Pettifers
Hotel · Malmesbury
A dog-friendly bed and breakfast hotel at Crudwell, near Malmesbury, with 18 rooms in the main building and a courtyard, walled gardens and a two-bedroom cottage next door.
Dog-friendly · Wedding venues
Verified Nov 2026
Where to stay in Malmesbury
6 places · every place verified by us
Malmesbury has a hotel beside its abbey and a coaching inn on the High Street, with country house hotels and cottages close by at Easton Grey, Crudwell and Burton Hill.
6 places
6 places
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The Kings Arms, Malmesbury
Inn · Malmesbury
A refurbished coaching inn with 15 rooms and a tapas restaurant on Malmesbury's High Street, two minutes' walk from the abbey.
Verified Nov 2026
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The Old Bell
Hotel · Malmesbury
A Grade I listed hotel beside Malmesbury Abbey, which says it has welcomed guests since 1220, with the Abbey Row restaurant, afternoon tea and dogs welcome.
Dog-friendly
Verified Nov 2026
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The Rectory Hotel
Hotel · Malmesbury
A hotel in an early 18th-century rectory at Crudwell, near Malmesbury, with 15 rooms in the house, a three-bedroom garden cottage and a heated outdoor pool in summer.
Verified Oct 2026
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The Stables at The Rookery
Self-catering · Malmesbury
Two self-catering cottages for couples on the edge of Malmesbury: the Stables, in a listed stone stable, and the Coach House, where dogs stay free.
Dog-friendly
Verified Oct 2026
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Whatley Manor
Hotel · Malmesbury
A country house hotel and spa with 23 rooms in 12 acres with 22 gardens at Easton Grey, near Malmesbury, with a Michelin-starred restaurant and seven dog-friendly rooms.
Dog-friendly · Wedding venues · EV charging
Verified Nov 2026
In the town
The Old Bell stands beside the abbey, and its central range is probably monastic; it was called the Bell by 1798. The Kings Arms at 29 High Street is a refurbished coaching inn with 15 rooms and a tapas restaurant, two minutes' walk from the abbey. Its rooms are let room only with no minimum stay, and its ten parking spaces for the 15 rooms cannot be reserved.
Country houses nearby
Whatley Manor at Easton Grey is a country house hotel and spa in 12 acres with 22 gardens, with seven rooms for dogs. At Crudwell, The Rectory has 15 rooms, a garden cottage and a heated pool from May to October, and Pettifers is a dog-friendly hotel with a two-bedroom cottage next door.
Cottages
The Stables at The Rookery, on Burton Hill at the edge of town, has a pair of cottages, each for two adults, and a Coach House, listed on Airbnb for two guests, with a king-size bedroom on the ground floor and dining space for four, where up to two dogs stay free.
From your door
Malmesbury Abbey, free and open daily, and the Athelstan Museum in the Town Hall, also free, are in the middle of the town, with the Market Cross between them. Tetbury and Westonbirt are a short drive north. A weekend in the South Cotswolds spends its night at the Old Bell, between Westonbirt and Castle Combe.
Getting here
Coachstyle's 99 runs about hourly from Chippenham to Malmesbury and on to Swindon, Monday to Saturday, and Kemble station is about 8 miles away. Malmesbury sits just outside the Cotswolds National Landscape, whose edge runs a few hundred metres west of the town centre. The carnival procession is in early September, so book early then. For other bases, see where to stay in the Cotswolds.
The town
The abbey's Norman nave has been the parish church since 1541. Inside is King Athelstan's empty fifteenth-century tomb, and the museum tells the story of Eilmer, the monk who flew from a tower around the year 1000.
Inside the abbey, the Abbey Café serves Fairtrade coffee, soup and cakes from Monday to Saturday. A week in the Cotswolds spends its last three nights here. For the day, see things to do in the South Cotswolds, and for meals, places to eat in the South Cotswolds.
For food in the town itself, see places to eat in Malmesbury.
From your door
Walks and sights within reach of your room.
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Malmesbury and the River Avon
Walk · Starts in Malmesbury · 1 hr · Circular · Dog-friendly
A 2.5-mile (3.9km) circular walk from Cross Hayes in Malmesbury, easy and about an hour, mostly level with some stiles: down from the Market Cross past Daniel's Well, along the Avon by the meads and the silk mills, and back round under the abbey.
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River Avon at Malmesbury
Sight · River · Malmesbury
The two branches of the Bristol Avon that almost ring Malmesbury's hilltop and meet below it, with riverside meads, old mill sites, Daniel's Well and a level path round the town. Free, on public paths and town council parks.
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St Paul's Bell Tower, Malmesbury
Sight · Historic building · Malmesbury
The tower and spire of St Paul's, Malmesbury's medieval parish church, left standing alone on the edge of the abbey churchyard after the church fell. It has clocks below its spire and still holds a ring of eight bells, long rung for the abbey. Grade I.
Before you book
- Dogs
- Whatley Manor, Pettifers and the Rookery's Coach House take dogs.
- Summer
- The Rectory's heated pool opens from May to October.
- Car-free
- The 99 from Chippenham, about hourly, Monday to Saturday.
Plan your stay
Where to go, what is on and what is in season, about once a month.
Questions
Where should I stay in Malmesbury?
In the town at the Old Bell beside the abbey or the Kings Arms on the High Street, or in a country house hotel at Easton Grey or Crudwell.
Is there a dog-friendly hotel near Malmesbury?
Yes: Whatley Manor in seven rooms, Pettifers at Crudwell, and the Coach House at the Rookery, where dogs stay free.
How do I get to Malmesbury by bus?
Take the 99 from Chippenham, about hourly, Monday to Saturday.
About Malmesbury
A hilltop town almost ringed by the Avon, with the great Norman nave of its abbey, King Athelstan's empty tomb, a flying monk and a market cross built for shelter.