DGA Tours - Day Tours
DGA Tours - Day Tours
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About
Driver Guide Tours specialise in tailor-made, fun and informative tours by private car across London, the English regions and Scotland. All of our tours are crafted and led by qualified and registered Blue Badge Driver Guides, the UKs elite guiding qualification. Tour options include: London (half or full days); Stonehenge & Southern England; Shakespeare Country & the Cotswolds; Lake District and Cumbria; Cambridge and the East of England and Edinburgh and the East Coast. Our friendly, knowledgeable and professional Blue Badge driver guides are officially endorsed by the Institute of Tour Guiding to guide in the some of the UK’s most iconic tourist attractions such as Westminster Abbey, The Tower of London, Windsor Castle, St Paul’s and Canterbury Cathedral.
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DGA Tours - Day Tours
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CruiseLover071
Valley Stream, NY29 contributions
Aug 2022
DGA Tours, (reservations@drivers-guides), is an organization of Driver Guides whose tours specialize in tailor-made fun and informative tours by private car across London, the English countryside/regions and Scotland. All DGA members have the prestigious Blue Badge tourist guiding qualification.
After submitting a brief form to DGA containing basic information, number of guests, dates, and what it is you are looking for, a dialog begins between yourself and a member of the DGA planning team.
Say goodbye to hours of unnecessary research and logistical planning, interviewing guides, negotiating rates and hoping for the best results. DGA takes care of it all, and provides the best driver/guide for your needs!
For the third time since finding DGA, I contacted them immediately, when I found out I would be in London in high season, August 2022, with my 20 year old grandson, a 2nd year University student.
Within 48 hours, I received a 2 day detailed program of how the tour would be structured, and also given a list of places that it was possible to stop at and visit for a longer period of time. DGA's proposal exceeded my expectations, and for these reasons will always come back to them for help with future travel plans.
The guide selected for us was Mike Staple, (Michaelstaple80@gmail.com), a young, knowledgeable, professional, interesting and fun person to be with for two days. I highly recommend him, and DGA without any concern or reservation!
After submitting a brief form to DGA containing basic information, number of guests, dates, and what it is you are looking for, a dialog begins between yourself and a member of the DGA planning team.
Say goodbye to hours of unnecessary research and logistical planning, interviewing guides, negotiating rates and hoping for the best results. DGA takes care of it all, and provides the best driver/guide for your needs!
For the third time since finding DGA, I contacted them immediately, when I found out I would be in London in high season, August 2022, with my 20 year old grandson, a 2nd year University student.
Within 48 hours, I received a 2 day detailed program of how the tour would be structured, and also given a list of places that it was possible to stop at and visit for a longer period of time. DGA's proposal exceeded my expectations, and for these reasons will always come back to them for help with future travel plans.
The guide selected for us was Mike Staple, (Michaelstaple80@gmail.com), a young, knowledgeable, professional, interesting and fun person to be with for two days. I highly recommend him, and DGA without any concern or reservation!
Written August 24, 2022
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.
87johannas
New York City, NY4 contributions
Nov 2019
I was too busy at work to plan and we were down to the wire packing to leave. As last minute effort, I decided to look for a private tour. DGA got back to me immediately and were able to accommodate my family. The driver was on time, extremely professional. The car was spacious and very clean. The driver was very knowledgeable and adjusted plans based on other things we needed to do or see. I cannot recommend this company enough. I feel lucky to have found them on such short notice.
Written January 2, 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.
Seasoned Traveler
1 contribution
Apr 2022
We went to Dales and Moors in Yorkshire on a busy Easter weekend with our driver guide, David Waite. He was an expert driver and guide. We would hardly know any one else was out and about since he did such a great job with logistics. He was able to be flexible with our requests as well. A very affable person as well. We were very happy to spend two days touring with him.
Written April 30, 2022
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.
Perry B
Sydney, Australia2,633 contributions
Jul 2017 • Couples
From our base in Hong Kong, we had found the booking process to be very smooth. We could check details on a continual basis and make a few small alterations as a result. Adrian was very prompt in getting back to us by email. The tour itself was exactly what we wanted, incorporating as it did North Waltham, Steventon, Winchester and Chawton. There were a great many serendipitous discoveries such as parishioners in full Regency dress at St.Nicholas' Church in Steventon in the Austen familial pews themselves. Our driver-guide , Kevin, was very professional, helpful and knowledgeable. This was the fulfillment of our long term dream. DGA proved that they had the know how to make this, our most cherished dream, come true.
Written October 14, 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.
K N
3 contributions
Jun 2019 • Family
We are a family with 5 kids and one of them has special needs. However, you don’t need to have a special needs child or elderly member to enjoy the advantages of a private tour. We appreciated the thoroughness with which Adrian handled the pre-arrival arrangements. Our guide was David who was professional and accommodating. This would be a good way to have a quick survey of the major landmarks of a city that is full of historical significance and what is important to one may not be important to another. Obviously, another day or two, with or without a guide, exploring items that are of significance to you, should follow, unless you have extenuating circumstances. There is room for improvement but I say this with hesitation knowing that none of us is perfect. I recommend this tour to families or groups
Written July 6, 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.
Courtney E
Media, PA19 contributions
Oct 2018 • Friends
The booking process was excellent. They answered all of my questions quickly and with great detail. The tour guide was very knowledgeable, friendly, funny and informative and the tour itself was very much as described. I would definitely book with them again. It was a pleasure booking with them!
Written December 15, 2018
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.
Isa1892
Wollongong, Australia9 contributions
Sep 2017 • Family
We were a family of 4 travelling to London from Australia - 2 children aged 10 and 13. From booking the tour until being dropped off everything went so smoothly. Adrian was great to deal with over email and Ian our driver was fantastic. ian was very knowledgeable and the children loved listening to him. We were able to see everything we wanted to see and didn't feel rushed. Would definitely recommend DGA tours.
Written October 24, 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.
Robert G
Kyoto, Japan157 contributions
Jun 2017 • Couples
Our group of 4 had an amazing day with Richard. He picked us up at our hotel and he took us all over the city. He knew just where to go and where not to go! We drove from one end of the city to the other and stopped at Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guards, the Tower of London where he took us around as our private tour guide.
Adrian corresponded with me and made me feel comfortable about choosing DGA. It was a great choice! I highly recommend DGA.
Adrian corresponded with me and made me feel comfortable about choosing DGA. It was a great choice! I highly recommend DGA.
Written July 17, 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.
LauraSSpringfield_IL
Springfield, IL11 contributions
Sep 2016 • Family
Originally posted this with the wrong tour group--- be sure to contact DGA Tours! We can't say enough good things about the DGA guides. We took two days trips this time with Blue Badge Guides who are members of the Driver Guide Assoc. and the guides we dealt with were outstanding--Mitchell Cregor and Glen Portch and Adrian (whom we never met, but arranged last minute for an excellent guide, Glen, for us.) They alll worked together to give us an experience that was so memorable for us.These people are indeed experts and exactly why qualified driver guides are worth hiring. Not only are they safe, expert drivers, but they also are experts at guiding and knowing exactly how to enhance a visit to a site by being informative and providing intelligent commentary--even keeping in mind the practical needs like break times and refreshment.
Our day with Glen Portch was really a super day! Everything had been arranged very last minute, but he was on top of it allll. He contacted us the evening before to advise us that we might want to start a bit earlier to avoid heavy London morning traffic slowing us down, which was a wonderful idea. He arrived in his spotless, roomy luxury van, fully stocked with beverages, and we traveled the long day very comfortably. He is a very safe driver, and knew all the routes and cities well, so we lost no time getting anywhere. ( at one point he ran back in the rain to pick up the van and drive back to us so we wouldn't get wet and lose time--so accommodating!) Glen is extremely pleasant and very, very knowledgable!! I cannot stress how much his expertise, knowledge, and good sense of humor added to our day. He came prepared with guide books and his Ipad, from which he had movie and song and map and historical clips and photos that really added to his commentary. He had studied up on some things last minute he thought were going to be in our itinerary, but when we told him of our hope to change some things up, he completely went along and was totally flexible---he didn't miss a beat. I think wherever we would have asked him to take us, time permitting, he would have gladly obliged and been able to provide expertise on any location and subject matter!! He's just THAT good!! Our trip to Dover Castle was so interesting, and we enjoyed the castle and the command post tunnels used in WWII for the evacuation of troops from France. How cool it was to be actually inside the white cliffs and standing at the face of them looking out into the sea? Then Glen took us to a perfect seaside Dover pub for lunch. The food was excellent and the ambiance great. We so enjoyed his company the entire day (even though we were extremely jet lagged, he kept it so interesting and enjoyable that we count it among our most memorable tours we've done in any country.) Next, we drove to Canterbury and his vast expertise really shined there as well. The tour he did of the cathedral was outstanding and a little walk about with a stop for coffee was perfect. He never made us feel rushed but kept us moving in good time. As we drove back to London, he made sure to get a quick stop at Greenwich in just the right spot to take a photo of the overlook of London, do a brief overview (because my husband and son wanted to come back on their own the next day and do the museums etc.) and show us the Prime Meridian, and all the while he was explaining and informing and continuing the tour as we drove into Greenwich and at the overlook. Going in and out of London he kept the drive interesting too with historical and topical information about city sites and general information. Glen just tried hard to show us as much as he possibly could that day and give us historical background and points of interest and commentary on everything we saw, and we very much appreciated everything he offered for the day. The minute you settle into his lovely van, the tour begins, and he doesn't stop "touring" you until he drops you back safely at your hotel. It was a long day of work for him, but he was enthusiastic and fun and informative the whole day and into the evening! Our family travels to London together and separately, and all four of our family will hire Glen again for any type of Greater London and City Tour. Fantastic experience.
