The Cotswold Guide
Illustrative image
Central Cotswolds · Gloucestershire

Cheltenham

Regency spa town and festival capital

About Cheltenham

Cheltenham grew rich on the discovery of mineral springs in 1716, and its Regency centre — wide streets of cream-stuccoed Georgian terraces, classical pump rooms and the tree-lined Promenade — has been protected almost intact. King George III famously took the waters here in 1788 and the town was made fashionable for a century afterwards.

Today, Cheltenham is best known for four festivals — Jazz (April), Music (July), Literature (October) and Science (June) — alongside the Cheltenham Gold Cup, the climax of the National Hunt season at the racecourse on the northern edge of town.

The Cotswold Guide Top Tips

  • Cheltenham Festival Week (the four-day National Hunt Festival in March) doubles every hotel rate within thirty miles — book very early or stay in Tewkesbury or Stroud.
  • The four annual Cheltenham Festivals (Jazz, Music, Science, Literature) run from April to October — the Literature Festival in October is the largest, with around 600 events over ten days.

Attractions in Cheltenham

  1. 1

    Experience

    GWSR Steam Railway

    A 14-mile heritage steam line along the western Cotswold escarpment, with its headquarters at Toddington and stations at Cheltenham Racecourse, Gotherington, Winchcombe, Toddington, Hayles Abbey Halt and Broadway.

    Read more →
  2. 2

    Historic

    Pittville Pump Room

    Built 1825–1830 in the Greek Revival style — the most beautiful of Cheltenham's spa buildings, set in 84 acres of public park.

    Read more →
  3. 3

    Museum

    The Wilson

    Cheltenham's art gallery and museum, named after Edward Wilson — the Antarctic explorer who died with Scott. Strong Arts and Crafts collection.

    Read more →
  4. 4

    Sport

    Cheltenham Racecourse

    Home of National Hunt racing — best known for the four-day Festival in March, drawing 250,000 spectators.

    Read more →
  5. 5

    Museum

    Holst Birthplace Museum

    The Regency house where Gustav Holst was born in 1874, restored and furnished as a Victorian middle-class home.

    Read more →

Where to eat & drink

  • The Daffodil

    Restaurant set inside a 1922 Art Deco cinema — the projection room is now a private dining suite.

  • No. 131

    Townhouse hotel and brasserie on the Promenade with a long, unstuffy menu.

  • Le Champignon Sauvage

    Long-running Michelin-starred dining room — small, formal, and a Cheltenham institution.

  • Boston Tea Party

    Independent local chain — the Cheltenham flagship is in the old Lloyds Bank on Clarence Street.

Getting there

  • By train

    direct from London Paddington (2h15) and Birmingham.

  • By car

    M5 J11. Once in Cheltenham, the centre is walkable; buses fan out from the Promenade to every Cotswold town.

Best time to visit

Festival weekends are the most exciting times to visit but the town is busy and accommodation premium. April through June is the most beautiful for the parks and Pittville. The Gold Cup in March fills every hotel for thirty miles.

Upcoming events in Cheltenham

For events near Cheltenham click here →

Find accommodation near Cheltenham

Hotels, B&Bs and self-catering cottages within easy reach of Cheltenham — browse availability for your dates on Booking.com.

Find accommodation near Cheltenham →

Attractions near Cheltenham

Within 10 miles, ordered by distance.

  1. 1

    Country house · 6.1 mi · Winchcombe

    Sudeley Castle

    The 15th-century castle near Winchcombe where Catherine Parr, the last wife of Henry VIII, lived out her final months — and where she is buried in the chapel.

    Read more →
  2. 2

    Historic · 6.1 mi · Winchcombe

    Belas Knap

    A 5,500-year-old Neolithic long barrow on top of Cleeve Hill — extraordinary, atmospheric, completely free.

    Read more →
  3. 3

    Historic · 6.1 mi · Winchcombe

    Hailes Abbey

    Romantic ruins of a 1246 Cistercian abbey; once a major pilgrimage site for its 'Holy Blood' relic.

    Read more →
  4. 4

    Museum · 9 mi · Yanworth, between Cirencester and Northleach

    Chedworth Roman Villa

    One of the largest Roman villas in Britain, hidden in a wooded combe between Cirencester and Northleach — with mosaics rediscovered as recently as 2017.

    Read more →
  5. 5

    Gardens · 9.4 mi · Painswick

    Painswick Rococo Garden

    The only complete surviving rococo garden in England, restored from a single 1748 painting and famous for its January snowdrops.

    Read more →

Continue reading

Bath

Roman spa, Georgian masterpiece, UNESCO city

Read entry →
Illustrative image