This company has harbour tours that cruise around the naval base at Portsmouth. The trips are…read moreusually 1 hour long. Its a great way to take in the history past and present. The Arc Royal can be seen. It sits looking old and neglected. It is one of the smallest aircraft carries in the world! The companys vessels can be booked for private functions such as weddings. The boats start at 86 seats up to 500 persons. Some tours are seasonal.

The reason we were even in Salisbury, and on of my main must-dos when coming to England! And for…read moreme, it did not disappoint! I do wish I had been there with a different travel partner or by myself, as I would have liked to take my time and walk from the visitor's center to the main attraction. There is a path one can follow to do just that. But if that isn't your thing, there is a bus that goes back and forth between the visitor's center and the 'foot' of the actual Stonehenge site. There is an official tour bus company that runs from the train station in the middle of town to Stonehenge just outside of town, along with stops at the cathedral (entry included with your Stonehenge ticket), as well as 2 other historical sites and a couple other bus stops around town. Highly affordable and reasonable if you are DIY-ing your visit. We took the train in from London and stayed overnight in town to explore and be able to take our time. Not sure how big bus tours from London doing day trips do it, but that is also a option for getting here. It is about 3 hours (by train) away from central London. Some have said they find this to be a disappointing tourist attraction. But I don't know, maybe it depends on your expectations. I was over the moon pleased and my expectations were exceeded. The weather happened to be beautiful and while it was busy, it wasn't like crunched shoulder-to-shoulder busy. There are markers set up around the structure with links to a self-guided audio tour. We ended up going in the opposite direction that most people opted to go (it is a loop around the stones) but that isn't, like, not allowed. So make your own choices. What not to do? DON'T be like an entitled man who just walks right on over the barricades and chains keeping you on the prescribed path and try and go pet the stones. Also maybe DON'T you and your wife throw a fit when security approaches you and takes you away for ignoring the clearly posted and straightforward rules that are printed in your native language and say you "deserve" to do whatever you want because it is your birthday (?). Like seriously...this happened while I was there and it was a scene. And they were lucky the Brits are so chill and calm about it...doing that kind of thing in a different country....yikes. ANYWAY. I loved every second of my visit here and only wish I could have spent more time exploring and taking my time around the site.

The Stonehenge Tour is operated by Salisbury Reds. After I reached at Salisbury station from…read moreLondon Waterloo, I was looking to the tour bus which I had already checked it by internet. The bus stop was near from the station. I found the bus and rode on it, at the time I bought the ticket from one bus driver sitting on drinking seat. I can't remember the price but maybe wondered if it was very cheap. After buying the ticket, the driver asked me of my language. Because of sudden, I quickly answered English languages, and the driver gave me an earphone that I can listen to explaining of Stonehenge's guide. I sat on a seat in the back of bus and plugged the earphone into a jack of the seat. If you want to get this tour ticket, you can use online on the website. All of their online tickets are valid for 6 months from the day of purchase.

The Warrior is a good exploration of the last era of sailing ships. It somewhat pales in comparison…read moreto the marquee standouts on the dockyard of the Victory and Mary Rose, but it's well worth a look if only to see the comparative changes across the centuries in military ships. It's easy to explore by making your own path through and doesn't take as long as those others.

Britain's first warship with an all-metal hull, the HMS Warrior (1860) is a beautifully…read morepreserved/restored premium attraction, a must-see for anyone even remotely interested in the history of ship-building, and the wars that these ships fought in. It is part of the tremendous "Portsmouth Historic Dockyard" experience (It also includes the HMS Victory, the HMS M.33 and the WWII submarine HMS Alliance, plus several museums) which offers at least a couple of days worth of exciting sight-seeing for adults as much as more the smaller fry. First things first: If you want to do all of the Portsmouth Harbour attractions in one day (better make it the full day, i.e. 10 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. in the summer and to 5 p.m. in the winter), make sure to book the "all attractions" ticket *ONLINE*, which will save you money: E.g. the single adult ticket costs UKP 32.00 on the door, but just 25.60 online. The HMS Warrior as an individual attraction alone costs UKP 18.00. While not as famous as Nelson's HMS Victory, the Warrior is a tremendously imposing ship physically, and full of exciting details to explore. The whole body of the ship is fitted with historic cannons, cabin furniture, hammocks, tables, plates used by the sailors of the time, etc etc. It really conveys convincingly how both the officers and, in particular, the rank and file on this ship lived and worked at the time. It's thrilling, sometimes disturbing to see tables with plates next to the cannons, next to the hammocks - eating, sleeping, fighting and dying in one and the same place. There are cabins for the officers, a map room. You can visit all the decks (be careful on those steep steps between the decks - it's almost inconceivable how sailors were supposed to run up and down those!) and photography is allowed everywhere in the ship. Since the lighting is much less low-key than on the HMS Victory you'll be able to make decent pictures even with smartphone and super zoom cameras. If you have any questions while you're exploring the vessel, there are several friendly guides on every deck who you can ask anything. Of course they're friendlier towards single ladies than to single guys. ;) Since HMS Warrior s only part of a large visitors' experience, if you're exhausted or hungry from your exploits there are several restaurants and cafés (sadly, no pub!) on the grounds of the dockyard nearby. Directly opposite of the Warrior you'll find the quay where the Harbour Cruise and the free boat ride to the HMS Alliance depart (included in the all attractions ticket). All in all this is a most exciting and intriguing tourist and historical attraction. Expect to spend 1-1.5 hours on the HMS Warrior alone.

