Cotswold town of Moreton-in-Marsh, where we collect our final guests from Moreton-in-Marsh rail station at 9.30am. From Moreton-in-Marsh, it's a 15 minute drive to our first official stop. We'll provide an introduction to the tour en route.
It's just a short drive to our first stop, the viewpoint at Dover's Hill and long the way your driver-guide will begin their entertaining commentary telling you the story of the Cotswolds. At the viewpoint you'll enjoy stunning views and learn about some of the Cotswolds' more quirky traditions! *In poor weather, we may omit the stop at Dover's Hill. It's beautiful in lovely weather, but can get very muddy when it's wet!
Chipping Campden is a charming and typically Cotswolds market town, full of history and heritage but also home to great independent shopping and superb coffee and cake! Using the maps we provide, you'll have around an hour here to explore and discover Chipping Campden for yourself.
Using the narrow backlanes, we visit our "secret" Cotswolds village for around 20 minutes. This is an off-the-beaten-track location that many of our customers agree is the most beautiful village on the tour!
The highest town in the Cotswolds, Stow-on-the-Wold is a bustling, historic market town with plenty of good shopping, and a variety of excellent places to eat lunch (lunch not included). We stop here for around 1 hour and 15 minutes, and with the maps we provide, you can explore Stow's highlights at your leisure.
Using the narrow back lanes it's approximately a 30-40 minute drive from Stow-on-the-Wold to Bibury. Bibury is a small but perfectly formed Cotswolds village, once described by William Morris as "the prettiest in England". Join us on a tour to see if you agree!
After Bibury, it's a stunning 30 minute drive to Bourton-on-the-Water, our last stop before returning our customers back to where they started. Described as the "Venice of the Cotswolds", Bourton-on-the-Water is a picture-postcard village with Cotswolds stone bridges crossing the River Windrush that runs right through the centre of the village. It's very popular with visitors, especially on a warm day when paddling in the river is the past-time of choice, but a tour of the Cotswolds wouldn't be complete without a stop here.
For passengers who joined us at Moreton-in-Marsh, we return here to drop you off at approximately 5pm. If you are travelling from Moreton-in-Marsh by train, we always recommend that you purchase a flexible ticket that allows you to take any return train, and/or plan to depart after 17.00. We'll then head back to Stratford-upon-Avon to drop off our final guests at approximately 5.30pm. If you would like to start the tour at one pick up point and be dropped off at another, no problem! Just let us know when you request to book. We hope you had a wonderful day!
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- There are two pick-up points for this tour: Shakespeare's Birthplace Coach Terminal, Stratford-upon-Avon – Departure at 08:50; Moreton-in-Marsh Rail Station – Departure at 09:30. Please note your ticket may display the tour start time as 08:50, regardless of your chosen pick-up location. However, if you selected Moreton-in-Marsh, your actual departure time is 09:30. Kindly arrive at least 5 minutes before your scheduled departure.
- Look out for our friendly guide in Go Cotswolds uniform, driving a large white minibus with green and purple Go Cotswolds branding—you won’t miss us!
- Double-check your selected pick-up point. Occasionally, we don’t stop at both, so arriving at the wrong location could result in being left behind. To change your pick-up point, please log in to your account to update your booking. Need help choosing the best option? Contact us!
- If you are arriving in Moreton-in-Marsh by train, the train arriving at approximately 09:17–09:20 is ideal. It’s a small station, and it’s just a 1–2 minute walk to the car park where your guide will meet you.
- If you are arriving in Stratford-upon-Avon by train, note that our pick-up point is a 5–10 minute walk from the station. Please note that on Sundays, there are no trains arriving before the tour departs.
- Uber and similar services are not widely available in the Cotswolds, and local taxis can be difficult to book last minute. We strongly recommend booking taxis in advance or using public transport where possible.
- If you're not at your pick-up point on time (08:50 in Stratford-upon-Avon, 09:30 in Moreton-in-Marsh) and we can't contact you, the tour will depart without you. Make sure we have your correct mobile number with international dial code before your tour.
- After the tour, please plan any onward travel as follows: from Moreton-in-Marsh: After 17:00; from Stratford-upon-Avon: After 17:30
- We have plenty of secure luggage space on board our vehicles, though please note our guides may not be able to assist with very heavy luggage
- Children aged 3–15 must be accompanied by an adult at all times. Sorry, no children under 3.
- Tours run in all but dangerous weather—please dress appropriately!
Reviews(1,349)
Every stop was wonderful. Thoroughly enjoyed our day. Highly recommend for a one-day visit to the Cotswolds.
I Did the Tour with Peter on 15th of August and was not Disappointed. Peter did an Outstanding job in Highlighting the History and showing our group some of the towns that make up the Cotswold. With this being my first time in the area it was great to explore some of the highlights of these communities and places that make up this wonderful part of the United Kingdom, and there goal to support Sustainable Tourism in and around the Area. For those looking for a small group tour with an outstanding day out in the Cotswolds, look no further than Go Cotswolds Tours. Peter Thank You for an Enjoyable Experience. I look forward to using this operator in the Future
What a day with Mr. Mark (Cotswolds) This was our third visit to Cotswold Villages and this time with a bit different route as we joined tour from Stratford Upon Avon. We travelled from Birmingham along with our daughter, son in law and their two energetic daughters. Mr. Mark (Go Cotswolds) picked us from station with surprise as he addressed everyone of us by name (good gesture). The tour was very well organised and conducted with extremely professional manner. Mr. Mark was very informative throughout the tour. All other participants were nice and lovely. The little coach was very comfortable and the best part was phone charging facilities. I must say, this is the best guided tour we experienced so far. Our grand daughters were very happy when Mr. Mark called them by their names and asked questions, appreciable. Punctuality always play key role in such tours and for this "Thanks Go Cotswold" Thanks Mr. Mark for all the information.
