Montpellier

Oxford & the Cotswolds


As well as plenty of handsome architecture, the village-y Montpellier district hosts a lively assortment of bars, restaurants, hotels, independent shops and boutiques. Along Montpellier Walk, 32 caryatids (draped female figures based on those of Athens’ Acropolis), each balancing an elaborately carved cornice on her head, function as structural supports between the 1840s edifices that now serve as shops. The attractive Montpellier Gardens, directly opposite, were laid out in 1809, and are the focus of major local festivals.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Oxford & the Cotswolds attractions

1. Cheltenham Ladies’ College

0.16 MILES

Founded in 1853, on the site of the town’s original spa, Cheltenham Ladies’ College is one of Britain’s most prestigious independent girls’ schools. It’s…

2. The Promenade

0.41 MILES

Famed as one of the most beautiful streets in England, this broad, tree-lined boulevard leads down from the high street to Montpellier, and is flanked by…

3. Wilson Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museum

0.44 MILES

This excellent gallery-museum focuses on local life through the ages. There’s an emphasis on applied arts and design, with some wonderful British ceramics…

4. Cheltenham Minster

0.48 MILES

Cheltenham’s only surviving medieval building, dating from the middle of the 11th century, was awarded minster status in 2013, and is particularly worth a…

5. Holst Birthplace Museum

0.78 MILES

Composer Gustav Holst was born in Cheltenham in 1874, and the rooms of his childhood home are laid out in typical period fashion. Spread across four…

6. Pittville Pump Room

1.31 MILES

The Pittville Pump Room is Cheltenham’s finest Regency building. Modelled on an ancient Athenian temple, it was built in 1830 as the centrepiece of a…

7. Belas Knap Long Barrow

5.24 MILES

Dating from around 3000 BC, Belas Knap is one of the country’s best-preserved neolithic burial chambers, complete with ‘false’ portal leading nowhere. The…

8. St Peter’s Church

6.28 MILES

Winchcombe’s much-restored, 15th-century Perpendicular St Peter’s church is worth a visit for its majestic tower, arcaded interior and the series of…