Discover the Cotswolds

April 21, 2026

Closer by train than you think

Your travelers can visit the Cotswolds by train and enjoy this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, perfect for countryside walks or exploring quintessentially English market towns and villages. From Stroud to Moreton-in-Marsh, they’ll also find dozens of idyllic places scattered throughout this stunning rural region.

GWR Trains operates between London Paddington, the South West of England, Wales and the Cotswolds.

Journey times from London to:

Windsor (35min)

Oxford (1hr)

Bath (1hr 20min)

Bristol Temple Meads (1hr 35 min)

Cardiff (1hr 50min)

Exeter (2hr 10min)

Plymouth (3hr 10min)

Penzance (5hr 20min)

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Things to do in The Cotswolds

Culture & Heritage

One of England's most beautiful areas, the Cotswolds boasts pretty villages of honey-colored stone, manor houses, charming churches, dry-stone walls and country pubs. History is all around you, from the Regency houses of Cheltenham to the black and white medieval buildings of Tewkesbury.

Attractions

The stunning Gloucester Cathedral was used as a Harry Potter filming location. Head to the Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens and get up close and personal with a huge range of primates, reptiles and more. Alternatively, you could join some of the world's best writers at the Cheltenham Literature Festival.

Popular routes to The Cotswolds

GWR trains run through many stations in the Cotswolds on two separate railway lines, from Oxford to Moreton-in-Marsh in the north of the region as well as Swindon to Ashchurch for Tewkesbury (via Stroud, Gloucester and Cheltenham Spa) in the south, with direct connections from London Paddington and Reading, or from Bristol and Bath Spa to the South.

London Paddington (PAD) to Gloucester (GCR)

Get there in as little as 1hr 46mins

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London Paddington (PAD) to Worcester Foregate Street (WOF)

Get there in as little as 2hr 10mins

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The best way to get around The Cotswolds

The Cotswolds Discoverer One Day Pass is the perfect and hassle-free way to travel around and explore some of the most scenic parts of the Cotswolds by train and bus on just the one ticket.

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Great West Way Discover Pass

The Great West Way Discover Pass is the perfect way for travelers to travel. With a 125-mile route between London Paddington and Bristol Temple Meads, trailers can explore at their own pace.

Details: