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Weekend breaks in the Cotswolds
WHY WEEKEND BREAK IN THE COTSWOLDS?
Discover beauty at every turn
A weekend in the Cotswolds promises a slower pace, plenty of fresh air, beauty at every turn and some of the prettiest countryside in England. It’s brilliant for romantic weekend breaks, wonderfully dog-friendly, and perfect for walkers and hikers thanks to the Cotswold Way – a 102-mile national trail that passes through some of the area’s most spectacular scenery.
Whether you’re here for cosy cottages, boutique hotels, glamping, long pub lunches, antique shops, garden visits or proper boots-on walks, the Cotswolds is made for a weekend escape. In short: you’re going to love it.
Easy Cotswolds Inspiration
To get your staycation started
WEEKEND INSPIRATION
The Best Cotswolds Villages for Your Staycay
WEEKEND INSPIRATION
Easy Cotswolds Weekends to Try This Summer
WHERE TO STAY IN THE COTSWOLDS
Handpicked places to stay
Achingly sweet self-catering cottages and apartments, traditional and modern hotels, warm and friendly B&Bs and guest houses, gorgeous pubs and restaurants with rooms, and unusual places to stay – yes, the Cotswolds has the lot. Here are some of our favourites to kick-start your planning.
The Royal Oak, Ramsden: A magical 17th-century inn where community comes first
The Royal Oak is everything you could wish for in a pub. Super-cosy with history oozing from every exposed beam, plus there are five delightful rooms to call yours for a couple of nights.
- Ramsden, Oxfordshire
- https://www.royaloakramsden.com/
The Nook: Romantic Glamping Cotswolds for a Return to Real
At this special romantic glamping cabin near Cheltenham, you leave behind an online life and find yourself back on planet earth.
- Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
- https://www.thenookatbigskies.co.uk/
Boho Hen Party Glamping in the Cotswolds for Mature Hens
Beautiful festival-style hen party at Big Skies Glamping in the Cotswolds. 3 boutique bell tents, 4 hens per tent. Exclusive site hire discount available!
- Upper Coberley, Cheltenham
- https://www.bigskiesglamping.co.uk/
Gorgeous Oxfordshire Pub With Rooms: The Crown Inn, Church Enstone
The Crown In at Church Enstone is a true gem. This Chipping Norton pub with rooms is cosy and comfortable. Expect a hearty menu and a lovely welcome!
- Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire
- https://crowninnenstone.co.uk/
Hip, hot, happening: The Old Stocks, Stow-on-the-Wold
A traditional Cotswold hotel with dreamy rooms, fabulous food and a devilish personality - all at the heart of Stow-on-the-Wold
- Stow-on-the-Wold
- https://www.oldstocksinn.com/
The Five Alls at Filkins, Cosy Dog-friendly Pub with Rooms Lechlade
A beautifully refurbished pub near Lechlade with exceptional food, 9 luxurious rooms and plenty of love for your furry friends! Rooms start from £100 B&B.
- Filkins, Lechlade
- https://www.thefiveallsfilkins.co.uk/
Luxury Gastro Escape: Harcourt Arms Stanton, Near Whitney
Check in to the Harcourt Arms Whitney and you won't want to leave. 400 years of history, 2 AA Rosettes, a giant welcome, dog-friendly and gorgeous rooms!
- Whitney, Oxfordshire
- https://www.theharcourtarms.com/
PAINSWICK
Eccentrically brilliant: St. Michaels Bistro, Painswick
This 17th-century bistro-come-boutique B&B has 5 guests rooms that'll charm the sock off any visitor!
CIRENCESTER
Finnish log house, anyone? Log House Holidays, Cirencester
We check into Moondara, at log House Holidays, and discover a lakeside log house you'll never want to leave!
EPIC THINGS TO DO IN THE COTSWOLDS
Imaginative and unmissable
Experiences and events, festivals and feasts, sights and sounds – the Cotswolds has so much going on all year round, whatever type of short break you’re after. Here are just some Cotswold things to do that we think will make your Cotswold weekend break rock.
Piston Distillery: Racy NEW Gin Tasting, Tour & Making in Cheltenham
Fabulous 3hr gin tasting and blending Cheltenham experience at Piston Gin - a brand new distillery in Staverton. Includes tour, complimentary G&Ts, & light snacks.
- Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
- https://www.pistongin.com/
Walk on the wild side with a tour from the Cotswold Forager
Bring the great outdoors into your kitchen with a workshop, tour or multi-day experience from the Cotswold Forager. Walks, workshops & events.
- Gloucestershire
- https://www.cotswoldforager.co.uk/
Sensational Cirencester Restaurant: Roots + Seeds Kitchen Garden
Roots and Seeds is a fabulous all-day farm-to-fork cafe and restaurant in Cirencester. Family-friend, sustainably focused, dog friendly. Open Mon - Sunday!
