A Journey of Garden Beauty & English Charm.

 

For the True Garden Enthusiast.

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If you dream in border colors, plan vacations around bloom times, and can't pass a walled garden without wondering what's behind the gate, this tour was built for you.

 

Join us for a magical week in England's Cotswolds, touring some of the most celebrated gardens in the world — Hidcote Manor, King Charles's Highgrove, Kiftsgate Court, Sudeley Castle, Sezincote House, Bourton House, Rousham, and more. We'll walk through garden rooms, rill gardens, herbaceous borders, and naturalistic Capability Brown landscapes, hearing the design philosophy and planting history behind each one from Blue Badge and horticultural guides. The week culminates in London at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, the pinnacle event of the horticultural calendar.

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Perfect For

• Garden club members and Master Gardeners

• Flower-loving friends traveling together

• Solo garden enthusiasts looking for a friendly, knowledgeable group

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Limited to just 15 guests, so there's real time to talk plants with our guides, garden owners, and head gardeners - not just walk past them.

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Why This Tour, for Gardeners

• Design lineage, not just scenery - visit gardens spanning three centuries of English garden design, from William Kent's 18th-century landscape at Rousham to Lawrence Johnston's early-20th-century "garden rooms" at Hidcote

• Access most tourists don't get - a docent-led tour of The Royal Gardens at Highgrove, a private estate garden not generally open to the public, and a private house tour at Sezincote

• Expert interpretation throughout - a Cotswold Blue Badge guide travels with the group all week, plus a dedicated horticultural expert for our day at Chelsea

• Time to actually look - this is a garden tour, not a bus tour with garden stops; the pace is built around lingering in borders, not rushing to the next photo point

• Peak season, by design - timed for mid-to-late May, when Cotswold gardens are at their most floriferous and Chelsea is in full swing

• Optional early walks - for those who want to see a village or garden in the soft morning light before the day's touring begins

• Concierge-level logistics - so the only thing you have to think about is the plants

 

This is more than a garden tour. It's a chance to see, up close, how some of the world's greatest gardens were imagined, built, and are still being tended today.

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Reserve your place today. Spots are limited - this one sells out quickly among garden club groups.

 

Itinerary Summary:

• Day 1 -- Windsor - Welcome Dinner

• Day 2 -- Travel to the Cotswolds - National Garden Scheme private garden

• Day 3 -- Royal Gardens at Highgrove - private estate garden - Arlington Row, Bibury - Bourton-on-the-Water

• Day 4 -- Hidcote Manor - Kiftsgate Court - Chipping Campden - Blockley

• Day 5 -- Sudeley Castle gardens - Sezincote House & gardens - Bourton House Gardens - Broadway - Stanton

• Day 6 -- Blenheim Palace gardens - Rousham House & Gardens - London

• Day 7 -- RHS Chelsea Flower Show, guided - Gala Farewell Dinner

• Day 8 -- London - post-tour extensions or departure

 

 

Detailed Trip Itinerary

 

Day 1 - Saturday, May 15: Arrival in Windsor

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Arrive independently to London. Upon landing at Heathrow (LHR), a private driver transfers you to our 4-star hotel in historic Windsor, a short stroll from Windsor Castle.

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The afternoon is free - for early arrivals, an optional private guided pre-tour of Windsor Castle is available.

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At 6:30 PM, we gather for a Welcome Dinner to meet your fellow garden travelers and preview the week of gardens ahead.

 

Day 2 - Sunday, May 16: Windsor to the Cotswolds

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An optional pre-breakfast walk crosses the River Thames past the historic grounds of Eton College. After a full English breakfast, the morning is free - options include Sunday service at St. George's Chapel, a walk along Windsor Great Park's Long Walk, or a visit to the exquisite Savill Garden, one of the great ornamental woodland gardens of England, known for its rhododendrons, azaleas, and naturalistic planting.

 

At 12:30 PM we depart for the Cotswolds, stopping en route at a private garden featured in the National Garden Scheme - England's network of exceptional private gardens that open for charity - for afternoon tea and cakes among the borders.

 

We arrive in the Cotswolds by late afternoon and settle into our luxury boutique hotel, well placed for the garden days ahead.

 

Day 3 - Monday, May 17: Highgrove, a Private Estate Garden, Bibury & Bourton-on-the-Water

 

This morning we board our private coach with our Cotswold Blue Badge guide for a landmark day.

 

The Royal Gardens at Highgrove - the private estate of His Majesty King Charles III and Queen Camilla, near Tetbury - has been designed and nurtured by King Charles since 1980 around organic and environmental principles: wildflower meadows, a formal walled kitchen garden, topiary, and the Stumpery, one of the most photographed features in English garden design. A docent-led tour is followed by lunch (or afternoon tea) at Highgrove's own restaurant.

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In the afternoon, we're welcomed to an exceptional private estate garden - four acres of formal gardens and parkland with more than 500 trees, designed over 40 years by its owners. Look for the color-themed rill garden and formal parterres. Afternoon tea with the owner follows.

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We close the day in Bibury, at the iconic Arlington Row Weavers' Cottages - 1380s stone cottages later converted for 17th-century weavers, and one of the most photographed scenes in England.

