The beautiful village of Bourton-on-the-Water has often been nicknamed as ‘Little Venice’ or ‘Venice of the Cotswolds’, a popular place for visitors who come from all over the world to explore this charming village in the Cotswolds. Bourton is in Gloucestershire near Stow-on-the-Wold, and is a beautiful Cotswold village that is famously situated on the River Windrush.
During the busy season, Bourton often has more visitors than residents, especially with the beautiful village green being the perfect place to sit with a picnic. Children and dogs paddle in the shallow slow-flowing river as onlooker’s marvel in the peaceful but beautiful setting. The river is perhaps the central attraction for visitors and stunning willow trees drape over it, giving it a picture-perfect attraction, alongside all the interesting shops and cafes. This picturesque and unspoilt village is perhaps most famous for its characterful high street, lined by wide grassy greens and Cotswold stone buildings. The river runs right through the centre of the village and there are low, ancient stone bridges where pedestrians can cross over as they browse through the village. The houses and buildings are constructed with famous attractive Cotswold stone, making it a beautiful vision of the Cotswolds.
A Mini Village
The stunning Model Village is a popular place for visitors to explore in Bourton village and is open all year round. The famous Model Village is an exact reproduction of Bourton village but stands waist height. The replica village has everything that there is in Bourton with tiny houses and streets, a village church, mini trees and a small river that runs through the village. The Model Village is a fantastic attraction to explore if you’re visiting Bourton-on-the-Water.
Exciting Bird Park
Birdland Park in Bourton-on-the-Water has been open since 1957 and is a popular attraction for visitors and families to discover. The wonderful wildlife park sits in 5 acres of grounds in magnificent Tudor manor house called Chardwar. There are over 500 birds and around 150 aviaries to find, including penguins, flamingos, storks, cranes, parrots and many more interesting birds to view. Birdland Park is on the edge of Bourton-on-the-Water and is found close to the famous Model Village.
Classic Cars
If you love classic cars and finding out about all the history, then explore the Cotswold Motoring Museum. The museum is home to a huge collection of cars, caravans, motorcycles, bicycles and some of the most interesting motoring memorabilia from the 20th century. The museum also has many wonderful toy collections that include pedal cars, toy cars, buses, aeroplanes, meccano, wooden cars and model kits.
The Village of Bourton
If you’re exploring the Cotswolds, then Bourton-on-the-Water is a fantastic place for any visitor to explore with great gift shops, friendly cafes, ancient pubs, restaurants and a wonderful village green to picnic on in the sunshine. During the summer, there’s crowds of people sitting in the sun enjoying some a cold beer or some Cotswold ice-cream and in the winter, there’s cosy pubs to eat and drink in, next to roaring fires and friendly faces.
Secret Cottage Tours
If you’re planning on escaping to the Cotswolds and you want to discover beautiful villages like Bourton-on-the-Water, then why not book a 6-hour tour with the Secret Cottage. Relax in our luxury 7-seater Mercedes minibus, while you discover the Cotswolds in comfort. You will see beautiful scenery, quaint villages, magnificent Cotswold stately homes and pretty market towns along the way. We invite you into our home, the 400-year old Secret Cottage for a tour and also make a delicious homemade buffet lunch for our guests. You can also enjoy a mouth-watering traditional Cotswold cream tea in the afternoon while we tell you more about the history of the Cotswolds. Our experienced tour guides relish in telling guests all about the area, taking you to all the best places to explore. Escape from the big city, or book a day trip on your vacation to England, you will have the most memorable day out and we can guarantee that you will go home filled with the magic of the Cotswolds. We are proud of our 5-star reviews on Trip Advisor! If you want to discover the Cotswolds with a friendly and professional team, book your places today with the Secret Cottage Guided Cotswold Tour.