Downton Abbey Village, Blenheim Palace and Cotswolds Day Trip from London

Depart Victoria coach station by comfortable, air-conditioned coach, and travel northwest into scenic Oxfordshire.

After approximately 1.5 hours on the road, stop at UNESCO-listed Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of Sir William Churchill. Head inside, put on your audio headsets to hear commentary from your guide, and stroll around the opulent State Rooms of this magnificent stately house, built in the 1700s. Admire the priceless artworks and tapestries that adorn the walls and view the formal gardens on a leisurely walk in the grounds.

Back aboard your coach, soak up the views of the gorgeous Cotswolds region, where rolling green hills give way to stone-built market towns and thatched villages. Stop in at one of two charming villages: the picture-postcard hamlet of Bibury, to amble past its famous weavers’ cottages, originally built as a wool store in 1380, and the 12th-century St. Mary's Church.

Or, drive on to idyllic Bourton-on-the-Water, sometimes known as ‘Little Venice’ for the series of handsome low bridges that cross the Windrush River that flows through the village center. Amble through the lanes and admire the lush greens, quaint shops, and stone banks along the riversides.

Finally, continue to Bampton, the classic English village that doubled as fictional Downton village in the famous TV drama series of Downton Abbey. View the church where Lady Mary and Matthew Crawley were wed and the house that served as Isobel Crawley’s home. Pass the old school that was Downton Hospital and buildings that starred as two village pubs. While you’re here, take the opportunity to relax over lunch (own expense) at a local restaurant or café, and then return to London where your trip finishes at Westminster.