What to do and see in Oxford, England: The Best Historical & Heritage Tours

Size Matters - we are big on details, small on group sizes! The only company to offer daily trips, with such small intimate groups.  • Maximum 8 people - allowing restricted access to protected areas • Visit Burford, Burton on the Water and Bidbury - that exact cotswold vibe your looking for! • Enter Blenheim Palace, the largest non Royal Palace in England  All with the services of a fun and entertaining guide, to bring out the drama of these sites - strictly no boring tours!

Inclusions: Driver/guide, Professional guide, Air-conditioned vehicle

Exclusions: Gratuities, Lunch, Entrance To Blenheim Palace

Our tour includes entry into Magdalen college worth £7 per person. All other colleges are currently closed this year. This tour focuses on the Inklings' Oxford but also introduces the city history + university life. See inspiring sights relating to CS Lewis & JRR Tolkien on a 2 hour+ tour of the sights where they worked & relaxed, including the pubs they enjoyed. Locations visited include Magdalene or Merton college plus where and when open, we also visit Exeter college. Various start times are offered but please note that Magdalen is not open mornings outside of summer season.

Inclusions: Magdalen college entry fees worth £7 per adult included in ticket price

Exclusions: Approx Dec 21 to Jan 2, college venues usually closed but we'll try to enter any other colleges

This tour is designed for a small private group and can accommodate up to 16 passengers. You can be sure of a nice friendly atmosphere in a modern comfortable nifty minibus capable of taking the small roads and side streets, avoiding heavy traffic when necessary. Also this makes for a more interesting tour as you will be taken through beautiful small country roads where the bigger coaches cannot go. No time wasted loading and unloading gives you much more time to enjoy your tour of the Cotswold. Your experienced friendly driver/guide will point out places of interest throughout the journey and you will see famous villages buildings and monuments, the best of the Cotswold and Oxford. Your guide will make sure that you are comfortable at all times and enjoying a day to remember in the beautiful english Countryside.

Inclusions: Air-conditioned vehicle

Exclusions:

Take a trip back in time to the set of Downton Abbey on our full-day tour to Highclere Castle and the Cotswolds.  Our tour departs from Oxford and takes you first to Highclere Castle,  the splendid home of the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon.  You have a chance to visit the castle and see where the filming took place and also to visit the beautiful castle grounds.  We then take you to the delightful village of Bampton which was the backdrop for the village of Downton.  Enjoy lunch in the Swan pub at Swinbrook and then an enchanting drive stopping in some of the quaint villages of the North Cotswolds before returning to Oxford.

Inclusions: Blue Badge guide, Live commentary on board, Bottled water, Entrance ticket to Highclere Castle, Pick up from North Oxford Hotels on request , Pick up from Oxford Station on request

Exclusions: Lunch

Whether you’re a first-time visitor or a well travelled globetrotter you will enjoy this great day out to Oxford & Windsor. • On our guided tour of Royal Windsor enjoy fantastic views of Windsor Castle, the oldest and largest continuously occupied castle in the world, where Queen Elizabeth II spends most of her weekends ! We also see Eton College, the UK's most famous private school. • Walk through the quaint streets of Oxford city, and visit the oldest university in the English speaking world, dating back to the 12th Century. 28 British Prime Ministers, at least 30 international leaders and 55 Nobel Prize winners have taught or studied here! Oxford is consistently ranked in the top 5 universities in the world • Round trip and hassle free transportation provided

Inclusions: Air-conditioned executive coach, Professional Guide, Guided walking tour of Windsor & Eton, Changing of the Guard ceremony at Windsor Castle, Guided walking tour of Oxford University

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Explore Oxford, Stratford-upon-Avon, and the Cotswolds, and discover the best of England in one day on this 12-hour small group tour, maximum 16 people, from London. Visit historic Stratford-upon-Avon with a guide and learn of the life of William Shakespeare — widely considered to be England’s most famous poet. Spin through the pretty countryside to characterful Cotswold villages, where life ticks by at a relaxing pace. Then, explore the medieval city of Oxford — home to one of the world’s oldest universities and join your tour guide for a walking tour to learn and see more. Tour includes guide and round-trip luxury mini-coach travel from central London.

