How To Spend 2 Days In The Cotswolds Itinerary

The Cotswolds is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and has that quintessential countryside English charm, making it a great place for visitors to the UK. Full of honey-stone cottages, green rolling hills, scenic villages, cosy pubs, castles, grand stately homes and manicured gardens that have all inspired many books and period dramas.

There is nothing better than driving around the Cotswolds country lanes on a beautiful summer’s day, scoping out the best places to stop off and wander around – which is exactly what I did last weekend.

The Cotswolds covers a huge area so it can be difficult to know where to start, particularly if you are limited on time. However, I have picked the highlights in this Cotswolds itinerary to give you a taste of what makes this area so special, and laid them out in the best order to see as much as possible and make the most of your time there.

This 2 day Cotswolds itinerary will help you plan the perfect weekend break, including what to see, where to eat, drink and stay.

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If you are looking for a fairytale weekend away in the UK to escape the big cities and live out your country bumpkin dreams, look no further than this Cotswolds itinerary.

Cotswolds Itinerary Day 1

Now, while there’s not much to do in the Cotswolds in the way of activities, there is quite a lot to see – so expect a lot of driving, walking and eating, of course. It is the ultimate chance to unwind in England.

Scroll down to read how to spend 2 days in the Cotswolds.

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Bibury

We checked into our hotel at around 2pm and headed straight out to explore. First on my list was Bibury. Bibury in the Cotswolds is known as the most picturesque of all the Cotswold villages and it was my favourite place to visit. 

The infamous Arlington Row is picture perfect row of cottages were built in 1380 as a monastic wool store. Later, they were they converted into cottages for weavers and now, all but one of them are private residences, owned by the National Trust. You can rent Cottage Number 9 if you have the budget and truly want an experience to remember.

The entire village is stunning, particularly on a sunny day and we availed ourselves to the myriad of photo-ops that presented themselves all around us.

Walk along the The River Coln that flows through Bibury, over the bridge and follow a walking path that will lead you to Arlington Row. It’s a short walk, but incredibly scenic, with ducks and majestic swans floating along in the shallow water below.

The Swan Hotel is a great spot to grab some lunch – their menu looked fab, but we had already eaten. Alternatively, you can book a room there to stay the night in the prettiest village in the Cotswolds. 

Tip: You only need to spend around an hour in Bibury, but when compiling your list of things to see in the Cotswolds, do not skip this village!

The best thing about visiting the Cotswolds is that it’s best explored in your own time – there’s no need to rush.

Burford

We then made our way to Burford, a short 15 minute drive away. Known as the Gateway to the Cotswolds, Burford is a medieval settlement that is well worth exploring. Walk up to the top of the High Street and up Burford Hill to look out over its historic buildings to the River Windrush.

In contrast to Bibury, here you will find plenty of independent boutiques, antique shops, great homeware shops, bakeries, tearooms and traditional English pubs nestled along the high street. You will also spot some of the iconic Cotswolds cottages that Burford is known for.

We popped into a number of these little shops including a fabulous bookshop, swooned over all the interiors I couldn’t afford and picked up a fab little black jumpsuit in a charity shop. If rummaging around charity shops is your vibe, Burford is a great spot as it’s a very well heeled area and you can find some excellent preloved gems.

The sun was still shining so we found ourselves at The Lamb Inn for a pre-dinner drink before walking to The Royal Oak for dinner.

I cannot remember the last time I had a proper pub dinner, but this wild mushroom and truffle oil pie was one of the best things I have ever been served in a pub. And if you know me, you will know I had to order an extra side of the seasonal veg too – how can green beans taste so good? 

Our dinner was outstanding – far better than I had expected thanks to disappointing pub menus in London. I’m sorry London, but you simply cannot compete with country pubs.

The 12th-century St. John the Baptist church is also a must-see in Burford.

We ended our day by stopping off in Bibury again, as we drove through it on our way back to our hotel. The sun was about to set so it was still light, but as the temperature had started to drop, the village was deserted. It was beautifully tranquil at this time of day. 

Cotswolds Itinerary Day 2

It wouldn’t be the UK if we didn’t wake up to rain, but that didn’t stop us checking out of the hotel early and heading out to explore. This was our one full day in the Cotswolds.

Bourton-on-the-Water 

No Cotswolds itinerary would be complete without visiting Bourton-on-the-Water; the largest town in the Cotswolds. Known as the Venice of the Cotswolds; this village is full of shallow river beds and tiny bridges that makes it incredibly quaint to explore. 

Make sure you wander down the little side streets to see some more gorgeous architecture and hidden gems. The River Windrush flows directly through the town and either side of this are little independent shops and tearooms. 

There are so many tea rooms lining the street all offering a cream tea. We shared one at The Willow, where we initially stopped for a coffee to escape the torrential rain, and it was delicious.

Bourton-on-the-Water is also known for its museums, of which there are many. The Cotswold Motoring Museum, Birdland and the Model Village which is totally kitsch. We also came across a small craft market that we popped into.

The weather and hoards of people everywhere did ruin the beauty of this town somewhat, but it is one not to miss on your Cotswolds itinerary.

