London → Bath → Oxford & the Cotswolds
In 60 seconds
The route in 60 seconds
London first, then two of England's most beautiful small cities: Bath, built in honey-coloured stone around its Roman baths, and Oxford, a city of colleges and libraries. The Cotswolds, the rolling country of stone villages between them, is a train ride from Oxford. Everything is linked by train; no car needed.
Stops
Where you sleep
Bath
United Kingdom
The Roman Baths, the Royal Crescent and the abbey.
Oxford
United Kingdom
Colleges, the Bodleian and the Ashmolean; the Cotswolds as a day trip.
Day by day
How the days fall
The order we would follow, with the transfers already in the right place.
Day 1
LondonMuseums and the river.
- Morning
The British Museum
Free; pick a few rooms.
- Afternoon
The South Bank
Walk from Westminster to Tate Modern.
Day 2
LondonThe Tower and the City.
- Morning
Tower of London
The Crown Jewels at opening.
- Afternoon
Borough Market
Lunch from the stalls.
Day 3
London → BathWest to Bath.
- Morning
Train to Bath
From Paddington, about an hour and a quarter.
- Afternoon
The Roman Baths
Book a timed ticket.
Day 4
BathGeorgian Bath.
- Morning
The Royal Crescent and the Circus
No. 1 Royal Crescent shows a Georgian house inside.
- Afternoon
Bath Abbey
Climb the tower for the view.
Day 5
Bath → OxfordOn to Oxford.
- Morning
Train to Oxford
About an hour, often changing at Didcot Parkway.
- Afternoon
Christ Church and the Radcliffe Camera
A college, then the library square.
Day 6
OxfordA day in the Cotswolds.
- Morning
Train to Moreton-in-Marsh
Direct from Oxford in about 33 minutes.
- Afternoon
Stow-on-the-Wold or Bourton-on-the-Water
By local bus from Moreton-in-Marsh station; check the timetable before you go.
Day 7
OxfordMuseums and the river.
- Morning
The Ashmolean
Britain's oldest public museum, free.
- Afternoon
Punting on the Cherwell
From Magdalen Bridge in summer.
Transport
Between destinations
- London → BathTrainFrom about 1 h 15
Direct GWR trains from London Paddington to Bath Spa; the fastest take about 1 h 13.
- Bath → OxfordTrainAbout 1 h
Bath Spa to Oxford, often with a change at Didcot Parkway.
Highlights
Key experiences
If the trip is cut short, these are the four to protect.
The Roman Baths
The hot spring and the Roman bathing complex beneath Bath.
The Royal Crescent
Bath's great curve of Georgian houses, best from the lawn below.
An Oxford college
Christ Church or Magdalen, with their quads, halls and gardens.
A Cotswold village
Bourton-on-the-Water or Stow-on-the-Wold, by train and bus from Oxford.
Stay
Where to stay
- London
- South Kensington or Bloomsbury; near Paddington if you want an easy start west.
- Bath
- Stay in the centre, within walking distance of the station; it is a small city.
- Oxford
- Central Oxford or Jericho; the station is a short walk from both.