— england, scotland and wales, at your own pace
Private Driver-Guided Tours of the UK
— what a driver-guided tour is
Your own guide, your own car, and a day that bends around you
A private driver-guided tour is a straightforward arrangement. One person collects you from your hotel, drives you where you are going, and tells you what you are looking at once you arrive. There is no coach to board, no group of forty to wait for and nobody counting heads in a car park. The car is yours for the day, and so is the guide.
Best UK Tours is run by James, who lived in London for many years before settling in Brighton and now spends most of the year showing visitors around the country he grew up in. Our guests travel to us from the United States, Canada, Australia and across Europe, and most arrive with a short list of places they have wanted to see for a very long time. Our job is to get you to them comfortably, at a civilised hour, with the story behind each one told properly.
Why guests choose a driver-guide
The day is yours to change
A large group tour fixes its route long before you land, and the timings belong to everyone on board. On a private tour the plan is a starting point rather than a contract. If you fall into conversation with a curator at the Roman Baths and the afternoon slips, the afternoon simply moves, and if the weather turns we can swap a windswept clifftop for a warm cathedral without putting it to a vote.
Door to door, with the logistics handled
We can meet you at any London airport or cruise terminal, see you safely to your hotel, and begin the touring when you are ready for it. That takes care of the train connections, the hire car desk and the business of learning to drive on the left during your first morning here. Standard tours run in a luxurious four-seat Mercedes, and for larger parties we can arrange alternative transport, including a minibus by special arrangement.
Commentary that answers your questions
Guiding two or three people works differently from guiding a coachload. You can ask whatever you like, whenever it occurs to you, and follow a tangent about Georgian architecture or Outlander filming locations for as long as it holds your interest. By the end of a good day we usually know a fair amount about you as well.
How booking a tour works
Getting a tour underway takes three steps, and the first costs nothing more than an email.
Tell us what you have in mind
Send us your dates, where you are staying and the places you already know you want to see. A rough list is plenty. “Stonehenge, something to do with Jane Austen, and please nothing that starts at six in the morning” is a perfectly workable brief.
Book a thirty minute conversation
If you would rather talk it through, you can book a thirty minute meeting with us at a time that suits your part of the world. This is usually where the trip takes shape: what fits comfortably into one day, what deserves an overnight stay, and which famous sight you can happily leave out. Our day trips from London are a good place to start that conversation.
We build the itinerary and quote it
We come back with a route, timings and a price. No two tours are alike, so costs are worked out case by case, and our published day tours and multi-day packages give you a sense of the range while we do that. Nothing is confirmed until you are happy with it.
Where we take you
We are based in the south of England, so London and the counties around it are home ground. Our London tours cover the capital on foot and by car, while our day tours across England reach Stonehenge, Windsor Castle, Hampton Court, Bath and the Cotswolds and still have you back at your hotel in time for dinner.
Further north, our Scotland tours run from Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen out to Loch Ness, the Highlands, the Isle of Skye and the whisky distilleries. Our tours of Wales begin in Cardiff or wherever else suits you, taking in the castles, the Brecon Beacons and the coast. When you would like to string several regions together, our multi-day UK tours run from two days upwards with the hotels and logistics arranged for you.
Arriving by sea is straightforward too. Our cruise transfers and excursions are built around the ship rather than the other way round, whether that means a full day inland between ports or a comfortable run from the terminal to your London hotel. We also run private tours in Ireland, although everything else on this page concerns the UK.
Tours guests ask for most often
Every itinerary ends up a little different, so treat these as starting points rather than a fixed menu.
- A day pairing the Stonehenge inner circle with the Roman Baths, which is a good deal of English history for one drive west.
- The Cotswolds at village pace, with time for a proper lunch rather than a car park and a photograph.
- An eight hour driver-guided tour of south Wales from Cardiff, taking in castles, coast and countryside.
- The Highlands and Loch Ness from Edinburgh, for guests basing themselves in Scotland for part of the trip.
- A five day run across England through Oxford, the Cotswolds, Bath, Salisbury, Brighton, Windsor Castle and Hampton Court.
If none of those quite matches what you had in mind, that is what our bespoke tours are for.
Tell us where you would like to go
Send us your dates and a rough wish list, or book a thirty minute call, and we will come back with an itinerary and a quote.
Why book your UK tour with us
You get a guide who lives here, a car that belongs to your group alone for the day, and an itinerary written for you rather than adapted from somebody else’s timetable. We look after the routing, the tickets, the parking and the hotels on longer trips, which leaves you free to look out of the window and enjoy the country going past. Tell us what you have in mind and we will take care of the rest.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a private tour of the UK cost?
It depends on how long the tour runs, how far we travel and what we book on your behalf, so we price each itinerary individually rather than quote a figure that would not survive contact with your plans. Our published day tours and multi-day packages show you the range, and you will have a firm quote before anything is confirmed.
Are private tour guides worth it?
It depends on how you like to travel. A scheduled group tour costs less, and if fixed departure times and a set route suit you, it does the job perfectly well. If you would rather choose your own start time, spend an extra hour somewhere that has caught your imagination and ask as many questions as you like, a private guide is what makes the trip feel like yours.
How many people can come on one tour?
Our standard tours run in a luxurious four-seat Mercedes, which suits couples, small families and friends travelling together. For larger parties we can arrange alternative transport, including a minibus by special arrangement, so tell us your numbers when you first make contact.
How far ahead should we book?
The earlier the better, particularly over the summer and for anything involving special access or hotels across several days. We would far rather hear from you late than not at all, so send your dates and we will tell you plainly what is still possible.
Can we change the itinerary once the tour has started?
Yes, and guests often do. Your guide can usually adapt the route or the timings on the day, so if you want to linger somewhere or add a stop you have just spotted, say so. The exceptions are anything on a timed entry ticket, and we will tell you which parts of the day those are.
Do you cover all of the UK, or only England?
We run private tours across England, Scotland and Wales, and we operate tours in Ireland as well. The south of England is our home ground, and single day tours from there reach as far north as Stratford upon Avon. Longer itineraries travel much further, with a maximum of 400 miles of driving in any one day.
What is the difference between a driver-guide and a separate driver and guide?
A driver-guide is one person doing both jobs, which is why the day flows the way it does. Hiring a chauffeur and a guide separately means two people, two sets of arrangements and a guide who usually meets you at the gate rather than travelling with you. With a driver-guide the commentary carries on between stops, and questions get answered in the car rather than saved up.
Where can I find a private driver in the UK?
Britain has two rather different options, and it is worth knowing which you are booking. Chauffeur companies provide a car and a driver who will take you wherever you ask but will not guide you. Driver-guide operators like us provide someone who does both. If you want the history as well as the transport, ask specifically for a driver-guide, or get in touch and we will talk it through.
How much do you tip a private tour guide in England?
Tipping in Britain is discretionary rather than expected, which surprises a lot of American visitors. Nothing is added as a percentage the way it often is at home, and no guide will think less of you for not tipping. Guests who have enjoyed a day sometimes offer something at the end, and it is always gratefully received, but it is entirely a matter for you.
— What our tour clients say