Should we just hookup with aviator, or this there a better way to do it?
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33994 posts
you may get some good ideas from this thread from last year https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england/cotswold-day-trip
Viator, if that's what you mean, is a huge faceless advertiser and reseller of tours provided by others while taking a huge cut.
They run zero of their own tours, just stick up a website and cart the wheelbarrows of money to the bank.
Much better to find a good provider and go direct.
Posted by
112 posts
If you are looking for a guide, I always suggest choosing one from the British Guild of Tourist Guides, as they are all professionally certified to certain standards. https://britainsbestguides.org/ Some are driver-guides; some are guides only but partner with drivers.
Posted by
54 posts
I agree with Nigel and smay665. I have used Viator on a couple of occasions and do not think I ever will again. The tours were unsatisfactory, but live and learn, and read Rick Steve’s blog I guess. I am heading to England in October and I was not familiar with the Professional Tour Guide organization. Thanks for that.
Posted by
Nashville, TN, USA
3895 posts
Try the London Walks company. They have day trips to many places; the Cotswolds, Oxford, Cambridge, and more destinations.
https://www.walks.com/
You meet your guide at the train station, go to your destination. The guide is with you the whole time, giving interesting bits of information about what you're seeing; villages, churches, etc. and the guide rides the train back to London with you.
Another good idea would be a Rabbie's day tour on a small minibus with perhaps 4 to 12 people onboard:
https://www.rabbies.com/en/england-tours/from-london/day-tours/oxford-traditional-cotswold-villages-day-tour
These tours leave from the Victoria Station area.
Posted by
Nashville, TN, USA
3895 posts
A third suggestion would be to take an early morning train to Moreton-In-Marsh and meet up with this touring company: GoCotswolds. They give a really good tour in a minivan. The villages are listed here; there are two choices of routes through the Cotswolds villages:
https://www.gocotswolds.co.uk/
https://www.gocotswolds.co.uk/product/cotswolds-in-a-day/
https://www.gocotswolds.co.uk/product/secret-cotswolds/
Make reservations in advance. Their tours fill up quickly, so reserve as soon as you know your desired date.