Planning to spend 3 days in Cotswolds with kids? Here’s my itinerary that covers everything you need to know to make the most of your family holiday in Cotswolds with the best things to do and places to see with your little ones in tow.
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Cotswolds covers a huge area with 5 counties spread over almost 800 square miles. It has rolling countryside, lively market towns and postcard-worthy villages that are lined with honey-coloured stone cottages often bedecked with climbing roses or hanging wisteria.
Absolutely smitten by its quintessential English charm, I have been to the Cotswolds many times on day trips from London. And this time around, I couldn’t wait to return with my twin toddlers for a little staycation.
Getting there
To follow this itinerary, I would strongly recommend having a car. It will make travelling to the various villages at your own pace a lot easier. You can take M40, M4 and M5 motorways to get to the Cotswolds.
Where to stay
This was our first staycation with our 2 year old twins and I found Airbnb to be the most convenient option. We stayed at this beautiful 2 bedroom house in Cheltenham area with spectacular views, specially at dusk. The house was light, airy and well-appointed, with a fully equipped kitchen.
Note: They don’t have cots and the floor-to-ceiling windows, while providing great views, didn’t have blinds in the eaves. We didn’t mind it though as we had a very comfortable stay in the lodge.
3 Days in Cotswolds with Kids – Itinerary
Day 1 – Bibury
After an early start with getting the twins ready, loading up the car with luggage, checking (and rechecking) that we had everything we needed and the 2 hour journey from London, our first stop was the easy-breezy Bibury. We first stopped for lunch in a pub outside Bibury before heading into this charming village.
The kids were extremely happy to stretch their legs, stroll around the river Coln, watch ducks and fish in the water. The short circular walk runs along the river, through the woods and finally connects to Arlington Row, a lane of idyllic picture-perfect cottages.
For a more detailed post, check out one of my earlier trips to Bibury.
From Bibury, we then headed towards our Airbnb to settle down for the evening.
Day 2 – Bourton on the Water
We spent day 2 in one of my favourite Cotswold villages, Bourton on the Water. It is also one of the most popular places to visit in the Cotswolds and is usually very busy in peak season.
Some call it Venice of the Cotswold due to the River Windrush that flows through the centre of the village and is spanned by five arched bridges. It’s surrounded by pretty cottages, buzzing shops, pubs and ice cream shops. If it’s warm enough, kids like to to dip their feet or splash in the water and watch the little ducks swim around.
My kids had a great time at Birdland Park, spread over 9 acres of garden and woodland housing over 500 birds. They were fascinated by the penguins and flamingos and also by the life-sized dinosaur replicas that was part of the Jurassic Journey trail.
If you have time, don’t forget to visit the Model Village. It is a one-ninth scale model of the actual Bourton on the Water village, made of Cotswold stone. Please note that pushchairs are not allowed and you will need to leave them by the entrance.
Some of my favourite eating options in Bourton on the water are:
Meals – L’anatra (lovely garden seating area)
Afternoon tea/cakes – Bakery on the Water
Ice cream – Bourtanical (Marshfield Ice Cream)
Day 3 – Cotswold Farm Park
An absolute must-visit with young children, Cotswold Farm Park offers a fun-filled day out. My twins loved feeding and interacting with various farm animals like cows, sheep, horses, goats, pigs, rabbits, chicks and ducks.
There’s indoor soft play and outdoor adventure play with swings, sandpits and pedal tractors that the kids couldn’t have enough of. They loved jumping on the huge bouncing pillows and climbing up and down the viewing platforms.
While it would have been ideal to take a picnic and eat in the open area, we bought our lunch from one of the cafes in the farm.
It is also possible to stay at the farm and you can choose from various camping and clamping options.
For more information on tickets and events, check out their website.
Pin for later!
I hope you enjoyed my relaxed 3 day itinerary for a family holiday in the Cotswolds. Have you been to any of these villages or planning to go? Let me know in the comments, I’d love to know!
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Cheers,
Ameeta xx
Ameeta you have visited such a beautiful place with your twins.It seems they have also enjoyed this short vacation, feeding the animals and enjoying ducks and penguins swimming .This will give them first hand experience of caring and admiring Nature. Hope to read about such beautiful places in near future with your wonderful and interesting style of writing.
Shubhada