Friend decided to do a tour for her Hen Night. You are met at Bus Station, The Hard, Portsmouth by…read morea red double decker bus, driver and guide in costume. You are taken around Southsea and Old Portsmouth, do not expect spooky, spooky, but there are a few surprises along the way, do not want to spoil it, more a historical tour than spooky. I really enjoyed it though, great for something different, if especially around Halloween.

This is a phenomenal museum and history complex, located over part of the very historic Portsmouth…read morenaval dockyard. It is the single best place to explore Britain's naval history. Is has numerous displays and museum rooms with various collections covering many aspects of the naval history. However, the parts which really stand out are the ships and of these HMS Victory, the flagship of Horatio Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, and the HMS Warrior, the world's first all-metal "ironclad" warship, are probably the most amazing to visit. HMS Victory, launched in 1765, is a one-of-a-kind surviving example of of a "first-rate" ship of the line, the only example of this type which has survived intact, and the oldest ship still in commission. It would be fasinating and well worht seeing for this alone. However, it is all the more memorable, and moving, for its role in the Battle of Trafalgar, and the with locations where Nelson, Britain's most revered and famous admiral, both was shot in the battle and later died from his wounds, marked. HMS Warrior was not the first ironclad - the French Gloire just preceded it by about 1 year - but it was the first all-metal, purpose built ship of this kind, the Gloire being wood sheathed in iron. It was revolutionary at the time and it is fascinating to see the state-of-the-art innovations which it included for the first time, such as a steam-powered laundry with washing machines. Comparing the conditions on it and Victory is fascinating. It is lso the oldest ironclad still extant. Others include HMS Mary Rose, a famous 16-th century warship which sank, HMS M.33, a WWI monitor (gunship) which served various roles, and HMS Alliance, a WWII submarine. One could spend all day here and still have more to explore.

Portsmouth Historic Dockyard is a must visit for history nerds and boat lovers...not so much for…read moreeveryone else. You'll get to see amazing historic ships, going back over 500 years of of Royal Navy history. HMS Victory: The Royal Navy's flagship that led the important Battle of Trafalgar, which the French Navy was put to shame during Napoleon's destructive wars. Arguably the most famous warship in British history. It's barely holding together as much maintenance and restoration ongoing work continues, but you still can decks and learn about life onboard during the Georgian era. The Mary Rose: King Henry VIII's flagship, which sank in 1545 and was famously salvaged in 1982. The museum showcases the preserved half hull and thousands of artifacts recovered from the wreck, offering a unique glimpse into 16th-century sailor life. Be sure to watch the 4D video! HMS Warrior: was the world's first iron-hulled, armored warship, built in 1860. Its still incredibly well preserved and structurally sound...as it never saw a single battle! Still very cool seeing how modern it felt compared to the older ships. £46/$62 3 Attraction Ticket: as fun this all was, it is really expensive for what you get, so minus one for that.

A bit has changed since my last experience with Mad Max Tours, including a much more limited…read moreoffering. There are three tours to choose from now: Tour 1 (I have not done [because I've seen them all before]): a tour of Stonehenge, a walk in Castle Combe Village, a photo stop at Cherhill White Horse, a visit to the Avebury Stone Circles, a photo stop at Silbury Hill, lunch at Lacock National Trust village. Tour 2 (I recently did): The Cotswold Villages Experience which includes very accessible and highly informative visits/walks through Castle Combe Village, Bibury & Arlington Row, Bourton-on-the-Water, Stow-On-The-Wold, as well as Malmesbury Abbey & Market Cross. Get ready to be absolutely immersed in the Cotswolds! While our guide was incredibly knowledgeable about the area (we learned so many interesting things!) and thoughtful of bio breaks, we felt the day could have been paced better. We were rushed at Bourton-on-the-Water and Malmesbury Abbey; but, we had *far too much* time at both Stow-on-the-Wold (all fourteen of us ended up standing on the street for forty minutes or so waiting for our guide to show back up; that being said, you should absolutely take Mad Max's recommendation to get lunch at Cotswolds Baguettes and eat them near the church with the famous Yew trees!), and - maybe because our tour guide had a personal connection to it - Arlington Row, where we spent a very, very long time standing in front of people's houses. Tour 3 (I have not done): special access to Stonehenge. I do LOVE these kinds of (almost) all-inclusive tours; they take away the anxiety of needing to drive or come up with an itinerary. They also allow you to truly take in the incredible scenery from comfortable small buses that navigate lots of back roads expertly! I just found this particular tour to be a little less personal than when I first visited a few years back (and compared to our experiences with the Heart of Scotland tours out of Edinburgh) AND I'm missing the more varied selection of tours they used to offer as well.

We did the Cotswold tour 8/23/24…read more Scenery wise the tour was interesting, transiting through the lovely and history rich Cotswolds villages. Lunch however was a disaster. After being told, numerous times, told NOT to eat Lunch in Bourton and wait for Stow-On-The-Wold for a sumptuous lunch, we arrived in Stow to find every single pub closed, many for 3-4 days. We wound up having a lunch in a pasty shop that was, as a British Baking Show would call it "Not Worth the Calories. What I don't understand is that the same tour came here 2 days ago so why did they not forward this information? We could of had a lovely lunch in Bourton.

Preface: A couple of the one-star reviews on Google were very unfair to Lion Tours. One of the…read morereviewers clearly never went on the tour (writing on behalf of others) and the other reviewer was merely repeating the former reviewer's review. It seems that the only person "lacking variety" is the latter reviewer. I usually don't call out other reviewers but something had to be said before someone stepped on either of these landmines. Now, on with the review. Paul was the greatest tour guide in the history of tour guides... maybe ever. He was incredibly knowledgeable about the surrounding area and we were completely blown away by his attention to detail. Did you know that Thomas the Tank Engine was conceived on this route? Wild! Paul knew. He also accompanied us to Stonehenge itself and gave us an in-person walk-through of the site, which I hear the competition doesn't do. The other tours just drop you off and wait in the cafe for you to be done. A bit impersonal if you ask me. Paul even keeps spare rain jackets in case you didn't bring one to the Henge. What a saint. Need recommendations for what to do in Bath? Surprise, Paul's got them. If the other tours are Bieber and Swift albums, then Lion Tours would have to be Peter Gabriel's Solsbury Hill, an absolute classic. Would book again!

We toured Stonehenge, Avebury, Lalock and Castle Combe. Paul was knowledgeable about the area and…read moreprovided us a unique and personal experience. He provided a special tour in Castle Combe that others could not show! We had a great day and recommend this tour

The coach was modern and felt safe and maintained. Phil our driver drove safely, and was funny…read more Chris our guide was a great combination of informative and witty. They were on time, suggested a great plan for the day and easy to communicate with. I highly recommend In Bath & Beyond!

We had a private tour with Simon Whittaker to a small portion of the Cotswolds. Not only was he…read moreprompt for our pick up he was full of historical information about the whole area. We were able to see and walk through a few villages and really see what makes this area a wonder. Not to mention many of the villages we visited were used in filming a lot of television and movie productions. We were able to stop and have a coffee at an historical hotel and lunch at a lovely spot far from the beaten path. Very enlightening! Simon was very personable. I highly recommend a tour with this Company and with Simon.

Located down at the hard Interchange is the First Bus Travel shop. It's the place where you can…read morepick up all the bus timetables, speak to them about bus stuff and check for lost property. They also do national express coach stuff, and the stops just outside the door. You can also find out about holidays and day trips and other travel stuff. They sell a few bits and bobs there. I got a plug adapter which I needed for a trip to France.