# Gloucestershire Travel Guide - Getting There > Gloucestershire tourist guide covering the Cotswolds, Forest of Dean and Severn Vale, with tips on reaching the county by air, road, bus and rail. URL: https://cotswolds.info/worcestershire/tour-worcestershire.htm Section: Worcestershire Location: Worcestershire (52.19, -2.22) **Gloucestershire County in England UK** forms the largest area of the Cotswolds. Geographically, it splits into three areas, major part of the Cotswolds, the Royal Forest of Dean and the Severn Vale with a total population of 565,000. Gloucestershire lies on the northern edge of the South-West of England, famous for the many beautiful Cotswold towns and villages such as Bourton-on-the-Water, Cheltenham, Stow-on-the-Wold, Tewkesbury, and The Slaughters. Filled with outstanding picturesque views across the River Severn and simply amazing scenic Countryside settings. Gloucestershire has so much to offer and just some of its nearby attractions include the 840 year old 'Berkley Castle', the Ruins of 'Witcombe Roman Villa' and 'Tewkesbury Abbey' which is over 500 years old and has the tallest Norman tower in England. ## Map of the County of Gloucestershire ![Map of Gloucestershire](https://cotswolds.info/images/gloucestershire/countymap.jpg) For Interactive Maps including Cotswolds and England - Click here ## Getting to Gloucestershire ### By Air The easiest airport for travelling to Gloucestershire & the Cotswolds is Birmingham, a 1 hour drive away. Of the two London airports the region is best accessed from Heathrow. The 65 mile drive should not take more than 90 minutes. Gatwick airport is 2 hours drive away. ### By Road The M4 and M40 provide easy access to Gloucestershire & the Cotswolds from London and the South East. The M5 is a direct link to Birmingham, England's North Country and the Counties of Devon and Cornwall. ### Car Hire Another way to explore Gloucestershire is by car, there are many car rental companies to choose from to give you the freedom to explore at your own pace. ### By Bus The National Express network runs bus travel throughout England. It offers a rage of discount fares and trail passes. The main route to Gloucestershire & the Cotswolds from London starts at Victoria Coach Station. The main bus stations in Gloucestershire & the Cotswolds are at Cheltenham, Gloucester and Stroud. ### By Rail Gloucestershire & the Cotswolds are at the heart of the British Rail network with main line routes to London, the Midlands and the North and the South West of England. There is a direct link from Heathrow Airport. Trains from London depart from Paddington Station and have a fastest journey time of 1hr 40 minutes to Gloucester and 2 hours to Cheltenham. There is a direct link from Birmingham Airport with a fastest journey time of 1hr 15 minutes to Cheltenham and 1 hr 30 minutes to Gloucester. In Gloucestershire & The Cotswolds there are main line railway stations at Cam and Dursley, Cheltenham, Gloucester, Kemble (serving Cirencester), Moreton-in-Marsh, Stonehouse and Stroud. Visitors including the county as part of a rail based holiday are recommended to plan accommodation within easy reach of these stations. ## About the Cotswolds **Gloucestershire England UK forms the greater part of the Cotswolds** region but the other English Counties of Worcestershire, Warwickshire, Oxfordshire, and Wiltshire also contain parts; an area once given over entirely to sheep-farming. Many of the fine churches and manor houses owe their existence to the generosity of the wealthy medieval yeoman farmers and wool merchants. The dignified villages and towns owe much of their charm from the use of the warm, honey-coloured limestone which was locally quarried by hand and used alike for humble weavers cottages, mansions, and churches. Never far from sight, numerous streams wind through the valleys and chatter alongside main streets. ![The famous cotswold sheep](https://cotswolds.info/images/places-to-visit/smallpic11.jpg) The demise, and now the good fortune, of the Cotswolds was due to the increasing manufacture of cloth in the 16th and 17th centuries leading to a forgotten wool industry and a forgotten Cotswolds. Hence the villages have undertaken no change for 300 years and are now to be marvelled at for their perfect preservation and beauty that only exists in this most unique of regions in the United Kingdom. ![honey coloured cotswold stone](https://cotswolds.info/images/places-to-visit/smallpic12.jpg) This guide will take you on a tour of some of the most beautiful areas and places to be found and to vacation, from the northern Cotswolds gate post of Broadway to the magnificent roman town and now Georgian city of Bath on the southern fringes. It will include Shakespeare's Stratford upon Avon, the king maker's castle of Warwick, and Winston Churchhill's childhood home, Blenheim Palace. ![Blenheim Palace at Woodstock near Oxford](https://cotswolds.info/images/places-to-visit/blensmallpic3.jpg) ### ENJOY YOUR VACATION TO GLOUCESTERSHIRE **Villages and Small Towns to see in Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds :-** - **Amberley** - **Bibury** - **Blockley** - **Bourton on the Water** - **Broadway** - **Burford** - **Castle Combe** - **Chipping Campden** - **Evesham** - **Greenfield Village USA** - **Guiting Power** - **Lechlade** - **Lower Slaughter** - **Mickleton** - **Minster Lovell** - **Moreton in Marsh** - **Nailsworth** - **Northleach** - **Painswick** - **Shipston-on-Stour** - **Snowshill** - **Stanton** - **Stow on the Wold** - **Tetbury** - **Upper Slaughter** - **Willersey** - **Winchcombe** - **Woodstock** - **Other Cotswold Villages** **Historic Places to Visit in Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds :-** - **Blenheim Palace** - **Charlecote Park** - **Chastleton House** - **Chedworth Villa** - **Corinium Museum** - **Coughton Court** - **Gloucester Cathedral** - **Holst Museum** - **Kelmscott Manor** - **Owlpen Manor** - **Rollright Stones** - **Roman Baths** - **Shakespeare** - **Snowshill Manor** - **Stanway House** - **Sudeley Castle** - **Warwick Castle** - **Worcester Cathedral** **Towns and Cities to explore in Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds :-** - **Banbury** - **Bath** - **Cheltenham** - **Cirencester** - **Gloucester** - **Oxford** - **Stratford-upon-Avon** - **Tewkesbury** - **Worcester** **Gardens to See in Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds :-** - **Barnsley House** - **Batsford Arboretum** - **Bourton House** - **Cerney House** - **Hidcote Manor** - **Kiftsgate Court** - **Lydney Park Spring** - **Malmesbury Abbey** - **Mill Dene** - **Painswick Rococo** - **Rodmarton Manor** - **Snowshill Manor** - **Spetchley Park** - **Stanway House** - **Sudeley Castle** - **Westbury Court** - **Westonbirt Arboretum** ![cotswold castles palaces manors cathedrals ancient historic](https://cotswolds.info/images/index-page/History.gif) ![cotswold cities towns villages gardens](https://cotswolds.info/images/index-page/Visit.gif) ![cotswolds hotels b&b's cottages houses](https://cotswolds.info/images/index-page/Stay.gif) ![cotswold inns,pubs, tea shops, restaurants](https://cotswolds.info/images/index-page/Eat.gif) ### View Menus of recommended places to eat in the Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds:- ### For Places to Stay in Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds ### For Places to Eat in Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds ### For Places to Shop in Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds **BACK TO TOP** ## Places to Tour and Visit in Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds