Drea I almost blew this trip before it started. I waited too long to book a Cotswolds tour, and by the time I got around to it, every good one was full. The ones with space? They ran to Stonehenge and Salisbury, and my mom and I had already done both. So I pivoted, hired a private driver for two days, and honestly, it turned into the best decision of the whole trip.
This is the exact Cotswolds itinerary we ran from our home base in Bath. Two days, a dozen villages, zero driving, and a few honest opinions about what’s worth your time and what you can happily skip. If you’re planning your own girls trip and you want the real version, not the highlight reel, pull up a chair. I’ve got you.
Packing Light for the Countryside is an Art
You want layers for those chilly Cotswolds mornings without hauling a giant suitcase over the cobbles. My free 4-3-1 checklist keeps it simple, grab it below!
Why We Based Ourselves in Bath (and You Might Want To)
People may think the Cotswolds is one place, but it’s actually a region of several small villages that are pretty spread apart. Some are tiny, others are a little bigger, and since the villages are small and spread out, we weren’t sure about the logistics of staying in a village that’s farther from others than it looks on a map. If you have 4 or 5 nights, there’s time to stay in different villages. Since we only had two nights, I picked Bath as our base for a few days and never regretted it.
A Bath home base gave us a real city to come back to at night, and put the Cotswolds within easy reach. It’s fairly equidistant to the southern and northern Cotswolds, so allowed us to visit distinct sections each day and not have to move hotels each night. The evenings in Bath were quiet and lovely once the day-trippers cleared out. And while it’s a city, Bath has a charm that is hard to beat.
Here’s the thing about Bath, and partially why my English period-piece-loving self loves it so. It’s the home of Jane Austen (and where they filmed Bridgerton), and we went in September, which is Jane Austen month. Total bonus. On each street, at every turn, it’s like you’re walking on a movie set. Golden walls, cobblestone streets, and enough bustle to have energy but small enough to feel walkable and calm.
Where We Stayed
We stayed at The Gainsborough Bath Spa, right in the center of town, with actual thermal baths, three pools at different temps, and a welcome gift that made me feel properly spoiled. It was a respite where we were treated like guests visiting Bridgerton Manor, and the location allowed us to walk everywhere (and squeeze in evening dips in the spa).
My honest take on the official Roman Baths (Bath’s namesake)? We were a little let down that you can’t bathe in them, but once we saw the water, we were definitely fine with it. Still very cool to see. And yes, we “took the waters.” After the Baths, we were ready to see more of the countryside.
How to Get From Bath to the Cotswolds Without a Car (Why I Hired a Private Driver)
You already know I waited too long to plan and booked late. What I didn’t expect was how much better going with a private driver would be than any tour I’d have picked. A private driver beat a tour for us, because we picked the villages, the pace, and even where we ate.
Because the villages are spread out, we thought a tour would be the best way to go. But once I was researching, I realized that there wasn’t a tour that covered all of the villages I wanted to see. There were some that were day tours from London, and others that visited Stonehenge and Salisbury, but we had been there before and wanted to explore other parts of the region. When I saw that most of the tours were full, my momentary panic became a blessing in disguise, as it opened the door to us doing the Cotswolds our way.
‘Tour full’ accidentally handed me the most flexible two days of the whole trip.
Private Driver Perks
I researched the villages, decided which out of all of them we most wanted to see, and then partnered with the driver to arrange an itinerary that was manageable. Our driver gave great insight into how much time we should spend in each village, and once we were on the road, he let us decide how long we lingered, and when we called it a day.
The pace thing is real. On a set tour you’re on their clock. With a driver, when a village grabbed us, we stayed. The self-driving thing is intense, too, which we considered briefly. There’s the whole driving on the left side of the road thing that takes some getting used to. More than that, parking at some villages can be difficult, and England is fab at ticketing. I have friends from there who warned about driving, so we quickly filed that option away.
A private driver costs between $500-$700 a day. I found ours through my advisor network, and I’m happy to share who if you reach out. If you’re like us and want flexibility but don’t drive on the left (or just don’t want to), a driver is the move. No car, no stress, no roundabout panic. We got to sit back, relax, and enjoy the views and the villages.
Day 1 Cotswolds Itinerary: The Southern Villages + Wiltshire
The trick that made our days work? We split the Cotswolds by area, south one day, north the next, so we weren’t crisscrossing the region and burning daylight in the car. Day one leans south and west, mixing storybook villages with a stone circle I’d take over Stonehenge any day.
Morning
Highlights of the morning include arriving early to Castle Combe (yes, the one from every film) before all the buses (another perk of a private driver), and having the village almost entirely to ourselves. In between villages, we’d spot the white horses dotting the hillside as we drove through the countryside. Our driver was great at providing fun facts about the royal happenings (residences, schools, and drama abound out there) and finding secret spots. We may or may not have hopped a fence to visit a wonderful little church and humongous oak tree that had been split by lightning but lived on. That definitely wouldn’t happen on a tour bus or a self-driving stint.
