How to Book

We are a group tour operator. The prices on our website and in our brochure are retail rates based on a minimum of 35 people travelling together. 

You book your own coach and we do the rest.

1. TO BEGIN WITH

Please call us on 0845 812 5000 (or geographic number 0208 692 1133) to check the availability of the trip or trips that you have chosen. It might be best to do this before you book a coach. We will hold the booking safe in our diary for a day or two while you do this.

2. BOOK YOUR COACH

Please book a coach that has a working microphone and P.A. system and ensure that there is a reserved front seat for the tour guide. Single deck coaches only please, maximum 57 people per coach (not including the drive and tour guide). At the bottom of our brochure tour description we tell you the coach mileage – this is the distance your coach will travel during our tour. By giving this information to your coach operator they will be able to give you their most competitive quote. Ask if your coach operator has a copy of our brochure or access to our website so that they can see the tour description. We’d be happy to send your coach operator a copy of our brochure.

One week before your trip we will write to your coach company outlining all of the details that your driver will need for the day, this includes the exact meeting point for coach and guide and the guide’s mobile telephone number. We will send you a copy of this information so that you, as the group organiser, your coach driver and our tour Guide are all singing from the same hymn sheet.

3. MAKING YOUR BOOKING WITH US - DEPOSITS 

Now that your coach is booked please call us again on 0845 812 5000. In order for us to continue to hold your booking safe while you canvas support from your group members we require a deposit of £25.00. The deposit is fully refundable if for any reason you choose not to go ahead with the tour providing that you cancel with us more than seven days before the date of the trip. The simplest way to confirm your booking and pay the deposit is by telephone using a debit or credit card. We can accept Visa, Mastercard or Maestro credit and debit cards.

If you pay the deposit by card we will complete a booking form for you and send you a confirmation of your booking which shows receipt of the £25.00 deposit. If you wish to pay the deposit by cheque please complete a booking form and write a cheque for £25.00 payable to City & Village Tours Ltd.

Click here to download a copy of our booking form or call us on 0845 812 5000 and we'll pop one in the post to you.

Please post your completed booking form and deposit to:

City & Village Tours Ltd 
California Building, Deals Gateway, London SE13 7SB

4. PAYING FOR YOUR TOUR

Unless it tells you otherwise in the tour description full payment for your tour will be due seven days before the date of your trip. If you do not pay by this time we reserve the right to cancel your outing. You can call us and pay the balance by card or you can post a cheque payable to City & Village Tours Ltd. We will send you a written receipt plus a copy of the driver’s details and the Guide’s mobile telephone number. 

5. REFUNDS

We have been organising great days out for groups for 24 years and we know that, especially with older groups, individuals are sometimes forced to pull out at the last minute for any number of reasons. As long as the number of people in your party does not as a result fall below our minimum of 35 people, we will refund the individual tour price less any pre-paid admissions for which we are unable to obtain a refund. We will deduct a one off administrative fee of £2.00 per refund whether it is for one or more people. We will refund according to how you paid, that is to say the refund will be made back to your card or by cheque.

6. CANCELLING YOUR TOUR      

We never mind if you cancel a trip. We know that you’d need a crystal ball to predict at the time of making the booking with us how your membership will respond. All we ask is that if you do need to cancel you do so more than seven days before the date of your trip. Abide by this and we will refund your £25.00 deposit in full. If you do not cancel with seven days notice we reserve the right to levy a cancellation fee of £300 per full day and £200 per half day or evening. There are only two exceptions to this; the Mighty Wurlitzer Christmas Concert which must be cancelled 30 days in advance, and the Lee Valley Olympic Cruise which must be cancelled 14 days before. 

7. GOING AHEAD WITH FEWER THAN THE 35 PERSON GROUP MINIMUM

If you fall below the 35 group minimum it is possible to go ahead with the booking so long as you are prepared to pay for the empty places. In most cases you will not be expected to pay for the portion of the tour fee that represents an admission charge, boat fare or lunch etc.

Please call for further information regarding your particular tour.

Click here to download a copy of our booking form