The Cotswolds is a perfect city escape, with charming villages filled with honey stone cottages and scenic rolling hills, all just two hours from London. This 2 day Cotswolds itinerary takes you through the region’s most beautiful spots that you won’t want to miss. It covers the best things to do and the highlights of what the Cotswolds have to offer. Including scenic walks, cosy pub lunches, and breathtaking views. Whether it’s your first visit or you’re returning to explore more, this guide will help you plan your perfect 2 days in the Cotswolds.
We recently spent 3 nights in the Cotswolds, giving us two full days. Plus a half day when we arrived, and a couple of hours in the morning before we left. I decided to make this a 2 day itinerary, but I will give a bonus, third-day idea should you want to turn it into a 3 days in the Cotswolds itinerary!
We visited the Cotswolds with kids; we didn’t do any specifically child-focused activities, so this is a family-friendly itinerary. It is also perfect for couples or solo travellers.
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Where to Stay in the Cotswolds
Below are some great options if you’re looking for ideas on where to stay in the Cotswolds.
Please note, I have spent a lot of time researching this list; however, I haven’t stayed in every one of these personally!
| Location | Budget Stay | Luxury Stay | Family-Friendly Stay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bourton-on-the-Water | The Mousetrap Inn | The Dial House Hotel | Moore Apartment |
| Stow-on-the-Wold | The King’s Arms Hotel | Old Stocks Inn | The Stag at Stow |
| Bibury | The Swan Hotel | Cotteswold House | |
| Castle Combe | The Old House At Home | Lucknam Park Hotel & Spa | Manor House Hotel |
| Burford | Priory Tea Rooms, Burford | The Bay Tree Hotel | Inn for all Seasons |
| Broadway | The Lodge at Broadway | The Lygon Arms | The Fish Hotel |
| Upper & Lower Slaughter | The Slaughters Manor House | The Slaughters Country Inn | |
| Snowshill | Apple Cottage |
READ MORE: THE BEST PLACES TO VISIT IN THE COTSWOLDS
2 Day Cotswolds Itinerary: Day 1
First Stop: Bibury
Visiting Bibury was one of my highlights from our trip and a favourite of the Cotswold towns we visited, and it’s the perfect place to start your 2 day Cotswolds itinerary! There is some free parking on the main road, which is named “The Street”; these spaces are quite hard to get, so if you’re unlucky, there is further parking available at The Trout Farm, which is a little way up the hill. This was £8 for the day.
We used an app called Gloucestershire Walks to find a walk starting from Bibury (you can download a free 30-day trial and have access to hundreds of Cotswolds walk options). The route we did was called “Walk 1” on the app; it was just under 2 miles and began at Arlington Row, which is one of the most photographed streets in the Cotswolds.
This is a family-friendly walk, but in all honesty, it is a bit too long for toddlers or young children (our boys are aged 5 and 2 years old). They both needed to be carried some of the way.
After our walk, we were ready for a well-earned lunch. We went to the Swan Hotel, which is one of the few places to eat in Bibury. Luckily, the food was delicious! You can see the hotel’s menu here.
Admiring Arlington Row & Outside The Swan Hotel in Bibury, the first stop on our 2 days in the Cotswolds itinerary.
Second Stop: Bourton-on-the-Water
Just a 20-minute drive from Bibury is Bourton-on-the-Water, which is one of the most popular towns in the Cotswolds to visit. Set on the River Windrush, it is known as the Venice of the Cotswolds. We found Bourton-on-the-Water to be very crowded (we visited in peak tourist season), but it is still a must-visit place when spending two days in the Cotswolds.
There are plenty of things to do in Bourton-on-the-Water, especially if you’re visiting the Cotswolds with kids. I would suggest picking one of the following options:
- The Model Village – this is what we did, it’s a to-scale model of the town itself, and very cute to wander around.
- The Dragonfly Maze – a traditional maze with added clues to find the dragonfly at the centre.
- The Cotswold Motoring Museum – a great option for car lovers, it is most famous for showcasing Brum, the popular 90s children’s show car.
- Birdland Park and Gardens – Home to a large selection of tropical birds and also a Jurassic dinosaur trail that kids will probably love.
There are also lots of places to eat in Bourton-on-the-Water.
Exploring the Model Village and Canals in Bourton-on-the-Water.
2 Day Cotswolds Itinerary: Day 2
First Stop: Stow-on-the-Wold
We started day 2 of our Cotswolds itinerary with an early morning visit to Stow-on-the-Wold. There is free parking in the Market Square.
When we arrived, a lot of places hadn’t opened yet, but we stopped for a coffee and croissant at The Old English Coffee House, which was a delicious coffee shop and bakery. Then we wandered through the town and also made sure to discover The Tolkien Door at St Edward’s Church. This is rumoured to be the door that inspired Durrin’s Door in The Lord of the Rings.
There are a lot of lovely independent stores in Stow-on-the-Wold if you enjoy shopping!
Coffee the Durrins Door in Stow-on-the-Wold
Next Up: Snowshill
After Stow-on-the-Wold, head to Snowshill, which is approximately a 15-20 minute drive.
As we were visiting the Cotswolds in summer, we chose to go to Cotswold Lavender. This is a beautiful lavender field and wildflower meadow, and there is a little nature trail included in the ticket price that is perfect for families with young children.
If you’re not visiting in lavender season, consider visiting Snowshill Manor instead. This is a historic National Trust property set in beautiful gardens. Alternatively, you could skip Snowshill and spend extra time in Broadway, which I will talk more about below.
Enjoying Cotswold Lavender and Wildflower Meadow in Snowshill, the Cotswolds
Final Stop: Broadway
After enjoying the lavender fields and nature trail, we headed to Broadway for lunch. This is only a five-minute drive, and you can get an hour’s free parking on the high street. This was just enough time to have a walk up and down the high street and pop into Waitrose to get picnic food.
Broadway has a beautiful high street. If I were visiting the Cotswolds without kids, I would have happily spent a few hours here, but instead, we drove up the hill to Broadway Tower. It is only a short drive, but the hill is very steep.
There are two car parks at Broadway Tower. The first is £5 for the day, and the second one is £3 for up to 4 hours. Broadway Tower is set in the beautiful Cotswolds countryside and is the second-highest point in the Cotswolds. From here, you’ll be treated to fantastic views.
This is a really beautiful place to explore. Deer live in the grounds, and they also have two cafes with delicious food. There are a few walks you can do; we chose the short circular walk, which is perfect for families with young children.
View of Broadway High Street and Broadway Tower.
Bonus: Turn this into a 3 Days in the Cotswolds Itinerary
If you have 3 days in the Cotswolds, I would add Cirencester and Castle Combe to your itinerary.
In full honesty, we didnt make it to Cirencester due to timing, but we did visit Castle Combe. Castle Combe is around an hour – an hour and a half drive from the other places on this itinerary, but it is claimed to be the prettiest place in England, so I was really keen to check it out.
Even on a rainy morning, it was indeed one of the prettiest villages in the Cotswolds. It’s a very small village, but a lovely place for a wander. We got coffee and cake at The Old Stables Coffee Shop, which was lovely! It then began to pour, so we dashed back to our car. Paid parking is available a little way up the hill, called Car Park, Upper Castle Combe.
Other towns that we didnt fit into our trip but are also Cotswolds highlights are Moreton-in-Marsh, Lower and Upper Slaughter.
A beautiful Street in Castle Combe and walking over its iconic bridge.
Thank you for reading our 2 day Cotswolds itinerary. I hope we’ve helped you plan your perfect trip to the English countryside!
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Happy Exploring,
