Getting to the Cotswolds by train from London is easier than you think
If you’re wondering how to get to the Cotswolds by train from London, you’re in the right place!
London is one of the biggest and best cities in the world, with a world-class public transport system. Wherever you are in London, you’re never far from an underground (‘tube’) station, a mainline train station, or a bus stop.
But public transport gets a bit more tricky once you step outside of the M25 (the big motorway circling London)…
The Cotswolds covers a vast rural area, and its public transport services are sketchy to say the least. However, a few key towns and villages are connected by rail – so you CAN get to the Cotswolds by train from London! Even better, it’s direct!
Moreton-in-Marsh: get to the heart of the Cotswolds by train from London
Unfortunately, only a handful of Cotswold towns and villages have a train station, so the best one to head for is Moreton-in-Marsh. You can take a direct train here from London Paddington station 7 days a week. It takes 1.5 hours one way.
Moreton-in-Marsh is a pretty, busy little Cotswold market town in the northern half of the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The wide tree-lined High Street is home to many quaint shops, galleries, cafes, pubs and restaurants, and a street market is held here every Tuesday. There are plenty of accommodation options here, too, in case you wanted to stay longer!
From Moreton-in-Marsh you can take a bus to some other Cotswold towns and villages, including Stow-on-the-Wold and Bourton-on-the-Water. You’ll need to study the bus timetables carefully though – the services are very infrequent (around one bus every 1.5 hours) and, out here in the countryside, you can forget about night buses!
Take a tour of the Cotswolds by train from London
The problem is, Moreton-in-Marsh isn’t a very big place, so if you come for the day, you might feel bored after an hour or two! You could use the public buses to see other villages, but this can be really frustrating! Taxis can be very expensive (there’s no Uber around here!) and private tours can be way out of budget for many people.
So what are you gonna do?
Go Cotswolds has a solution!
Get TO the Cotswolds by train from London, but then EXPLORE more of the Cotswolds with a family run, local tour company.
Go Cotswolds – family-run guided tours of the Cotswolds since 2014
Established in 2014, we are the only locally run guided tour company in the Cotswolds to provide full-day minibus tours on a per person basis. And with over 1200 amazing reviews on Tripadvisor, we’re also the best!
What do I mean by ‘per person’ tours’? Well, for our small-group tours, we charge per person, not per vehicle.
Most other companies offer private guided tours of the Cotswolds, where you get the guide and their car all to yourself. These tours are fantastic – if you can afford them! A private tour can cost you upwards of £400 for half a day, even if you are on your own or in a couple. Ouch.
However, with us, you can take a beautiful guided tour of the Cotswolds in our comfy heated/air conditioned minibus from just £58.30 per adult (£47.70 for children, 2023 prices). You’ll share the tour with other people, but what’s that saying? “There are no strangers here; Only friends you haven’t yet met.”
Led by one of our small team of friendly local guides, our per-person tours are ideal for solo travellers, couples and small groups. And, if you’re a city dweller without a car, it means you can take an affordable day trip to the Cotswolds by train from London, even factoring in the cost of the train fare!
Our tours
We have two Cotswolds tours to choose from, with more routes planned for the future.
Our Cotswolds in a Day tour lets you visit 6 different locations in the Cotswolds, so you get an overview of what the Cotswolds is all about.
You’ll visit the stunning viewpoint at Dover’s Hill, the pretty towns of Chipping Campden and Stow-on-the-Wold, and the must-see villages of Bourton-on-the-Water and Bibury. There’s also our superb ‘secret village’, which you wouldn’t be able to access by public transport at all!
Need to stretch your legs a bit more? Try our Cotswolds Walks & Villages tour. This tour, available May to September, is all about walking some of the Cotswolds’ beautiful trails.
First stop is the iconic Broadway Tower, then we’ll hit the beautiful village of Broadway. After that, your guide will lead you on a glorious just-under-3-mile circular walk through the pretty Windrush Valley, where you’ll discover quiet, hidden villages far off the beaten track. Finally, we’ll have free time to wander, shop and relax in the beautiful and fabulously historic town of Burford.
Ready to book a tour of the Cotswolds by train from London? Click here!
Prefer a private tour or need group transport? We offer private tours as well, but because we have 17-seater minibuses, they’re ideal for larger groups. Check out our private tours and minibus hire options.
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