Discover Dorset Tours

Discover Dorset Tours

Discover Dorset Tours
4.5
Historical & Heritage ToursWalking ToursSightseeing ToursPrivate ToursBus Tours
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Our tours provide access to beautiful and historic places plus fast and efficient services to some of the most fascinating cities in Southern England.
Bournemouth, Dorset, England

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Tours and Tickets by Discover Dorset Tours
Travelers talk about

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles826 reviews
Excellent
687
Very good
93
Average
28
Poor
5
Terrible
13

Daisy M
2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2023 • Friends
The tour was very well organized and interesting, in particular the tour guide, Paul, was very knowledgeable and had a good sense of humour. He knew a lot about the destination, he showed as areas that weren’t even included in the tour, which was great. The destination was even more beautiful than the pictures, I would definitely recommend this to anyone, it was great value for money.
Written May 8, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jeenet F
2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2024 • Couples
Our tour was just amazing. Beautiful sceneries to click pictures. Our tour guide Mr. Marek was great he is got good knowledge, very friendly, patient and made us feel comfortable. I would definitely recommend anyone to go on this tour. Overall this trip was worth going we enjoyed a lot.
Please make sure you wear comfortable shoes because you have to walk most of the time, especially if you choose to go near Durdle door.
Written July 1, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Simone C
Milan, Italy4 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2021
Paul Knight was a very nice and available guide. He drove smoothly and stopped where he could while explaining sites very clearly.
Once at destination he explained himself really well and took us personally to Lulworth Cove from a nicer path.
Had a really great day with my girlfriend.
Written June 30, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your kind words! This area has so much to offer for everyone! We are glad we could be the ones guiding you!
Written July 19, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Maggie R
Felixstowe, UK49 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2021 • Couples
Enjoyable way to discover the Bournemouth area. We took advantage of the stops at Sandbanks and Poole Quay to investigate further.

The only (slight) issue was that upcoming stops were not announced clearly so we had to keep referring to our map which was OK but might have been troublesome if it had been more windy.

We enjoyed our trip.
Written September 18, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your 5* review! We are glad you had a good time with us!
Written June 28, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Emma W
Sheffield, UK50 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2020 • Family
The weather was pants!!!!
However, we still thoroughly enjoyed this trip. Excellent value for money.
The bus took just over an hour to reach Lulworth Cove & Durdle Door, but time passed quickly with an interesting fact sharing along the way.
Walks were not too strenuous & to keep 2 teens interested in such wind & rain speaks volumes!!
A great day out!
Written August 27, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi there, Thank you! We are glad you have had a great time even with rubbish weather! Kind Regards, Discover Dorset
Written September 3, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Carmen D
1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2017 • Family
Our coach was late (due to a coach breakdown) and we were left standing in the cold rain for an hour. There was mass confusion as to what was happening as the company representative left the site and the company did not answer the phone or respond to email. Finally a very dirty replacement coach mysterious arrived without a guide, with no apology and was loaded by Disney ship officers. I have never seen a private touring company so confused that our cruise ship officers took over the loading! As we were over an hour late we had very limited time for our paid Stonehenge and Salisbury adventure.

We arrived in Stonehenge an hour late with no tour guide and were given tickets by the driver. We were promised audio guides during our Stonehenge visit but were told there were no more. Huh? We were then advised to be back at the coach in 90 minutes. If you have been to Stonehenge you know that 90 minutes is simply not enough time to do anything. With the little time we had we were forced to fight the large crowds and race to the main site. No sooner do we get there we had to return to make the coach.

We boarded the coach and left Stonehenge an hour late and way behind for Salisbury. A guide was now aboard! Upon arrival in Salisbury the guide announced that he would be leaving us for another tour but would escort us to the Magna Carta exhibit. The guide did not want to be late for the other tour. At this point we had about 2 hours left to see the Magna Carta and Salisbury which would be impossible.

