Jane Austen Day Trip from London

- Fully refundable and amendable up until 14 days before travel
- Preview your day trip adventure here

For fans of the world renowned writer Jane Austen and for those who have seen the wonderful screen adaptations of her work, we take you on a journey through the life of the great novelist, visiting many places that touched and shaped her life and her books. Travel in a small group with your private driver/guide for a more personal experience, and reach parts of the pretty countryside the larger coaches can’t pass. This tour gives you the flexibility to explore at your own pace, with the added benefit of expert guidance when planning your trip.

Highlights

Visit Steventon, Chawton and Bath in comfort from London
Follow in the footsteps of the great novelist Jane Austen, visiting many places that touched and shaped her life and her books.
Take the road less-travelled through Hampshire to Bath.
Choose the level of driver and guide service to match your preferences
Private, small-group tour gives you the freedom to explore your way
Tour includes round-trip travel from all Central (Zone 1 &2) London and Heathrow addresses

Service Options

We have three services, tailored to cater to a range of budgets and preferences.

Driver only
An experienced driver who is familiar with our touring routes, but does not guide or offer commentary. Should you book this service, you will visit Steventon, Chawton and Bath independently.

Driver/guide
With this service level, your experienced driver will guide and offer commentary from the vehicle.

Driver with guide
This is one of our most popular options. You’ll have an experienced driver and a separate professional guide on your tour, who can guide from the vehicle and lead you on walking tours in Steventon, Chawton and Bath.

When booking this service, you’ll need to allow a seat for the guide. For example, booking this service for 8-16 people will allow seats for a party of 15 passengers plus the guide.

The services above do not include entries or meals, but we are of course very happy to help with this. Should you wish to include entry tickets or meal bookings, please see our FAQs tab.

Booking procedure

Once we have received your booking, our expert staff will finalise your itinerary based on your locations and pick up address. They will then secure the best driver and where applicable, guides for your tour.

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 e.g where itineraries will require unusually early or late starts or finishes, or if additional pick ups and drop offs are required. If you do have any special requests we recommend you contact us before booking.

Your Day

Your private day trip from London begins with collection from your London or Heathrow address. We can collect from your hotel lobby, air bnb, airport arrival terminal, train station, guest house or private address. After departing London we head south west into Hampshire, the county of her birth. We drive down the leafy twisting narrow lanes to Steventon where in 1775 Jane was born. We visit St Nicholas Church where she was baptised, where she worshipped for 25 years and where her father, George, was Rector for over 40 years. It was here she spent time with her great love, Tom Lefroy, possibly the inspiration for Mr Darcy.

Her father's decision to retire in 1800 saw the Austens move to Bath but before we do the same we will head over to nearby Chawton where Jane spent her final years and completed her novels ready for publication. Her brother Edward had been adopted by a wealthy local family and he offered Jane, her mother and her sister Cassandra a cottage in the village. This is now a fantastic and compelling museum and recreation of the home Jane had from 1809 to 1817. Chawton is a beautiful village in its own right with a collection of charming thatched cottages that surround the Austen's home.

We then travel to Bath to the city she is most associated with. After lunch we enjoy a Jane Austen walking tour, see the inspiration for "Nothanger Abbey" and "Persuasion" and visit the crescents, squares and terraces of this delightful place, finishing the day at the Jane Austen Centre with its collection of souvenirs and memorabilia.

Recommended Timings

	Time	Schedule
Departs	7:45am	London
Arrives	9:15am	Steventon
Departs	9:35am	Steventon
Arrives	10:00am	Chawton
Departs	11:30am	Chawton
Arrives	1:30pm	Bath
Departs	4:15pm	Bath
Arrives	6:45pm	London

Please note that all timings above are estimated and assuming normal traffic conditions. Due to the changeable nature of road conditions, we cannot guarantee a precise time when you will arrive back in London.

Attraction Entries

We strongly recommend you pre-book your entries to any attractions that you know you wish to enter. Please refer to the timings above to book the correct times for your entries.

Jane Austen's House in Chawton can be booked here
Jane Austen Centre in Bath can be booked here

Are entries to the attractions and meals included?

Attraction entries and meals are not included in the prices for private tours. We can of course make recommendations and assist with this if needed.

We strongly recommend you pre-book your entries to any attractions that you know you wish to enter. Please refer to the timings under the "Your Day" tab to book the correct times for your entries.

Please be aware that some attractions 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, but will have to adhere to the attractions guiding policy once inside.

Is this service only available from London or Heathrow?

The advertised prices are based on pick up and drop off from Central London (Zone 1 & 2) or Heathrow. But we can also offer this service from selected locations outside Central London on request. Please email your enquiry to [email protected] for further details.

How much luggage can I bring?

When booking private tours where you will have luggage (e.g. starting or ending at a cruise terminal or airport), please ensure you check the below for information regarding vehicle luggage capacity.

Booking 1-3 people, the vehicle will accommodate up to 3 large cases and 3 small (carry on) cases
Booking 1-6 people, the vehicle will accommodate up to 7 large cases and 8 small (carry on) cases
Booking 7-16 people, the vehicle will accommodate up to 12 large cases and 12 small (carry on) cases

Large cases must have a maximum weight of 23kg per case, small cases a maximum 10kg per case.

Should you wish to bring any mobility aids (wheelchairs or walkers) you MUST contact us in advance to let us know. We will require full dimensions and weight. These items must be able to be folded and stored in the luggage hold. Wheelchairs must be counted as 1 item of your hold luggage.

Are there any time limitations?

All private tour prices are based on a maximum of 11 hours for driver safety. Our office staff are experts in being able to help you plan your route in advance to help you get the most out of your day. On the day of your tour our experienced team of drivers and guides will also be able to help and advise you if they need to make time or route alterations depending on prevailing traffic conditions.

All British professional driver working hours are regulated by law in the interests of your safety. Our standard scheduled itineraries are compliant with the current regulations. If you feel you would like to arrange a more bespoke itinerary this will require detailed planning and preparation. In this situation we recommend you email us at [email protected] or call us on on 01843 609699 so we can discuss and help plan your perfect day out.