Our day with Glen Portch was really a super day! Everything had been arranged very last minute, but he was on top of it allll. He contacted us the evening before to advise us that we might want to start a bit earlier to avoid heavy London morning traffic slowing us down, which was a wonderful idea. He arrived in his spotless, roomy luxury van, fully stocked with beverages, and we traveled the long day very comfortably. He is a very safe driver, and knew all the routes and cities well, so we lost no time getting anywhere. ( at one point he ran back in the rain to pick up the van and drive back to us so we wouldn't get wet and lose time--so accommodating!) Glen is extremely pleasant and very, very knowledgable!! I cannot stress how much his expertise, knowledge, and good sense of humor added to our day. He came prepared with guide books and his Ipad, from which he had movie and song and map and historical clips and photos that really added to his commentary. He had studied up on some things last minute he thought were going to be in our itinerary, but when we told him of our hope to change some things up, he completely went along and was totally flexible---he didn't miss a beat. I think wherever we would have asked him to take us, time permitting, he would have gladly obliged and been able to provide expertise on any location and subject matter!! He's just THAT good!! Our trip to Dover Castle was so interesting, and we enjoyed the castle and the command post tunnels used in WWII for the evacuation of troops from France. How cool it was to be actually inside the white cliffs and standing at the face of them looking out into the sea? Then Glen took us to a perfect seaside Dover pub for lunch. The food was excellent and the ambiance great. We so enjoyed his company the entire day (even though we were extremely jet lagged, he kept it so interesting and enjoyable that we count it among our most memorable tours we've done in any country.) Next, we drove to Canterbury and his vast expertise really shined there as well. The tour he did of the cathedral was outstanding and a little walk about with a stop for coffee was perfect. He never made us feel rushed but kept us moving in good time. As we drove back to London, he made sure to get a quick stop at Greenwich in just the right spot to take a photo of the overlook of London, do a brief overview (because my husband and son wanted to come back on their own the next day and do the museums etc.) and show us the Prime Meridian, and all the while he was explaining and informing and continuing the tour as we drove into Greenwich and at the overlook. Going in and out of London he kept the drive interesting too with historical and topical information about city sites and general information. Glen just tried hard to show us as much as he possibly could that day and give us historical background and points of interest and commentary on everything we saw, and we very much appreciated everything he offered for the day. The minute you settle into his lovely van, the tour begins, and he doesn't stop "touring" you until he drops you back safely at your hotel. It was a long day of work for him, but he was enthusiastic and fun and informative the whole day and into the evening! Our family travels to London together and separately, and all four of our family will hire Glen again for any type of Greater London and City Tour. Fantastic experience.
Written October 7, 2016
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.
Frankie L
8 contributions
Jun 2016 • Couples
I booked London city tour in June 21, after the tour, it let my wife and me so disappointed. the tour guide Ms. Bridget let us ask DGA how come she can do tour guide?
In that day first stop we go to Westminter Abbey, it open 1000am but we arrived early, she said she always come at afternoon so she don't know what time open. Tour guide don't know what time open of the tour place, do you believe it?
