Visitors guide to Gloucestershire

If you’re planning to visit Gloucestershire for a day-trip, weekend break or holiday, find out exactly what to see and do, as well as where to stay and eat out with our comprehensive visitors guide to Gloucestershire.

SoGlos.com’s visitors guide to Gloucestershire has been written to help you make the most of your time in what we consider to be the best county in Britain.

Here you will find a comprehensive selection of useful information about Gloucestershire’s events, attractions, accommodation, restaurants and transport.

Introduction to Gloucestershire

Spanning some 1,025 square miles, the county of Gloucestershire in the south west of England encompasses some of the UK’s most beautiful countryside and historic towns. Inside the county borders you will find six main areas including Cheltenham, the Cotswolds, the Forest of Dean, Gloucester, Stroud and Tewkesbury – all of which offer a unique experience to visitors from around the world.

Getting to Gloucestershire

By car – Gloucestershire enjoys excellent transport links and can be reached by car from Bristol in 45 minutes, from Cardiff and Birmingham in around one hour, from London in around two hours and from Manchester in around three hours.

By bus – There are three central bus stations in Gloucestershire offering National Express services from around the UK, including Cheltenham, Gloucester and Stroud. See nationalexpress.com for more information and to book tickets.

By train – There are two main train stations in Gloucestershire offering national rail services from around the UK, including Cheltenham Spa and Gloucester. See thetrainline.com to get the latest rail timetable and to book tickets.

By aeroplane – The closest major airports are Cardiff, Bristol and Birmingham, while Gloucestershire Airport in Staverton also operates flights to and from various destinations around the UK and further afield. See gloucestershireairport.co.uk for more details.

Gloucestershire map

SoGlos.com’s unique Gloucestershire Interactive Map is an absolutely must for county residents and visitors alike. Find hotels, restaurants, attractions, theatres, museums and much more at the click of a button.

What’s on and events in Gloucestershire

Gloucestershire boasts a jam-packed line-up of events, with something happening virtually every day of the year. For the very latest information about what’s on in the county, see SoGlos.com’s regularly updated Gloucestershire events guide. Some of the county’s most popular annual events include:

January – Gloucester International Cajun and Zydeco Festival
February – Cheltenham Folk Festival, Cheltenham
March – Cheltenham Festival and Cheltenham Gold Cup at Cheltenham Racecourse, Cheltenham
March – The Severn Bore reaches its peak, across Gloucestershire
April - Cheltenham Jazz Festival, Cheltenham
April – Bluebells in full bloom, Forest of Dean
May – Badminton Horse Trials, Cotswolds
May – Cooper’s Hill Cheese Rolling and Wake, Gloucester
May - Tetbury Woolsack Races, Cotswolds
May - Robert Dover's Cotswold Olimpick Games, Cotswolds
June – Stroud Valleys Artspace Art Festival, Stroud
June - Gloucester Medieval Fayre and Banquet, Gloucester
July – The Royal International Air Tattoo, Cotswolds
July – Tewkesbury Medieval Festival, Tewkesbury
July – Saul Canal Festival, Gloucester
July – Guiting Festival, Cheltenham
August – Gloucester International Rhythm and Blues Festival, Gloucester
August – Cheltenham Cricket Festival, Cheltenham
September – Newent Onion Fayre, Forest of Dean
September – Stroud Fringe Festival, Stroud
October – Cheltenham Literature Festival, Cheltenham
October - Tewkesbury Mop Fair, Tewkesbury
November – The annual turning on of the Christmas lights, across Gloucestershire
December – Christmas events, including traditional fairs and markets, across Gloucestershire.

Gloucestershire attractions

Gloucestershire is not only home to the largest Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the UK, but it also hosts an array of man-made attractions, some of which date back thousands of years. See SoGlos.com’s Gloucestershire Art & Culture section for the very latest event previews and features, as well as a comprehensive list of attractions in the directory. Some of Gloucestershire’s most popular attractions include:

Sudeley Castle and Gardens, Cheltenham
Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway, Cheltenham
Cotswold Farm Park, Cheltenham
The Cotswold Way National Trail, Cotswolds
Westonbirt Arboretum, Cotswolds
Corinium Museum, Cotswolds
Clearwell Caves, Forest of Dean
The Sculpture Trail, Forest of Dean
The National Birds of Prey Centre, Forest of Dean
Gloucester Cathedral, Gloucester
Gloucester Docks, Gloucester
The House of the Tailor of Gloucester, Gloucester
Painswick Rococo Garden, Stroud
Slimbridge Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust Centre, Stroud
Tewkesbury Abbey, Tewkesbury

Where to stay in Gloucestershire

Whether you are looking for an exclusive luxury hotel, a friendly bed and breakfast or a budget youth hostel, choice of accommodation in Gloucestershire is abundant. What’s more Gloucestershire also plays host to a wealth of camping and caravanning sites, self catering and farm accommodation – meaning there is something for all tastes and budgets.

SoGlos.com’s Gloucestershire Accommodation section includes the latest reviews, features and a comprehensive directory of more than 500 places to stay in Gloucestershire. We can also highly-recommend the following hotels:

Hotel du Vin, Cheltenham
Cowley Manor, Cheltenham
Lower Slaughter Manor, Cotswolds
The Speech House Hotel, Forest of Dean
Hatherley Manor, Gloucester
The Bear of Rodborough Hotel, Stroud
Hilton Puckrup Hall, Tewkesbury

Where to eat out in Gloucestershire

From American to Vietnamese cuisine, Gloucestershire offers eating-out aficionados everything their tastebuds could ever hope for. Whatever your palate or price range, SoGlos.com’s Gloucestershire Restaurants section includes the latest reviews, features and a comprehensive directory of more than 600 places to eat out in Gloucestershire. We can also highly recommend the following restaurants:

Lumiere, Cheltenham
Le Champignon Sauvage, Cheltenham
Allium, Cotswolds
The Mulberry Restaurant, Cotswolds
The Slaughter Restaurant, Cotswolds
Marinades Restaurant, Forest of Dean
The Vineyard Restaurant, Forest of Dean
The Wharf House, Gloucester
Taste of Thai, Gloucester
The March Hare, Stroud
Orangery Restaurant, Stroud
My Great Grandfather’s Restaurant, Tewkesbury
Slatters Mediterranean Bistro, Tewkesbury

Getting around Gloucestershire

Exploring Gloucestershire by car is the easiest means of transport, particularly if you want to experience some of the more off-the-beaten-track rural attractions. There are a number of companies in Gloucestershire offering car hire services, including easycar.com, nationalcar.co.uk and sixt.co.uk.

More information about Gloucestershire

Gloucestershire County Council
Gloucestershire County Council’s website gloucestershire.gov.uk plays host to a wealth of useful information relating to Gloucestershire businesses, community and living, education and learning, environment and transport.

BBC Gloucestershire
The BBC Gloucestershire website, bbc.co.uk/gloucestershire, includes regularly updated local news, weather and traffic reports, as well as information about Gloucestershire’s sports fixtures and results.

Gloucestershire 1000
This year the county of Gloucestershire is 1,000 years old, and Gloucestershire 1000 has been established to celebrate the occasion with a line-up of special events. You can find out more information on SoGlos.com and on the official website, gloucestershire1000.org.uk.