Cheltenham

Cheltenham is now probably most famous for the Gold Cup horse race which takes place in mid-March every year. You'll need to book early to find a room, possibly as early as the previous year. Many people accept rooms anywhere within about a radius.
It's also famous for housing the top secret Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) responsible for signals intelligence (SIGINT) for UKUSA by Britain's best computer scientists and mathematicians, in its doughnut-shaped building (designed that way for security reasons).

By train

The Cheltenham Spa station is a little outside the metropolitan area and has frequent rail links to London Paddington, Bristol and the south and Birmingham and the north.
There's a regular bus service (D or E) to the town centre:
Stagecoach (D or E): Hatherley → Warden Hill → Rail Station → Town Centre → Racecourse → Bishop's Cleeve → Woodmancote
There is an easy walk through Montpellier into the centre (15–20 minutes). An alternative off-road walking route is The Honeybourne Line but there have been muggings at night. It's too far to walk if mobility is an issue, so take a taxi.

By car

The M5 reaches Cheltenham from the north and south and the A40 from the East (from Oxford) is also a useful transport link. Parking is rarely a problem now in Cheltenham, but the one way systems can sometimes get a little confusing. With this in mind a good option would be to use the Park and Ride facility National Park and Ride Directory. If you're planning a day at the races, Cheltenham, has its own Racecourse Park and Ride facility

By bus

Inside of Gloucestershire

There are buses from Cirencester, Stroud and other local villages to Cheltenham once an hour.
Several bus services go to Cheltenham from Gloucester. The most direct, comfortable and convenient of these is the 94 (Stagecoach Gold) bus, which as of March 2018 now operates 24 hours a day (except on Sundays).
Less frequent bus services go to and from Tewkesbury, such as the 41 and 42.

Outside of Gloucestershire

Many national long-distance buses stop at the (behind The Promenade) including the Swanbrook 853 bus and the National Express bus.
The 853 bus travels from Oxford to Gloucester several times a day. A single ticket from Cheltenham to Oxford is usually £8.00, but day-return tickets are also available:
853 (Swanbrook): Oxford → Cassington (A40) → Witney → Minster Lovell → Burford → Northleach → Andoversford → Cheltenham → Gloucester
The National Express has connections to London Heathrow (and beyond). However it's not possible to buy a ticket at the station outside of office-hours, so buy online or by telephone.

By plane

Nearby Staverton hosts Gloucestershire Airport (GLO), which has regular flights to Jersey. There are also many private aircraft there, which can be chartered.
Birmingham Airport (BHX) and Bristol Airport (BRS) are each only a couple of hours ' drive (north and south respectively) and offer a wide range of destinations inside and outside of Europe.
It can take several hours to drive to the London airports (Heathrow (LHR), Gatwick (LGW), Luton (LTN) and Stansted (STN)).

By car

Cheltenham is relatively easy to get around by car. Tourists should be aware of the one-way system when driving in the town centre, although there are plans to possibly alter this under the Cheltenham Transport Plan.
Most parking in the town is paid and is run by NCP or the town council.

• St George's Road car park

  address: St George's Rd, GL50 3DT

• Portland Gate car park

  address: Portland Gates, GL50 4DW

By taxi

Taxis are fairly reliable. If you flag a taxi down or get one from the taxi rank you will be charged from the meter, whereas if you book with a taxi company you will be charged considerably less. Most locals use taxis at night as far as the surrounding villages as night-buses are few (apart from a regular link to Gloucester). At night, taxis wait along The Promenade (it can be very busy at pub-closing times).

By bus

The main bus company is Stagecoach which operates a number of buses around the town, mainly on routes with letters rather than numbers.
The D bus goes from the station through the town centre to the racecourse and on to Bishop's Cleeve. A single from the town centre to the station costs £1.50, and a day ticket for all the Stagecoach services within Cheltenham (Megarider) costs £2.80.

• PromenadeThe broad, tree-lined Promenade and its continuation into Montpellier Walk (look for the caryatids) and Montpellier Street, the town's smart shopping streets (the chain stores are mercifully elsewhere, in the High Street). Look out for the Neptune Fountain at the south end of the gardens in front of the council offices.

• Imperial GardensColourful display of summer flowers.

• Pittville ParkLaid out in the early 19th century as the centre of the then-new residential area of Pittville. The park is arranged round an artificial lake, with Pittville Pump Room on the hillside at the north-western edge. The Pump Room is open for free visits to see the fine interior and water tasting when it is not being used for events or weddings.

