Discover the Cotswolds
Bourton-on-the-Water is one of the most beautiful villages in the Cotswolds, and you are perfectly placed to explore everything it and the surrounding area has to offer. Here are our personal recommendations: the places we genuinely love and think you will too.
Where to Eat...
Coffee, Pastries & Breakfast
Cornish Bakery - freshly made pastries and excellent coffee, just a short stroll into the village. A great way to start the morning.
Bakery on the Water - artisan bread and hot drinks in a lovely riverside setting. Perfect for picking up supplies or sitting and watching the world go by.
Ace of Spuds - a brilliant spot for a proper sit-down breakfast. Come hungry before a day of exploring.
Lunch & Dinner
Venezia - a genuine Italian restaurant with warm staff and a great menu. Worth booking ahead. Comes highly recommended and we have thoroughly enjoyed it.
Oli Bonne Wood Fired Pizza - fantastic wood-fired pizzas in a relaxed setting. A great casual option for the family.
Smiths - a popular spot for great burgers, informal and satisfying.
Pubs
The Old New Inn - a classic Bourton pub with a great atmosphere, comes highly recommended.
The Dial House - a lovely option for a relaxed drink, with a beautiful setting in the village.
The Porch House, Stow-on-the-Wold - reputedly one of England's oldest inns, with a wonderfully cosy atmosphere and excellent food. Great for a long lunch.
The Wheatsheaf, Northleach - a beautifully restored inn with excellent food, about 15 minutes away. A highly regarded gastropub in the Cotswolds.
The Wild Rabbit, Kingham - a well regarded gastropub, great for a special occasion dinner.
Things to do in Bourton-on-the-Water...
Birdland - home to hundreds of exotic birds including penguins and flamingos. Just three minutes' walk from the cottage. Great for all ages.
The Model Village - a charming 1:9 scale recreation of Bourton built in the 1930s. Quirky and fun for all the family.
Cotswold Motoring Museum - a wonderful collection of vintage vehicles and motoring memorabilia.
The Dragonfly Maze - a fun hedge maze, perfect for keeping younger guests entertained.
Greystones Nature Reserve - a peaceful nature reserve within easy walking distance, with lovely trails alongside the river. A hidden gem and walkable from the property.
Days out Nearby...
Daylesford Organic Farm Shop - exceptional produce, a brilliant café, and a wonderful deli. A proper Cotswolds experience, about 20 minutes away.
Burford Garden Company - far more than a garden centre. A genuinely lovely place to spend a couple of hours.
Cotswolds Farm Park - a wonderful day out for families with younger children. Get up close with rare breed farm animals.
Hawkstone Brewery - the Jeremy Clarkson one. Their brewery and shop are well worth a visit.
Sudeley Castle, Winchcombe - a stunning Tudor castle with beautiful gardens, about 20 minutes away.
Batsford Arboretum - one of the largest private arboretums in the country, just outside Moreton-in-Marsh. Particularly spectacular in autumn.
Other Places Worth Visiting
Burford - a beautiful hilltop town with a stunning high street, antique shops, independent boutiques, and a lovely church.
Moreton-in-Marsh - a bustling market town with a great Tuesday market and easy rail connections.
Broadway - a stunning village with a beautiful green, excellent independent shops, and the iconic Broadway Tower nearby.
Bibury - home to Arlington Row, a breathtaking terrace of medieval weavers' cottages. Not to be missed.
Chipping Campden - a breathtaking high street of honey-coloured stone buildings. One of the finest market towns in the Cotswolds.
Upper & Lower Slaughter - quintessential, unspoilt Cotswold villages just a short drive away.
Snowshill - a tiny, magical National Trust village with a wonderful manor house and gardens. Slightly off the beaten track but really special.
Cirencester - often called the capital of the Cotswolds, around 20 minutes away. A handsome market town with great independent shops, a beautiful church, and one of the best Roman museums in the country.
Oxford - only around 40 minutes away. The colleges, covered market, and Bodleian Library are all unmissable.
Cheltenham - just 25 minutes away. Great for shopping, restaurants, and the famous racecourse.