How to Be a Good Tourist in the Cotswolds: 6 Top Tips for Respectful Travel
Travel is a privilege. Whether you’re wandering chocolate-box Cotswold villages, exploring bustling cities, or hiking quiet trails, remember these places are living communities and fragile ecosystems – not just photo backdrops.
Responsible tourism – being a good traveller – means respecting those spaces and leaving them just as beautiful — or even more so — than when you arrived.
Here are our top Cotswolds travel tips for being the kind of traveller that locals love to welcome
1. Respect the Privacy and Property of People Who Live Here
Remember: the Cotswolds isn’t just a postcard-perfect destination; it’s home to thousands of people. Thinking about how to be a good tourist in the Cotswolds, we strongly encourage you:
✅ To keep noise levels down – especially in quiet villages and residential streets.
✅ To keep a respectful distance – it’s OK to take photos of houses, but don’t point your camera lens through windows or doors, and never trespass on private property (including standing in people’s doorways, opening or entering garden gates, and walking up people’s driveways.
✅ Not to take photos of people (especially children) or animals without their permission.
2. Support Local Businesses
One answer to the question, “How to be a good tourist in the Cotswolds?” is to “shop small”.
Small, independent, family-run businesses are the lifeblood of the local community and economy. So, when visiting the Cotswolds, practice responsible tourism by:
✅ Using independent shops, tea rooms, cafés, pubs and restaurants. Your custom helps keep these wonderful small businesses thriving for years to come.
✅ Buying local produce or handmade ‘made in the Cotswolds’ souvenirs for unique items you won’t find anywhere else!
Go Cotswolds is a small, local family business, too. We’re based in Stratford-upon-Avon, on the northern edge of the Cotswolds. All our guides and office staff are local people.
Plus, on every tour, you’ll receive one of our unique guide booklets (designed by a local company, of course!). These booklets contain maps to help you navigate the villages. They include lots of recommendations for our favourite local businesses to support!
3. Leave No Trace
Did you know, throughout the summer months, a small army of local volunteers flock to the riverside area in Bourton-on-the-Water each evening to clean up the mess left by visitors?
We’re incredibly grateful to these wonderful volunteers, but isn’t it sad that they are needed?
One of the best ways to be a good tourist in the Cotswolds is to “take only photographs, leave only footprints.” We recommend you:
✅ Use litter bins, and if they are full, take your rubbish with you. Litter can harm wildlife, but it just looks horrible too.
✅ Stick to footpaths and public rights of way when walking in villages and the countryside – this helps protect farmers’ land and crops, and preserves the landscape for everyone to enjoy.
4. Travel Kindly
How to be a good tourist in the Cotswolds while travelling in this area?
✅ If driving, be courteous on narrow country lanes – slow down, pull over to let others pass, and watch out for walkers, cyclists, horses and farm vehicles.
✅ Park responsibly – use designated spaces in official car parks where possible. If parking on streets, be sure not to park on double-yellow lines, or block driveways or dropped kerbs. If it’s busy and there’s nowhere to park, move on to somewhere else and come back at a quieter time.
Better yet, use sustainable travel in the Cotswolds. Leave the car behind and take a guided tour with a local company (like ours!), or use public transport.
This reduces congestion and your carbon footprint, and it’s better for the area.
5. Take Your Time
It can be tempting to “tick off” as many places as possible – to get those Instagrammable shots before whizzing off to snap the next one in the next place.
Our advice? SLOW DOWN!
The magic of the Cotswolds is in embracing the slow, rural pace of life here. Enjoy a cuppa in a cosy local café, listen to the church bells, or wander down a quiet lane – you’ll discover more than you expect if you slow down and soak it all in.
6. Be Curious
Our final Cotswolds travel tip is: be curious.
Ask questions, learn a little local history, and chat with the people you meet. It shows respect and often leads to great stories or insider tips.
When you join a Go Cotswolds tour, we make this very easy for you – we’re all local people!
Just remember: some locals may be busy, so always be polite and considerate if they can’t stop, they may be on the way to work for example!
How to be a Good Tourist in the Cotswolds – Final Thoughts
Being a good tourist in the Cotswolds isn’t about following strict rules – it’s about kindness, respect, and thoughtfulness for the area you are visiting, and for the people who live there.
When you travel with these responsible tourism values, you not only enrich your own experience, but you also help ensure that the places you visit remain wonderful for everyone who follows you.
So pack your curiosity, bring your best manners, and come ready to fall in love with the Cotswolds the right way.
