Private Day Trips from London — Your Own Car and Driver
Private day trips from London at your own pace. Your driver collects you at your hotel door, waits while you explore and brings you back when you are ready. Fixed price per car from £350: fuel, tolls and parking included.
Private day trips from London by car
Every price shown is per car, return — never per person. Pick the vehicle that fits your group and the price stays the same. These private tours from London cover castles, cathedral cities, the Cotswolds villages and the white cliffs of the south coast, each with its own fixed price.
Trips outside London
Stonehenge & Bath tour from London
The prehistoric stone circle and the golden Roman city — our longest and grandest day out.
Bicester Village from London by car
Britain’s best-known designer outlet village — a full shopping day with your car waiting and room for every bag.
Windsor Castle tour with Marlow
The world’s oldest occupied castle, then the riverside towns of Marlow and Henley — close to London and easy with children.
Cotswolds tour from London — Bibury, Burford & Bourton
Arlington Row at Bibury and the honey-stone villages — stop wherever you like, on your own timetable.
Harry Potter Studio Tour from London
From your London hotel to Warner Bros. Studio Tour north of the city — the Great Hall, Diagon Alley and Platform 9¾. Your driver waits throughout the visit and takes you back.
Cambridge day trip
King’s College, medieval lanes and punting on the Cam — the compact university day out.
Woburn Safari Park day trip
Drive among lions and tigers in your own private Mercedes — a safari with the whole car to yourselves.
Seven Sisters & Brighton day trip
Sea air and the famous Brighton pier on the south coast — a complete change of scene about two hours away.
Oxford day trip
Radcliffe Camera, the Bodleian and Christ Church with your own driver, and Bicester Village or Blenheim on the way back.
Canterbury day trip & White Cliffs of Dover
Canterbury Cathedral, the White Cliffs and Dover Castle in one day, with Leeds Castle on request.
Hampton Court Palace & Kew half-day trip
Henry VIII’s Tudor palace on the Thames and the Kew glasshouses, with the driver waiting at both gates.
Leeds Castle & Hever Castle day trip
Two Kent castles in one day — the moat and maze at Leeds, then Anne Boleyn’s Hever.
Theme park day with a chauffeur
Legoland, Chessington, Thorpe Park or Peppa Pig World — your driver waits at the park all day.
Three sights in one day
Two of the trips above stretch into a combination day with the same car and driver. The Windsor, Stonehenge and Bath day trip starts at Windsor Castle and runs about twelve hours, or ends in Oxford instead of Bath. The Cotswolds and Oxford day trip adds the colleges on the way home.
Each is one fixed price per car from £605, chosen by name in the booking form on its page. Windsor Castle closes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for most of the year.
Tours inside London
Private London tours by car
The city’s headline sights in a single day by private car, with photo stops wherever you like.
London shopping tour with a driver
From Harrods to Oxford Street and Westfield — your car drops you close to each store and keeps the bags.
Cardiff & South Wales day trip
Cardiff Castle and the Bay in one long day, with the same car and driver waiting all day.
2-day Snowdonia tour
Betws-y-Coed, the Llanberis Pass and a royal castle, with one chauffeur for both days.
Multi-day programmes
5-day Cotswolds tour from Heathrow
Bibury, Bourton-on-the-Water, the Slaughters, Broadway, Chipping Campden and Blenheim Palace, back to your flight.
3 days in London with a chauffeur
Royal London and the Tower, then Windsor, Stonehenge and Bath, or a third London day. Booked in one go.
4 days in London with a chauffeur
Two London days plus the Cotswolds and Bath, or Oxford and Windsor. One booking for all four days.
5 days in London with a chauffeur
London days with Stonehenge, Bath, the Cotswolds and Windsor, or a family week with the Harry Potter Studios.
Every multi-day programme in one place: private tours of England with your own chauffeur.
Dollar figures are approximate; you are charged in GBP.
