Booking Terms and Conditions
Effective from 14 September 2026
These terms apply to tours and related services booked with Oxford Historical Tours. Please read them before booking. By making a booking, you confirm that you accept these terms for yourself and, where applicable, for everyone in your group.
Cancellation summary
- 48 hours or more before the tour: full refund or one free change of date, subject to availability.
- Between 24 and 48 hours before the tour: we may retain up to 50% of the tour price.
- Less than 24 hours before the tour, or a no-show: no refund.
- We will never retain more than is reasonable to cover our actual loss. Any non-refundable third-party costs will be identified where possible before you confirm the booking.
1. About us
Oxford Historical Tours provides private and group walking tours in Oxford. References to “we”, “us” and “our” mean Oxford Historical Tours. References to “you” and “your” mean the person making the booking and every participant covered by it.
2. Making a booking
A booking is confirmed when we accept it and send you a confirmation by email or through our booking system. Please check the date, start time, meeting point, tour, group size and contact details carefully, and tell us promptly if anything is incorrect.
The person making the booking must be at least 18 and is responsible for passing these terms and all practical information to the other members of the group. Please provide accurate information about group size, ages where relevant, accessibility requirements and any other needs that may affect the tour.
3. Prices and payment
The price shown at the time of booking is the price payable unless an obvious error has occurred. Prices are quoted in pounds sterling and include any applicable taxes unless stated otherwise.
Payment is due at the time shown during booking or on the invoice. A booking may not be secure until the required payment has been received. Admission charges, food, drink, transport and other third-party costs are not included unless the tour description or confirmation says that they are.
4. What is included
Your confirmation will set out the tour booked, its approximate duration, the meeting point and any agreed additions. Routes and content may be adapted to suit your interests, the group, accessibility needs, opening arrangements, crowding, weather, road closures or other local conditions.
Tour durations are approximate. A reasonable change to the route, order of stops or content does not amount to cancellation where we can still provide a substantially similar experience.
5. Changes requested by you
If you wish to change the date, time, tour or group size, please contact us as soon as possible. Changes are subject to availability and may affect the price.
One change requested at least 48 hours before the booked start time will normally be made without an administration charge. Further changes, or changes requested within 48 hours, may be treated as a cancellation and rebooking. We will tell you about any additional cost before confirming the change.
6. Cancellation by you
To cancel, email enquiries@oxfordhistoricaltours.com and include the booking name, date and time. The cancellation takes effect when we receive your message.
Unless a different policy was clearly agreed before booking:
- Cancellations received at least 48 hours before the start time are eligible for a full refund.
- For cancellations received between 24 and 48 hours before the start time, we may retain up to 50% of the tour price.
- Cancellations received less than 24 hours before the start time, and failure to attend, are not normally refundable.
These charges are intended to reflect the time reserved for you and the likelihood that we cannot replace the booking. We will not retain more than is reasonable in light of our actual loss. Where we have paid a non-refundable third-party cost specifically for your booking, such as admission tickets, that amount may also be deducted if it was disclosed to you before booking.
Refunds will normally be returned to the original payment method. Bank or card processing times are outside our control.
7. Cancellation or changes by us
We may need to change or cancel a tour because of illness, unsafe weather, emergency conditions, access restrictions, disruption, or another event beyond our reasonable control. We will contact you as soon as reasonably possible.
If we cancel and cannot offer a suitable alternative, you will receive a full refund of the amount paid to us for the affected service. Our liability for a cancellation by us is limited to that refund. We are not responsible for travel, accommodation or other arrangements made separately by you.
8. Weather and local conditions
Tours normally go ahead in rain and ordinary British weather. Please check the forecast and wear suitable clothing and footwear. We may shorten, reroute, pause or cancel a tour if conditions are unsafe or make the planned route impracticable.
Bad weather alone does not entitle you to a refund where the tour can safely proceed. If we decide that it cannot safely proceed, section 7 applies.
9. Arrival and lateness
Please arrive at the confirmed meeting point at least 10 minutes before the start. If you are delayed, contact us as soon as possible.