After a hurried visit to Salisbury we boarded the coach and made it only two blocks before the second coach broke down! The driver called the company and it was total confusion as to what to do. We only had 2 hours and 45 minutes to make a 1.5 hour drive (in the rain) or we would miss the cruise ship. Another coach arrived and we were told to board it. Once onboard we were told there were not enough seats for everyone in my family so we were split up. Unbelievable! My family of 5 was split up with my spouse and youngest daughter on the replacement while myself and two other children remained on the broken down coach. We had plenty of company as there were ~20 other upset passengers. After a while another smaller coach stopped by and our driver advised that the owner of the company was "suicidal" and the dispatcher (a Kamilla?) had told the other driver via text message to "sort it". The smaller coach only had 5 available seats and we were able to get on it. We made it to the ship in time.

If you read the Trip Advisor reviews on Discover Dorset this experience would seem to be an anomaly. This said, our experience was terrible. Communication was non-existent, confusion rained and the lack of any service recovery (not a single apology) was truly astonishing. I would not recommend them. I hope they refund everyone's money. Buyer beware.
Written July 11, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi There, Thank you for your review! I would like to acknowledge firstly that as you purchased this tour from us we feel totally responsible for the fact you were not happy and any problems you encountered on the day you deem us responsible for. As a small Day Tour Operator, however, we work very hard to maintain our good reputation and therefore I feel it necessary to explain that as well as a problem with our vehicle, there were other factors at the Port of Portland and Stonehenge which compounded your experience on the day. On Tuesday 11th, we had 3 coaches at Portland, 2 of our own and one that we had hired in because of the high numbers, a total of 128 passengers. We experienced a breakdown with one of our vehicles in the morning which meant that your coach was running late. You and your group of 5, as well as many of the other passengers due to travel on that coach, were transferred immediately onto another of our vehicles. 28 passengers were left on the dock awaiting our replacement vehicle which arrived 30 mins later. Aside from the breakdown, our other two vehicles arrived at Portland at 6.15 am ready for pick up at 7.30am as per our schedule. All of our vehicles and Drivers had been pre-registered with the Portland Port Authority as per security requirements. On arrival at Portland and since having confirmed numbers with the Port Authority, our coaches were three of 71 coaches/excursions leaving Portland that morning. 50 of these coaches were scheduled by the Disney Magic itself and having spoken to to the Port Authority since, to ascertain why there were such delays, they explained that coaches scheduled by the Ship itself take priority over all of the others. They also acknowledged that this was the largest number of excursions/coaches they had ever encountered for one ship, the previous largest number being 50. All coaches before being allowed on to the dock, are first brought from the road, into a security area where they are subject to checks. Each of these checks takes up to 20 minutes. Despite our arrival at 6.15 am, all 50 of the Disney Scheduled coaches were allowed through and security checked before ours were allowed through. We had Guides on the other vehicles who were asking the Port Security to let them through, so we could explain to our waiting Passengers why there was a delay, they were not allowed through. Our Managing Director was on the phone to the Cruise Director who was asked to get a message to our waiting passengers. Eventually you boarded one of our vehicles, I believe around 8.30am. This delay was not caused by our company. As a company, we take passengers to Stonehenge (SH) at least 4 times a week. The procedure is to book a slot for the number of passengers we are bringing and then the SH Team can reserve the correct number of Audio Guides and Coach Parking. On Tuesday 11th of July, we had booked in three coaches at 11.30am and had received booking numbers/confirmation. On arrival at SH at 11.20 am the first two coaches, of which you were passengers were made to wait in 20 minute queues to catch the bus to the Stones. In addition there were no audio headsets available. I have written to the Guest Relations Manager at SH and asked not only for a refund for our passengers but also for an explanation a to what happened, I await their response. We sent two experienced guides on the day, believing that passengers would get the Audio Guides at Stonehenge we concentrated our efforts on guiding in and around Salisbury Cathedral. Clearly the Port Authority and Stonehenge had not experienced numbers this big before! It is a learning curve for us all. The third coach we had hired in, ironically, was the one that broke down on the way home. We were able to put passengers on to our other vehicles and hired a vehicle in from SH for 16 people to return them to the Port. Everyone arrived back in time, albeit just. Again our MD was in contact with the Cruise Director to keep him/her aware of the situation and timings, at no point were told by the Director that the Ship would leave with out them. Kamilla's communication with the Driver was to reassure him that things were 'sorted' not asking him to 'sort it' as per you review. Please do accept our sincere apologies, it is safe to say we have had better days. I hope this goes some way to explaining what went wrong.
Written July 21, 2017
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Pam B
New York City, NY9 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2017 • Family
What a disappointment. We trusted the excellent reviews of prior cruise passengers, but this day, Discover Dorset fell apart.

