Planning a trip to the Cotswolds September 2025, suggestions?

Your best option direct from Heathrow is Moreton-in-Marsh. Public transport in the Cotswolds as a general rule is not very thorough, however I've never tried to use rideshare apps there. I'll refer you to the others for your other questions

Enjoy :)

Ride hailing apps coverage will be spartan to none existent in the Cotswolds.

As far as I know there no Uber and I don’t think Lyft operate at all in the U.K. There are taxis but they are few so need reserving in advance.

There are plenty of other rural areas just as beautiful and probably better served with public transport, but as with all countryside a hire car makes everything so much easier.

Googling “Getting around the Cotswolds without a car” brings up quite a few sites with suggestions of where to go and how to get there. It is a rural area and some degree of planning will be needed to get bus times etc.

There are at least a dozen villages which would be a good home base for you.

Possibly the best place to start would be to take a coach (bus) from Heathrow to Oxford, then jump on the train to Moreton-In-Marsh. This is a great town which is a gateway to the Cotswolds.

Consider spending a night or two in Oxford; lots of sketching opportunities there, including at Blenheim Palace, just north of Oxford. Consider spending a night or two in Moreton also. You might take this tour to get a good overview of the Cotswolds: GoCotswolds.
https://www.gocotswolds.co.uk/product/cotswolds-in-a-day/
They leave out of Moreton early morning. If you take all your luggage with you (it will be safely locked in the van during your stops), you can be dropped at the end of the tour in Bourton-On-The-Water or Stratford-Upon-Avon.

Lodging in Moreton includes: The White Hart Royal Hotel, The Manor House Hotel, the Redesdale Arms, The Bell Inn. A quick look online by you at Booking (dot com) or Trip Advisor will help you decide which one you'd like.

I recommend 2 to 3 nights in each of these places. Great sketching opportunities in many places.

Back to transportation to and from the airport with all your stuff......If price is not a factor, you could use this car service:
https://www.blackberrycars.com/

Not having a car with you makes it a bit difficult to get around the Cotswolds.
If you are planning on only one base, my choice for scenery would be Bourton-On-The-Water because of the lovely river going through it and the setting, buildings, and bridges which are perfect for sketching.

I suggest getting Rick's England guidebook, available to order here from his website.
https://store.ricksteves.com/shop/p/england-guidebook
It has a section on the Cotswolds, its villages, hotel and restaurant suggestions, information on transportation, and much more.

I believe we took a bus from Stow-on-the-Wold back to our hotel in Morten-in-Marsh a couple of years ago. We LOVE Stow-on-the-Wold and have been there several times. Nice, picturesque little town. It's very walkable and has some great shops in it for tea/coffee, chocolate (made on site) and clothes. We have stayed in Stow in a B&B but that place is no longer functioning as a B&B.

I highly recommend that you check out the Cotswolds Tour Bus by Shakespeare https://www.cotswoldstourbus.com as they offer some of the best tour options of the Cotswolds with local expert guides starting from $60 for the day tour. There tours give you flexibility as to where to stay too, as they pickup in Stratford-Upon-Avon and Moreton-in-Marsh and offer flexible drop off.

Uber may not work in the area, but there are always minicabs in small towns in the UK. Just ask your hotel or pub to book one for you to get around. Or Google “minicabs in xx” and book them yourself - you give them the pickup address and the address where you’re going, and ask for a confirmed price for the journey. (If you tip them, 10% is normal in the UK and nice but optional).

Rick lays this out pretty well in his Best of England book