Southampton Port of Call Shore Excursions

*Additional Guide

If you require a professional tour guide to accompany you, please email [email protected] in advance of making your booking. We have a team of fantastic guides available for various destinations, and will be happy to check their availability for your chosen destination/attraction. 

Booking procedure

Once we have received your booking, our expert staff will create a tailored itinerary based on your requested locations. We may make suggestions and amendments to ensure you maximise your time spent touring. Occasionally additional fees may be applicable in order to accommodate all of your requests. For example where an itinerary requires an unusually early start time (before 6.30am), or where your requested attraction charges extra for car parking. We will discuss this with you if applicable.

Attraction Entries & Meals

No attraction entries or meals are included in the prices for private hire. The price you are paying is for the chosen vehicle and professional driver. You will need to book and pay directly with the attraction. We will recommend your booking times, if applicable, when we confirm your itinerary.

Some attractions, such as Windsor Castle, do not allow guiding inside the premises. If you have booked a guide to accompany you for the day, they will assist you with your entry and give guiding commentary between attractions when guiding on site is not allowed.

Itinerary Planning

Our experienced office staff are here to help you plan your day in advance, based on the number of hours hire required. Private tours with bespoke itineraries will require detailed planning and preparation. The more information you can give us in advance, the better prepared we can ensure our driver is on the day. To help you plan your day, we have included some information on the most popular options from Southampton:

Stonehenge

The mysterious and awe inspiring monument of Stonehenge has stood upon the chalk hills of Ancient Wessex for five thousand years. Built in various stages and aligned to the movement of the sun, we have arguably a calendar marking the seasons, a place of celebration and a cemetery of the departed. Enjoy a guided visit to this most enigmatic of structures and learn of the theories and ideas behind it's powerful presence.

Salisbury Cathedral 

Built between 1220 and 1258 and beautifully positioned on water meadows in the centre of a medieval city, Salisbury Cathedral rises 404 feet above the neighbouring timber-framed houses. It boasts the tallest spire in the country, an original Magna Carta from 1215 and the world's oldest working clock. Enjoy a guided tour within the impressive interior with its fine Early English Gothic arches and columns, marvel at the elaborately decorated stonework then see the country's largest cloisters and visit the tomb and shrine of St Osmond.

Winchester

The ancient capital city of England and home to one of England's premier medieval cathedrals, Winchester has been associated with royalty as far back as the famous Alfred the Great, King of Wessex. At the Great Hall, a seat of many English Kings and Queens, you will also have the chance to view the famous King Arthur's Round Table. In Winchester Cathedral, lies the resting place of many Saxon Kings, the Norman King William Rufus and the novelist Jane Austen. This outstanding building, with the longest nave in Europe, has an original medieval tiled floor and was the venue for the wedding of King Philip of Spain to Queen Mary Tudor in 1554, the infamous 'Bloody Mary'. 

Windsor and Eton

Majestic Windsor Castle sits above the Thames river providing protection and a royal home for the Kings and Queens of England for almost a thousand years. Come inside to see the famous chapel where Harry married Meghan, where Henry VIII lies buried and the interior is decorated with flags and coats of arms of the Knights of the Order of the Garter. Explore the opulent State Rooms, where Presidents and World Leaders have been entertained. See Her Majesty's collection of art by the likes of Rembrandt and Da Vinci. Cross the River Thames to the nearby village of Eton, famous for its Public School founded in 1441, with a whole host of Royals, public figures and celebrities as former students. Take a walk along its historic main street while the uniformed Eton pupils scurry along in immaculately ironed coats and tails.>Immerse yourself in the best of British history on a tour of Windsor and Eton.

Jane Austen Tour

The much loved writer and novelist Jane Austen spent the greater part of her life in the county of Hampshire and this guided tour takes you on a journey through the villages, towns and countryside that were so familiar to her, and an inspiration to her work. We head over to Chawton to the village where she spent the later years of her life, to the red brick cottage where she wrote her novels, living with her sister and mother, through the generosity of her brother Edward who lived nearby at Chawton House. We can tour both properties, firstly the cottage now known as Jane Austen's House, seeing personal items and jewellery once owned by Jane and visiting the museum and then explore the "Great House" lived in by her brother. The Elizabethan manor house was built in 1580 and is set among tranquil gardens. Lunch can be had in the delightful village tea rooms, Cassandra's Cup. A short journey takes us to Winchester where Jane spent the last weeks of her life. She moved to be near her doctor and the house of her final days stands in the shadow of the magnificent cathedral where she now lies buried. Passing away so young with work left unfinished we visit her grave in a place of worship so familiar to her in her younger years. After a tour of the cathedral we can enjoy afternoon tea in the cathedral refectory before our journey back to Southampton.

London

Enjoy a spectacular tour of England's capital city with a fully guided tour of all the major sights. our driver will take you on a journey through history as we see those iconic buildings and well-loved locations from film and literature, places that have inspired poets and artists, sites that have born witness to joy and tragedy, homes to the monarchy and workplaces of the government. You will see London's finest on one eye-opening tour. Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and Whitehall, Trafalgar Square, Theatreland, St Paul's Cathedral, Tower Bridge and the Tower of London, Shakespeare's Globe theatre and the River Thames, the world's leading museums and the homes of great writers and artists.A wonderful and rewarding tour for all those interested in the awe inspiring and majestic city of London.

Bath

The elegant and refined city of Bath is a wonder to be seen. Honey coloured stone squares, terraces and crescents hug the hillsides and seem to decorate the town. They date from the 18th century when the rich and famous came to Bath to take the waters, relieving themselves of rheumatic diseases and the side effects of high living! But the city's history goes much further back than that. As the settlement boasts the only hot springs in the country it attracted Roman invaders in the First Century who left behind an impressive collection of public baths, a temple and shrines.

Downton Abbey

See the sights from the hit series Downton Abbey. Visit Downton village, Yew Tree Farm and magnificent Highclere Castle, the setting for Downton Abbey itself. ust north of Southampton are the beautiful Cotswold Hills with its range of delightful historic villages and rolling countryside. Many period dramas use this area as a backdrop and Downton is no exception. Visit Cogges Manor Farm where Lady Edith's daughter Marigold is raised, see charming Bampton, which doubles for Downton Village. In the village you will see the church, scene of weddings, funerals and a jilting! See Mrs Crawley's house and the village green. Stroll down to the Dog and Duck pub and the post office and visit the Cottage Hospital. A short drive will then take us to stunning Highclere Castle, famous for beautiful gardens designed by Capability Brown. This is Downton Abbey itself, see the library and dining room, bedrooms and grand staircase then immerse yourself in the wonder of this popular show as you walk from room to room where so much of the drama took place. A must see tour for all fans of Downton Abbey.

For futher information on the most popular attractions please see the links below:

• Windsor Castle
• Stonehenge
• Blenheim Palace
• Salisbury Cathedral
• Roman Baths