• Cleeve HillThe highest point of the Cotswolds hill range and in the county of Gloucestershire, at 1,083 feet (330 m). It commands a clear view to the west, over Cheltenham and the racecourse, over the River Severn and into Wales; and to the north over Winchcombe.

• The Wilson Art Gallery & Museum

  phone: +44 1242 237431
  address: Clarence St, GL50 3JT
  The museum re-opened in 2013 after a £6.3-million project to expand the building including additional galleries, a performance space, larger cafe and shop and a new home for the Cheltenham Tourist Information Centre. The collection of furniture and other pieces by Cotswold-based Arts and Crafts Movement craftsmen such as Ernest Gimson and Edward Barnsley is particularly good.

• Holst Birthplace Museum

  address: 4 Clarence Rd, GL52 2AY
  The Regency terrace house where Gustav Holst, composer of The Planets was born in 1874. Interesting both for the building and for the musical history.

• Crickley Hill and Barrow WakeThe country park is a site of nature conservation, geological & archaeological interest.

• Leckhampton HillA site of Iron Age hill fort and long barrow and famous for its old limestone quarries. One particularly striking feature on the hill is the Devil's Chimney, a substantial pillar of stone left standing next to one of the upper inclines.

• St. Mary's Church

  phone: +44 1242 519520
  address: Clarence St, GL50 3PL
  Dating to medieval times, it has been in continuous use for 850 years. In 2013 it became Cheltenham Minster.

Further afield

• Chedworth Roman Villa

  phone: +44 1242 890256
  address: Chedworth, GL54 3LJ
  One of the largest Roman villas in the UK.

• Hailes Abbey

  phone: +44 1242 602398
  address: Hailes, Nr Winchcombe, GL54 5PB

• Sudeley Castle

  phone: +44 1242 602308
  address: Winchcombe, GL54 5JD
  Historic castle, notable for being amongst other things the final resting place of Henry VIII's sixth wife, Catherine Parr, who is buried in the chapel.

• Pittville Pump Room

  address: East Approach Drive, GL52 3JE
  Test the waters (and go to concerts) at the Pittville Pump Room.
• Go to the races at

  Cheltenham Racecourse

  phone: +44 1242 513014
  address: Evesham Rd GL50 4SH
  But only in winter, as (unusually) it's only a jumps-racing course, with frequent fixtures Oct-March. The big event is Cheltenham Gold Cup, held mid-March.

• Swim at Sandford Parks LidoThe Lido has a 50-m outdoor, main pool (with reserved lanes), a children's outdoor pool, and paddling pool. All the pools are heated to over 70°F (21°C). Café with value hot food.

• Cineworld Cinema

  phone: +44 871 220 8000 (premium rate from mobiles and many non-BT landlines)
  address: The Brewery, St Margaret's Road, GL50 4EF
  The new cinema that put the Odeon out of business. Decent screens, decent sound, comfy seats, expensive popcorn.

• The Screening Rooms

  address: The Brewery, St Margaret's Road, GL50 4EF
  Situated next to Cineworld, the Screening Rooms offers larger seating, waiter service and a "no kids after 8PM" policy. It's certainly the best way to watch a film but more expensive than Cineworld. Save money by going during the week and during the day and booking online.

Events

• Gold Cup horse racing

  address: Cheltenham Racecourse, GL50 4SH
  In March.

• International Jazz Festival

• Cheltenham Science Festival

• Cheltenham International Festival of MusicMusic festival and a fringe festival on the same dates.

• Cheltenham Cricket Festival

  address: Thirlestaine Rd, GL53 7AD

• Cheltenham Literature Festival

• Wychwood Festival of music

Theatre

Cheltenham has several theatres which host a variety of productions.

• Bacon Theatre

  phone: +44 1242 258002
  address: Dean Close School, Shelburne Rd, GL51 6HE

• Everyman Theatre

  phone: +44 1242 572573
  address: Regent Street, GL50 1HQ
  Cheltenham's oldest theatre, it has been serving the town since 1891. It has had an expensive refurbishment and still produces to top class, West-End productions. Tickets are available from the box office by phone or online.

