Perhaps you’re planning a trip to London and want to see some of the surrounding areas? Or maybe you want to see more of the UK and finding UK day tours from London are a great way to do that.
In this guide, we’re looking at the top 1 day tours from London, provided by Get Your Guide.
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Why Get Your Guide?
Get Your Guide’s ethos and target market is the inquisitive and active traveller, not the typical tourist.
They aim to collate and provide experiences for the travellers who want to go beneath the surface and maximise their discoveries and experiences in a location or destination.
Get Your Guide collates tour experiences from the best local tour providers for you to choose from, so you’re guaranteed a knowledgeable and informative guide whose experience is really valuable to making the tour the best it can be.
The Pros and Cons of organised tours
Not everyone enjoys and is enthusiastic about the idea of organised tours, some people love them, some people hate them, so here are a few pros and cons of organised tours to consider before booking your trip.
Pros:
- Everything is organised for you, you pay one fee and it takes the stress out of having to organise and coordinate travel, transport timing, tickets and admissions yourself
- Your itinerary is fully planned for you
- You don’t need to worry about negotiating public transport
- You don’t need to worry about managing your own timings
- Language is not an issue, tours provide you with guides in your native language
- You get the benefit of a local tour guide to enhance your learning about the tour, which you wouldn’t have on self-guided
- Stress-free and worry-free travel
- Hand-picked experiences
- Cheaper as part of a tour (group rates) than paying individually
Cons:
- A tour itinerary can feel restrictive if you’re used to being a ‘go with the flow’ traveller
- Day tours are often very fast-paced which can feel rushed
- You can’t choose how long to spend at each location if you’re on a multi-stop tour so you may feel you want to stay in a location longer but can’t
- You’re with the same group of people for the whole day
- Can be limited on time to eat/find refreshment and usually have to eat on the coach/on the go
- Cancellations are possible if group size isn’t big enough
- You’re at the mercy of traffic, weather or closures at attractions or sites which may mean you miss out or have to skip locations on the tour
The top 10 Best UK day tours from London
Here are the top 10 one day tours from London to get you the most value for money and to maximise your time and experiences on a day trip.
Windsor Castle, Bath and Stonehenge – from £79 pp
This Windsor Castle, Bath and Stonehenge tour is one of the best day tours from London and really packs a punch for the number of things you get to do in one day!
We enjoyed this tour because you can pick how much you want to spend and which attractions you actually pay entry for. Here’s the price breakdown:
Day tour from London with Stonehenge entry only – £79
Day tour from London with Stonehenge entry and Windsor Castle entry – £99
Day tour from London with Stonehenge, Windsor Castle and Roman Baths entry – £120
As you can see, you have the choice to build the itinerary you want and it’s very good value for a full 8 hour day tour and other people agree too, the tour has a 4.4 out of 5 star rating from hundreds of reviews.
The tour itself is run by Golden Tours who are absolutely fantastic, very professional and the guide is extremely informative and engaging and really made the experience even better.
Pre-arranged tickets also mean you skip the queues at the attractions.
This is a very fast-paced tour to fit in all the attractions, so bear in mind you have around 1.5 hours in Windsor and Bath and about 1 hour at Stonehenge to allow for the driving time in between and the 2 hour drive back from Bath to London at the end of the day.
If you’re someone who likes to maximise your travellers and see as much as possible, this is for you. If you prefer to leisurely explore an attraction at your own pace, this may not be the tour for you. You might prefer a half-day Windsor Castle tour or a half-day Stonehenge tour.
Book the Windsor Castle, Bath and Stonehenge tour here.
Harry Potter Warner Brothers Studio Tour with London transfers – from £89 pp
If you’re looking for the best day tours from London and you’re a Harry Potter fan, then look no further than this epic Warner Brothers Studio tour. And you don’t need to take our word for how good it is, with over 16,000 reviews on Get Your Guide and a 4.7 stars out of 5 rating, you know it’s a good one!
Choose from the tour provider – Golden Tours or Evans Evans – both are the same price.
The transfer time is two hours from London to the studio and then you have 4 magical hours to experience the studio tour and see behind the scenes of the famous wizarding world.
This is a great option if you’ve always wanted to visit the studios and you’re on a tight itinerary visiting London, or if you’re based in and around London but don’t have a vehicle, this tour makes it easy for you to see the iconic Harry Potter studio set.
Book the Harry Potter Warner Brothers Studio Tour here.
Full day tour of the Cotswolds from London – from £75 pp
Ahh the Cotswolds! One of the most picturesque and quintessentially English areas of the UK, so it’s no surprise that this full day Cotswolds tour is one of the most popular UK day tours from London.
On this tour you visit four of the most popular and charming Cotswolds villages:
- Bourton-on-the-Water
- Stow-on-the-Wold
- Bibury
- Burford
Bourton-on-the-Water is known as the Venice of the Cotswolds thanks to the network of streams and low bridges throughout the village. At Stow-on-the-Wold, don’t miss the tree-flanked door of the church said to have inspired J R R Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings.
Bibury is home to one of the most famous streets in England – Arlington Row which is depicted on the inside cover of all UK passports.
If you’ve never visited the Cotswolds before, this is absolutely the tour for you, with a tour guide who’s very informative and knowledgeable about the area and its history. Perfect if you’re short on time or just in London for a few days, this is an ideal day trip to experience the quintessential English countryside. The tour size is limited to 16 people so it’s also a nice smaller group size than a full coach load!
However if you want to explore more of the Cotswolds, some of the lesser-known and lesser-visited villages or have a more authentic, slower exploration of this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, then this fast-paced tour might not be for you.
Book the full day Cotswolds tour here.
Oxford, Stratford and Cotswolds full-day tour – from £60 pp
This Oxford, Stratford and Cotswolds tour is a tour for history lovers as you visit Shakespeare’s birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon for a two hour slot to explore this historic city, the Swan Theatre, Tudor buildings and the famous literary history. Followed by a drive through the Cotswolds, you’ll then get to explore the famous University city of Oxford and enjoy dinner there.
At just £60, this is a real bargain day tour from London and you get to see some of the most well-known and famous UK destinations. With almost 800 reviews and 4.4 stars out of 5 – it’s clearly a popular tour!
The only downside is that this is a 10 hour day tour – so it’s a very long day and involves lots of your own self-guided time while you’re in Stratford and Oxford (there’s no admission tickets included which is why the price is so cheap), so be prepared for a long day with lots of walking.
Also the title of the tour is perhaps slightly misleading as you only drive through the Cotswolds, there is no opportunity to stop. If you want to spend some time in the Cotswolds, another tour on this list might be better for you.
Book the Oxford, Stratford and Cotswolds tour here.
Harry Potter Studios and Oxford day trip from London – from £119 pp
Calling all Harry Potter fans!
If you’re a big fan of hunting out movie and film locations then this tour is for you!
Start the day at Oxford University and see many of the famous filming locations in the university, followed by a guided walking tour from a local expert!
Then head back towards London and experience the world-famous Harry Potter Warner Brothers Studio tour.
This tour is slightly more expensive because both the Warner Brothers Studio tickets and the guided tour in Oxford are both covered in the price. But the value is great for Harry Potter enthusiasts and the reviews agree!
Book the Harry Potter Studios and Oxford tour here.
Seven Sisters and South Downs day tour from London – from £89 pp
This Seven Sisters and South Downs tour has to make this list because it features the newest designated National Park in the UK – South Downs.
Because it’s relatively new, that’s always where there’s less reviews (only 210 reviews) on Get Your Guide, however, with 4.9 stars out of 5 – it’s a very well-reviewed tour!
This tour is a bit more unique as the coach doesn’t actually depart from London. Instead, the price of this tour includes round trip train tickets from London to Brighton, where you will be collected by your local tour guide with a minibus. Train tickets included for £89 is very good value if you know how expensive train travel is in the UK!
You’ll take in two viewpoints including Devil’s Dyke and visit the farm shop at Middle Farm. You’ll also visit the Seven Sisters Country Park and walk to the famous Beachy Head.
This is a long day trip but really great value and an easy way to get to see the south coast, which can often be challenging otherwise if you don’t have your own vehicle.
However there is a fairly long walk (about 30-40 minutes walking) along country paths at Seaford Head, so if you’re less able or have mobility issues, that’s something to consider. We’d also advise good shoes for walking.
Book the Seven SIsters and South Downs tour here.
Windsor, Oxford and Stonehenge day tour – from £65 pp
This tour is very similar to the first tour on this list but it swaps out Bath for Oxford. This also makes the tour slightly cheaper without the Roman Baths option.
But similarly to this first London day out tour listed in this article, you can also choose what to include on this tour. All tickets include the Oxford walking tour and Windsor Castle grounds.
- No entry to inside Windsor Castle or Stonehenge included – £65
- Entry to Stonehenge only – £81
- Entry to Stonehenge and inside Windsor Castle – £105
The great thing about this tour is that it gives you the flexibility to just experience Windsor as a town, or to venture into the castle. However you might find yourself a bit rushed to see everything in Windsor Castle in the short 1.5 hour or so you spend there.
All tickets also include the Oxford walking tour which is great included value for money.
Book the Windsor, Oxford and Stonehenge tour here.
Blenheim Palace, Cotswolds, Downton Abbey Village day tour – from £65 pp
The Blenheim Palace, Cotswolds and Downton Abbey village tour is a great option if you’re looking to visit specific attractions in the Cotswolds.
You can choose from two tour options:
- Tickets without entrance to Blenheim Palace rooms – £65
- Tickets with entrance to Blenheim Palace rooms – £89
The cheaper option gives you more chance to explore the towns at your own pace, so it’s up to you if you want to tour inside the Palace and learn more about the famous birthplace of Winston Churchill.
You also visit the picturesque Bourton-on-the-Water and Bampton Village which was used in the filming of Downton Abbey as the village closest to the Abbey. However it’s important to note this tour DOES NOT include tickets to visit Highclere Castle – the castle used as Downton Abbey in the filming. So this is perhaps a little disappointing if you’re expecting more Downton experiences from the tour!
If you are looking for a Downton Abbey tour from London which includes visiting Highclere Castle and other filming locations, this Downton Tour from London is the highest reviewed and is a small group tour.
Book the Blenheim Palace. Cotswolds and Downton Village tour here.
Leeds Castle, Canterbury Cathedral, Dover and Greenwich tour – from £99 pp
A favourite of ours, this is a great London to Kent day trip which offers massive value for money including Leeds Castle, Canterbury Cathedral, the White Cliffs of Dover, a Greenwich walking tour AND a Thames River Cruise to see the sights of London.
All of this is included in the £99 price – making it our favourite for a value packed day trip!
Being such a high value tour from London is perfect for those who want to see as much as possible in a short space of time.
Kent can also be tricky to reach if you don’t have a car and trains are expensive, so this is a great way to see this part of the UK if it’s somewhere you’ve wanted to explore for a while.
Of course, being a jam-packed day means this is a very fast-paced itinerary which definitely isn’t for everyone. Your time in Canterbury in particular is fairly short, around 1.5 hours, and the Dover stop is simply a quick stop at the famous viewpoint to take photos.
The stop at Leeds Castle is the first stop of the day and it’s a quick stop, you could definitely spend longer there, however it is a private tour of the castle before it opens for the day, which is a nice touch.
The tour is rated 4.5 stars out of 5 and the amount of value for the price you pay seems to be the biggest selling point. Just bear in mind the fast pace of the very full-on day if that’s something you don’t enjoy.
Book the Leeds Castle, Canterbury, Dover, Greenwich and River Cruise here.
Full-day Oxford and Cambridge Universities tour from London – from £69 pp
Two world-famous institutions are within a full day coach tour from London and you can see them both on this Oxford and Cambridge Universities tour.
You have an extremely knowledgeable private tour guide for both locations who has a wealth of information about the universities, their famous alumni and the history of the cities too.
See famous sights like the Bridge of Sighs and Bodleian Library in Oxford, plus Kings College and the winding waterways in Cambridge.
At just £69, everything on this tour is included in that price, making it super easy and stress-free as a UK day tour from London.
Just bear in mind that many university colleges charge a fee to visit inside and this fee is not included in your ticket price, so any entry to the colleges is optional.
Warwick Castle, Stratford, Oxford and Cotswolds Day Tour – from £106 pp
Book the Oxford and Cambridge Universities tour here.
This is another action-packed one day tour from London and it’s one of the best tours from London if you want to pack a lot into your day, including Warwick Castle, Stratford, Oxford and the Cotswolds.
But bear in mind that the title of the tour is slightly misleading – you do not stop in the Cotswolds – you only drive through it on your route between Oxford and Stratford.
However the benefit is that all your tickets and tours are included in this price of £106!
Your trip includes a walking tour in Oxford, a private tour of Shakespeare’s Schoolroom & Guildhall before they open for the day and fast-track entry to Warwick Castle.
This is incredible value for money and the chance to see the spectacular medieval Warwick Castle and the Madame Tussauds display inside. A private tour of Shakespeare’s Schoolroom and also a short chance to explore Stratford-upon-Avon as well as the historic city of Oxford.
This tour is very well reviewed with 4.4 stars out of 5.
The main downside is that this tour currently only operates on a Saturday.
Also the tickets to visit Shakespeare’s Schoolroom & Guildhall are only included in the tour price between April and September but are not included between Sept-October.
Book the Warwick Castle, Stratford, Oxford and Cotswolds day tour from London here.
Summary: The best day tours from London
Of course, a day trip from London does mean that you’re limited in how far you can travel in a day, but the range of tours offered by Get Your Guide and their partners means you can visit Kent, South Downs, Warwick, Cotswolds, Cambridge and so much more which is really incredible!
This selection of tours offers great value for money and peace of mind if you’d prefer to have the stress of organising and planning your travels taken care of for you.
Pin this for later to help you plan your future trip!