Our bus arrived an hour late. We waited in cold rain--this port has no shelter--with no explanations. We called the company; no answer. We e-mailed them four times; no answer.

When the bus got there, there was only a very confused driver. He had NO GUIDE. He didn't even known how to check people into the bus. Thankfully, the Disney Cruise Line (our ship) helped check people in, which they should NOT have to do for a private excursion that they have zero association with.

The driver offered no apologies and no explanations. We arrived one hour late at Stonehenge (as compared to the promised itinerary that Discover Dorset had provided in advance), and he said we (40) passengers would have to agree among ourselves about how to make up the lost hour on the promised itinerary. He wouldn't even do a count of passengers--he asked a carsick passenger to do it instead, when he asked the bus to pull over so he could be sick. At Stonehenge, the driver also was not able to give us the promised audio guides. Clearly this poor guy was completely over his head and had no support from Discover Dorset.

We DID get to see the stones and whip through the gift shop, and then a guide showed up on the bus. He did not offer any apologies or explanations--instead he said we should not complain because at least we weren't on the OTHER bus, which waited 90 minutes and eventually made their way to Stonehenge on an open-top HOHO bus. We waited a good 20 minutes past noon to leave, because the guide didn't know how to see if everyone was on the bus either. Eventually passengers told him to check against the list that Disney used and INDEED EVERYONE WAS THERE. Off we went to Salisbury, even more late.

The guide gave a brief overview of Salisbury and then said he'd get us into the chapel, but then would be leaving us again because he was needed for another group. He suggested we talk to one of the docents or staff members at the chapel, if we wanted information about it.

Finally we reboarded our bus to return to the ship, only to have it break down 2 blocks away from the boarding spot. The driver announced he had "no idea what to do", and then suggested we try boarding a sister Discover Dorset bus. It was a mad scramble and about half the people on our bus couldn't make it to a seat. Apparently they were accommodated since they got on the ship just before the gangplank got up (via other transport), but people were crying and begging not to be left behind... it was AWFUL.

I'd give this one star, but hey, we did make it to Stonehenge and Salisbury Cathedral, and back to the ship before it left. But I must caution you to never use this company if you're coming on a big cruise ship. They overbooked and didn't known how to work with the port, or the extra people they hired to provide tours. Not ready for prime time is a massive understatement.
Written July 22, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Pres D
Sydney151 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2019 • Couples
The minibus was waiting at 11am and Stand K opposite Bournemouth Station and the driver was ready with the name list. The weather was overcast and so the driver was keen to get us to Durdle Door before any rain. For me however, I did not know what was Durdle Door nor what the plan was for the 5 hour tour. The driver did not welcome the travellers nor explain the day because he was thinking about the threatening weather. He took us directly to Durdle Door (which is an arch rock formation in the sea) with no commentary on where we were or what was around us until we were almost there
The driver directed us to the path to Durdle Door and the path to walk along to get to Lulworth. It would have been good to have it explained to us at the outset that we would be dropped off at one place, and walk here and there, and then picked up at another place at a certain time.
Durdle Door rock formation is spectacular. The beach and the sea are also amazingly beautiful and well worth the walk down the steep hill and back up.
Lulworth is a quaint seaside village with interesting shops, cafes, and pubs. It was very enjoyable, and easy going.
We had a total of three and a half hours to walk around Durdle Door and Lulworth, which was ample time to explore the rock formation, beach and village. We then returned to Bournemouth via Poole and a few seaside areas of modern buildings with a little more commentary.
I enjoyed the tour, but I think the guide could have given a better introduction, which would have set a better tone for the day. Some explanation of the rock formation and how it formed and some history of the village of Lulworth would have been good
Written May 18, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

barnacle123
Bournemouth, UK1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2014 • Friends
I had the unfortunate experience of travelling with this company to visit Stonehenge, the mini bus was later arriving due to lots of students who never arrived at their pick up point on time, the driver Mike was very apologetic and professional and we eventually headed off to Stonehenge, the bus was full and the heat unbearable, no air con and everyone including the driver dripping with sweat, Mike the driver and tour guide had to yell over the noise of the engine and road traffic noise to tell us anything en route which a lot of us couldn't actually hear, arrive Stonehenge to find we have just over an hour to do all we want to do, ridiculous and dreadfully over priced tour, we arrived back at the pick up point feeling disgruntled and boarding the sweatbox oops sorry minibus after 10 minutes we had to get back off as the heat was unbearable and decided to wait for the late comers outside, nearly 30 minutes later they arrived , no sorries no nothing just treated us all with contempt as we moaned about the delay, Mike remained cheery and apologetic about our abysmal experience, nearly £30 each to ride a smelly sweatbox and have an hour at Stonehenge, no time for the village or anything, very very disappointing, only highlight was the driver who at least made us laugh
Written July 24, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Barnacle123, Thanks for taking the time to provide the feedback on the tour and I am disappointed that you did not have a great experience with us. Mike has given me full feedback on the tour and I appreciate that you did have a shorter amount of time at Stonehenge than you were expecting. This was primarily down to other passengers being late for the tour and our guide, whilst making best efforts to get everyone who was booked on, actually out and on the tour, delayed the departure longer than he should have done. He has been advised and retrained on this aspect. The same group were then late back again at Stonehenge I understand, something which whilst we have no control over, we have changed our approach to how we handle these situations, particularly with a student group. With regard to the heat, you traveled on one of the hottest days of the year, nearing 30 degrees, this is very unusual for this country and whilst the bus was I am sure hot, with the windows open, it should not have been smelly or a sweatbox. Please can you give me some idea of what the smell was? Was this the bus or other passengers who were sweating? In respect to value for money, the trip is £17 which we think is actually pretty good value for a direct service and is about the same as using public transport, the extra which takes it to £30 is the entrance fee to Stonehenge. There is much conjecture over whether or not this is good value, having doubled in price from last year. In defence of English Heritage, the money it raises at Stonehenge is used to support the work it does at many other sites where it makes no charge for entrance, and the new facilities at Stonehenge are very good. All in all you did not have a great time and whilst we cannot roll back the clock, I can only sincerely apologies and if you get in touch with your booking reference number we will refund the cost of the tour and also provide you with a free place on one of our other day trips for you to use in the future. Thanks again for the feedback Regards Tim Discover Dorset Tours
Written July 31, 2014
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Kirsten L
Karlslunde1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2012 • Couples
We (an elderly couple from Denmark) chose Bournemouth as a holiday destination among other things because of the potential for excursion tours with Discover Dorset, and we were not disappointed, quite the contrary. We got among other things 9 delightful hours with a trip to "Jarassic coast" and southern England's most beautiful landscapes. It was not one minute too much! Our driver and guide was very knowledgeable, competent and a nice acquaintance! We give the trip the best recommendations. (You should be able to walk much on this trip).
Written September 19, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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