The English Bus: Small Group Day Tours from London
Want to see Stonehenge, Bath, the Cotswolds or Canterbury without hiring a car or working out a single train connection? The English Bus is the small group tour company we recommend for exactly that. Award-winning, friendly and run with real care, it is one of the partners we are always happy to point our travellers towards.
The English Bus takes you out of the capital and into the parts of England that the big coaches cannot reach. Small groups, a maximum of 16 guests, luxury mini-coaches and expert local guides who take the back roads, share the stories and build in the kind of unhurried free time that makes a day out feel like a proper experience rather than a checklist.
And this is not a recommendation from the sidelines. I have now been out with The English Bus on four of their tours, and I have loved every single day. The guides, the small group size, the back roads and those little secret-place stops, they get it right every time. You will find photos from my own tours dotted through this page.
Why we recommend The English Bus
We find and partner with the best and The English Bus earns its place on that list. It has been named “Best Small Group Tour in Europe” by Arival Spotlight for 2024 and 2025, and it is consistently one of the highest-rated day tour operators running out of London.
What makes it stand out:
- Genuinely small groups. A maximum of 16 guests, so you are never lost in a crowd and there is always time to ask your guide a question.
- The back roads. The mini-coaches reach scenic routes and tiny villages that the larger tour buses simply cannot get to, including a “secret place” stop on several itineraries.
- Expert local guides. Knowledgeable, warm and brilliant company for a full day, with the kind of stories and context you would never find in a guidebook.
- Comfort and pace. Luxury mini-coaches, generous free time at each stop, and itineraries built so you never feel rushed.
- No driving, no train planning. Every tour starts in central London and brings you back. You simply turn up.
The tours
The English Bus runs a focused set of day tours from London, each one a full day out.
Bath, Stonehenge and a Secret Place is the signature tour and runs all year round. You will visit the prehistoric stone circle at Stonehenge, spend time in the UNESCO World Heritage city of Bath, and stop at a secret place that the guides keep up their sleeve.
Bath, Stonehenge and the Cotswolds follows a similar route through southern England but swaps in a stop at a classic Cotswolds village, often the impossibly pretty Castle Combe, for time among the honey-stone cottages and quiet lanes.
The Cotswolds, Oxford and Stratford-upon-Avon combines three of England’s most loved destinations in one trip, from the dreaming spires of Oxford to Shakespeare’s Stratford and the villages of the Cotswolds.
Canterbury, Dover Castle and the White Cliffs heads into Kent, the Garden of England, taking in Canterbury Cathedral, the clifftop views and the historic castle above the port of Dover.
Hear from The English Bus on the podcast
We have featured The English Bus on the UK Travel Planning Podcast more than once. In the most recent episode, Tracy is joined by founder Chris Horsey and tour guide Lucy to talk through how the tours work, who they suit best and what makes a small group day trip from London so rewarding.
- Episode 199: Day Tours from London with The English Bus with owner Chris Horsey and tour guide Lucy.
- Episode 109: Day Tours from London with The English Bus.
A genuine review from one of our listeners
There is no recommendation quite like one from a fellow traveller. Chris from New Jersey found us through our emails and the podcast, booked all three English Bus tours on the strength of it, and came home delighted. In his own words:
“My wife and I planned a trip that ended in England. Nine years ago we spent nine days in London and saw many of the fantastic sights. This time we wanted to explore the countryside, where we had not travelled. I had been receiving emails from Tracy, and in one of them there was a podcast about her experience with The English Bus tour company, with the owner, Chris Horsey. Tracy talked about how great the tour guides were and how fantastic her experience was with the company as a whole.
Listening to her appreciation, we booked all three tours: Stonehenge and Bath, the Cotswolds with Oxford and Stratford-upon-Avon, and Canterbury with Dover Castle, the cliffs and a Kent village. As Tracy expressed, all three guides, Alex, Nohl and Val, were knowledgeable and pleasant, and all three were fantastic getting around all the single-lane roads that really should have been two lanes.
Tracy, thanks to you and your podcast, we had an experience that we will never forget. Thank you Tracy!”
Chris, New Jersey, USA
Who the tours suit
The English Bus is a lovely fit if you are based in London for part of your trip and want to see more of England without the stress of driving on the left or decoding rail timetables.
The small group size and relaxed pace make the tours especially comfortable, and the guides are well used to looking after travellers who want an easygoing, sociable day out.
If mobility is a consideration, it is always worth a quick message to the team before you book so they can talk you through what to expect.
Book your English Bus tour
Ready to explore England beyond London with a small group and a brilliant guide? You can see the full range of tours and book your day out below.
Book through the link above to get our reader rate, and quote code UKTP5 when you do.
Related reading
Planning the rest of your time in and around the capital? These guides pair well with a day out on The English Bus:
- Best Cotswolds tours from London, for more ways to reach the honey-stone villages
- Discover Real London black cab tours, another tour partner we recommend, this time around the city itself
- Beyond London: day trips and journeys further afield, for ideas once you are ready to explore past the city
