Is the Cotswolds Expensive To Visit? My Costs and Money-Saving Tips (2026)

The majority of The Cotswolds is definitely a pretty upscale part of the UK and given how pretty it is, it’s easy to see why. But as someone who’d spend most weekends here when I lived in Stratford-upon-Avon, I don’t feel like I ever spent crazy amounts – not even when I stayed in Broadway (one of the villages in the Northern part of The Cotswolds).

However, the honest answer is that the Cotswolds can be expensive, especially the hotels – because there are some very fancy places here if that’s the way you like to travel – it’s just never really been in my budget – lol.

For those who are on my level though, don’t worry, because there are more affordable places and a lot of the best bits are free – I don’t think I’ve ever left and thought ‘gosh, I really blew my budget’.

To give you a better idea of things, below I’ve broken down what a weekend costs, category by category, plus the money-saving tips I actually use.

Is The Cotswolds Expensive To Visit? My Experience

The hotel was the biggest cost for my boyfriend and me when we stayed – which was even more inflated by the fact it was in summer. I wanted to check that was definitely the case though, so having done a quick search just now, I can clearly see that they’re priciest in summer and over Christmas – which tbh, is to be expected because it’s when The Cotswolds looks the prettiest.

Food and parking were always about what we paid anywhere touristy in England, and the walks, the views and wandering the villages are obviously all free. So in all honesty, I think how much you spend really comes down to where you sleep and when you go.

The other big cost – which is not one we had to consider – is car rental. We owned a car when we lived here. I’ve since moved abroad and the last time I came back to the UK I rented a car for 2 weeks and it was around £450 (yes, ouch). If you’re only renting a car for a few days it will obviously be a lot cheaper. It’s best to compare Cotswolds car hire.

My Costs For A Weekend In The Cotswolds

This is roughly what a weekend for two costs, with my own costs where I remember them and 2026 prices where I don’t.

Expense (2 people)	My cost	2026 price
Accommodation (1 night)	£210 in Broadway	From around £100 a night in Bourton-on-the-Water or Moreton-in-Marsh
Food (cafés, pub lunch, dinner)	About £35–£45 a day: a £15.40 pub roast, £8.50 cream tea, or £36 for a treat roast at The Wild Rabbit	Budget around £35–£45 a day per person
Activities	Broadway Tower £14, Blenheim light trail £25, Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway £17, Sudeley Castle £24 and Westonbirt Arboretum £22 (per person): £102 in total	Broadway Tower £14 (grounds only £4), Blenheim light trail from £25, steam railway from £17 return (£28 for a full-line day rover), Sudeley Castle £24 (closed until March 2027) and Westonbirt Arboretum £14–£22 depending on the season: from around £94 per person for all five. The villages, walks and views are free
Petrol and parking	Never more than a few pounds a day for parking	Rissington Road car park in Bourton is free before 10am; Broadway Tower car park £3 for up to 4 hours
Total for a weekend	Around £500 for two: £210 hotel, about £80 on food over two days, £204 for all five activities and a few pounds of parking	From around £370–£400 for two: a £100 hotel, £70–£90 on food, £188 for all five activities and parking

1. Cost Of Accommodation In The Cotswolds

Despite having done dozens of day trips to The Cotswolds, my boyfriend and I have only actually stayed there once – in the village of Broadway.

We stayed at The Broadway Hotel and it was a treat, so we did pick somewhere nice. We paid £210 and although it’s only a 3-star hotel, that’s down to the lack of amenities rather than the quality. It’s your classic Cotswolds hotel that looks and feels luxurious and I would definitely recommend it.

Broadway for us was the perfect base to explore the Northern Cotswolds villages and even stretch to the central ones too. However, if you want to tick the Northern Cotswolds and Southern Cotswolds off the list, then I would recommend that you stay in the more central area. You’ll be able to find a range of hotels to suit your price point, regardless of where you choose to base yourself.

To give you a better idea, in 2026, hotels in towns like Bourton-on-the-Water and Moreton-in-Marsh start from around £100 a night, and prices go up at weekends, in summer and over Christmas. Cheltenham Races week in March is another one to watch: hotels in and around Cheltenham book up months ahead and prices jump, so if you’re not going to the racing, I’d avoid that week or stay further north around Broadway.

Cheaper Places To Stay In The Cotswolds

If the village hotels are out of budget, these are the usual ways to keep accommodation costs down:

• Stay in a bigger town: Cheltenham, Stroud, Cirencester and Evesham usually have more choice and lower prices than the chocolate-box villages, and they’re only a short drive from the main sights!
• Look at pubs with rooms: lots of village pubs have a few rooms upstairs, which are often cheaper than the boutique hotels down the road.
• Go self-catering: a cottage or apartment for a few nights can work out cheaper per night than a hotel, especially for a group, and you save on eating out.
• Avoid the expensive weeks: summer weekends, Christmas and Cheltenham Races week are when prices are highest.

2. Cost For Food (Cafés, Pubs And Restaurants)

Food is a big part of a Cotswolds weekend for me because I kind of just walk from village to village and eat food haha.

My favourite splurge is the roast at The Wild Rabbit in Kingham. It was £36 which is actually very expensive compared to most pub lunches in the UK and I wouldn’t normally be willing to pay this – but it is extremely good and every now and then I don’t mind a treat.