 

Day 4 - Tuesday, May 18: Hidcote, Kiftsgate & Chipping Campden

 

Hidcote Manor Garden is essential viewing for any garden enthusiast: created in the early 20th century by American horticulturist Lawrence Johnston, it pioneered the "garden rooms" concept - a series of distinct, hedge-enclosed spaces, each with its own color palette and character. Its topiary, herbaceous borders, and long vistas have influenced garden design worldwide.

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Next door, Kiftsgate Court Gardens was shaped over three generations of women gardeners in one family, beginning with Heather Muir in the 1920s. It blends traditional and contemporary planting, with a dramatic terraced landscape, bold color combinations, and a tranquil modern water garden - plus the famous Rosa filipes 'Kiftsgate', one of the largest roses in England. Lunch follows in Kiftsgate's tearoom.

 

In the afternoon, browse the golden stone architecture of Chipping Campden, a well-preserved wool town with a 17th-century Market Hall.

 

Day 5 - Wednesday, May 19: Sudeley Castle, Sezincote, Bourton House, Broadway & Stanton

 

Sudeley Castle offers nine distinct gardens across its historic grounds, once home to Queen Catherine Parr, sixth wife of Henry VIII. American-born Elizabeth, Lady Ashcombe, still resides on the estate and has led the restoration of its gardens.

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We break for lunch in Broadway, the "Jewel of the Cotswolds," long a magnet for artists including John Singer Sargent and William Morris.

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Sezincote House & Gardens is a genuine surprise: a Mughal-Indian-style house set in a 4,500-acre Gloucestershire estate, with spring-fed pools cascading through an island garden to the River Evenlode. We tour the house, whose interiors were styled by John Fowler of Colefax & Fowler.

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Bourton House Gardens, set against an 18th-century manor, is an award-winning garden voted "Garden of the Year" by the Historic Houses Association and Christie's - known for vibrant terraces and richly layered herbaceous borders.

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Day 6 - Thursday, May 20: Blenheim Palace, Rousham House & Gardens, and London

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Blenheim Palace pairs Baroque architecture with landscape history: in 1764, Lancelot "Capability" Brown reshaped the grounds into the naturalistic parkland style that defines English landscape gardening. A private tour includes the Winston Churchill exhibit, followed by time in the formal gardens and park.

 

In the afternoon, Rousham House and Gardens - designed by William Kent and essentially unchanged since the 18th century - is considered one of the most important surviving examples of the English landscape garden movement. Garden critic Monty Don has called it one of Kent's finest works and among the greatest gardens anywhere.

 

We continue to London, settling in for two nights at the luxerious Churchill Mayfair Hotel.

 

Day 7 - Friday, May 21: The RHS Chelsea Flower Show & Farewell Dinner

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We're among the first through the gates of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, guided by a horticultural expert through the show gardens, the Best in Show and Best Artisan Garden entries, and the Great Pavilion - over 100 exhibits from the world's top nurseries and florists. For any garden enthusiast, this is the highlight of the horticultural year.

 

The afternoon is free to keep exploring the show or London at your own pace.

 

In the evening, we gather for a Gala Farewell Dinner of traditional English cuisine to celebrate the week.

 

Day 8 - Saturday, May 22: Farewell & Departure

An optional morning walk through Hyde Park, then a final full English breakfast together before departure.

 

 

What's Included:

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Intimate Small-Group Experience. Limited to 15 guests, for real access and conversation with guides and garden owners.

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7 Nights of Premium Accommodations hand-selected signature hotels with character.

 

Daily English Breakfasts

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Two Memorable Dinners

• Welcome Dinner featuring regional Cotswolds cuisine

• Gala Farewell Dinner with classic English dishes at an historic private London club.

 

Royal Gardens at Highgrove (subject to garden opening dates) Docent-led tour, plus lunch or afternoon champagne tea at Highgrove's The Orchard Room

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Afternoon Tea Experiences

• Tea and cake at a private National Garden Scheme garden

• Afternoon champagne tea or lunch at Highgrove

• Afternoon tea and biscuits at a private garden visit

 

Garden & Estate Excursions

• National Garden Scheme private garden

• The Royal Gardens at Highgrove

• Kiftsgate Court, Hidcote Manor, and Chipping Campden

• Sudeley Castle, Sezincote House, and Bourton House Gardens

• Blenheim Palace and Rousham House & Gardens

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Cotswold Villages - Bibury, Blockley, Bourton-on-the-Water, Broadway, Chipping Campden, Moreton-in-Marsh, Stanton, and Stanway

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RHS Chelsea Flower Show - Guided tour with a local horticultural expert

 

Expert Guides - A Cotswold Blue Badge guide throughout, plus a horticultural specialist at Chelsea

 

All Admission Fees - Included gardens, palaces, castles, and Chelsea Flower Show entry

 

Arrival Transfer - From London Heathrow (LHR) to our Windsor hotel

 

Luxury Ground Transportation - Private coach for all group activities and day trips

 

Personal Concierge Support - Dedicated service throughout for a worry-free trip

 

 

Arrival & Departure

• Arrival: Windsor, England (London Heathrow Airport)

• Departure: London, England

 

Trip Cost

• $9,995 per person - 8 days / 7 nights, double occupancy shared hotel room. Airfare not included.

• +$2,650 for a private single room upgrade (limited availability)

 

 

Space Is Limited -- Reserve Early!

Small Group Tour. Limited to 15 Guests.​