When we reached Avebury, it was so surreal. Standing inside the Avebury circle, hand on a 5,000-year-old stone, thinking about how people made this happen, what it all meant, and whether our current theories are true. All that, plus the crowds we skipped at Stonehenge an hour down the road.
That may be my hot take of the whole trip: Avebury over Stonehenge. Stonehenge was cool, and of the same Stone Age period. But at Avebury, you can walk right up and touch them, there are way fewer people, and there’s a little village sitting in the middle of the circle. It’s also closer to the Cotswolds. (Sshhh, don’t tell anyone. We don’t want to spoil it.)
Skip Stonehenge, do Avebury. Same awe, fewer people, and you can actually touch the stones.
Afternoon
In the afternoon, we headed to Lacock, where the whole town is National Trust. Some Harry Potter scenes were filmed here, and it’s near Camilla’s place. From there we went on to Bradford-on-Avon, a quaint hill town with a river running through it and a Saxon church that somehow survived the centuries. As we headed back to Bath, we yearned for more. Luckily, we had another day to explore.
Day 2 Cotswolds Itinerary: The Best Towns in the Northern Cotswolds
Day two is the postcard day, the northern villages you picture when you think of the Cotswolds.We got a bit of rain when we headed out, so we pulled out the raincoats before the sun rejoined us. Very on-brand for England.
Our first stop was Bibury, where they used to dry the sheep’s wool in the fields. We got there early enough to have the near-empty streets to ourselves. We visited the Slaughters before the crowds and warmed up with a coffee before heading on to Bourton-on-the-Water. It has a little river running through it with bridges to cross over, so they call it the “Venice of England,” which ok, I can see the comparison, but on a very different (smaller) scale. That was the busiest town thus far, and we were ok to move on pretty quickly.
Stow-on-the-Wold, an old sheep-market town, was our next stop. Our driver guided us to the famous door from Lord of the Rings, so of course pics were required. After walking around town, we went to Chipping Campden, where the rain picked up so we dipped into a cafe for a bite (I’m a sucker for homemade sourdough, and they delivered.)
The trip doesn’t have to go perfectly to be perfect.
And as expected in England, the rain made way for sunshine and bright blue skies by the time we got to Broadway, one of the longest village high streets, with cute shops and restaurants we happily poked through. The Cotswolds may have saved the best for last with Snowshill. It was our last stop, perched up on a hill, with stunning views, a fox sighting, and a pint in the local pub.
Sitting up there, weary from walking over 20k steps but grateful for the day and for our time together, was a treat. As we watched the light go gold over the hills, we agreed that this is a place we would happily come back to and spend more time in.
What I’d Skip on a Cotswolds Itinerary (and What to Do Instead)
Here are a few honest swaps that save you time, money, and a crowd. Sometimes the most popular things aren’t the best things.
What to Skip in the Cotswolds
FAQs
Conclusion
If there’s one thing I want you to take from our two days, it’s this: the trip doesn’t have to go perfectly to be perfect. I booked late, missed the tours I wanted, and ended up with something better than I planned. A private driver, a Bath base, a dozen villages, and my mom in the passenger seat chatting with our driver the whole way. That’s the Cotswolds itinerary I’d run again tomorrow.
Start with two days, base yourself somewhere with a little life at night, and give yourself permission to skip the thing everyone says you have to do. The Cotswolds will still be there, quiet and lovely, waiting for you to slow down.
Wherever you go, however you do it, I want you to have a trip to remember.
Happy travels, kindreds!
RELATED POSTS
Ready to head to the Cotswolds? Start here.
- For the full picture on planning your own girls trip to the Cotswolds, take a look at my girls trips guide.
- For more girls trips ideas, take a look at some favorite girls trips of mine
- Planning a girls trip takes work. Here’s how to plan it without the drama
- I took this trip with my mom. Check out more of our mother-daughter getaways
- The Cotswolds also work traveling solo. If you’re nervous about going it alone, my guide to solo travel has you covered
- Shoulder season is a great time to visit the Cotswolds, and it has its perks. Read all about them here
- Ready to plan? Take a look at my 2026 planning framework in How to Plan Your Best Travel Year.
- Take a look at my 431 packing system and get your free guide to help you pack
HELPFUL LINKS
Ready to book? Here are my go-to resources:
- Work With Me
- Need help planning your 2026 travel? Contact me here for personalized itinerary assistance!
- Want more information on the benefits of using a travel advisor? Learn more here
- Planning Resources
- Bath’s Official Tourism Site
- Cotswolds Official Tourism Site
- English Heritage has more Avebury info
- National Trust cares for villages like Lacock, and provides film history, opening times, etc
- Looking for Travel Inspiration? Follow me and check out my boards on Pinterest