Second we go to Buckingham palace see changing the guard. She said that just a both side soldiers exchange and shaking the hand, so don't waste time there, how do u think too? Changing the guard start at 1130am, we arrived at 1100am, she said no parking so drop us there, she said
just take photo ok, also told us back to car at 1130am. We don't listened her and watch until 1155am, when we back in the car, she said that your guy come late but this time ok. The sound look like??? I don't know how to say.
Last place we go to Tower London, she parked the car at meter, she said she parked 2 hours here and walk to Tower. We waited the line to see the crown of jewels, it lot of peoples and she said all people walk while watch video, we just see the crown don't care the video so skip it, so she walk too rush and jump over the line, during we jump over the line, some peoples yelled us passed their, she still walk rush but we feel so embarrass, my wife want to watch but she walk rush and fast. My wife feel so sad.
After see the crown of jewels, she said the Parking time almost expired, we need to go. Totally Tower London we not enough time to look. Also the Tower bridge we not go yet because she said no time, the parking almost expired.
After this 3 places, other time we just sit the car, only eye signthseeing. 8 hours tours we just go 3 places and not fully to look, it so excellent and professional guide.
Start from the tour until finished, she always said no parking and said how much per hour to park, how expensive to parking. Does she want I help her to pay?
After this tour my wife said we spend 500 pounds but only 3 places not fully look, if we know like this, we take the Hop on hop off bus much better, at least we can get out and enough time to look.
DGA website said that their tour guide excellent and professional. After this time I have question to your how excellent and professional of Ms. Bridget?
In that day first stop we go to Westminter Abbey, it open 1000am but we arrived early, she said she always come at afternoon so she don't know what time open. Tour guide don't know what time open of the tour place, do you believe it?
Second we go to Buckingham palace see changing the guard. She said that just a both side soldiers exchange and shaking the hand, so don't waste time there, how do u think too? Changing the guard start at 1130am, we arrived at 1100am, she said no parking so drop us there, she said
just take photo ok, also told us back to car at 1130am. We don't listened her and watch until 1155am, when we back in the car, she said that your guy come late but this time ok. The sound look like??? I don't know how to say.
Last place we go to Tower London, she parked the car at meter, she said she parked 2 hours here and walk to Tower. We waited the line to see the crown of jewels, it lot of peoples and she said all people walk while watch video, we just see the crown don't care the video so skip it, so she walk too rush and jump over the line, during we jump over the line, some peoples yelled us passed their, she still walk rush but we feel so embarrass, my wife want to watch but she walk rush and fast. My wife feel so sad.
After see the crown of jewels, she said the Parking time almost expired, we need to go. Totally Tower London we not enough time to look. Also the Tower bridge we not go yet because she said no time, the parking almost expired.
After this 3 places, other time we just sit the car, only eye signthseeing. 8 hours tours we just go 3 places and not fully to look, it so excellent and professional guide.
Start from the tour until finished, she always said no parking and said how much per hour to park, how expensive to parking. Does she want I help her to pay?
After this tour my wife said we spend 500 pounds but only 3 places not fully look, if we know like this, we take the Hop on hop off bus much better, at least we can get out and enough time to look.
DGA website said that their tour guide excellent and professional. After this time I have question to your how excellent and professional of Ms. Bridget?
Written June 27, 2016
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.
Dear Madam
I am very sorry that you were not happy with some aspects of your London tour and have discussed your grievances with the guide. I note that you were obviously happy about the first day with the guide at Windsor and Hampton Court since you did not mention this at all.
Perhaps I can make a couple of points. In a standard eight-hour London tour, time is limited. That means that we cannot spend as much time in places as we would like, so it might seem a little rushed. An essential ingredient of the London tour is a panoramic overview of all the main sights in Central London, which you refer to as “just sit the car eye sightseeing”.
Changing of the Guard: With the increasing challenges of traffic and parking in London it is not unusual for the guide to drop the clients off at a suitable place to watch part of the ceremony, after a thorough briefing of course, and then collect them later.
It seems that there was a lack of communication between the guide and yourself about these matters. We cannot ascertain exactly the circumstances of other issues than you raised, but the DGA have duly noted your comments which are very helpful in ensuring that we avoid any similar situations in the future.
With kind regards
Michael Robinson
Chairman
Driver Guides Association
Written July 23, 2016
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
DGA Tours - Day Tours - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)
DGA Tours - Day Tours Information
Excellent Reviews | 99 |
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DGA Tours - Day Tours Photos | 17 |