How to get to Go Cotswolds?

Wondering how to get to Go Cotswolds for your tour?

So, you’ve discovered our small group tours – great! Now, how to get to Go Cotswolds so we can pick you up and start exploring?

The good news is, we have three convenient pick up and drop off points, ideal for visitors to Warwickshire, Oxfordshire and the Cotswolds.

🌎 As a sustainable, responsible tour operator, we always recommend travelling to our pick up point on foot, or by public transport whenever possible. It helps to keep our carbon footprint down, and is better for the planet!

It’s easy to connect to our small group tours by train from cities like London, Reading, Oxford and Birmingham, or by local bus from surrounding towns and villages.

If you have questions, check our FAQs page first. If you can’t find the answer to your question, please just contact us. We’re happy to help!

Stratford-upon-Avon departures

We offer pick up/drop off in Stratford-upon-Avon for the following small group tours:

📍 Pick-up point: Shakespeare’s Birthplace Coach Terminal on Windsor Street

Kindly note the Shakespeare’s Birthplace Coach terminal is NOT in quite the same place as Shakespeare’s Birthplace (pictured above)! 

🚐 Look out for your friendly Go Cotswolds guide. They’ll be driving one of our smart white Mercedes minibuses, easily recognised by our bright green and purple Go Cotswolds branding. You shouldn’t be able to miss us!

🏠 Staying locally? Shakespeare’s Birthplace Coach Terminal is a short walk away from many of Stratford-upon-Avon’s hotels, guest houses and rental properties. Click here for some accommodation ideas!

🚂 By train? Stratford-upon-Avon railway station is less than a 10-minute walk away from our pick-up point – ideal for a day trip by train from Birmingham! Click here for walking directions.

  • Check live train times via National Rail Enquiries, and we recommend booking tickets via The Trainline* for an easy, user-friendly experience (especially from overseas).
  • ⚠️ Sundays: There are no trains which arrive at Stratford-upon-Avon station before the tour departure time, so alternative travel arrangements may be needed (but you can travel from Stratford-upon-Avon by train after the tour).

🚍 By local bus? Monday to Saturday, you can reach us from nearby towns like Warwick, Leamington Spa, Alcester, Wellesbourne, and more. Most buses stop on Bridge Street, Wood Street, or at the train station – all within easy walking distance. Until the end of 2025, a one-way bus ticket is just £3 per person!

  • Stagecoach #X18: connects Stratford-upon-Avon with Coventry, Leamington Spa and Warwick. The current timetable is here.
  • Stagecoach #26: connects Stratford-upon-Avon with Redditch, Crabbs Cross, Studley, Coughton, Alcester, Great Alne and Haselor. See here for the timetable. (Please note this service was recently renumbered from X19 – some bus stops still show the old number!)
  • Stagecoach #28: connects Stratford-upon-Avon with Evesham (though you may prefer to take the train from Evesham to our Moreton-in-Marsh pick up point instead), Harvington, Iron Cross, Salford Priors (handy for the Karma Salford Hall Hotel!), Bidford-on-Avon and Dodwell Caravan Park. The timetable is here.
  • Stagecoach #15: connects Stratford-upon-Avon with Warwick, Barford, Charlecote (handy for the Charlecote Pheasant Hotel), Wellesbourne, Alveston (handy for the YHA Stratford-upon-Avon hostel!) and Tiddington. Check the timetable here.
  • More info on planning bus travel in the West Midlands using Stagecoach bus services can be found here.

⚠️ Sundays: Local buses are limited or don’t run at all, so alternative travel arrangements may be needed.

🚗 Driving? Park at Windsor Street Shopper’s Car Park (right next to our pick-up point – check here). We recommend you arrive no later than 8.30am – you’ll need time to find a parking space, pay for parking and walk to the pick up point.

  • Cost: £11.60 for up to 12 hours (as of November 2025).
  • Pay by card at the machine or use the RingGo app.
  • Allow plenty of time for your journey – there can be a lot of traffic in and around Stratford-upon-Avon!

