Excursion privée d'une journée au Palais de Blenheim et dans les Cotswolds, au départ de Londres

A wonderful day in the beautiful Cotswolds. Our tour guide Nigel was ver knowledgeable and entertaining. He did a fantastic Winston Churchill voice! Mo, the driver, negotiated the narrow roads with skill. A great day out.

Blenhiem was awesome but requires more time to get value for money, given the vast gardens. PLEASE remove the Bampton STOP, I would like to use Evan Evans again, but feel cheated with the Bampton stop, its unnecessary, other perons on the tour thought they were going to see Highclere. The Cotswolds, was WAY to touristy for me! Overcrowded and not what I expected, walked in the complete opposite direction of the crowd and walked along rest of small village, to see more of the buildings that gave the region its name.

Company was proactive and professional in organization and boarding process. Great driver (Barry) and Guide (Nigel) entertaining and somewhat informative. Blenheim Palace was the last and best stop. We did not book entry to palace as we only wanted to see the inside gardens. Bought tickets using senior discount. With allowed time, we were able to see most of gardens and park area. Would not have been able to do so if we had bought the palace and garden package.

This is a long day and an unusual combination of attractions, perhaps, but we enjoyed it very much. A visit to Bampton, the small village which hosted Downton Abbey's tv filming (though NOT a visit to Highclere Castle- that's a different tour), lunch in another lovely Cotswold's town, Bourton-on-the-Water, and a couple of hours at Blenheim made for a neat day. Blenheim actually needs a full day on site to do it justice, but we ran through the interior and saw a small portion of the extensive grounds in the time allotted. This is very rewarding for Churchill students. Kevin, our bi-lingual guide, was fun, informative and professional as he adroitly and diplomatically managed a mixed group of English speakers and Japanese only, as well as some who spoke neither language. Steve, the driver, was a wizard at navigating the busy London streets as well as narrow country roads. They are great resources to help tourists find restaurant and transit options, as well as being informative during the trip.

Nice ride. Enjoyable stops. Wonderful guide. Great overview of Cotswolds and Blenheim. Guide Phil provided extra effort and service throughout.

This is a great tour. The palace was very interesting and was made even more so by our guide Phil. He was particularly informative and very helpful. We also enjoyed seeing the Cotswolds and all the little tales that Phil was able to tell us. This is definitely a wonderful way to see these areas in one day.

Apart from spending a lot of time a Blenheim Palace, the Cotswolds part of the tour was extremely rushed. Would have preferred more time in and around the countryside of the Cotswolds. Added to this was the fact that there was no set time or place for lunch, it was lunch on the run, so no time to relax over a nice meal and cold beverage. Would have been better taking the train to the region and wondering around one for the quaint villages than spending the money to take the tour. On top of that you had to pay extra to go into the Palace and or the gardens. Would not recommend

This was my 5th Viator trip in England within the year and by far one of the nicest. This itinerary was very different as we spent more time in the Cotswolds and were able to enjoy some of the quaint villages instead of the bigger cities. We meet at Victoria Coach Station which could not have been easier. We walked in went to the Evans Evans counter and were told what area to wait in Track 2. Our guide, Kevin, and our driver, Paul, with Evans Evans Tours were both just wonderful. Diligent, interesting, comical and Kevin kept everyone on schedule. They were mindful of everyone on the tour. The bus was comfortable and we felt safe at all times. They really made the difference it was fun and everyone enjoyed the day. A very quick stop to the village of Bampton the Downtown Abbey village could have been eliminated because there was really not much to see there. Service was going on so we were not allowed in the church, other than that there is just the Crawley house and a tiny visitor center. More time could have been spent in Bilbury or Bourton-onthe-Water since Bampton was included on the Downton Abbey tour that I had taken on another day. The village of Bibury was quite charming and really did look like a place from a different era or from a Beatrix Potter book. Bourton-on-the-Water lives up to its reputation as one of the prettiest villages in England. There were many choices of how to spend our time there with shops, restaurants and attractions. We chose to have lunch with a traditional Sunday Pot Roast dinner and had more food than we could eat - plus it was delicious dismissing the myth of terrible English food. We walked along the River Windrush with its beautiful bridges to look into the shops on High Street and just had to stop for Churchills Ice Cream. Again, a delicious treat on a lovely day. What makes this village so unusual is this river which we would call a creek. Families were lining the banks having picnics and on this day the water could not have been more than 18 deep and crystal clear. The kids were really enjoying it. The many tiny stone bridges were fun to cross back and forth to see into different shops, tea rooms, museums and bakeries. Virtually no vehicular traffic. And then the main attraction, Blenheim Palace. I have seen many royal palaces but this huge private palace was breathtaking. The property was beautiful and the park grounds are open to the public. It seemed to be a great destination if you are planning a stay in this area which I would recommend. The building itself with 187 rooms was immense. Built between 1705 and 1722 each room was meticulously decorated and furnished just as it was. The Great Hall, the Library and the Chapel show the magnitude of the importance of this estate. All the rooms held priceless treasures and the Churchill Museum rooms were a wealth of knowledge. In one word it was spectacular. I would HIGHLY recommend this tour.

This trip was great and worth the price. Our guide Celia was wonderful and she and the driver made our trip. Even though there was a small mishap not caused by tour or guide, but by crazy driver who ran into my husband even though we were standing on side of road in a very small village lady just ran into him with her car thank heavens he wasn't hurt guide was very upset but it wasn't her fault. We love the places we visited and wouldn't hesitate to book again.

GREAT GUIDE AND DRIVER COTSWOLDS GOOD BLENHEIM PALACE DISAPPOINTING