Where to stay in the Cotswolds without a car
The inns and hotels on our listings that are a walk from a railway station or on a daily bus route, base by base: Moreton-in-Marsh, Kingham, Charlbury, Woodstock and Witney, Stroud, Kemble and Cirencester, and Bath for the south, with what each reaches by bus and where the buses stop.
Stay in Moreton-in-Marsh. It has a station on the line from London Paddington, inns a short walk from the platform, and the 801 bus to Stow-on-the-Wold and Bourton-on-the-Water from outside the station every day of the week, Sundays included. Kingham, Charlbury, Stroud and Cirencester work too, each with its own limits, and Woodstock and Witney are good bases if you come by Oxford.
We chose the stays below from our own listings, by each one's own transport line or address. They are bases, not recommendations over every other inn, and the buses are those on our buses page. For the full car-free plan read the Cotswolds without a car, and for a ready-made trip, our car-free itinerary.
The bases at a glance
- Moreton-in-Marsh
- Trains from Paddington and Oxford. The 801 to Stow, Bourton and Cheltenham every day. Buses to Chipping Campden and Broadway.
- Stow and Bourton
- No station, but on the 801 from Moreton station, hourly every day. Last bus back to Stow and Moreton from Bourton 9.20pm on weekdays, 8.20pm on Saturdays and 5.15pm on Sundays (2026).
- Kingham
- Trains from Paddington and Oxford. No daily bus from the station (the Villager V6 passes the station turn on Thursday mornings only): walk to the village and Bledington, or book a taxi.
- Charlbury
- Trains from Paddington. The X9 about hourly to Witney and Chipping Norton, Monday to Saturday.
- Woodstock and Witney
- The S3 and S7 from Oxford, Hanborough station by the S7, the X52 to Burford and Northleach.
- Stroud
- Trains from Paddington. The 66 to Painswick, the 63 to Nailsworth, the 620 to Minchinhampton, Tetbury and Bath.
- Kemble and Cirencester
- Trains to Kemble, then the 882 to Cirencester, about seven a day Monday to Saturday. The 855 to Bibury, the 51 to Cheltenham.
- Bath
- Direct trains from Paddington, about every half hour on weekdays, in about 1 hour 20 minutes. The 620 to Westonbirt and Tetbury, about four a day from Bath, Monday to Saturday.
Moreton-in-Marsh: the easiest base
Moreton is the one base where the train, the bus and the bed are all a few minutes apart. The White Hart Royal is in the town centre and the Manor House a short walk from the station, and the Swan Inn is on the High Street. The Caravan and Motorhome Club's site on Bourton Road is within walking distance, and Old Farm at Dorn is a mile away by a field path.
From outside the station the 801 runs to Stow-on-the-Wold in about 20 minutes and Bourton-on-the-Water in about 35, roughly hourly from 6.30am to 9.40pm on weekdays, 8am to 8.40pm on Saturdays and 7.45am to 6.45pm on Sundays (Pulhams, from 3 May 2026). Since July 2026 adult singles on Pulhams buses are paid by tapping a contactless card or phone on and off. Stagecoach's 1 and 2 go twice a day each Monday to Saturday, and three times each on Sundays, to Chipping Campden. The Moreton and Batsford walk starts in the town.
Stow and Bourton, on the 801
The inns of Stow and Bourton have no station, but the daily 801 makes them car-free bases too. In Stow, the King's Arms, the Old Stocks Inn and the Porch House are on or just off the Square, a short walk from the bus. In Bourton, the Dial House and the Old Manse are on the High Street and Victoria Street. From Bourton the Slaughters are within walking distance: the 6-mile (9.7km) Bourton and the Slaughters walk takes in both.
Kingham and Charlbury, on the railway
Kingham suits a quiet stay with walking from the door, not touring by bus. The Kingham Plough and the Wild Rabbit are in the village, about a mile from the station, and the 3.7-mile (6km) walk from Kingham station to Bledington passes the King's Head. The only bus near the station is the Villager V6, which passes the station turn about 9am on Thursdays, so book a taxi for Stow or Burford.
At Charlbury the Bull has rooms an 8-minute walk from the station, by the pub's own count, and the X9 runs about hourly, Monday to Saturday, to Witney and Chipping Norton.
Woodstock and Witney, from Oxford
Woodstock is the base for Blenheim without a car. The King's Arms, the Bear, the Feathers and the Woodstock Arms are all in the centre, and the S3 from Oxford station reaches the town in about 35 minutes, at 33 minutes past the hour through the day from Monday to Saturday and hourly on Sundays. The S7 runs from Hanborough station in about 8 minutes, about every half hour from Monday to Saturday. In Witney, the Blue Boar and the Fleece are by the Market Place and Church Green, with the S1 to Oxford at least every half hour and the X52 west to Burford and Northleach.
Stroud, Kemble and Cirencester in the south
Stroud has trains from Paddington and buses up the valleys. The Clothiers Arms is a short walk from the station and the Premier Inn half a mile away, and from the town the 66 climbs to Painswick in about 10 minutes, hourly Monday to Saturday and every two hours on Sundays. St Anne's in Painswick is on that route.
Cirencester has no station: the train stops at Kemble, and the 882 takes 10 to 17 minutes into town. The Fleece and the King's Head are on the Market Place, and the Corinium Hotel and the Old Brewhouse a few minutes' walk from it. From Cirencester the 855 runs to Bibury and the 51 to Cheltenham, and National Express coaches come from London and Heathrow.
Bath is the other way into the south: direct trains from Paddington about every half hour on weekdays (GWR), and the 620 up to Westonbirt and Tetbury about four times a day, Monday to Saturday. We do not yet list places to stay in Bath.
The honest limits
Sundays are the gap. The 855 to Bibury, the 882 from Kemble, the 620 and the 606 to Winchcombe and Broadway do not run on Sundays, and many routes finish in the early evening on other days. Do not count on a ride-hailing app, and book taxis ahead. Some places have no bus at all: Hidcote and Dyrham Park among them. The bookable Robin minibus reaches the Slaughters, Naunton and Guiting Power from 7am to 7pm, Monday to Saturday, booked ahead by app, online or on 0345 263 8139.
When the buses change
When Pulhams and Stagecoach change their times, one email with what it means for a car-free stay.
Questions
Can you stay in Bourton-on-the-Water without a car?
Yes. Take the train to Moreton-in-Marsh and the 801 bus from outside the station, which reaches Bourton in about 35 minutes and runs roughly hourly every day, Sundays included. Inns such as the Dial House and the Old Manse are in the centre of the village. The last bus back towards Moreton leaves Bourton at 9.20pm on weekdays, 8.20pm on Saturdays and 5.15pm on Sundays (2026 timetable).
Which Cotswold hotels are near a railway station?
In Moreton-in-Marsh, the White Hart Royal and the Manor House are a short walk from the station. The Clothiers Arms is a short walk from Stroud station, the Bull at Charlbury about eight minutes from Charlbury's, and the Kingham Plough and the Wild Rabbit about a mile from Kingham's. In Cirencester, the inns are a bus ride from Kemble station.
Is Kingham a good base without a car?
For walking, yes. For touring, less so. Kingham has trains from London Paddington and Oxford and two pubs with rooms about a mile from the station, and a 3.7-mile (6km) circular walk to Bledington starts at the platform. The only bus near the station is the Villager V6 on Thursday mornings, so Stow, Burford and Bourton need a taxi, or the train on to Moreton and the 801.
Is Stroud a good base without a car?
Yes, for the south-west Cotswolds. Stroud has trains from London Paddington and buses in several directions: the 66 to Painswick (hourly, and every two hours on Sundays), the 63 to Nailsworth and the 620 to Minchinhampton, Tetbury and Bath, Monday to Saturday. The Clothiers Arms is a short walk from the station.