🚕 By taxi? Book ahead! If you’re coming from a bigger city like Birmingham or Coventry, then Uber is a fairly safe option. However, Uber can be hit-and-miss in Stratford-upon-Avon and the smaller towns and villages – Uber drivers tend to come from out of town and availability can be low in the mornings. We suggest you pre-book with a local taxi operator.

  • Allow plenty of time – there can be a lot of traffic in and around Stratford-upon-Avon!

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Moreton-in-Marsh departures

We offer pick up/drop off at Moreton-in-Marsh rail station for the following small group tours:

📍 Pick up point: Moreton-in-Marsh railway station – wait for us in the car park in front of the ticket office

🚐 Look out for your friendly Go Cotswolds guide. They’ll be driving one of our smart white Mercedes minibuses, easily recognised by our bright green and purple Go Cotswolds branding. You shouldn’t be able to miss us!

🏠 Staying locally? Most accommodation in Moreton-in-Marsh is within a few minutes’ walk of the railway station. Need help choosing a place to stay? Here are some ideas!

🚂 By train? We pick up right outside Moreton-in-Marsh train station! Perfect if you’re travelling by train from London, Reading, Oxford, Kingham, Charlbury, Evesham, Pershore, Honeybourne or Worcester! It’s even possible to reach us by indirect train from Gloucester, Bath, Bristol and Cardiff.

  • The train which arrives at Moreton-in-Marsh at 09:17–09:20 from London Paddington/Reading/Oxford is ideal.
  • Check live train times via National Rail Enquiries, and we recommend booking tickets via The Trainline* for an easy, user-friendly experience (especially from overseas).
  • ⚠️Please make sure you take the correct train! Check digital signs in the waiting area, on the platform, on the side of the train and inside the train to ensure you’re waiting for, or on, the correct service.  The train to Moreton-in-Marsh is operated by GWR – their trains are dark green in colour with a yellow stripe on the front of the train.

🚍 By local bus? Several local buses stop right outside Moreton-in-Marsh train station:

  • Pulhams #801: Connects Moreton-in-Marsh with Cheltenham, Charlton Kings, Andoversford, Northleach, Bourton-on-the-Water, Slaughter Pike (a short walk from Lower Slaughter), Stow-on-the-Wold and Chipping Norton. Download the PDF timetable here, or use the Pulhams Coaches app for real time information. The 801 runs 7 days a week, but doesn’t get to Moreton-in-Marsh early enough on Sundays. 
  • Stagecoach #1/2/1A/2A: Connects Moreton-in-Marsh with Chipping Campden and Blockley. Here’s the current PDF timetable. Monday to Saturday only. 
  • Stagecoach #51: Connects Moreton-in-Marsh with Ilmington, Shipston-on-Stour or Stretton-on-Fosse. The current timetable is here. Monday to Saturday only. 

🚗 Driving to Moreton-in-Marsh? On-street parking may be available on Moreton-in-Marsh High Street. However, pay-and-display parking is also available at Moreton-in-Marsh station (postcode for Sat Nav: GL56 0AA), or in Old Market Way (post code for Sat Nav: GL56 0JY). We recommend you arrive no later than 9.15am – you’ll need time to find a parking space, pay for parking and walk to the pick up point.

  • Car park ticket machines are cashless, so use a contactless payment card or download an app to pay by phone. For the station car park, you’ll need the ‘APCOA Connect‘ app, and for Old Market Way, use the PayByPhone app.
  • Allow plenty of time for your journey – country roads can be slow!
  • Tuesday is market day in Moreton-in-Marsh, so parking is more limited, especially after the market starts at 9.00AM. If you’r touring with us on a Tuesday and arriving by car, we suggest you arrive early to find a parking spot.

🚕 By taxi? Be warned: Uber is NOT reliable in the Cotswolds – please don’t rely on it! Even if you do manage to order an Uber, we hear many reports of Ubers being cancelled at short notice. Local taxi companies exist, but book 1–2 days ahead – they’re often busy (especially on term-time weekday mornings, when many drivers have school transport contracts) and can be pricey.

  • Allow plenty of time for your journey – country roads can be slow!

