London: Downton Abbey & Highclere Castle Coach Tour
The Downton Abbey locations are already being filmed into your memory before you leave London
You ride out from London watching scenes from the show, walk through Bampton village where it was filmed, then spend hours inside Highclere Castle seeing the actual rooms. Entry to the house, the guide, and transport are all arranged. You just show up at the coach stop and the day unfolds on schedule.
Step-by-step itinerary
Downton Abbey and Village Tour
- Depart from London by coach
- Watch Downton Abbey scenes on bus
- Guided tour of Bampton village
- See church, post office, village green, pub
- Visit Highclere Castle (Downton Abbey)
- Tour upstairs rooms of the house
- Return to London by coach
- Highclere Castle Entry included 2h
- Bampton 1h
What’s included
- Your day includes hotel or central London pickup (confirm your meeting point when you book), professional guide throughout, entry to Highclere Castle with access to the upstairs rooms, a guided walk through Bampton village, air-conditioned coach transport, and live commentary as you travel.
- Scenes from the show play onboard during the drive.
- All fees and taxes are covered.
- You'll return to London in the evening.
Next departure: 27 Mar 2027
Information
Nine-hour coach tour from London to Highclere Castle and Bampton village with guided access to the house and Downton filming locations. Professional guide included.
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Traveler reviews
The experience
The coach pulls out of London and the screen flickers on: scenes from Downton Abbey start playing as you settle in for the drive out to Hampshire. It's a smart move, honestly. By the time you arrive at Highclere Castle, you've already seen the drawing room where Lady Mary made her choices, the hallway where the servants rushed between worlds. Your guide walks you through the real thing (the upstairs rooms where so much of the show actually happened), and suddenly the architecture makes sense. The ceilings are higher than you expected. The light comes from different angles than the camera showed.
Bampton village comes first on the itinerary, about an hour into the drive. This is where the show filmed the village itself: the church, the post office, the green where characters had their quiet conversations. A guided walk takes you through the actual streets, pointing out which shop was which, where the market scenes happened. It's smaller than it looks on screen, which is always the case, but the guide knows the angles and the stories, so you're not just walking. You're understanding how they made a real place into a fictional one. The pub is still there. People still live here.
Highclere Castle is the main event, and it takes up most of the afternoon. You get entry to the house itself: the rooms upstairs where the family lived their dramatic lives. The Egyptian exhibition is there too if you want it, though that's separate from the Downton focus. The grounds are worth a walk if you have the energy left, but nine hours is a full day, and by the time you're heading back to London on the coach, you've covered real distance. The air-conditioned vehicle and professional commentary mean you're not navigating this yourself or figuring out which bus to catch between stops.
Top questions
Can children come?
Yes. Ticket types: Child (3 to 15 years). Children under 3 can't be included in the booking.
How long is the coach tour from London?
Nine hours total, including travel time, the village walk, and time inside Highclere Castle.
Is entry to Highclere Castle included?
Yes, entry to the house is included. You see the upstairs rooms used in the show.
Do we stop in Bampton village?
Yes, your first stop is Bampton, where you get a guided tour of the village used as Downton village in the show.
What's included in the tour price?
Professional guide, all entry fees and taxes, air-conditioned coach, and live commentary onboard.
Is there food included?
No, food is not mentioned as part of the tour. You'll want to plan for lunch or snacks.
Do I need to be fit to do this tour?
A moderate level of physical fitness is recommended. There's walking in the village and around the castle.
Are service animals allowed?
Yes, service animals are allowed on the tour.
Operated by Brit Movie Tours. Explorevia does not run this tour: we compare it with similar options, and you book it with our booking partner.
Prices and times updated 2 days ago
London: Downton Abbey & Highclere Castle Coach Tour
9h · EN
from £ 160 per person
≈ US$ 215 in your currency
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