Wonderful experience visiting several towns and villages in the Cotswolds area. Elaine was a terrific guide who made our day go smoothly, entertained and informed - as a former journalist, she was perfect for this job! The price was fair, the day was full and the service amazing. So thankful we booked with Go Cotswolds tours.
I thoroughly enjoyed and would recommend this tour. It was very comfortable and informative. I just wished we could have stayed longer at each stop! We had time to enjoy a Sunday roast at the Queen’s Head in Stow on the Wold, shopping, extra sights from the bus, and lots of insights and stories from Steve, our guide. Nice, small group, comfortable bus.
Very engaging and a good way to see a good deal of the Cotswolds at once. Bus got extremely hot though, and there were some issues with the overhead speakers that made it hard to understand our guide from time to time.
Thank you for your honest feedback Erin. We’re so pleased to hear you found the tour engaging and enjoyed the opportunity to see so much of the Cotswolds in one day. We’re sorry to hear that the heat on the bus made things uncomfortable and that there were some issues with the overhead speakers. Yesterday was the hottest day of the year so far, which certainly made for challenging conditions, and we handed out bottled water to help keep everyone hydrated. We completely understand, though, that the heat made the journey less comfortable than usual. We’re also sorry that the speaker issues made it difficult to hear your guide at times. We’ll certainly take your feedback on board and look into this. Thank you again for taking the time to share your experience. We hope to welcome you back to the Cotswolds on a cooler day!
The tour was fantastic. I did not have a car so this tour allowed me to see a nice bit of the Cotswolds. We stopped in beautiful villages and we had plenty of time to casually walk around and grab a bite to eat or a coffee. The tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and wonderfully accommodating. I highly recommend this tour.
What made the tour was our fabulous guide Martin. He tremendous knowledge of the history, architecture, and towns was enlightening, and his humor, warmth and passion added to the overall experience. Highly recommend this tour with Marin.
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We’re delighted to hear that Martin made such a lasting impression on your tour. His knowledge of the Cotswolds’ history, architecture and towns, combined with his warmth and sense of humour, really does make for a memorable experience. We’ll be sure to pass your kind words on to Martin — he’ll be thrilled to hear them. Thank you for the recommendation, and we hope to welcome you back to the Cotswolds again soon!
I met this tour company when I was thinking of starting in Mortoninmarsh and touring the Cotswolds. At first I was nervous because I didn't speak English well, but Mark, the guide driver, was very kind and knew the history of the Cotswolds, so I enjoyed a day of exploring. I would like to try other tours next. Thank you very much.
素敵なレビューをいただき、本当にありがとうございます！We’re delighted to hear that you had such an enjoyable day exploring the Cotswolds with us. It’s especially wonderful to know that Mark made you feel comfortable and included throughout the tour, and that his knowledge and kindness helped you relax and enjoy the experience. We’ll be sure to pass your kind words on to Mark. We’d love to welcome you back on another Go Cotswolds tour in the future — there’s always more to discover!
Our guide, Jason, was absolutely wonderful! He is a local and has an excellent knowledge of the area. He shared so much interesting and useful information throughout the trip, which made the experience even more enjoyable. The tour was extremely well organized and professionally planned. We had just the right amount of time in each village, so we never felt rushed. The bus was comfortable, the other participants were lovely, and I especially appreciated having phone charging ports on the bus, as well as the air conditioning — these little details made a big difference. Honestly, this was the best guided tour I’ve ever taken. I’ve been on quite a few tours before, but this one was definitely the best! Thank you so much, Jonathan, for everything and for making the day so special and giving us such beautiful, unforgettable memories. I would absolutely recommend this tour to anyone, and I would definitely come back and do it again with my daughter. Thank you for an amazing experience! ❤️ Prof.Reem from Saudi Arabia
Thank you so much, Prof. Reem, for such an incredibly kind and detailed review! We’re absolutely thrilled to hear that your day exploring the Cotswolds was the best guided tour you’ve experienced — what a wonderful compliment! It’s fantastic to hear that Jason’s local knowledge, interesting stories, and friendly approach helped make the day so special. We’ll be sure to pass your lovely comments on to him. We’re also delighted that you enjoyed the carefully planned itinerary and found the time in each village just right, with plenty of opportunity to explore without feeling rushed. We love that you noticed the little details too! Comfortable transport, air conditioning, and phone charging ports might seem like small things, but when you’re spending a full day exploring the Cotswolds, they can make a big difference to the overall experience. Most of all, we’re so pleased that you’ve taken home beautiful and unforgettable memories from your time with us. We would absolutely love to welcome you back one day — and it would be wonderful to have you and your daughter join us for another Cotswolds adventure! Thank you again for choosing Go Cotswolds and for your heartfelt recommendation. It was a pleasure having you with us, Prof. Reem!
