Illustration: a lane of honey-coloured stone cottages with roses and lavender, and green hills beyond

Destination Guide

The Cotswolds

Quintessential English countryside, timeless villages and a warm B&B welcome.

England, United Kingdom

The Cotswolds is a protected landscape of honey-coloured stone villages, market towns and rolling hills, stretching from Bath in the south to Warwickshire and Worcestershire in the north. Designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1966, it covers 790 square miles.

At a Glance

  • Countryside

    790 square miles of protected landscape.

  • Historic towns

    Market towns such as Stow-on-the-Wold.

  • B&B heritage

    B&Bs, farmhouses and inns to discover.

Illustration: a row of stone cottages with climbing roses beside a stream
Illustrative image: a Cotswold-style village street beside a stream.

Where to Base Yourself

The Cotswolds can be explored from a number of well-known towns and villages.

  • Chipping Campden
  • Stow-on-the-Wold
  • Bourton-on-the-Water
  • Cirencester
  • Moreton-in-Marsh
  • Broadway
  • Tetbury
  • Illustration: a lane of stone cottages with flowers

    North Cotswolds

    Chipping Campden, Broadway and Moreton-in-Marsh

  • Illustration: a large stone building on a market-town square

    Central Cotswolds

    Stow-on-the-Wold and Bourton-on-the-Water

  • Illustration: rolling green hills with a village and church tower

    South Cotswolds

    Cirencester and Tetbury

North, Central and South are an editorial grouping by position, not official regions.

When to Go

A year-round destination, with each season offering something different.

  • Illustration: pink blossom over a stone cottage lane in spring

    Spring (Mar – May)

    Grasslands at their best.

    Typical daily range in April: 4 – 14 °C

  • Illustration: lavender in flower beside a stone cottage in summer

    Summer (Jun – Aug)

    Long days; busier roads.

    Typical daily range in July: 12 – 22 °C

  • Illustration: orange autumn leaves above a stone cottage and lane

    Autumn (Sep – Nov)

    Beech woods at their best.

    Typical daily range in October: 7 – 15 °C

  • Illustration: frost on a dry-stone wall with a village beyond in winter

    Winter (Dec – Feb)

    Trails open all year.

    Typical daily range in January: 1 – 7 °C

Temperatures: typical daily low and high in April, July, October and January at Cirencester (Met Office, 1991–2020).

Things to Do

A mix of nature, history and local experiences across the region.

  • Walk the Cotswold Way

    A 102-mile National Trail from Chipping Campden to Bath.

  • Explore historic towns

    Cirencester has Roman history and the Corinium Museum.

  • Browse a charter market

    Cirencester’s Charter Market runs on Mondays and Fridays.

  • Visit gardens and estates

    Hidcote (National Trust) and Westonbirt, The National Arboretum.

Kinds of Stay

Find the B&B style that suits your trip.

  • Illustration: a small stone cottage with a flower garden

    Traditional B&Bs

    A stay in a private house, hosted by the owner.

  • Illustration: a stone house beside a lavender field and a large tree

    Countryside retreats

    Farmhouses are part of VisitEngland’s B&B scheme.

  • Illustration: a town street of stone houses leading to a church tower

    Town stays

    Inns offer rooms, dinner and a public bar.

  • Illustration: a gabled stone manor house with tall chimneys

    Historic homes

    Period houses in honey-coloured stone villages.

Stay styles are inspiration, not listings.

Good to Know

A few helpful tips for planning your visit.

  • Getting there

    London Paddington to Moreton-in-Marsh: about 90 minutes by direct train.

  • Getting around

    Public transport is recommended in summer, when narrow roads get busy.

  • Local tips

    A protected landscape, not a county or a national park.

Explore the Cotswolds

Discover the Cotswolds

Be inspired by the region and explore B&B stay styles. Bookings are not yet available.

Explore stay styles

Sources

Official sources used for this guide, for further information about the Cotswolds.

Show 3 more sources

More Places to Explore

More B&B destinations around the world.

Images on this page are AI-generated illustrations. They are not photographs of specific places or properties.