Nestled in the heart of England, the Cotswolds is a storybook region where rolling hills, honey-colored stone cottages, and winding country lanes create a landscape straight out of a postcard. These are the idyllic scenes that they show in movies where thatched-roof villages are tucked between sheep farms and wandering just to wander is the whole point.
If you’re looking to visit this bucolic area, this itinerary has cozy villages, a palace, thatch roofs, a magical door, afternoon teas, a beautiful library, and a trip to a famous playwright’s house. I’ll show you all the gorgeous sights and cozy corners and you’ll never want to leave.
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The Cotswold Villages
The Cotswolds is area of small, picturesque villages scattered across central England about 2½ hours west of London. This area is known for its quaint stone cottages and cozy feel. It’s easiest to pick a place to base yourself and head out each day to discover the other villages.
You can drive around aimlessly and come across a ton of these villages, but here are some of my favorite towns along with places to stay and eat in each.
I based myself in Bourton-on-the-Water so all distances are from there but there are cozy places to stay in every village.
Friday- Drive to the Cotswolds
If you’re coming from London, stop in at the university town of Oxford on the way. It’s located 1 hour east of Bourton (1 1/2 west of London).
Be sure to check out the Bodleian Library which is one of the oldest libraries in Europe and second largest in Britain- though you might know it from Harry Potter instead. The library is beautiful and our guide was enthusiastic and funny.
The town of Oxford is lovely too. There are pretty stone bridges over the river and historic buildings lining its streets. Take a stroll and find a quiet square to explore
If you’re there are teatime, there is an excellent upscale traditional tea at The Ivy, or for a more modern take, The Rose.
When you’ve had your fill of Oxford, hop in your car and continue on. You’ll arrive in Bourton-on-the-Water in the evening. Settle in then spend some time getting to know this lovely village.
It is truly straight out of a picture book. A stream runs right through the middle of town and there are lovely stone buildings everywhere you look.
Bourton is a great place to make your base- if only so you can get out there early and enjoy it before the day tours arrive. There is nothing more wonderful than having this beautiful place all to yourself.
Grab some dinner at The Mousetrap Inn at the edge of town which has excellent food and impeccable service. And definitely get dessert- you’re on vacay!
Saturday- North of Bourton
To start your day, tuck into a hearty breakfast at the Bourton Riverside Café and admire the pretty view of town out the window.
After breakfast, take a stroll around the village of Bourton. Poke though antique shops, check out the craft fair a Victoria Hall if there’s one (we did), enjoy the model village, or take one of the public footpaths (did you bring wellies for the mud?).
If you’d like a longer walk, there are public walking paths everywhere. Lower Slaughter is a 30 minute walk and it’s just a few minutes further to Upper Slaughter. Maybe stop by Hawkstone Brewery on your way back if you go in the afternoon instead. I love their lager and the cider is supposed to be really good too.
🚗 Then hop in your car and head north toward Stratford-upon-Avon.
If you want to stop in a cute village along the way, visit the market town of Morton-in-Marsh which is a 15 minute drive in this direction. It has a lovely High Street lined with shops and restaurants.
Or you could check out Broadway (20 minutes) instead. They have a tower you can climb for panoramic views of the countryside as well as honey colored cottages. Or Chipping Camden (25 minutes) which has a market hall and a few thatched cottages. Or stop in all of them.
Not technically IN the Cotswolds but the West Midlands, the medieval town of Stratford-upon-Avon is a 45 minute drive north of Bourton.
Anyone out there a fan of Shakespeare? If so, you might already know this is the town he’s from. 🎭 You can visit his (very old) house and peruse the shop next to it. The pedestrian street where it’s located is nice to wander around as well.
Once you’re ready for lunch, try the Sunday Roast at Loxleys Restaurant & Wine Bar, or if you’re wanting something a little less heavy, Hobsons Patisseries has a delicious pork and cider pie (it was so good I forgot to take a photo), quiche, and toasted baps.
“To be, or not to be…”
After that, meander down and spend a little time by the river at Bancroft Gardens if the weather is nice and admire the swans. Shakespeare’s plays are put on in both the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and the Swan Theatre which are both here.
If the weather’s not so good (it happens), hop in your car and head over to Anne Hathaway’s Cottage which is a 7 minute drive west. This is the home of Shakespeare’s wife and has a pretty thatch roof and period furnishings.
>> If you want to spend more time in this area, check out the Warwickshire Explorer Pass that gets you into lots of attractions.
Then drive back south towards Bourton. About 8 minutes before you get back to Bourton, you can stop and check out the village Stow-on-the-Wold.
