Want to take a day trip to Warwick Castle on a bus that stops in a few tourists places such as Stratford and oxford etc. What is the best company to use?

I assume you are leaving from London.

This will be a longish day, but I have no doubt you could find a tour company that offers it.

Doing it on your own on public transportation might be a bit fraught.

If you google you will find several companies that do this. All are similar. Pick the one that does is the day you want. I seem to recall one called Evan Evans - but I'm sure you will find several if you google bus tours from London.

Not that I would recommend squeezing that much into one day (my head would spin after one too many too short stops) here is Evans Evans tour that covers exactly what you want http://www.evanevanstours.co.uk/warw...ord-oxford.htm

They are probably the best of the London based, fully guided day tour operators.

Original London Walks does what are called Explorer Days, which are excellent and inexpensive. But they don't cram in as much "stuff" and only go on selected dates during the season.

We did the day tour from London to Warwick Castle, Stratford, Oxford and the Cotswolds several years go and used Premium Tours, www.premiumtours.co.uk/home.asp

We really enjoyed it, although our guide spoke only broken English (!) and was difficult to understand. She was a substitute for the regular guide on that tour. The lunch stop in the Cotswolds was at a delightful 400-year-old inn, and the meal was delicious. You had a choice of roast beef or lamb with all the trimmings, plus wine or beer was included. I believe the tour price is 69 pounds per adult.
We were staying at the Milennium Bailey's and the pick-up/drop/off was just next door, so very convenient.
Highly recommend, it makes for a wonderful day.

thanks, i will check out both places and then make a decision! very helpful.

If you are doing the Shakespeare Properties and Warwick Castle and some similar sites then by all means investigate the Great British Heritage Pass as it could save you big bucks IME

Only sold to foreign tourists and according to Janisj's former post the good news is that she says you can buy it at many places instead of having to order it, etc.

Re the above - a Great British Heritage Pass isn't useful if you take a guided bus tour. All admission fees are included in the tour's cost.

What quality time will you get in Oxford, Stratford and Warwick and boomerang back and forth from London

All those destinations are easy day trips from London - i suggest you chose one and have a really in-depth experience rather than a fleeting look and probably a 6am reveille, etc.

More is sometimes less IMO

Are Warwick Castle and Stratford-Upon-Avon doable in a single day trip from London?

MileKing: Yes, they are. Not optimal of course since both can take just about a full day by themselves.

But the two towns are only about 6 miles apart. You could take an early morning train to one (Warwick would be my choice) spend the morning through lunch time - there are cafes in Warwick Castle. Then take a bus or taxi over to Stratford for the rest of the day. Shakespeare's birthplace/museum, his daughters house, and the church where he is buried are all in central Stratford and walking distance from each other. Anne Hathaway's Cottage and Mary Arden's house are just outside of town in nearby villages.

After seeing everything - in the evening hop on a train back to London.

Thanks Janisj. Your suggestion is exactly what I was thinking. From postings here on Fodors, most everyone feels a 1/2 day at Warwick Castle works well. Wasn't sure about Stratford-Upon-Avon, but it sounds like a 1/2 day there can work.

Depends what you want to see in Stratford - some of the Shakespeare Properties are out of town and to see them along with the properties in town would require a whole day - at least i ran out of time on a day trip to make it to Wimcote (sp?) and Anne Hatahways' cottage (? i think)

But Stratford is small so if you just want to see the alleged Shakespeare House (for which there is a paucity of evidence he ever lived there IMO and from what staff there told me when i queried them on that) and say the Theatre area and the church he is buried in, etc. then a half day would be fine.

PQ: both Anne Hathaway's and Mary Arden's are on the H-o-H-o bus route. Very easy to do the in-town and village Shakespeare properties in 1/2 a day.

Plus if one is up to the walk, Anne Hathaway's cottage is less than a mile out from the birthplace/museum/center of Stratford.

depends on what you call a half-day i guess

I got to Stratford about 10am and by 5pm i had managed only to see the in town properties - but i also wandered around the cute gardens around the lock - the Theatre area, the parish church - i found each property had docents in it that love to chat, etc. and give interesting spiels

so i guess if you took just a quick look at each of the five sights you could do it in a half day - a very long half day IMO

Consider if you spend an hour in each of the five - including getting there - that's a half-day so no time for a tea shop or pub lunch, etc.

I'd say plan on a whole day if possible.

PQ: Of course one could spend a whole day in Stratford, or 3 days, or a week -- however the OP doesn't have that much time. As I said, &quot;<i>Not optimal of course since both can take just about a full day by themselves. </i>&quot; but definitely doable.

Ya gotta make do w/ what ya got - if it is one day -- then 1/2 in Warwick and 1/2 in Stratford works.

d'accord - i agree

but OP makes no mention of whether a half-day is enough

she/he is taking a bus tour, which means he/she will fleetingly halt at perhaps only the Shakespeare House or one other site or walk around the High Street for a few minutes - after all if they are going to see Warwick Castle, Stratford and Oxford in one day it won't even be a half day

i was writing in general of course and perhaps i misunderstood you as saying a half day is enough - it is only if it has to be.

Oh PQ, PQ - you need to pay attention dear. &quot;<i>but OP makes no mention of whether a half-day is enough . . . . . . she/he is taking a bus tour . . . . . </i>&quot;

The OP was back in June. We are now trying to help MileKing who topped the thread a couple of days ago. . . . . . .

Janis - i was responding to your post above mine of &lt;Of course one could spend a whole day in Stratford, or 3 days, or a week -- however the OP doesn't have that much time.&gt;

OP to me means Original Poster? Or am i wrong - so of course i thought you were talking of the OP, dear.