Things to do in Cheltenham
Every guide to things to do in Cheltenham, in one place. Start with the town's top-rated attractions, then pick a guide: free days and rainy days, days out with kids, parks and walks into the Cotswolds, the races and the festivals through the year, and the independent shops.
Top-rated attractions in Cheltenham
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Pittville Park
Cheltenham's largest ornamental park featuring lakes, play areas, aviaries, and the historic Pittville Pump Room. Green Flag and Green Heritage awarded.
Montpellier Gardens
Beautiful Victorian gardens hosting festivals, markets, and outdoor events throughout the year.
Cheltenham Lido
One of the largest outdoor pools in the UK, this stunning Art Deco lido has been a Cheltenham favourite since the 1930s.
Imperial Gardens
Formal Edwardian park in central Cheltenham featuring manicured lawns, flower beds, fountains, and summer bandstand concerts.
Everyman Theatre
Cheltenham's beloved Victorian theatre hosting world-class drama, comedy, music, and pantomime since 1891.
Holst Victorian House
The childhood home of composer Gustav Holst (The Planets), preserved as a Victorian house museum with family furnishings and garden recitals.
Days out and ideas
Free Things to Do in Cheltenham: 15 Ideas for Every Season
Fifteen free things to do in Cheltenham, from The Wilson, Pittville Park and Leckhampton Hill to free classes, kids' activities and Christmas 2026 events.
Things to Do in Cheltenham with Kids: A Local's Guide to Family Days Out
Cheltenham is genuinely one of the better places in the Cotswolds for a day out with kids. Parks, museums, festivals, farm parks, and family-friendly restaurants: here's what's actually worth doing.
Rainy Day in Cheltenham: A Local's Guide to Indoor Things to Do
Cheltenham in the rain is still Cheltenham. The Regency terraces still look good, the cafés still pull good coffee, and the town centre is compact enough that a drizzly afternoon doesn't need to...
Hidden Gems in Cheltenham: A Local's Guide to the Quieter Side of the Town
Cheltenham has an interesting problem: most visitors only see about 10% of it. The Promenade, Montpellier and the Racecourse are on every guide, and they deserve to be, but they're also just the...
Art Galleries and Museums in Cheltenham: A Local's Guide to the Town's Cultural Life
For a town with a population of 120,000, Cheltenham takes its art seriously. There's a major art gallery and museum with an internationally recognised collection, a composer's house with the piano...
A Weekend in Cheltenham: How to Spend 48 Hours in the Cotswolds' Best Town
Most people know Cheltenham for the races. But this Regency spa town on the edge of the Cotswolds is one of the best weekend breaks in England. Here's a local's 2-day itinerary.
Parks, walks and neighbourhoods
Best Walks Near Cheltenham: Hills, Circular Walks and Pubs
Hill, woodland and town walks near Cheltenham with official distances, times and parking: Leckhampton Hill, Cleeve Common, Crickley Hill, Lineover Wood and Pittville Park, each with a pub or café nearby.
Cotswold Villages Near Cheltenham: A Local's Guide to the Best Day Trips
An honest, local guide to the best Cotswold villages near Cheltenham, with distances, what to do, and how to plan a day trip from the Regency spa town.
Pittville Cheltenham: A Local's Guide to the Park, the Pump Room and the Neighbourhood
Pittville is Cheltenham at its most elegant and least hurried. A 200-year-old Regency estate on the northern edge of the town, built around one of England's finest spa buildings, a ceremonial...
Montpellier Cheltenham: A Local's Guide to the Town's Most Stylish District
A local's guide to Montpellier Cheltenham. Where to eat, drink, shop, and explore in the most characterful neighbourhood in this Regency spa town.
The Suffolks Cheltenham: A Local's Guide to the Town's Quietly Excellent Neighbourhood
If Montpellier is the characterful Cheltenham neighbourhood everyone knows about, The Suffolks is the one locals actually live in.
Festivals, races and events
Cheltenham Races 2027: Dates, Tickets, Hotels and Pubs
The Cheltenham Races for the 2027 Festival, 16 to 19 March: each day's feature race and times, ticket prices, the shuttle and parking rules, what to wear, and where to stay and drink in town.
Cheltenham Festival: Things to Do Beyond the Races
The Festival draws 250,000 people but most never leave the racecourse. Here's a local's guide to where to eat, drink, walk, and explore during race week.
Cheltenham Jazz Festival: A Local's Guide to the Town's Best Long Weekend
If Cheltenham has a favourite long weekend of the year, the Jazz Festival might be it. For six days at the start of May, Montpellier Gardens turns into a pop-up music village, the Big Top goes up,...
Cheltenham Literature Festival: A Local's Guide to the World's Longest-Running Book Festival
Every October, Cheltenham turns into a ten-day conversation. Writers, thinkers, scientists, comedians and broadcasters descend on the town, Montpellier Gardens fills with canvas pavilions and...
Bonfire Night in Cheltenham 2026: Every Fireworks Display
Every fireworks display in and around Cheltenham for Bonfire Night 2026, from the Racecourse to low-noise shows, with dates, gate times, ticket prices and the rules on food, dogs and parking.
Christmas in Cheltenham 2026: Lights, Markets and Events
Every festive date in Cheltenham for 2026: the lights switch-on, the Promenade Christmas market, a new light projection, the panto, Christmas racing and late-night shopping.
Cheltenham Christmas Market 2026: Dates, Times and Parking
The Cheltenham Christmas market 2026 runs from 10 to 23 December on the Promenade. Dates, opening times, the smaller Suffolks and Pittville markets, parking and what's on nearby.
New Year's Eve in Cheltenham 2026: Dinners, Parties and Bars
The New Year's Eve 2026 dinners, parties and hotel packages announced in Cheltenham so far, with prices, plus New Year's Day racing and how to get home.
Shopping
Shops in Cheltenham: The Independent Shopping Guide
Cheltenham's best independent shops, area by area: jewellers and books in Montpellier, boutiques on Suffolk Parade, records in the town centre lanes and hats in Charlton Kings.
Christmas Shopping in Cheltenham 2026: 13 Independent Gift Shops
Christmas shopping in Cheltenham made easy: 13 independent gift shops, from £6.99 stocking fillers to £499 jewellery, with gift ideas by budget, vouchers and opening days.
Vintage and Second-Hand Shopping in Cheltenham: A Local's Guide to the Best Finds
If you want to build a wardrobe or furnish a home from vintage and second-hand pieces rather than factory-fresh ones, Cheltenham is quietly one of the best towns in the South West.
Bookshops in Cheltenham: Independent, Second-Hand and Rare
Seven bookshops in Cheltenham, from Waterstones and the independent Rossiter Books to second-hand Moss Books and Cheltenham Rare Books, with opening days, children's story times, author events and a bookshop crawl.
Regent Arcade Cheltenham: Shops List, Opening Hours, Parking
Every shop in Regent Arcade, Cheltenham's covered shopping centre, with opening hours, car park prices, facilities and the story of the Wishing Fish Clock.
Evenings and occasions
Date Night Cheltenham: A Local's Guide to Romantic Evenings Out
Plan the perfect date night in Cheltenham with our local's guide to romantic restaurants, cocktail bars, creative experiences, and the best neighbourhoods for an evening out.
Mother's Day in Cheltenham: Where to Take Mum for a Lunch, Afternoon Tea or Spa Day
Mother's Day is one of the busiest Sundays of the year in Cheltenham, and for good reason. The town is built for exactly this kind of occasion.
Looking for something else? Browse every guide on the blog or every place in the attractions directory.