A TOWN that is seeing more tourists visit has been dubbed the ‘Queen of the Cotswolds’
Painswick is one of the best preserved settlements in the Cotwolds, leading to the name.
Painswick has been called the Queen of the Cotswolds[/caption]
Its main attraction is Rococo Gardens[/caption]
It was even named as one of the most beautiful villages in the UK by the Telegraph.
Expect to spot a number of celebs in the town too.
Tom Cruise visited in 2022, celebrating his 60th birthday in a cottage in Painswick.
It was also the home of Thomas Twining, the man behind the famous Twinings tea brand.
Other unusual claims to fame in Painswick include the UK’s oldest bowling green, and the oldest building home to a Post Office.
One of the town’s main attractions is Rococo Gardens, which dates back to the 1700s.
Also the UK’s only complete surviving rococo garden, the pleasure garden is known for its snowdrops too.
There is also St Mary’s Church which is surrounded by 99 pretty yew trees – with legend saying a devil will appear if a 100th tree is added.
Grab a pint in The Oak, a traditional country pub, or a cup of tea at the Arts Cafe in town.
If you want to stay, there is the four-star Painswick Hotel, a former vicarage which was named one of the UK’s top hotels in 2016 by The Times.
Stay at Painswick Hotel for some amazing views[/caption]
The town is also home to one of the oldest building with a Post Office[/caption]
Last year it opened a new “cottage suite,” taking the hotel to 20 bedrooms.
Cheaper options include St Michael’s Restaurant & B&B and The Falcon Inn, also four-star hotels, or The Fleece, a cottage owned by the National Trust.
Make sure to visit in the summer ot make the most of some of the town’s festivals.
In September, Painswick Feast has foodie options and live music to enjoy.
Or there is the Festival of Art & Music throughout the summer at Rococo Gardens.
To get to Painswick, the nearest train station is in Stroud which is around five miles away.
Trains from London take around 1hr30.
I grew up in the Cotswolds – this was my favourite place
The Sun’s Deputy Travel Editor Kara Godfrey spent her childhood in the Cotswolds.
My hometown was Witney, which is not as quaint as it’s surrounding villages – the market town is much more functional than pretty with the majority of shops being chain restaurants and high street brands.
And while many of the nearby villages often feature on the “worlds most beautiful” list (looking at you Bourton-on-the-Water) there is one a short drive away that I preferred to visit as a child.
The village of Burford is dubbed the Gateway to the Cotswolds, so you’d be forgiven for thinking it might be a bit boring.
But I often spent many an afternoon there, both as a child being dropped off by my mum or haggling lifts with mates as I got older.
It’s main appeal is it’s pretty high street, with a narrow road lined with pretty Cotswolds buildings.
As I got older, I learned the joy of Burford Garden Centre.
You’re likely to spot local celebs such as Kate Moss or Jeremy Clarkson, who recently bought a pub in the village to restore.
Here’s another Cotswolds village tourists often forget about.
And we’ve found an English county dubbed the ‘Cotswolds without the crowds’.
Painswick is around 90 minutes from London by train[/caption]