We will make reasonable efforts to accommodate late arrival, but the tour may need to end at the originally agreed time. If a private group is more than 30 minutes late without contact, we may treat the booking as a no-show. For group or school bookings, significant delay may require a shortened or rearranged tour and may result in additional charges where extra guide time is agreed.
10. Groups, children and school visits
Children under 16 must be accompanied by a responsible adult unless we have agreed in writing to different supervision arrangements. The organiser of a school, college or youth group remains responsible for safeguarding, supervision, behaviour, headcounts, medical needs and emergency contact arrangements throughout the visit.
Teachers and group leaders must maintain appropriate adult-to-student ratios and follow their organisation’s safeguarding and risk-management procedures. Our guide provides the tour but does not take over responsibility for supervising the group.
Please tell us in advance about relevant access, medical, behavioural or communication needs so that we can discuss reasonable adjustments. You do not need to disclose more personal information than is necessary.
11. Accessibility and walking conditions
Oxford includes uneven paving, cobbles, narrow passages, steps and busy streets. Some colleges, museums and historic buildings have restricted access. Please tell us about mobility, sensory or other accessibility requirements before booking, or as soon as they become known.
We will make reasonable efforts to adapt the route and format, but we cannot guarantee that every location will be accessible or open. If an essential requirement cannot be met, we will explain the available alternatives before confirming the booking where reasonably possible.
12. Colleges, museums and other third parties
Entry to colleges, museums, libraries, churches and other venues is controlled by the relevant organisation. Opening hours, admission prices, queues, security checks and access rules can change at short notice.
Unless expressly included in your confirmation, admission is not guaranteed and any entry fee is payable separately. We are not responsible for a venue closure or restriction outside our control, but we will make reasonable efforts to provide a suitable alternative.
13. Conduct and safety
Participants must follow reasonable safety instructions from the guide and comply with the rules of any venue visited. You remain responsible for your own belongings and for acting with reasonable care around traffic, bicycles, uneven surfaces and other members of the public.
We may end or refuse participation without a refund where a person behaves abusively, unlawfully, dangerously, is seriously intoxicated, persistently disrupts the tour, or places the guide or others at risk. Assistance dogs are welcome. Please ask before bringing other animals.
14. Liability
Nothing in these terms excludes or limits liability where it would be unlawful to do so, including liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, or your statutory rights as a consumer.
Subject to that, we are not responsible for loss that was not reasonably foreseeable when the booking was made, for loss caused by your failure to follow reasonable instructions, or for business losses arising from a booking made as a consumer. We are not responsible for the acts or omissions of independent venues or other third-party suppliers, although this does not affect any responsibility we have for services that we agreed to provide ourselves.
15. Photography and publicity
You may take photographs for personal use where it is safe and permitted by the venue. Commercial photography, filming, recording or organised media activity must be agreed in advance.
We will not use recognisable photographs or recordings of you or your group for marketing without appropriate permission. For children and school groups, permission must come through the responsible adult or organisation in accordance with its safeguarding arrangements.
16. Personal information
We use the personal information supplied with a booking to administer the booking, communicate with you, provide the tour, process payment, meet legal obligations and handle any enquiry or complaint. We only request information that is reasonably necessary for those purposes.
Payment details are handled by the relevant payment provider. We do not sell personal information. Please contact us if you have a question about how your information is used.
17. Complaints
If a problem arises during the tour, please raise it with the guide promptly so that we have an opportunity to put matters right. If the issue is not resolved, email enquiries@oxfordhistoricaltours.com as soon as possible, preferably within 14 days, with your booking details and a clear description of the problem.
We will consider the complaint fairly and respond within a reasonable time.
18. General terms
If any part of these terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining terms will continue to apply. A delay in enforcing a right does not waive that right.
These terms and your booking confirmation form the agreement between you and Oxford Historical Tours. Any agreed variation should be recorded in writing. English law applies and the courts of England and Wales will have jurisdiction, without affecting any mandatory consumer rights that apply where you live.
Contact
Oxford Historical Tours
Email: enquiries@oxfordhistoricaltours.com
Website: www.oxfordhistoricaltours.com
These terms are intended as a practical business document and do not constitute legal advice. They should be reviewed if your services, prices or cancellation arrangements change.