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Bibury’s honey-colored cottages and storybook charm have made it a Cotswolds icon.
With its dozens of quaint stone villages filled with cozy inns, snug pubs, and petite cheese shops, all surrounded by rolling hills traced with well-worn hiking trails, the Cotswolds are a wonderland of small pleasures. Despite covering almost 800 square miles and stretching across five counties—it’s England’s largest National Landscape—this bucolic swath of countryside feels scaled down to storybook perfection.
Years ago, I rented an Airbnb in Bath, the southern gateway to the Cotswolds, for several months, and spent my free time researching the various villages in the region I wanted to explore. Bibury was always at the top of my list.
Said to have been deemed the “most beautiful village in England” by 19th-century textile designer William Morris, Bibury is home to roughly 600 residents and the now-iconic Arlington Row, a collection of honey-colored cottages you’ve likely scrolled past on Instagram a time or two. Built in 1380 to store wool, the structure was converted into a row of weavers’ cottages in the 17th century; today, the site serves as the backdrop for a great many selfies and travel photographs.
Bibury’s popularity increased in 2025, after Forbes did Morris one better and named it the “most beautiful village in the world,” and the town has begun to face overtourism. According to a BBC report, a busy weekend in Bibury can see as many as 20,000 visitors vying for space along its one main road, which can become incredibly congested on weekends.
I planned my first trip to Bibury as part of a larger Cotswolds road trip with my mom. We ventured to the village on a drizzly autumn morning, mid-week—which turned out to be the perfect time to go. There were almost no other tourists, and we could snap as many photos as we wanted of Arlington Row and the equally picturesque Swan Hotel. The ivy-covered building, a former coaching inn, sits right on the River Coln, and its slate roof, stone walls, and mullioned windows—plus a collection of striped lounge chairs out front—signal to visitors that they’ve arrived in Bibury.
Given the overtourism concerns, it’s important to design a trip to Bibury with a couple of things in mind. First, try to avoid peak times (particularly weekends). Pay attention to where you park, and don’t peek into the Arlington Row cottage windows—after all, these are homes to real people. If you do want to get an inside look, though, there’s the option to rent 9 Arlington Row, a two-bedroom home, or 1 Arlington Row, which sleeps up to six guests.
Wherever (and however long) you stay, be sure to support local businesses on your visit—have lunch at The Catherine Wheel, enjoy afternoon tea at The Swan Brasserie, and book a guided tour of Bibury Trout Farm. Those businesses, and the people who run them, are essential for sustaining the living, breathing magic of this special region.
Read the original article on Travel & Leisure
