Small-Group Cotswolds Day Trip with Bourton-on-the-Water

The Cotswolds is officially designated an area of outstanding natural beauty, known for honey-coloured stone villages, rolling hills and a pace of life that hasn't changed much in centuries. This small-group day trip leaves London and covers four of the region's best-known spots in a single day, giving you a broader look at the area than a single-village visit would allow.

The area was once the centre of England's medieval wool trade, and because Victorian railways largely bypassed it, much of that architecture survived intact. Late in the 19th century, the Arts & Crafts Movement and the Pre-Raphaelites rediscovered the Cotswolds, drawing artisans who set up workshops for furniture, jewellery and ceramics — a heritage still visible in the small shops you'll pass through today.

You'll travel between villages in an air-conditioned minibus, with a small group size keeping the experience more personal than a large coach tour. The day moves through Bibury's Trout Farm and Arlington Row, a lunch stop in Bourton-on-the-Water, an included visit to Broadway Tower, and a final stop in the market town of Stow-on-the-Wold, before heading back to London.

Your day starts with pickup in London before heading out into the Cotswolds countryside. The first stop is Bibury, where you'll see the Trout Farm and the historic weavers' cottages of Arlington Row, one of the most photographed rows of houses in England. From there, the group travels to Bourton-on-the-Water for a lunch stop, giving you time to wander along the River Windrush before continuing.

In the afternoon, you'll visit Broadway Tower, an 18th-century folly with views across the surrounding countryside, with entry included in the trip. The final stop is Stow-on-the-Wold, a market town of Cotswold stone buildings and independent shops, before the minibus heads back to London to complete the day.