If that’s outside of your budget, then there are literally pubs everywhere – at least a couple per village. In fact, I’ve also been to The Duke of Wellington in Bourton-on-the-Water and paid £15.40 for a roast dinner which tbh, I liked just as much. Sure, the environment wasn’t as aesthetic, but my bank balance liked the price a bit better haha.

When I want something a bit lighter, I usually go to Huffkins for a cream tea and that costs £8.50. And honestly, there isn’t anything more English than a good old cream tea.

I would budget around £35-£45 a day for food.

3. What I Spent On Activities

The good news is that lots of the best things are free: wandering the prettiest Cotswold villages, the walks and the views – and that’s usually what people go to The Cotswolds for.

However, there are a couple of paid things I do think are worth it (the rest of my favourites are in my Cotswolds things to do guide).

Broadway Tower is the first thing and it cost me £14. But if you’re on a tight budget, the view outside is the bit I keep going back for anyway, and a grounds-only ticket is just £4. My Broadway Tower review has all the ticket prices.

The Blenheim Palace Christmas light trail is the second thing, and I paid £25. I put more information about that in my Blenheim Palace Christmas lights review.

I’ve also paid to ride the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway (£17) which is a cool experience beyond just transport, and gone into Sudeley Castle (£24) and Westonbirt Arboretum (£22).

In total, all of those things cost £102.

4. Cost For Transport And Parking

As I said, I owned a car when I lived in the UK, which made exploring here SO much easier and I only really had to think about the cost of petrol and parking.

I found that a few villages have free parking if you know where to look: Stanton has a small free village club car park as you drive in, and in Chipping Campden there’s free parking near the church if you’re walking up to Dover’s Hill. In Bourton-on-the-Water, the council says the Rissington Road car park is free before 10am under its Cotswolds parking plan, however if anywhere was paid, it was never more than a few pounds.

If you’re coming by train, advance tickets from London Paddington to Moreton-in-Marsh start from around £14 one way. But, if you can, then I’d recommend picking up a hire car in Oxford, Cheltenham or Birmingham. I’d compare prices on Discover Cars.

My guide to getting around the Cotswolds has all the trains, buses and parking tips.

5. Cost Of A Day Trip To The Cotswolds From London

I’ve done more day trips to The Cotswolds than probably any other place in the UK – mainly because I used to live so close to it. I know a lot of people love to take a day trip from London to The Cotswolds to escape the city – and given the fact that coming for the day is SO much cheaper than if you were staying (because a hotel is the biggest cost), I thought I’d share roughly what a day trip from London costs per person by train:

Day trip (per person)	Cost
Advance train, London Paddington to Moreton-in-Marsh and back	From around £28
Pub lunch and a cream tea	About £24 (a £15.40 roast and an £8.50 cream tea)
One paid attraction, like Broadway Tower	£14 (or £4 for the grounds only)
Total	From around £66

The catch is getting around once you’re there. Buses between the villages are infrequent, so you’ll realistically only see one or two places on a day trip without a car. My Cotswolds transport and buses guide has the routes, and if you want to see more in one day, a guided day tour from London takes care of the transport for you.

If you can, I’d stay at least one night. My guide to how many days you need breaks down what you can fit in.

When It’s Most Expensive (And When It’s Cheapest)

The Cotswolds is busiest and most expensive in summer, especially once the schools break up, and over Christmas and New Year. January is the quietest and cheapest month of the year, and September is a great middle ground: the schools go back, prices drop and it’s often still warm. My month-by-month Cotswolds guide has the weather and crowds for every month.

My Tips For Doing The Cotswolds On A Budget

• Go in September or January for cheaper hotels and quieter villages.
• Park early or for free: get to Bourton before 10am, and use the free car parks in Stanton and Chipping Campden.
• Do the free stuff: walks, viewpoints and wandering the villages cost nothing.
• Book trains ahead and hire a car part of the way rather than paying for the full journey.
• Pick one splurge, like a night somewhere special, a proper roast or one big seasonal event like Christmas, rather than paying for everything.

Is The Cotswolds Expensive? FAQs

How much does a weekend in the Cotswolds cost?

A weekend for two costs from around £370 to £500, including one night in a hotel, food, parking and a few paid attractions. It depends on where you stay and when. Hotels start from around £100 a night in towns like Moreton-in-Marsh and Bourton-on-the-Water, more at weekends and in summer, plus food, parking and any attractions. Travelling in September or January keeps costs down.

How much is a day trip to the Cotswolds from London?

From around £66 per person if you book an advance train to Moreton-in-Marsh, have a pub lunch and a cream tea and do one paid attraction. Driving or a guided tour costs more, but you’ll see more villages in a day.

What is the cheapest time to visit the Cotswolds?

January is the quietest and cheapest month, and September is good value too. Summer, Christmas and Cheltenham Races week are the most expensive.

Can you visit the Cotswolds on a budget?

Yes. The villages, walks and views are free, some villages have free parking, and travelling outside summer and school holidays makes hotels much cheaper.

Is the Cotswolds worth the money?

For me, yes, especially if you go out of season and pick one or two splurges rather than paying for everything. My honest review of whether the Cotswolds is worth visiting has the full pros and cons.

More Cotswolds Guides

All my Cotswolds posts are in one place in my Cotswolds travel guide, and these are the ones to read next:

• The best time to visit the Cotswolds
• Getting around the Cotswolds
• A perfect 3-day Cotswolds itinerary
• 15 best walks in the Cotswolds
• 27 best things to do in the Cotswolds
• How many days you need in the Cotswolds