Our three best day trips
1 Harry Potter Studio Tour — best for families
If you are travelling with children or teenagers, this one wins outright. The studio is indoors and heated, so British weather cannot spoil the day, and the drive from central London is short enough that nobody spends the morning in the car. The practical advantage is that your driver stays on site for the whole visit: you leave when you have finished, not when a timetable decides. See the full trip details.
2 Bicester Village — best for shopping
Bicester Village is the first stop for most visitors who come to Britain to shop, and going by private car changes the day completely: bags go straight into the boot instead of being carried around, and there is no departure time to watch. It also pairs neatly with Oxford, which is close by, if you want two stops in one day, and with Blenheim Palace, twenty minutes beyond Oxford. There is more on where to shop in our guide to shopping in London.
3 The Cotswolds — best for a quiet day
For anyone who has already seen London and wants a different side of England, the Cotswolds is the answer: small honey-stone villages and narrow country lanes that only a car can reach. This is the one trip we would not recommend doing any other way, because the pleasure of it is stopping on impulse at whichever village takes your eye. Staying in the Cotswolds rather than in London? A Heathrow to Cotswolds transfer goes from arrivals straight to your village door.
Which day trip suits the time of year?
The month and the forecast change the best choice more than the distance does. Pick a first choice and a second, and decide the evening before. Our guide to the 20 best day trips from London adds the drive time for each one by the hour you leave.
- Summer: the long evenings suit the longest days out, such as Stonehenge with Bath, or the chalk cliffs of the Seven Sisters with Brighton, where a clear sky is the whole point.
- Spring and autumn: the Cotswolds villages and the Oxford colleges are at their best, with gardens in flower or trees turning colour and fewer visitors than in August.
- Winter: from November to January the sun sets between about 4pm and 5pm, so choose an 8am start or a trip closer to London. The road safari at Woburn stays open with shorter hours.
- A wet day: the Warner Bros. studio at Leavesden is indoors and heated, and most of a Hampton Court and Kew day is spent inside the palace and the warm glasshouses.
If the forecast turns, ask us to move the date before the cancellation deadline and we update the booking.
Which day trip fits your group?
Who is in the car matters more than the map. These are the days we would start with for each kind of group, all with your own driver from the hotel entrance.
- First-timers in England: Stonehenge and Bath puts the stone circle and a Georgian city into one long day, the pairing most first visits are built around.
- Families with children: at Woburn Safari Park your own car is the safari vehicle, so children stay in their seats through the road safari. Child seats are fitted at no charge.
- Seniors and guests who walk less: Hampton Court and Kew is a four-hour half day with a short drive, and the palace car park is a short walk from the gate.
- Couples: Leeds Castle and Hever pairs a moated castle with the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, two quiet Kent estates in one day.
- Mixed interests: an Oxford day pairs the colleges with Bicester Village or Blenheim on the way back.
On any of these days a folding wheelchair or walker travels in the boot. Tell us the ages and any mobility needs when you book, and we plan the order of the stops around them.
How far is each trip from London?
The drive decides how much of the day you spend at the stops. These times come from each trip page, from central London on a weekday with pickup between 8am and noon.
- Under an hour: Hampton Court, Windsor Castle, the Harry Potter studio, and Legoland or Thorpe Park on our theme park day.
- 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes: Bicester Village and Woburn at around 1 hour 15 minutes; Oxford, Leeds Castle and Highclere Castle at around 90.
- Around two hours: Cambridge, Canterbury and Blenheim Palace just under; Brighton and the Cotswolds at two; Stratford-upon-Avon and Warwick just over.
- 2 hours 30 minutes or more: Bath, reached in roughly 2 hours 30 minutes on the M4, and Cardiff, three hours west, a day that fits inside 12 hours.
The shorter the drive, the more freedom you have with the start time. For a trip of two hours or more, an 8am pickup gives you the longest stay before the drive back.
Watch a day trip before you book
Each short film follows one private day trip in order, from the hotel pickup to the drive home, so you can see how the day runs.
What you get with a private car
Your day, your schedule
Leave at the time you choose between 8am and noon, and head back when you are done — no meeting point and nobody else’s schedule to follow.