• Playhouse Theatre

  phone: +44 1242 522852
  address: 47-53 Bath Road, GL53 7HG
  The town's community run theatre since 1945. For 70 years, the people of Cheltenham have enjoyed the notable facility of their own theatre, in which talented amateurs from all walks of life can work together with a single purpose; the presentation of nonprofessional drama of exceptionally high standards to the theatre-going public.

• Town Hall

  phone: +44 844 5762210
  address: Imperial Square, GL50 1QA
  Cheltenham's magnificent town hall also hosts the odd production along with being used as venue for a multitude of events.

• Gloucestershire College

  phone: +44 345 155 2020
  address: Princess Elizabeth Way, GL51 7SJ
  Cheltenham's campus is small, but there are plenty of courses that can be taken. There are other campuses in Gloucester and Coleford in the Forest of Dean.

• University of Gloucestershire

  phone: +44 1242 714700
  address: The Park, GL50 2RH

Cheltenham is a popular shopping destination in the region. Both Promenade street in the centre and Montpellier have many high end shops; including the House of Fraser department store. The High Street and Lower High Street are where you find all the usual chain-stores. There is also the Regent Arcade shopping centre.

• House of Fraser

  phone: +44 344 800 3715
  address: 32-38 Promenade, GL50 1HP
  A high-end department store with many of the expensive brands.

• Regent Arcade

  phone: +44 1242 521345
  address: High Street, GL50 1JZ
  Not extremely exciting, but quite a few chain shops on two levels. Its biggest attraction is the Wishing Fish Clock which blows bubbles every hour.

• John Lewis

  phone: +44 1242 544000
  address: 123 High St, GL50 1DQ
  A large department store.

• Marks & Spencer

  phone: +44 1242 521531
  address: 173 High Street, GL50 1DF
  A fairly large branch of the British chain store, with a large food hall and clothing section.

Outside the town centre itself consists several retail parks that should fulfill most of a shopper's needs.

• Gallagher Retail Park

  phone: +44 8081 565533
  address: Tewkesbury Road, GL51 9RR
  Retail park consisting primarily of large Sainsbury's supermarket with gas station and café, Next and Sports Direct for clothes shopping and Boots for pharmaceuticals or toiletries. Along with Costa Coffee and Subway.

• Kingsditch Retail Park

  address: Kingsditch Ln, GL51 9PX
  Retail park consisting primarily of a Marks & Spencer: Simply Food and Home stores, and a large Argos. Along with Currys/PC World and Smyth's across the road for electronics and toys respectively. There are also McDonald's and KFC restaurants nearby.

Budget

• Pittville GatesA row of popular fast-food rather than one single restaurant. Located on the nearest edge of Pittville Park. Very handy for walking back to the town from the races. Mamaris (pizza, kebab, burgers) are always fresh and friendly. Chinese, Indian and British all available along the same row.

• Mamari's Kebabs

  phone: +44 1242 226663
  address: 9 Prestbury Rd, GL52 2PN

The Moon Under Water

phone: +44 1242 583945

address: 16-28 Bath Rd, GL53 7HA

Large Wetherspoon's pub with reasonable food for around £7. This is a large and characterless place, but it does have a nice outdoor area at the rear overlooking Sandford Park.

The Bank House

phone: +44 1242 240940

address: 15-21 Clarence St, GL50 3JL

Another Wetherspoon's pub more centrally situated.

Simpson's Fish & Chips

phone: +44 1242 521964

address: 75 Priors Rd, GL52 5AL

Winner of the UK's Number 1 Fish & Chip Takeaway 2016 award.

Mid-range

• The Brewery

  phone: +44 1242 574378
  An entertainment/eating complex located behind the Lower High Street. Here you will find a selection of rather boring international chain restaurants including Nando's, Prezzo, Frankie & Benny's and Real China. Parking available (paid). Great if you like eating on industrial-estates.

• The Daffodil

  phone: +44 1242 700055
  address: 18-20 Suffolk Parade, GL50 2AE
  Converted cinema, decorated in an art Deco style.

• Flynns

  phone: +44 1242 252752
  address: 16-17 The Courtyard, GL50 1SR
  Does a decent steak at a reasonable price.

• The Langton

  phone: +44 1242 233022
  address: 189-191 London Road, GL52 6HT
  Offers some nice (if slightly pricey) bar food in a Regency-style building, and a good Sunday lunch.

• Café Rouge

  phone: +44 1242 529989
  address: 31-41 The Promenade, GL50 1NW
  Casual French restaurant. One of the best places to eat in central Cheltenham is Café Rouge, just off the high street. It's brilliant and the food is often good and comes with a smile!

• Storyteller

  phone: +44 1242 250343
  address: 11 North Place, GL50 4DW
  Reasonably posh and nice. Very popular.

• Zizzi's

  phone: +44 1242 252493
  address: St James Church, 3 Suffolk Square, GL50 2DR
  Wonderful converted 19th century church , elegantly decorated with good Italian food and wine. Family/baby-friendly in the daytime.

Splurge

• Le Champignon Sauvage

  phone: +44 1242 573449
  address: 24-28 Suffolk Rd, GL50 2AQ
  Cheltenham's only Michelin starred restaurant (two stars); 4 AA rosettes; Good Food Guide, 2014 Chef of the Year (David Everitt-Matthias) & Decanter Restaurant of the Year. You are not to use your mobile phone in the dining room and gentlemen are to sit down when they use the lavatory.

• Lumière

  phone: +44 1242 222200
  address: Clarence Parade, GL50 3PA
  Has a good reputation.

• Shakes2Go

  address: 9 Grosvenor St, GL52 2SQ
  A wide array of ice cream shakes made from delicious and not so delicious ingredients.

• Sandford Park Ale House

  phone: +44 1242 574517
  address: 20 High St, GL50 1DZ
  A slightly out-of-the-ordinary bar that takes real ale very seriously offering lots of variety. Also sells lager, cider and food. Large rear garden for drinking in

• The Swan

  phone: +44 1242 243726
  address: 35-37 High Street, GL50 1DX
  A popular bar with frequent entertainment and has a large heated outdoor area for smokers. Serves both local and known-brand drinks.

• The Retreat

  phone: +44 1242 235436
  address: 10-11 Suffolk Parade, GL50 2AB
  Established wine bar in Montpellier, located on Suffolk Parade. Worth finding to enjoy the "posh" side of Cheltenham. Popular with Cheltenham College on Friday/Saturday when it can be very busy. Ask the locals for other lesser known restaurants and bars nearby. Montpellier is not easy to explore without local knowledge.

The only large nightclubs in town are V (formerly Moda) and Moomoo (formerly Blush), nothing unique but both enjoyable. Popular mainly with students.

• Moomoo

  phone: +44 7584 252188
  address: 1 Regent Street, GL50 1HA

Budget

• YMCA

  phone: +44 1242 524024
  address: 6 Vittoria Walk, GL50 1TP
  Has Wi-Fi.

Mid-range

• Hilden Lodge Hotel

  phone: +44 1242 583242
  address: 271 London Rd, GL52 6YG

• Bentons Guest House

  phone: +44 1242 517417
  address: 71 Bath Rd, GL52 6YG

• Cross Ways Guest House

  phone: +44 1242 527683
  address: 57 Bath Rd, GL53 7LH

• Holiday Inn Express

  phone: +44 1242 548200
  address: Dunalley St, GL50 4AP
  Located in the centre of the town; many amenities are within easy walking distance.

• Charlton Kings Hotel & Restaurant

  phone: +44 1242 231061
  address: London Rd, GL52 6UU
  Located right on the east side of town, making it easy to get to from Oxford or London.

Splurge

• Ellensborough Park

  phone: +44 1242 545454
  address: Southam Rd, GL52 3NJ

• Hotel Du Vin

  phone: +44 1242 370584
  address: Parabola Rd, GL50 3AH

• Malmaison

  phone: +44 1242 370655
  address: Bayshill Rd, GL50 3AS

• The George Hotel

  phone: +44 1242 235751
  address: St George’s Rd, GL50 3DZ

• Queens, Montpellier

  phone: +44 1242 514754
  address: The Promenade, GL50 1NN

Cheltenham is mostly a safe town. The so-called "bad areas" though are Hester's Way to the west of the town centre and Whaddon to the north-east.
The Honeybourne Way between the train station and Waitrose also is an area worthy of caution as it is relatively isolated from the rest of the town.

Map of places with Wikivoyage articles nearby

• Gloucester is about west.
• Tewkesbury is about 9 miles north.
• Cotswolds villages of Bourton-on-the-Water, Stow-on-the-Wold and Moreton-in-Marsh are about 10 miles east.
• Cirencester, the 'capital of the Cotswolds' is a half hour drive to the south
• Bristol is a longer day trip to the south.