8 reasons to visit Cheltenham, UK

With over 2,500 listed buildings, Cheltenham’s eye-catching architectural heritage, provides an immaculately preserved tribute to Regency elegance, drawing visitors from afar. 

King George lll’s interest in Cheltenham’s warm spa waters alleged medicinal benefits prompted a rush of visitors to Cheltenham, raising the town’s status and making it a haven for the affluent. 

Neo-classical splendour, fluted columns and grand porticos, lived on beyond The Regency years, and through the early years of Queen Victoria’s reign. With proud Cheltenham patrons adding spacious green parks to the town’s welcoming appearance.

1. Pittville Pump Room

Pittville, a mile from the centre of Cheltenham, was imagined as a grand Pittville Pump Room, by Joseph Pitt, to rival the town’s spa. 

Today no waters are drawn but Pittville Park with its aviaries, children’s playground, fishing, ornamental lakes, lawn and tennis club is a favourite leisure destination for Cheltenham people and visitors to the town. 

2. Montpellier

Begun in the Regency period, Montpellier was named to emulate the grandeur of the French town on the French Riviera.  Over recent decades Montpellier had become increasingly grand with its exclusive boutiques, hairdressers, galleries and restaurants. Begun in the Regency period, Montpellier was named to emulate the grandeur of the French town on the French Riviera. 

Between the famous white caryatids, Ancient Athenian style draped female sculptures, cafes spill onto the pavement. 

3. Prithvi restaurant

Cheltenham is renowned for its variety of excellent restaurants. At Prithvi, meaning “Earth” or “Mother Earth” in Sanskrit, east meets west in a fine dining venue that has picked up countless awards. 

Privthi is far from a conventional Indian restaurant. Classically trained Chef Tom Law works with owner Jay Rahman to bring European techniques to delicately refined sub-continent tastes. No raging vindaloo heat here, just subtle, sophisticated flavours. 

Artichoke velouté, on the seven-course taster-menu, epitomises Privthi’s cross-cultural creativity. “Try to get a taste of every layer on to your spoon,” encourages our waitress, as we scoop up thinly sliced pickled artichoke and creamy velouté sprinkled with crunchy crushed pistachio.

4. Kibou restaurant

Centrally located in Regent Arcade, Kibou’s decor, with its bold murals, cherry blossom canopies, vibrant neon signs and open kitchens, takes diners on a culinary journey to Japan. 

A vast menu encourages diners to sample sashimi and sushi whilst also going tapas-style to explore Japanese favourites through small plates investigation. Looking around the buzzing restaurant, every table was taking a different route through exciting Far Eastern tastes. 

The spectacular colours and symmetry of the Volcano Roll, sealing in avocado and salmon flavours, is as much art as its mouth-watering.

Dynamite Pawns may sound incendiary, but their taste quotient certainly outweighs their heat on the Scoville chilli heat chart. Whatever your choices, make sure you save room for the matcha cake with ice cream.

5. Sudeley Castle 

A mere six miles from Cheltenham, in Winchcombe, sits Sudeley Castle.  Historian David Starkey’s film blunt commentary explains why the castle changed hands so frequently and dramatically in the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries: the monarchs rewarded men who were doing well with a castle as a gift.  If they made a mistake they lost both the castle and their head. 

In 1649, after the Civil War, the castle was “slighted”; made unfit for defence by the victorious Roundheads. Since the 19th century the crenelated castle and its many gardens have been impressively restored. 

Sudeley’s chapel houses the grave of Henry Vlll’s sixth and final wife, Katherine Parr. Freed of her duty on Henry’s death, with indecent haste she married Thomas Seymour, the love of her love, a mere two months after she was widowed. There was no happy ending. At the age of 36, Katherine died of purple fever, just five days after giving birth to a daughter. She became the only English Queen buried on private land.

6. Ian Coley Sporting’s Shooting School

On the south eastern fringes of Cheltenham, Ian Coley Sporting’s Shooting School introduces clay pigeon shooting. 

Offering a “Have a go 25”, instructors equip beginners with appropriate weight guns, eye-protectors, shoulder padding for the recoil, cartridges and an essential safety briefing. Such is the quality of the friendly instruction, quickly identifying dominant eyes and tendencies to raise the chin from the gun, that we are soon surprisingly hitting clays. 

Alongside the country clothing store, sits the gun shop. There aficionados can buy a gun off the shelf or be measured up for a bespoke model. “Even an eighth of an inch can make a difference,” says Alex who does the measuring. Some customers, who’ve ordered from Beretta travel to Italy’s Gardone Valley to watch their gun being made. 

7. Civic splendour

Back in 1716, the discovery of a warm spring of water transformed Cheltenham from a quiet small town into the place to be seen in Regency England. 

Cheltenham grew rich from the affluent visitors who came to take the waters, funding extensive civic construction and the creation of green public parks.

An extravagant sculpture of Neptune, pulled by four sea horses, has a look of Rome’s Trevi Fountain, illustrating the town’s grand aspirations. 

8. Cotswold Grange

Between town centre and Pittville Park, Cotswold Grange, a 20-room boutique hotel is just a short stroll from the best of Cheltenham’s attractions. 

Located in a quiet conservation area, the house was originally built in 1856 for a wealthy merchant, the grand house provides historical elegance throughout rooms that have been individually styled.

With ample parking, guests can park-up and then walk to all that the Festival Town has to offer. Currently, the Visit Cheltenham website has 36 festivals listed for 2025: including cricket, food and drink, horse-racing, jazz, literature, music, poetry, pride and science.

Disclosure: Our stay was sponsored by Visit Cheltenham and Cotswold Grange.