Door-to-door
Your driver comes to your hotel entrance. No getting across town to a departure point before the trip has even started.
Priced per car, not per seat
The price is the same whether there are two of you or seven. The larger your group, the more the maths works in your favour.
Family privacy
The car is yours alone — child seats on request, and you can stop whenever you need to without apologising to anyone.
| Detail | With Tripyana |
|---|---|
| Pickup point | Your hotel door |
| Departure time | You choose, 8am–12 noon |
| Return time | When you have finished |
| How it is priced | One fixed price per car |
| Privacy | Your group only |
| Child seats | Available on request |
Want a programme of your own?
If the trip you are looking for is not here — the Highclere Castle day trip for Downton Abbey fans or the Stratford-upon-Avon and Warwick Castle day, for example — build your own: choose the destinations, the number of days and the vehicle, and we will come back to you with the details.
How private day tours from London work
The whole day runs around your group, from the hotel door to the drop-off. You book one car, pick a start time, and the driver handles the road while you enjoy the stops.
- Book the trip, the vehicle class, the date and your London pickup address.
- On the day, the driver meets you at your hotel or apartment entrance at the agreed time.
- On the road, fuel, tolls and parking are already covered, so there is nothing to pay along the way.
- At each stop you explore at your own pace, and the car is parked close by when you come out.
- Need a coffee or comfort break, or longer in one place? Just tell the driver.
- When you are ready, the drive back ends at the address where the day began.
Choosing the right car for your group
Choose by headcount, since one price covers everyone in the car.
- E-Class: a comfortable Mercedes saloon seating three, ideal for couples and small families.
- S-Class: the flagship Mercedes saloon, also for three, when comfort comes first.
- V-Class: a Mercedes people carrier seating seven, for larger families or friends travelling together.
Bringing young children? Give their ages when you book so the right seats are fitted before departure. Entry tickets and meals are booked by you, and a separate guide can join if you want commentary.
Can we change the plan or add a stop during the trip?
Yes, within reason. The car and driver are yours for the day, so the order of the stops can follow your mood. A photo stop, a village you spot from the road or lunch off the main route all fit easily.
A whole new destination is a bigger change than a short detour. If you want a second town or a longer drive, tell us when you book. We confirm the route and the price for the car before you pay.
Once you are on the road, ask the driver before you change anything. The driver checks the time and the road back to London, then tells you whether the new plan works.
Can a day tour start at Heathrow or a cruise port?
The trips on this page start and end at a London address. A day trip can also start at Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton or London City for £80 extra, charged once and shown in the booking form. Two arrival days work differently, and both keep the same private car and driver from the first pickup to the last drop-off.
- Landing at Heathrow with a ship to catch: the Heathrow to Southampton transfer via Stonehenge collects you in arrivals, parks at the stones for two hours and drops you at your ship’s terminal. Your cases stay locked in the boot the whole way.
- Docking in Southampton for the day: private shore excursions from Southampton start at the terminal exit and reach Stonehenge, Windsor Castle or central London, with the driver planning the return well before all-aboard.
Each one is booked on its own page, with the whole car priced before you pay. Give the flight number or the ship’s name when you book, so the pickup follows the real arrival time rather than the timetable.
Questions about day trips from London
Is the price per person or for the whole car?
What does the price include?
Do you book the tickets for me?
How long is a private day trip from London?
Is the driver also a tour guide?
Can I cancel my booking?
How far ahead should I book a private day tour from London?
Where does the trip start from?
What are some good private day trips from London?
Which day trips from London are under an hour away?
What are some unusual day trips from London?
Can a day trip become two days with a night away?
Ready to book your day out of London?
Choose your trip and book in a few minutes, or get in touch if you have a question first.
Going further north?
Longer journeys with the same car and chauffeur: Manchester, Birmingham, the Lake District, a multi-day England tour through the Cotswolds and Bath, a 2-day Snowdonia tour from London, and multi-day Scotland tours.