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Oxford departures

We currently only offer pick up/drop off in central Oxford for the following small group tours:

📍 Pick up point: Bus Stop C on St. Giles, Oxford (outside the Ashmolean Museum)

🚐 Look out for your friendly Go Cotswolds guide. They’ll be driving one of our smart white Mercedes minibuses, easily recognised by our bright green and purple Go Cotswolds branding. You shouldn’t be able to miss us!

🏠 Staying locally? Most accommodation in Oxford city centre is within a few minutes’ walk of our pick up point. Need help choosing a place to stay? Here’s where you’ll find some ideas!

🚂 By train? Oxford railway station is approximately a 14-minute walk from our pick up point.  It’s easy to get here by direct train from London (Paddington or Marylebone stations), Reading, Banbury and Birmingham New Street.

🚍 By bus? You can reach Oxford city centre by local bus from numerous places. Check The Oxford Bus Company website for timetable information for services within Oxford city centre, or from Abingdon, Didcot, Wallingford and Wantage.

Our pick up point on St Giles is also just a 6-minute walk from Oxford’s Gloucester Green bus station. This is the Oxford terminus for intercity coach services, including those from London and London airports.

🚗 Driving to Oxford? We do NOT recommend you drive your own car in Oxford city centre! Traffic can be horrendous, parking is expensive and difficult to find, and you’ll probably need to pay an online congestion charge, too. If your coming in your own car, we suggest you use one of the four Park & Ride services in Oxford. This is where you park in a designated car park outside of the centre, and catch a bus to the city.

  • ⚠️Allow plenty of time for your journey!

🚕 By taxi? If you’re coming from outside of Oxford, then Uber may be an option for you, but we don’t recommend it. Uber is actually banned from operating within Oxford city, so it’s best to use a local taxi company like Royal Cars.

  • ⚠️Book your taxi journeys ahead of time, and allow plenty of time for your journey – Oxford traffic is notoriously bad!

Other possible pick-up/drop-off points

Chipping Campden

Pick up from Chipping Campden is possible for our Cotswolds in a Day tour only. However, you’ll miss the introduction to the tour, and the first stop at Dover’s Hill. For the best experience, we recommend you start the tour from Moreton-in-Marsh rail station.

  • Monday to Saturday, take the #1/2/1A/2A local bus from Chipping Campden to Moreton-in-Marsh rail station, or a taxi if you prefer.
  • On Sundays, take a taxi to Moreton-in-Marsh rail station.
  • We cannot drop you off in Chipping Campden after the tour. Take the #1/2/1A/2A bus (Monday to Saturday), or pre-book a taxi.

Stow-on-the-Wold

  • Monday to Saturday, you can take the local bus (the #801) or a taxi to Moreton-in-Marsh train station to meet the tour.
  • Cotswolds in a Day, Cotswolds Walks & Villages and Bath & Southern Cotswolds tours only: we can drop you off in Stow-on-the-Wold at the end of the tour because we pass that way on the way back to Moreton-in-Marsh. Please let us know if you would like us to drop you off in Stow-on-the-Wold.
  • Secret Cotswolds tour and Christmas in the Cotswolds tours: we’ll drop you off at Moreton-in-Marsh station, and you can take the #801 bus (even on Sundays) or a pre-booked taxi back to Stow-on-the-Wold from there.

Bourton-on-the-Water

  • Monday to Saturday, you can take the local bus (the #801) or a taxi to Moreton-in-Marsh train station to meet the tour
  • Cotswolds in a Day tour only: we can drop you off in Bourton-on-the-Water at the end of the tour, since it’s usually the last stop before we return to Moreton-in-Marsh. Please let us know on your booking if you would like to be dropped off in Bourton-on-the-Water, so we can make sure it is the last stop for you (sometimes we switch the order of our stops around).
  • For all other small group tours: we’ll drop you off at Moreton-in-Marsh station, and you can take the #801 bus (even on Sundays) or a pre-booked taxi back to Bourton-on-the-Water from there.

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More questions about how to get to Go Cotswolds?

If you need more help to know how to get to your Go Cotswolds tour, please email us at info@gocotswolds.co.uk or fill out the contact form below. We’re happy to help!

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