Stow is a bit bigger with more options of shops and dining than Bourton but still feels cozy. The main square has tons of cute shops and places to eat and is well worth a stop just for that.
The big draw here, however, is a door at St. Edward’s Church that is rumored to have inspired JRR Tolkien (author of Lord of the Rings) when he was teaching nearby. And I believe it because it looks straight out of The Hobbit!
But I would encourage you to also check out the inside of this small church. Built on the site of a former Saxon church, construction began in the 11th century. My favorite was the needlepoint kneelers. I wonder what I would needlepoint onto mine… 🤔
If you could drop a little something in the donation box while you’re in there I know it would be greatly appreciated to help keep this church going. Those gorgeous trees by the door are 300 years old and I hope they make it another 300!
☕️ Is it teatime yet? If so, stop in at Lucy’s Tearoom for a traditional afternoon tea experience or The Hive for something else.
If you want to get dinner in Stow, try Sheep on Sheep Street or The Bell for an upscale meal or Greedy’s Fish & Chips if you’d prefer something casual. Or just head back to Bourton.
Back in Bourton, you can spend the evening relaxing before dinner or maybe see if you can make it through the Dragonfly Maze without asking for help.
If you’re eating dinner in Bourton, I’d suggest The Rose Tree for traditional English food or Smith’s for burgers and cocktails.
Sunday- East of Bourton
I’m obsessed with the cruffins at The Chestnut Tree. I dare you to eat one of these and not end up with sugar all over your face (and instantly crave another one). Yum. Grab one of these and a coffee and set out for Blenheim Palace, a 40 minute drive east of Bourton.
On your way, you can sweep down south to stop in the hilly town of Burford (20 minutes) for the beautiful sweeping view of its High Street.
Or if you’re looking for thatch, stop in at the teeny tiny village of Great Tew (30 minutes northeast of Bourton). There’s not much here, but it’s convenient and has a place to grab a bite to eat or an ice cream with a lovely open space to wander behind it.
When I was there, the kids in the school were practicing a song on their recorders and it was just idyllic.
The village of Kingham (20 minutes) is also an option to see some thatch with its chocolate-box cottages, village green, and serene feel.
In the small town of Woodstock, Blenheim Palace is set on thousands of acres of rolling parkland. It’s bigger than Buckingham Palace and still privately owned by the same family who built it more than 300 years ago. It’s also a UNESCO World Heritage Site- so you know it’s worth checking out!
You might recognize this place as it’s been used for filming in everything from Downton Abbey to Harry Potter to Indiana Jones. But it’s biggest claim to fame is that Winston Churchill grew up at Blenheim.
Whether your interest lies more in the history of the palace itself, or in exploring the vast grounds (do both!), Blenheim is well worth a few hours.
🍽️ Feeling hungry? There are 6 restaurants on the grounds (depending on the season)- grab a sandwich from the Oxford Pantry for lunch or sit down for afternoon tea at The Orangery Restaurant- so everyone can find what they’re craving.
Afterwards, head over to the walled gardens and the Marlborough Hedge Maze- I swear it’s much harder than it looks. My son had to find me and lead me out. 🤫
And now it’s time to head back home- London is just 1½ hours from Blenheim. If you didn’t stop in Oxford on Friday, you have another chance to see it as you head back.
I hope you leave the Cotswolds with a million photos and a big smile on your face. I had a wonderful time here- the gorgeous scenery, the welcoming people- and I’d love to come back. This place feels just like a warm hug- but in cottage form.
Other Villages in the Cotswolds
There are so many other villages to visit in the Cotswolds and you could spend weeks discovering them all. If you have more than a couple days and want more Cotswolds, I’d suggest you head southwest to see:
- Bibury (20 minutes)- Arlington Row is the most photographed street in the Cotswolds
- Cirencester- (30 minutes) “capitol of the Cotswolds” with lots of green space and markets
- Painswick- (40 minutes) “queen of the Cotswolds” known for its yew trees in the village churchyard
- Castle Combe (1 hour)- a fairy-tale village with no streetlights or modern signs
Stay Longer in England
If you’d like to go a further afield, I loved the Herefordshire Area (1¼ hour west) for a part of England that seemed more real and less like a tourist destination. I absolutely loved it there. It’s the England you know exists but is off the beaten path just enough to feel like an adventure.
You could also check out Wales and the Wye Valley (1¾ hour to Cardiff) to see something a little different. Cardiff is a full-on city and it’s cool to see all the signs in Welsh (Um, Wales is a different country- just in case you didn’t know) and driving along the river in the Wye Valley was perfection.
Or you could head south to the city of Brighton (3 hours- big pier with games, lots going on) or the tranquil town of Rye (4 hours- quaint, quiet, upscale, and lovely) to check out the coast.
And of course don’t forget about the big bustling city of London!
How to Visit the Cotswolds as a Day Trip from London
You can see a snippet of the Cotswolds on a day trip from London. The easiest way to do that is with a tour that will take you from village to village without you having to figure it out yourself.
>>If you’re traveling solo, tours are a great way to meet other travelers!
There are a ton of different types of tours- everything from a private guide who drives you around to the villages in a black car $$$, to a group bus tour $.
>> Check here for your Day Trip from London options.
It’s also possible, of course, to do it on your own by car but with such limited time, I’d rather put someone else in charge and just admire the view instead of having to focus on the road and figure out where to find parking.
Hotels in the Cotswolds
I chose to stay in Bourton-on-the-Water because I thought it looked beautiful and was well-located (I was right!) but really any of these villages would be a good base for exploring this gorgeous area.
I’m including some suggestions below for villages I would love to stay in next time because of their location and because they have options for dinner at the end of all that sightseeing.
Bourton-on-the-Water
The Mousetrap Inn 3✩
This adorable place has an excellent restaurant and is and easy walk into the center of the village
Lower Slaughter
The Slaughters Country Inn 5✩
With its riverside location and wonderful restaurant and bar, this place is a great option.
>> If you want to really live the English village life, you could rent a cottage 🏡 and pretend you’re a character in Downton Abbey.
Moreton-in-Marsh
The Manor House Hotel 4✩
A hotel in a 16th century building with an award-winning restaurant.
Stow-on-the-Wold
The Porch House 5✩
This is the oldest inn in England and dates from 947. Ya know- no biggie. Oh, and it offers breakfast and Wi-Fi.
Burford
The Lamb Inn 3✩
This cozy hotel has beautiful gardens out back and a cozy fireplace inside.
🏨 Check out Booking.com for more hotel options at all different price points
Kingham
The Kingham Plough 4✩
Lunch and dinner at the hotel restaurant has vegetarian, gluten-free, and dairy-free options available.
Woodstock
Marlborough Arms 4✩
In a former coaching inn, this hotel is walking distance to Blenheim Palace.
Eating in The Cotswolds
England isn’t known for its amazing food and I get it- there is a LOT of meat and potatoes. But I can honestly say that I had some absolutely wonderful meals when I was there.
Some of my favorite meals were the pork and cider pie in Stratford-upon-Avon, all the pastries and scones everywhere, and a wonderful trout in Bourton. Delish.
>> Yes, you can drink the tap water in England. But why would you want to when there’s yummy cider instead?! 🍎
I gave restaurant recommendations in each of the towns on the itinerary since that made more sense than bunching them together here. Be sure to check the town you’re visiting for ideas.
Transportation around the Cotswolds
Getting to the Cotswolds
If you’re headed to the Cotswolds from outside the UK, chances are you’ll be flying into one of the London airports. From there it’s around 2 ½ hours to the Cotswolds, depending on which airport you flew into (Gatwick or Heathrow) and where you’re headed.
✈️ Looking for flights? Check Booking.com for all your options!
Getting around the Cotswolds
The easiest way to get around the Cotswolds is with a car. It just is. There are trains and buses but the smaller villages (which I love) involve transfers and it just eats up a lot of your vacation time.
🚗 Looking to rent a car? Discover Cars can help!
Once in a village, you can walk anywhere you need to go. They’re all small. Just remember the weather changes in an instant so be sure you’re prepared for anything!
And if you’re really into walking, you can check out the 100 mile walking path called the Cotswold Way, from Bath to all the way to Chipping Camden.
What to pack for the Cotswolds
It’s true what you’ve heard- England can be rainy and cold at times. But on my 2 week trip in March, it only rained one day- so you never know. And I think that’s the lesson here. English weather is fickle so be prepared for anything.
I would definitely be sure to bring a good raincoat and some waterproof shoes.
>> Need more help with packing? Check out all my packing tips to make it easy!
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Questions about the Cotswolds
Are the Cotswolds expensive?
I’m not gonna lie- it’s up there in terms of cost (because they’re so awesome of course). But maybe check out places like Herefordshire and its black & white villages if you’re looking to see some England minus the hefty price tag. I loved that area as well and the people were suuuper nice.
Are the Cotswolds safe?
Absolutely! It’s a great place to travel with family and friends, or perfect for a solo trip to Europe.
Whether you’re into hiking, history, pub lunches, or just want to live out your Jane Austen fantasies, the Cotswolds offers the perfect blend of scenic beauty and timeless charm for a weekend away.
Happy travels… 🇬🇧 💂 🚗
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