Visiting UK

Cotswolds Church in Bibury

The best places to visit in the Cotswolds are scattered throughout the region. From villages to cities, there is no shortage of great places to explore when you are there. Here are a few of our top picks:

Bath – Bath is one of the most beautiful cities in the Cotswolds. No trip to the city is complete without a visit to the famous Roman Baths, one of the region’s highlights. Near them is Bath Abbey, which is worth a visit as well. And don’t miss the Royal Crescent, a stunning example of Georgian architecture.

Bibury – Famous for being the location of Arlington Row, the most picturesque (and most photographed) spot in the Cotswolds, Bibury attracts visitors from all over the world. If you want to avoid the crowds, make sure to visit in the early morning or the late afternoon.

Bourton-on-the-Water – As its name suggests, Bourton-on-the-Water is a town set along a river. It is one of the larger towns in its surroundings, and has great shops and restaurants to go along with its pretty architecture. You can easily walk from there to Upper and Lower Slaughter (see below).

Burford - Burford is a great place to stop if you are driving from London to the Cotswolds. It is the first town that you will reach, and is a great place for lunch, a snack, or a short walk through the town.

Lower Slaughter – Lower Slaughter is a picturesque village in the heart of the region, and is definitely one of the best places in the Cotswolds to visit. Don’t miss the Old Mill and its museum as you walk along the stream that runs through the town.

Upper Slaughter – Famous for its beautiful architecture and pretty church, Upper Slaughter is a great place to visit on a trip to the Cotswolds. It is easy to walk there from Lower Slaughter, its neighbouring village.

Oxford – No trip to the Cotswolds is complete without a visit to Oxford. The city is one of the prettiest in the UK, and is definitely one of the best places in the Cotswolds if you love history and architecture. It is also a good place to base yourself on a longer visit to the region, as there are many good hotels in Oxford.

The Cotswolds

Taking buses in the Cotswolds is a good way to get around if you don’t have a car. The most useful Cotswolds buses are the following:

Cotswold bus number 620 runs from Bath to Tetbury. This bus is useful for people making a day trip from Bath to the Cotswolds or vice versa.

Cotswold bus number P801 runs from Cheltenham to Bourton-on-the-Water, Upper Slaughter, Lower Slaughter, and Stow-on-the-Wold. This bus is great for visitors that take the train from London to Cheltenham and want to explore the surrounding region by bus.

Cotswold bus number 812 runs from Bourton to Lower Slaughter, Stow-on-the-Wold, and Moreton-in-Marsh.

Cotswold bus number 7 runs from Woodstock to Chipping Norton and Moreton-in-Marsh.

Cotswold bus number 22 runs from Moreton-in-Marsh to Stratford upon Avon. This bus is great for those that want to combine a trip to the Cotswolds with a visit to Shakespeare’s birthplace.

The Cotswolds

Trains from London to the Cotswolds are a good way to go on a day or overnight trip from the capital to the designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty to the west.

The Cotswolds cover a large amount of land, so there are multiple train stations that you can choose from. These include larger cities as well as smaller towns.

Trains from London stop in the major cities of Oxford, Cheltenham, and Bath. These are good choices as departures are frequent and trains are fast. If you want to go somewhere more remote, there are also trains to places like Kemble and Moreton-in-Marsh, which are two smaller cities in the Cotswolds. Departures to these places are less frequent and the trip may require connections.

All trains from London to the Cotswolds depart from London Paddington train station. Depending on your final destination, there are departures several times an hour throughout the day.

Once you arrive in the Cotswolds, you have several options for onward transportation. You can hire a car if you want to get around easily and don’t mind driving. Alternatively, bus or regional train is the best way to use public transport to get around after you have arrived by train from London to the Cotswolds.