Note: the car park gets busy here so I recommend arriving early. This is the only town we came across where you have to pay for parking, and understandably so as it is by far the most popular.

Lower Slaughter

Lower Slaughter is around a mile and a half away from Bourton-on-the-Water so you can walk there if you choose to. However, I think driving between the villages is the best option if you want to pack in as many places into your visit as possible.

Now don’t let the name put you off, I know Lower Slaughter doesn’t exactly sell it as a places to visit, but hear me out! 

The name actually derives from the Old English word ‘slough’, which means wet land or muddy place and it was one of the most beautiful, charming villages we visited.

Tip: You only need to spend around 20 minutes here as it is so small. 

Walk along the shallow River Eye crossing the tiny footbridges, past the chocolate-box country cottages draped in flowers and walk up to The Old Mill.  The water mill has been here since the Domesday Book and is now a museum, café and craft shop, where you can see it’s water wheel in action too. 

Lower Slaughter is very charming, with the River Eye and stone houses seemingly straight out of a fairy tale.

Upper Slaughter

If you carry on past The Old Mill, the mile-long path takes you to Upper Slaughter, along the riverside and across open fields. I am sure the walk is a lot more scenic than driving between the two Slaughters.

We drove for ease as it was on the way to our next destination and to be honest were underwhelmed with this village. Parking is extremely limited here, and there really isn’t much to explore – unless we missed it! We walked up to St Peter’s Church and then decided to move on to the next place.

Tip: If you want to trim down your Cotswolds itinerary, I would suggest skipping Upper Slaughter.

Stow-on-the-Wold 

Stow-on-the-Wold is another of the most popular Cotswold towns known for its picturesque cottages, tearooms and plenty of history. It is a fairly busy town and Market Square features some medieval stocks where public floggings used to take place. 

This was around a ten-minute drive from Upper Slaughter so we decided to stop here for some lunch. The jacket potato I had at Avenue Stow was quite possibly the worst potato I have been served as it was cold, so I would not recommend. 

This is another great town to wander around the charming alleys, shop for antiques and visit a contemporary art gallery; Fosse Gallery. There are some fabulous independent boutiques here too selling some great nicknacks and clothing.

Moreton-in-Marsh

Our final stop on this Cotswolds itinerary was Moreton-in-Marsh, a 15 minute drive away.

It was approaching 5pm as we arrived and so many of the shops, tearooms and eateries on the high street had begun to close. 

Now I don’t know if we were immune to the natural beauty surrounding us at this point or not. It all became much of the same after a while and so this was a great place to end our 2 days in The Cotswolds trip.

Admittedly, we did pack a lot into one day and the weather certainly put a damper on things in the morning. This is the United Kingdom though so rain is always to be expected.

Things to know before visiting The Cotswolds

Top Tip: My biggest tip for visiting The Cotswolds is to download offline google maps prior to your visit as there is little to no phone service around there. This will be a lifesaver to help you navigate your way around.

How to get to the Cotswolds

The Cotswolds is best explored by car, however there are three main train lines through the Cotswolds to get you there. One in the north which calls at Moreton-in-Marsh and Kingham, another in the centre which goes to Stroud and Cheltenham and one in the south to Bristol and Bath. There are various trains that you can book from London to The Cotswolds too.

If you are flying, the nearest airports are Birmingham for the north Cotswolds or Bristol for the south Cotswolds.

There are also National Express buses which connect London Heathrow to Cirencester, Cheltenham and Bath.

Getting around The Cotswolds

The Cotswolds isn’t the easiest place to get around by public transport, especially if you want to visit lots of different places in a short period of time – it really is best explored by car. Some of the larger towns are served by bus/train and many smaller villages are connected by foot paths – but it will take you a lot longer to explore without a car.

It is worth noting that busses aren’t frequent and don’t run on a Sunday. If you arrive by train, the best thing to do is pick up a rental car or schedule a tour instead. 

Best time of year to visit The Cotswolds

The best time of year to visit the Cotswolds is considered to be between June and August; during British summertime. However, I can imagine it is stunning to walk around in the snow or around Christmas time – it’ll certainly be much less touristy then too.

How long do you need to spend in The Cotswolds

24 hours in the Cotswolds is more than enough to see the highlights. I like to spend a bit longer in every destination to get a real feel for it, but I would say you certainly don’t need more than 2 days in the Cotswolds.

Where to stay in The Cotswolds

We booked a one night stay at De Vere Cotswold Water Park which was the ideal location to explore the Cotswolds from – less than 15 minutes from Bibury in the Cotswolds and under 30 minutes drive from Bourton-on-the-Water.

The grounds of the property are stunning (we didn’t have time to explore the Water Park during our stay), however the rooms are tired, basic and it reminded me of a cross between a room at a Premier Inn and Holiday Inn Express. The rooms lack air conditioning and instead we had a broken fan and uncomfortable, lumpy mattress.

In all honesty it wasn’t the best stay and we were grateful we had only booked one night there. Breakfast however was great, with enough vegan options to choose from.

I would probably stay at The Fleece at Cirencester next time; this luxury hotel looks right up my street as well as being a short drive away from all the best places to visit in The Cotswolds.

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