Blenheim Palace & the Cotswolds – Private Tour for Southampton Cruise Passengers

Name: Blenheim Palace & the Cotswolds – Private Tour for Southampton Cruise Passengers
Brand: Tour Britannia
SKU: 1352904
Price: 1095 GBP
Availability: InStock

Blenheim Palace and the Cotswolds with your own driver-guide, timed around your Southampton cruise: before you sail, after you disembark or as a day in port.

Overview

A private day of stately homes and gardens, built around your cruise.

Explore Blenheim Palace, the Baroque masterpiece and World Heritage Site where Sir Winston Churchill was born, then carry on into the Cotswolds for world-famous gardens and honey-stone towns.

Highlights:

Blenheim Palace: the state rooms, Churchill’s birthplace and Capability Brown’s parkland.
Hidcote and Snowshill Manor on the full after-cruise day, or a classic Cotswold town on shorter days.
Pickup and drop-off at your ship, the airport or your London hotel, luggage and all.
A private luxury Mercedes and your own driver-guide, just for your group.

Jump to…

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Three ways to take this tour

Choose your journey when you book. The price is the same whichever you pick: £1,095 per group of up to 8 guests.

After your cruise (ship → tour → airport or London). We meet you at your terminal from about 8.30am for the full day: Blenheim Palace, Snowshill Manor and Hidcote. We drop you at Heathrow at about 6–6.30pm, or at Gatwick or your London hotel a little later.
Port day (ship → tour → ship). We meet you at your terminal at 8am, visit Blenheim Palace and the Cotswold town of Burford or Woodstock, and have you back at the ship by 5pm.
Before your cruise (airport or London → tour → ship). We meet you at Heathrow, Gatwick or your London hotel from 7.30am, visit Blenheim Palace, stop for lunch in Woodstock, and reach your Southampton terminal by about 3pm.

Hidcote and Snowshill Manor are National Trust properties with seasonal opening. When either is closed we swap in a Cotswold village or garden.

Comparing options? See all our private tours for Southampton cruise passengers.

What to Expect

1. Your pickup

Your driver-guide meets you at your cruise terminal, at airport arrivals or at your London hotel. Your luggage goes straight into the vehicle and stays with us all day, so there is nothing to store or collect.

Pickup

2. Blenheim Palace

A World Heritage Site and one of England’s most iconic stately homes. Explore the opulent state rooms, learn about the palace’s role as the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, and wander the Water Terraces, the Secret Garden and Capability Brown’s parkland.

2 hours 30 mins

3. Snowshill Manor and Garden

On the after-cruise day. A rambling 16th century manor house full of curious and fascinating objects collected by its eccentric former owner Charles Wade, with glorious Arts and Crafts gardens.

1 hour 15 mins

4. Hidcote Manor Garden

On the after-cruise day. A world-famous Arts and Crafts garden in the North Cotswold hills, revealing a new atmosphere or vista at every turn.

1 hour

5. Woodstock or Burford

On port days and before-cruise tours. A classic honey-stone Cotswold town for lunch and a wander, in place of the two gardens.

1 hour

6. Your drop-off

We take you on to your London hotel, the airport or your ship, and see you and your luggage safely to the door.

Drop-off

Make it your day

Every Tour Britannia tour is private, so the itinerary is a starting point, not a script.

This is the route most of our guests take, but you can change any of it. Your guide plans the day around you before you travel and stays flexible on the day itself. You can linger longer wherever you’re enjoying yourself, skip anything that doesn’t appeal, or stop wherever something catches your eye.

Ways to tailor this tour

Swap the gardens for Cotswold villages such as Bourton-on-the-Water and Bibury
Add Oxford’s colleges and the Bodleian Library
Stop at Churchill’s grave in Bladon
Have lunch at a traditional Cotswold pub

Tell us what you’d like when you book, or ask us first. We’ll confirm the plan, and any change to the price, before you pay.

“We were easily able to modify and customize the itinerary.”
JRS4140, Tripadvisor

Want something completely different? We design fully bespoke tours anywhere in the UK and Ireland, for a single day or several weeks. See bespoke tours we’ve created →

Questions about this tour

Is the price per person or per group?

Per group. It’s £1,095 whichever journey you choose. That covers your whole private group of up to 8 guests, including pickups and drop-offs, your luggage and your own driver-guide. There’s no charge per person.

Which journey should we book?

After your cruise if you’re leaving the ship in Southampton and heading to London or the airport. Before your cruise if you’re flying in or staying in London and boarding that day. Port day if Southampton is a stop on your cruise and you’re sailing on that evening.

When and where do you meet us?

In Southampton we meet you at your cruise terminal (Ocean, QEII, City, Horizon or Mayflower): from about 8.30am after a cruise, and at 8am on a port day. Before a cruise we meet you at Heathrow or Gatwick arrivals, or at your London hotel, from 7.30am. Your guide texts you the day before to confirm.

Will we be back at the ship in time?

Port days are planned to have you back at the terminal by 5pm. Tell us your all-aboard time when you book and we plan the day around it. If your ship sails before 6.30pm, please ask us before booking. Before a cruise we aim to reach your terminal by about 3pm.

What if our ship or flight is late?

We track your ship and your flight and move the pickup to match. If a late arrival leaves less time, we shorten the tour rather than risk your ship or your flight. Stops we have to miss aren’t refunded.

What happens to our luggage?

It comes with you. Each guest can bring 1 large suitcase and 1 small bag, which stay locked in the vehicle all day. If you have more, tell us before you book.

Can we fly home the same day?

Yes, if your flight leaves Heathrow after 9.30pm. The after-cruise day lasts about 10 hours, so earlier flights are too tight.

What is your cancellation policy?

You can cancel free of charge up to 24 hours before your tour and get a full refund. Cancellations within 24 hours of the start time aren’t refundable.

What’s included

Pickup and drop-off at your Southampton cruise terminal
Heathrow, Gatwick or London hotel pickup or drop-off before and after your cruise
Your luggage carried all day (1 large suitcase and 1 small bag each)
Private luxury Mercedes and your own English-speaking driver-guide
Air conditioning, Wi-Fi, USB charging and bottled water
Child seats at no extra cost

Not included: admission to Blenheim Palace, Hidcote and Snowshill Manor (we can pre-book for you), food, drink (apart from bottled water) and gratuities.

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before your tour, with a full refund.

Not ready to book yet?

Tell us your dates and what you’d like to see, and we’ll send you a tailored plan for your day with a confirmed price, usually within 24 hours. There’s no payment and no obligation.

We’ll only use your details to reply to your enquiry. Prefer to talk? Call 0800 787 9757 (+44 800 787 9757 from overseas) or email bookings@tourbritannia.co.uk.

Explore our other tours

Every tour can be tailored to you, or we can design something entirely new.

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Tell us what you love and we’ll build a private tour around it, anywhere in the UK and Ireland, for a single day or several weeks.