How to visit the Cotswolds region of England, including towns such as Castle Combe, Burford and Bibury. Travel guide with tips on what to do, where to stay, tours, map and itinerary.
The Cotswolds region of England is a two-hour drive from London and is a region made up of several villages that run from the north of the city of Bath to the southern region of Stratford-upon-Avon. The biggest characteristic of the villages is that the houses are made with a specific type of stone, which gives the characteristic yellowish tone that we see in photos.
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How to get there and where is the Cotswolds region in England
The Cotswolds region is approximately 140 km from London and the best way is to rent a car to visit it.
There are of course several options for excursions there, with the advantages of not having to worry about driving in the English lane, finding a parking lot and a guide telling the story of each place. If you’re okay with having restricted hours on each visit, it’s well worth it.
I have separated some options for tours with guides and transportation:
- The Cotswolds: Small Group Tour
- London: Full Day Cotswolds in a Private London Taxi
- From London: Oxford and Cotswolds in 1 Day
- Cotswolds Tour with Lunch
- From London in 1 day: Oxford, Stratford and the Cotswolds
Travel-Itinerary to the Cotswolds region in England
Putting together a travel itinerary during the European winter is a thankless activity, even more so if England is the destination. The English climate of low temperatures and rain is not at all inviting, but nothing like a good dose of good humor and the hope of good weather makes the trip boring.
Speaking of the Cotswolds, while I was putting together the itinerary and at the same time adding galoshes and a raincoat to my suitcase, I saw that the gloomy climate matches perfectly with the region. And wasn’t I right? OK! The sun came out halfway through the trip, but we still enjoyed the most beautiful villages in England.
How many days to stay? As the villages are tiny, 4 full days, one dedicated entirely to Bath, is a good size.
Where to stay when visiting the Cotswolds region? We made the first base in Bath and then in Gloucester and look, I’ll brag I got the choice right. In Bath we stayed in a very nice apartment outside the historic center, complete with a great breakfast basket. In Gloucester, the hotel was located in a remote area of the city with a very nice view. The only downside is that it doesn’t deserve to be classified as a 4 star, as the room was comfortable and that’s all, it lacked some extras, which we’ve seen in many other hotels with lower ratings.
The places we stayed were these here:
- Bath – Georgian city apartment @ Thomas Street
- Gloucester – Hatton Court Hotel
Search for other hotels on Cotswolds region on the Booking.com website.
Controversial opinion about Stonehenge
On our way to Bath we took the opportunity to visit the most visited monument in the UK. The heap of stones, known as Stonehenge, was a super expensive visit to an overrated spot, that’s it.
See it from the road, it’s more than worth it.
But if you still want to visit Stonehenge, be sure to check out GetYourGuide’s tour options:
Accommodation and visit to the city of Bath
Bath is often chosen as the starting town for Cotswolds tours and I can tell you it’s a good choice.
Small and full of history, the city has several tourist attractions that are worth visiting, in addition to some good options for restaurants and shops in its commercial center.
It is also worth mentioning that it is a very important city for lovers of English literature, Bath is the city where the writer Jane Austen lived and began her literary career.
Following our stay and visit in Bath, we begin the leg of the journey visiting the small villages of the Cotswolds.
7 cities to visit in the Cotswolds region in England
As the villages are small and relatively close to each other, you can easily visit up to 3 villages a day, including a stop for lunch at traditional English Pubs.
The villages have similar characteristics: there is always a main street, usually with a narrow river, caramel-colored stone houses as far as the eye can see and charming little shops.
That is, the coolest thing to do in the Cotswolds region is to walk and enjoy its architecture and natural beauty.
We managed to visit 7 cities, namely:
Castle Combe in the southern Cotswolds is considered the prettiest village in England and has been the setting for numerous film productions. She is the finest example of what you will find in the region.
Bibury seems to have come out of a fairy tale book and because of this characteristic it is super crowded. Try to get there early to walk the empty Arlington Row street, this street is the city’s postcard.
Bourton-on-the-Water is one of the largest villages and is called “little Venice” as it borders the River Windrush and has bridges connecting the streets. There we had a delicious Sunday Roast lunch at the Kingsbridge Inn Bourton on the Water pub. Highly competitive, but we were lucky to find an empty table and it was well worth it.
Near Bourton-on-the-Water, about 10 minutes by car, is Lower Slaughter, which is the improved version of Bourton-on-the-Water. The village of Lower Slaughter is more graceful and seems to have stopped in time. To give you an idea, there aren’t even any electricity poles on the streets! It’s surreal and it was one of my favorite villages, along with Castle Combe.
The villages of Blockley and Kingham are pretty, but nothing compared to what we had visited before. As a curiosity, the village of Blockley served as the setting for a famous English series in the country called Father Brown.
And in the village of Kingham I managed to snap a picture of a typical hay-roofed house.
The last town we visited was Burford which is the village with the most medieval air and also very sought after by tourists. There we had dinner at the pub The Mermaid Inn and the food was very good. Maridoviski was very happy with the meat pie, the English meat pie that is a traditional food served in pubs, and, of course, with his pint.
Extra: tourist spot worth visiting worth visiting near the Cotswolds region
A point that we included during our tours was the Broadway Tower, located at one of the highest points in the region and has a cafe with very tasty organic food to warm up during the winter.
The entrance to the area where the tower is located is free, to go up it is necessary to pay a fee. There are also trail options on site, as we went in winter the trails were pure mud, so we didn’t even consider going through them.
Harry Potter fans in Gloucester
To close, we visit the city of Gloucester which is very close to the Cotswolds region. Our main objective was to get to know its magnificent cathedral, where some filming of the Harry Potter films took place. Its cloisters served as locations for the conversations and adventures of the halls of Hogwarts Castle.
Luckily, we were able to see the church choir rehearsing, which made the visit even cooler. Leaving the cathedral, we took a quick stroll along the city’s quays, which have been revitalized but were somewhat empty due to the gusty wind.
Also in Gloucester, we accidentally found the shop mentioned in the short story The tailor of Gloucester by the writer Beatrix Potter which is super cute. It was there that we met one of the most beloved characters by English children, Peter Rabbit. We even bought a book in German for the little one.
And with all this cuteness, we bring our London getaway trip to a close.
Tours and attractions in the Cotswolds region in England
Other options offer guided walks, tickets to tourist attractions and 1-day or multi-day excursions to the Cotswolds region of England.
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