Windsor Castle, Stonehenge & Bath Day Tour

A Comparison Of Operators And What To Expect

Windsor, Bath & Stonehenge Tour Coach
Windsor, Bath & Stonehenge Tour Coach

The Windsor, Bath and Stonehenge tour is the most popular day tour from London. There is a good choice of operators running tours throughout the year covering this combination, most of them on a daily basis.


This page aims to show you what to expect from the day and is a good reference in itself in what to look for when comparing any day tour from London. We compare large coach operators, minibus operators and private tours.

The Windsor Castle, Stonehenge and Bath tour is one of the longest of the tours available, a very long day whichever provider you select. The tour will involve an early start from your hotel and a broad duration of twelve hours before you return.

Time is the enemy on the Windsor, Bath and Stonehenge tour. This tour, like all tours that cram three major destinations in one day have no time to loiter.

Hotel Pickups

The major large coach tour operators all do hotel pickup running from a long list of hotels. Chances are if you are not staying at one of these hotels, there will be one close by.


Evan Evans starts picking up at 07:40 on various hotel pick up routes that end at Victoria Coach Station an hour later. Scheduled departure time is 08:45, it only takes one bus to have problems and there is a delay.

Premium Tours start picking up about 07:15, again congregating at Victoria an hour later, with a scheduled tour start at 08:15

International Friends run 16 seat minibuses so the logistics are much more streamlined. Starting from a point north of the centre, the bus has a maximum of 3 pickup points in the major hotel districts on the journey through Central London.


If you have a small group, a private tour will pick you up from your hotel and you will be off and out of London right away.

An Overview of Windsor, Stonehenge & Bath Tour Options
Company Evan Evans Premium Tours International Friends Private Tour
Vehicle Full Size Coach Full Size Coach 16 seat Minibus 8 to 16 seat Minibus
Adult Price £69 £65 £85 £499-£549 per bus
Pickups 07:40 to 08:40
Leave 08:45		 07:15 to 08:05
Leave 08:15		 07:30 to 08:00
Leave 08:00		 Specified by
Customer
Finish 19:30 20:30 18:30 Various
Admissions Windsor Castle, Stonehenge,
Roman Baths at Bath		 Windsor Castle, Stonehenge,
+ Pub Lunch		 Stonehenge,
Roman Baths at Bath
not Windsor Castle		 None
Links Evan Evans Premium Tours International Friends Private Tour

Windsor Castle

The logistics of this tour means first stop is Windsor Castle which opens at 09:45. Your coach operator will aim to have you there close to this time. During weekdays, traffic congestion may add 10 minutes to the broadly hour long journey.

The exception to the rule is the International Friends tour that makes a point of trying to visit attractions when the main coach tours do not. They visit Windsor Castle last, first stop is Stonehenge before any other of the coaches arrive.


The large coach operators will park in the official coach park, its a 15 minute walk to the castle from here.

The minibus operators will drop you off and pick you up right by Windsor Castle.

The acid test of whether you have a suitably qualified Blue Badge guide is whether the guide accompanies you and provides guiding in Windsor Castle. Only accredited Blue Badge guides are allowed to provide guiding within the castle.

If you haven't a blue badge guide then you use the audio tour device that comes with admission. You will normally have around 90 minutes within the castle, about the minimum it takes to go around - so don't hang around.


The minibus and private tour operators do not have blue badge guides, so you use the audio tour device that comes with admission.


On a private tour you customise your time. The most popular choice is to visit the Queen's Farm shop, Eton or Runnymede prior to the visit to the Castle, then 2 hours in the castle so you can view Changing of the Guard and 30 minutes to grab a snack/coffee or wander the Old Town. The scheduled tours will shepherd you immediately back onto the bus for the journey to Stonehenge.

Stonehenge

Its about a 75-90 minute drive to Stonehenge, mostly down freeway/motorway grade roads.

At all the places visited, the guide or driver/guide will give you a thorough briefing of each place you visit prior to arrival.

By the time you get to Stonehenge you should be well versed on Stonehenge and the Neolithic people who built it.


The longest you will get at Stonehenge is 60 minutes which is time enough for most people. The guide or driver/guide will often cut this to 45 minutes if the tour is behind schedule


The guide or driver/guide will not normally accompany you into Stonehenge, with the notable exception of private tours if requested.

You get an audio tour device with admission that takes about 40 minutes to follow around the monument.

With the notable exception of International Friends its lunch time when you are at Stonehenge. There is just a small coffee bar at Stonehenge that sells ice cream, pizza slices , cakes etc. Premium Tours include a lunch stop near to Stonehenge.

Bath

Its now about an hours drive to Bath from Stonehenge. This is the only leg of the tour where you do not spend much of the time cruising on a motorway/freeway. However its definitely not down country lanes.

The exception is the private tour that has the option to take you on some of the best of the English countryside, traveling through quaint villages with thatched cottages, even down single track roads with scope for a few photo stops.

At Bath, the standard tour involves admission to the Roman Baths with about 30 minutes free time to stroll around the town or grab a snack. Some tours say they give an orientation tour that is limited.

The International Friends small group tour and the private tours use small minibuses that can give a worthwhile orientation tour in the cramped and clogged streets, but walking is really the only way to see Bath.

Premium tours do a special torchlit tour of the Roman Baths. Of the big coaches, Premium spend slightly longer in Bath and in general slightly longer at all attractions than with Evan Evans.

The Trip Back To London

There are strict controls on how long the drivers of these tours can drive each day. This tour is right up against these limits. The vehicles have speed limiters by law, limiting speed to 100kmh hour (62 mph) maximum.

This and the tight schedule means its very hard to make up lost time if the tour gets behind. A major part of the guides job is to make sure the bus keeps to time.

Delays are common for one reason or another, you shouldn't treat the scheduled return time as cast in stone, certainly don't book the theatre or a table at a restaurant based on when the tour should return.

The journey back to London is a 2.5 to 3 hour journey. Don't expect any scheduled comfort stops along the way.

Unlike the morning, there is not a comprehensive hotel drop off facility, no matter what the person who sold you the tour says. Chances are you will have to make your own way back to your accommodation by public transport, unless you have a private tour.

Many tours will offer a drop by Gloucester Road Underground Station in Kensington on their way back into London. If you plan on getting back to your hotel from here or Victoria, anything more appropriate will be a bonus if it comes along.

A Last Word

We have tried to be as frank and impartial as possible on this page.

We may have highlighted a few things you may not have wanted to hear, but for most people the tour is a highlight of their trip and very enjoyable with memories that last a lifetime.

Yes, it is a long day and yes, the tour is fast paced but at the end of the day you will have visited three world class attractions with quality guiding and a value for money price.

 

The Tours

The tours we have been using as a reference on this page are:

Evan Evans - Windsor, Stonehenge and Bath

Premium Tours - Windsor, Stonehenge and Bath

International Friends - Harvest of History Small Group Tour

Custom private day tour visiting Windsor, Stonehenge and Bath

Summary of Most Popular Guided Tours From London
Including Stonehenge
Stonehenge Afternoon or Morning Tour PR £25 Full Size Bus Stonehenge only. Morning or Afternoon. Daily.
Stonehenge & London Sights PR £49 Full Size Bus Morning tour of London on red London bus. Afternoon tour Stonehenge. Daily.
Stonehenge & Bath AN £44 Full Size Bus Admission Stonehenge + Roman Baths at Bath. Daily.
Stonehenge & Bath IF £49 Minibus Admission Stonehenge + Roman Baths at Bath. Saturdays only.
Windsor - Stonehenge - Bath EE £69 Full Size Bus Admission Windsor Castle, Stonehenge & Roman Baths at Bath - Daily
Windsor - Stonehenge - Bath PR £65 Full Size Bus Admission Windsor Castle, Stonehenge + Pub lunch included. Roman Baths optional. - Daily
Windsor - Stonehenge - Bath IF £85 Minibus Admission Stonehenge, Roman Baths, not Windsor. Mon, Wed and Sat.
Salisbury - Stonehenge - Avebury IF £85 Minibus Admission Stonehenge+Salisbury Cathedral. Tour Avebury. Wednesdays
Lacock - Bath - Stonehenge IF £85 Minibus Admission Stonehenge + Roman Baths at Bath. Walking tour Lacock. Tuesdays.
Stonehenge - Glastonbury - Avebury IF £85 Minibus Admission Stonehenge, Glastonbury Abbey. Fridays and Sundays.
Stonehenge - Glastonbury - Avebury AN £65 Minibus Admission Stonehenge, Glastonbury Abbey. Mon,Wed & Fri
Salisbury - Stonehenge - Bath EE £44 Full Size Bus No admissions to attractions within package. Daily
Stratford - Stonehenge - Bath PR £72 Full Size Bus Admission Stratford, Stonehenge, Roman Baths. Apr to Ocr, Sun + Wed
Windsor - Stonehenge - Oxford PR £73 Full Size Bus Admission to Windsor, Stonehenge & Walk tour Oxford + T. Mon + Fri
Windsor - Stonehenge - Oxford EE £44 Full Size Bus No adm Windsor Castle + Stonehenge. Inc walking tours Oxford+Windsor. Daily
Oxford - Cotswolds - Bath - Stonehenge IF £159 2 Day Minibus with hotel Tours of Cotswold Villages, Oxford, Stonehenge and Bath with hotel
Stonehenge Special Access Tours
Stonehenge - Lacock - Bath PR £89 Various Special access admission at Stonehenge plus Roman Bath
Stonehenge - Salisbury or Avebury AN £77 Various Special access at Stonehenge plus either Avebury or Salisbury
Stonehenge From Salisbury   £65 Various Evening Special access at Stonehenge from Salisbury
Cotswolds, Oxford, Stratford Upon Avon, Warwick Castle
Windsor and Oxford AN £45 Full Size Bus Admission Windsor Castle + Christ Church College Oxford. Weekdays only.
Oxford - Cotswolds - Stratford AN £65 Minibus Guided tours of Oxford, Stratford, Tea In Cotswolds. Daily
Oxford - Cotswolds - Stratford IF £85 Minibus Guided tours of Oxford, Stratford, Burford, Boutron On Water. Thursdays.
Cotswolds + Lunch - Stratford PR £69 Full Size Bus With lunch in Cotswolds and Cream Tea and Walking Tour at Stratford. Tues+Sun
Oxford - Stratford + Afternoon Tea EE £69 Full Size Bus Walking Tour Oxford. Shakespeare's Birthplace. T @ Anne Hathaways
Oxford - Stratford - Warwick Castle EE £69 Full Size Bus Walking Tour Oxford. Shakespeare's Birthplace. Warwick Castle
Oxford - Stratford - Warwick Castle PR £65 Full Size Bus Tour Christ Church Oxford and Shakespeare's Birthplace + Warwick
Stratford - Stonehenge - Bath PR £72 Full Size Bus Admission Stratford, Stonehenge, Roman Baths. Apr to Oct. Sun + Wed.
Oxford - Cotswolds - Bath - Stonehenge IF £159 2 Day Minibus with hotel Tours of Cotswold Villages, Oxford, Stonehenge and Bath with hotel
Canterbury, Leeds Castle & Dover
Leeds - Canterbury - Dover EE £69 Full Size Bus Admission Leeds Castle+Canterbury Cath. Visit Dover. Not Sun or Mon.
Leeds - Canterbury - Greenwich PR £62 Full Size Bus Admission Leeds Castle + Canterbury Greenwich tour + river cruise.
Scotland & Paris
Day Trip To Paris PR £175 Eurostar Train Pickup from your hotel early in the morning for a full day in Paris.
3 day Weekend Break In Paris IF £219 Coach 2 nights in Paris with full sightseeing.
Optional Versailles trip.
3 Day Weekend Break In Edinburgh IF £189 Train 2 nights in Edinburgh with guide, optional trips to Highlands. Every Friday.
IF - International Friends (Uses 16 seat minibuses)
AN - Anderson Tours		 EE - Evan Evans Tours
PR - Premium Tours