Photo: Chensiyuan (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons
Things to do in Bourton-on-the-Water
Wondering what to do in Bourton-on-the-Water? This guide lists the area's attractions — zoos, museums, theme parks and more — with distances, so you can plan every day of your trip.
🎟️ This weekend near Bourton-on-the-Water
Events from
Skiddle
Fri 13 Nov · 18:00
Phantom & West End Classics
Church Of St Gregory The Great, Cheltenham · 14.0 mi
Tickets on Skiddle ↗
Fri 13 Nov · 18:30
Coki & Lemon D at DEYA Brewery
DEYA Brewing Company, Cheltenham · 14.8 mi
Tickets on Skiddle ↗
Fri 13 Nov · 10:00
Oxford Victorian Christmas Market
Broad Street, Oxford · 23.0 mi
Tickets on Skiddle ↗
Fri 13 Nov · 20:00
Lock & Key Singles Party in Oxford @ The Varsity Club | 40s-...
The Varsity Club, Oxford · 23.1 mi
Tickets on Skiddle ↗
Attractions & Visitor Centres
28.2 mi from Bourton-on-the-Water
Warwick Castle
Warwick Castle is a historic attraction in Warwick, Warwickshire, offering over 1,100 years of history through live shows, exhibitions and themed experiences. Visitors can watch th...
Museums & Galleries
0.2 mi from Bourton-on-the-Water
Cotswold Motoring Museum & Toy Collection
Museum in Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire, England, UK
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7.3 mi from Bourton-on-the-Water
Tolsey Museum
The Tolsey Museum occupies the historic Tolsey building on Burford's High Street, built in the early 1500s as the town's market house and home to the Borough Court. Inside, themed...
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9.4 mi from Bourton-on-the-Water
Hailes Abbey
Hailes Abbey was once one of medieval England's most celebrated pilgrimage sites, drawn to fame in 1270 when it received a relic said to be a phial of Christ's blood; pilgrims' don...
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10.1 mi from Bourton-on-the-Water
Winchcombe Museum
Winchcombe Museum, housed in the town's former Victorian Town Hall, brings the story of Winchcombe to life through a volunteer-led collection that includes fragments of the UK's mo...
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11.1 mi from Bourton-on-the-Water
Swinford Museum
Swinford Museum is a small local museum in the village of Filkins, west Oxfordshire, England. — Wikipedia
11.3 mi from Bourton-on-the-Water
Broadway Museum and Art Gallery
Broadway Museum and Art Gallery sits in a Grade II* listed building on the High Street in Broadway, Wychavon, Gloucestershire, and tells the story of the village through changing e...
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13.3 mi from Bourton-on-the-Water
The Witney & District Museum
Museum in Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
13.4 mi from Bourton-on-the-Water
Witney Blanket Hall
Witney Blanket Hall is a Grade II* listed 18th-century building in Witney, built in 1721 by the Company of Blanket Makers, where blankets were once weighed and measured and trade r...
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13.6 mi from Bourton-on-the-Water
Holst Victorian House
Holst Victorian House is the Cheltenham birthplace of composer Gustav Holst, set out as an authentic Victorian home showing middle-class life in the 1870s. You can wander through p...
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13.7 mi from Bourton-on-the-Water
Cogges Manor Farm Museum
Cogges Manor Farm Museum is a historic Manor House and working farm set in seventeen acres, with an adventure playground, orchard, walled garden, café and shop, making it a relaxed...
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13.9 mi from Bourton-on-the-Water
The Wilson
The Wilson is an art gallery and museum on Clarence Street in Cheltenham, currently hosting an exhibition called The Art of Looking, spanning Dutch Masters to Modern Britain, runni...
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Theme Parks
Water Parks
29.9 mi from Bourton-on-the-Water
Wet n Wild Oxford
Oxford Wet n Wild sits on the freshwater Queenford Lakes at Berinsfield, offering an Aqua Park, paddleboarding, kayaking, open water wild swimming and kids' summer camps, plus a la...
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Zoos & Wildlife
10.3 mi from Bourton-on-the-Water
Crocodiles of the World
Crocodiles of the World is the UK's only crocodile zoo, found in Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire. Inside its tropical indoor areas you can see species from around the world,...
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29.6 mi from Bourton-on-the-Water
Slimbridge Wetland Centre
Slimbridge Wetland Centre is a wildlife reserve and visitor attraction where you can explore adventure play areas, take a canoe safari, join expert-led talks and tours, and visit S...
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Where to stay near Bourton-on-the-Water
Places to stay within easy reach of these days out.
More around Bourton-on-the-Water
Haunted Britain
Bourton-on-the-Water is the sort of Gloucestershire village people arrive at for an afternoon and end up booking a week in. It works best as a base: somewhere to wander in the early morning before the day visitors arrive, and somewhere to come back to after a day out in the wider Cotswolds, Oxfordshire or Worcestershire. There are 163 places to stay in the area on BritStays, which gives you room to pick a spot that suits the sort of trip you want.
Start in the village itself
Before you drive anywhere, give the village an hour or two on foot. The Swinford Museum is the obvious first stop, and it's a sensible way to get your bearings on local life and local history before you head further out. Pair it with a slow lap of the water and a stop at Creams if you've got children who measure a day out in ice cream.
Best for families
Swimming is the reliable crowd-pleaser when energy levels need burning off. Aquaventure is the closer option within the Cotswolds, while Wet n Wild Oxford is worth the longer run if you want to make a full day of it. For wet weather or tired legs, the Arcade Archive in Gloucestershire tends to go down well with older children and nostalgic adults alike, and the Discovery Centre at the Museum of Gloucester is built with younger visitors in mind. Over in Oxfordshire, the History Hut is a gentler, hands-on sort of stop.
Best for a rainy day
The Cotswolds does drizzle beautifully, but you'll still want a plan. Some options that keep you under cover:
- The Old Prison and the Cirencester Air Raid Shelter, both in the Cotswolds, for two very different slices of the past
- The ST Lee Gallery and Treasury and The Signalling Centre in Oxford
- Aston Martin Heritage Trust, also in Oxford, if there's a car enthusiast in the party
- The National Telephone Kiosk Collection in Worcestershire — odd, specific and genuinely memorable
- Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum in Warwickshire, and the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre if you're heading south
Best for the outdoors
Lodge Park and Sherborne Estate NT is the easiest choice for a proper walk with somewhere to sit down at the end of it. Ashdown Park and Great Coxwell Barn, both National Trust, reward anyone who likes big skies and old stone. The Earth Trust Centre over near Oxford is another good one to combine with time outside rather than treating as an indoor visit.
Best for heritage
This is where the region really earns its keep. Chastleton House and Snowshill Manor are both National Trust and both unlike anything else nearby. Kelmscott Manor and Faringdon House cover the stately home end of things, and Hailes Abbey near Cheltenham is a ruin worth standing in for a while. If you're in Cheltenham anyway, the John Moore Countryside Museum and the Almonry Museum and Heritage Centre make an easy pairing. Five of the main houses and estates listed here are National Trust properties, so if you're a member, you'll get your money back quickly.
How to group it into a day
Three combinations that work without too much driving about:
- Village and estate: Swinford Museum and a wander in the morning, lunch at Huffkins, then Lodge Park and Sherborne Estate NT for the afternoon.
- Grand houses: Chastleton House first thing while it's quiet, a pub lunch at The Lion Inn, then Snowshill Manor or Great Coxwell Barn.
- Wet weather: Discovery Centre, Museum of Gloucester, then the Arcade Archive, with The Old Prison held in reserve.
Where to eat
All of these hold a 5-star food hygiene rating, which is a decent starting filter. Whiskers Coffee and Huffkins are your tea room options for breakfast, cake or a sit-down between stops. The Lion Inn and the White Hart Inn are the pubs to aim for when you want a proper lunch or an unhurried dinner. Creams handles the ice cream end of the day.
Turning it into a short break
Three nights is about right. Day one, stay local: the village, Swinford Museum and an early dinner at the White Hart Inn. Day two, go heritage — Kelmscott Manor or Faringdon House, with Hailes Abbey added if the weather holds. Day three, head towards Oxford for the ST Lee Gallery and Treasury, the Aston Martin Heritage Trust or Wet n Wild Oxford, depending on who you're travelling with.
Practical notes before you go
Check opening days directly with each attraction — smaller museums like the Swinford Museum, the Cirencester Air Raid Shelter and the National Telephone Kiosk Collection often open on limited days or by arrangement, and that catches people out. Book National Trust entry slots in advance in school holidays. Park once in the village and walk rather than shuffling the car around. Take swim kit and towels in the boot if Aquaventure or Wet n Wild Oxford might come into play, and always carry waterproofs, even when the forecast says otherwise.
Frequently asked questions
What is there to do in Bourton-on-the-Water itself?
The village has the Swinford Museum, which is the main indoor attraction within Bourton-on-the-Water, plus the water and streets to wander on foot. Creams is there for ice cream, and Huffkins and Whiskers Coffee are both tea rooms with 5-star hygiene ratings.
Which National Trust places can I visit from Bourton-on-the-Water?
Five of the main properties in the area are National Trust: Chastleton House, Lodge Park and Sherborne Estate NT, Ashdown Park, Snowshill Manor and Great Coxwell Barn. If you're a member, these are the best value days out in the region.
Where can I take children swimming near Bourton-on-the-Water?
There are two water parks in reach: Aquaventure in the Cotswolds and Wet n Wild Oxford. Take swim kit and towels with you if either might come into the plan.
What should we do if it rains?
Plenty of indoor options. In the Cotswolds there's The Old Prison and the Cirencester Air Raid Shelter. In Gloucestershire, the Arcade Archive and the Discovery Centre at the Museum of Gloucester. Oxford has the ST Lee Gallery and Treasury, The Signalling Centre and the Aston Martin Heritage Trust. Further out, there's the National Telephone Kiosk Collection in Worcestershire and Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum in Warwickshire.
Where should we eat?
The Lion Inn and the White Hart Inn are the pubs to head for at lunch or dinner, Huffkins and Whiskers Coffee are tea rooms for breakfast and cake, and Creams does ice cream. All five hold 5-star food hygiene ratings.
How many nights do I need for a short break here?
Three nights works well. Spend the first day in the village with the Swinford Museum, the second on heritage sites such as Kelmscott Manor, Faringdon House or Hailes Abbey, and the third heading towards Oxford. There are 163 places to stay in the region on BritStays.
More ways to explore
Not booked yet? See the best places to stay in Bourton-on-the-Water.