Independent guides for slower, better Cotswolds trips
Loving The Cotswolds guide
Compare the best-known villages, market towns and useful gateway places, then open a practical guide to plan what to see, where to walk and what to combine nearby.
Find the right base
The best Cotswolds place depends on the trip. Bourton-on-the-Water is convenient for a first visit, Broadway and Chipping Campden work well for the north, Cirencester and South Cerney open up the central and southern area, while rail-served places can make a car-free itinerary far easier.
Best-known places
Cotswold village guide Bourton-on-the-Water in the Cotswolds Bourton-on-the-Water is one of the Cotswolds’ best-known villages, loved for the River Windrush, low stone bridges, family…
Explore guide →Cotswold village guide Broadway is one of the showpiece villages of the north Cotswolds, with a wide High Street, golden stone buildings, independent shops,…
Explore guide →Cotswold town guide Stow-on-the-Wold is one of the classic Cotswold market towns: high on the wold, wrapped around a handsome market square, and full…
Explore guide →Cotswold town guide Chipping Campden is one of the Cotswolds’ great historic market towns, known for its long honey-stone High Street, old Market Hall,…
Explore guide →Plan a visit to Bibury and Arlington Row, including timing, walking, nearby places and how to avoid treating it as only a photo stop.
Explore guide →We have pulled together this guide to Burford for anyone who wants more than a quick look at the map and would rather understand…
Explore guide →We have pulled together this guide to Cirencester for anyone who wants more than a quick look at the map and would rather understand…
Explore guide →If you are planning a day out in Moreton-in-Marsh, this guide is here to help you get a better feel for the place before…
Explore guide →At Loving the Cotswolds, we think Painswick is best enjoyed at an unhurried pace, taking time to notice the buildings, lanes and little local…
Explore guide →At Loving the Cotswolds, we think Tetbury is best enjoyed at an unhurried pace, taking time to notice the buildings, lanes and little local…
Explore guide →We have pulled together this guide to Winchcombe for anyone who wants more than a quick look at the map and would rather understand…
Explore guide →We have pulled together this guide to Blockley for anyone who wants more than a quick look at the map and would rather understand…
Explore guide →More places
Charlbury in the Cotswolds: Things to see and doOpen visitor guide
Cheltenham in the Cotswolds: Things to see and doOpen visitor guide
Chipping Norton in the Cotswolds: Things to see and doOpen visitor guide
Fairford in the Cotswolds: Things to see and doOpen visitor guide
Kingham in the Cotswolds: Things to see and doOpen visitor guide
Lechlade-on-Thames in the Cotswolds: Things to see and doOpen visitor guide
Malmesbury in the Cotswolds: Things to see and doOpen visitor guideMinchinhampton in the Cotswolds: Things to see and doOpen visitor guideNailsworth in the Cotswolds: Things to see and doOpen visitor guide
Northleach in the Cotswolds: Things to see and doOpen visitor guide
South Cerney in the Cotswolds: Things to see and doOpen visitor guide
Stroud in the Cotswolds: Things to see and doOpen visitor guideWoodstock in the Cotswolds: Things to see and doOpen visitor guide
Wotton-under-Edge in the Cotswolds: Things to see and doOpen visitor guideParking, walking distance and the roads between villages can turn an ambitious list into a rushed day. Use our itineraries to group places that naturally work together.