Inclusions: Round-trip travel by air-conditioned luxury Mercedes minicoach from central London, Experienced knowledgeable and welcoming tour driver/guide, Walking tours in Stratford and Oxford, Bottled water

Exclusions: Optional entry to Shakespeare's birthplace , Food and drink, Gratuities, Hotel pickup and drop-off

In 1987 John Thaw hit the British TV screens as the iconic Inspector Morse and Oxford has not been the same since! A total of 33 episodes were filmed over a period of thirteen years on the streets of Oxford (although a couple were not filmed in Oxford). The years 2006 – 2015 were the Lewis era, during which Lewis and Hathaway tried to make the streets of Oxford safe. We now have the prequel, Endeavour, and a new season is currently being filmed. On this 1 hour and 45 mins small-group walking tour, your specialist and fully qualified guides (member of The Institute of Tourist Guiding and The Oxford Guild of Tour Guides) who have witnessed the filming and met the cast will be delighted to show you some of the scenes, although they cannot promise to cover over 80 hours of filming in just two hours! No children under 16. Adult tickets required.

Inclusions: Local Blue Badge guide

Exclusions: Gratuities

*SMALL GROUP TOUR - NUMBER RESTRICTED - AUDIO HEADSET SYSTEM*QUALIFIED GUIDES* Your fully qualified guides - members of The Institute of Tourist Guiding and The Oxford Guild of Tour guides are delighted to offer this 'Simply Oxford University' tour to experience the very best of Oxford in just under 2 hours. Meet at Christ Church memorial gardens for this comprehensive small-group walking tour of the city and see many of the famous colleges and university buildings.  Perfectly timed to ensure you maximise your visit to this beautiful city. At the end, your guide will provide further information and suggestions for what to do in Oxford including further colleges, museums and restaurants.  This tour represents outstanding value for money as we keep our groups small in size and that is what make this tour unique.

Inclusions: Local Blue Badge guide - Fully Qualified and member of The Institute of Tourist Guiding, Entry to a college (subject to availability .. not currently possible due to C-19), Small Group Tour - limited numbers, So you can hear the guide clearly no matter how busy!

Exclusions: Gratuities

The Cotswolds is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty which has inspired artists, writers and philosophers for many centuries.  Come and discover idyllic English villages, nestling in quiet valleys, small stone thatched cottages, majestic castles and manors, and charming high streets peppered with quaint tea shops and antiques shops. Let your knowledgeable guides show you the English countryside at its best. This is an extended half-day tour from Oxford, ideal for those who would love to see some of the Cotswold villages, but cannot spare a whole day.  

Inclusions: Blue Badge guide, Hotel drop-off (select hotels only), Transport by air-conditioned minivan, Bottled water and select beverages, Pick up and drop off on request from hotels in North Oxford, Pick up and drop off from Oxford Railway Station on request.

Exclusions: Meals not included

An Oxford Official Walking Tour is the best way to explore the city of the Dreaming spires led by one of our knowledgeable guides through our award-winning 2-hour University & City Tour. You will be able to walk past Oxford’s most popular sights, including its colleges*, the Bodleian Library, the Sheldonian Theatre, the Bridge of Sights and many more! This University & City Tour is the best way to learn about the history and the secrets of Oxford, the University and its colleges. Be led down the secret lanes and alleyways, and let years of history unfold before you. Your guide will also walk past Oxford’s most famous movie locations, including Harry Potter, Alice in Wonderland and the Morse, Lewis & Endeavour TV series and tell you the story of great academics and scientist who have studied and lived in our beautiful heritage city. *Oxford University colleges are currently closed due to Covid-19, therefore you will only be able to see them from outside.

Inclusions: Guided walking tour

Exclusions: