Cotswolds vs. Bath

I would choose Bath for the 2 nights. If you are not renting a car, getting to Stow on the Wold will be a bit of a trek. Bath is very pretty. Your other option other than Stonehenge might be to try to find a 1 day tour of the Cotswolds from Bath, but personally I'd just spend the 2 days in Bath. If you do be sure to check out the free walking tours. They leave a couple of times a day, and the one we took was excellent.

Personally I would stay in Stow-on-the-Wold, there are some beauty villages, just name a few fantastic ones are Ebrington, Painswick, Broadway, Chipping Campden and Bourton-on-the-Water. Lots of lovely pub to visit and to have great pub meals.

I am going to stay in Bath and then do the Mad Max tour of the Cotswolds which covers Stow on the Wold, Chipping Camden and a few others. I felt like that tour gave me a chance to see all those little villages but stay in Bath which had easier transportation connections.

If I read this right, you're already committed to 1 night in Oxford and 4 nights in London, and you have 2 nights to choose either Bath or Stow on the Wold -- is that right?

Since you have varied interests (i.e., you're not dying to get out into the countryside and spend hours out walking and/or sitting in a quiet village pub) and you want to take in Stonehenge, Bath would be the better choice.

Thanks so much for your insight! Bath it is with a day tour of Cotswolds. Cheers!

Good choice. Most of the Cotswold villages are worthy of a couple hours stop at most. If you do make it to Stow, go arond to the back of St. Edwards church. There are a couple trees that frame a back entrance to the church and makes for a nice photo.

You could do your day tour in the Cotswolds from Oxford, the Cotswolds start only a few miles outside the city and there are tour companies, and then visit Bath as as day trip from Oxford (not worth it in my view, but some like Bath). That would save moving hotel so much and leave you closer to London at the end. Where do you start from though? If Heathrow then Oxford is also easier, if Wales then perhaps not. Chilterns are nicer than the Cotswolds by the way.

Thanks Jaime. Nno.w, I am coming to London from Paris on the Eurostar, so I will be looking for a connection at St Pancras. I will consider the travel time savings if I make Oxford a home base for visiting the Cotswolds since London is my next stop afterwards. Thank you!