- Cirencester, UK
- https://rootsandseedskitchengarden.co.uk/
Comfort food and cake: fabulous cookery classes in a beautiful Cotswolds' home
Spend a day creating delicious food in a beautiful Cotswolds' home, bonding with friends over a mixing bowl.
- Cirencester, UK
- https://theoldbakehousecookery.co.uk/
Why not try?
Arty weekend? Try glass-blowing, painting or pottery
Head to the New Brewery Arts in Cirencester for workshops and classes that'll flex your creative mus...
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Don't Miss
The Number ONE Brownie Destination in the Cotswolds
Head to the historic market town of Fairford and find 7a Coffee Shop where world-famous brownies are...
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TRIED & TESTED
Gin's up at The Cotswolds' Gin Pantry, Kelmscott
Step into the Plough Hotel, Kelmscott, offering unique gin experiences to get spirits flowing
Read more
DAY TRIP
Full day tour of the Cotswolds from London
Escape the big smoke for charming scenery, historic towns and cute villages!
Read moreTOP PLACES TO VISIT IN THE COTSWOLDS
Weekend Guides & Itineraries
Where to go, what to do – here are our top guides and itineraries for you to use, all tried and tested by us. If your chosen village or town guide isn’t featured yet, don’t fret – we’re updating content all the time, so be sure to sign up for The Weekend Edit to get updates on new content added to the site.
Easy Peasy Weekends
A Fabulously Festive Weekend in Cheltenham
For a pre-Xmas break to jingle your baubles, Cheltenham is filled with festive spirit. We checked it out!
Easy Peasy Weekends
Fall in love with: Burford in the Cotswolds
Where to go, where to stay, and what to do whilst you're weekending in Burford, the southern gateway to the Cotswolds.
Easy Peasy Weekends
Go local: 17 things to do in Cheltenham
World-class festivals, incredible local restaurants, independent shops and a buzzing cultural scene - here's our sweep of the best of it.
WEEKEND EATS
Grub's up! 7 of the Very Best Restaurants in the Cotswolds
We asked Cotswolds' locals for the best restaurants in the Cotswolds - here are their top 7 recommendations. Innovative, award-winning, incredible. Tuck in!
WORTH THE DETOUR
Cotswold towns and villages you’d be bonkers to miss
The Cotswolds is an unfussy landscape, dotted with a necklace of picture-book villages and elegant towns. Some get jam-packed come the summer; others stay quiet all year long.
We recommend an off-season weekend break so you can check out the delights of popular spots like Bourton-on-the-Water (known as the Venice of the Cotswolds), Chipping Camden, Broadway, and Stow-on-the-Wold without losing your sanity.
Of all the places to see in the Cotswolds (that tend to stay slightly quieter peak season), our favourites have to be Cirencester – the self-styled affluent “Capital of the Cotswolds”. Tetbury – favourite hangout of Prince Charles and Camilla, and Painswick, set in the rather charming Slad Valley.
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GOOD TO KNOW
The best time to visit the Cotswolds
The Cotswolds holds its charms all year long – but some seasons are better than others if you prefer relaxing weekends over active ones.
In spring, the region pops into colour flooding your irises with lavender fields, bluebells and snowdrops, and neatly blossomed parklands. The weather is milder, so you can get plenty of walking under your belt. Plus, visit before or after Easter, when the schools are in session, and the crowds are smaller.
In summer, prepare to do battle with people – lots of people. Especially in the region’s honeypot towns and villages. Having said that, the weather is (usually) better and the days longer, so you can sink into the pea-green countryside or splash by the Cotswolds Water Park to your heart’s content.
In autumn, the crowds disperse and the countryside lights up with rust-coloured leaves, golden harvested fields, and the scent of log fires – perfect for a romantic weekend sight-seeing. In winter, the Cotswold magic deepens – it’s quieter still; pubs twinkle with locals and fairylights sparkle around towns and villages. There’s a unique atmosphere and plenty of festive activities to join in with.
NEED TO KNOW
Getting to the Cotswolds
Distance from London: The Cotswolds is 80 miles from London, and easy to visit just for the day if’d you’d prefer a short, sharp 24hr trip.
Nearest airport: Bristol
By Rail: There are main line trains to the Cotswolds from London, the Midlands and the North and the South West of England. Stopping at Cam and Dursley, Cheltenham, Gloucester, Kemble (for Cirencester), Moreton-in-Marsh, Stonehouse, Stroud and Ashchurch (for Tewkesbury).
By Bus: The National Express runs to Gloucestershire and The Cotswolds regularly from London, starting at Victoria Coach Station. Stopping at Cheltenham, Gloucester and Stroud.
By Road: Reach the Cotswolds easily via the M4, M5 and M40, to and from London, Birmingham, Cardiff and Bristol.
Where are The Cotswolds?
