Take an official tour. There are plenty of tours of the Cotswolds available by coach. Coach tours for tourists are abundant in London and you are bound to bump into one if you are driving in your own car through the Cotswolds. The trouble with the tours is that although you do not have to drive, you can also not set your own pace. If you plan a driving tour of the Cotswolds using your own car, then you have more access to little roads that a coach will not be able to get to.
Go off season if you want to avoid the swathes of tourists, although the weather might be a bit more changeable, but this is the UK we're talking about. If you want to avoid the crowds during the peak season, avoid some of the more popular towns such as Burford, Chipping Campden and Northleach.
If you plan a driving tour of the Cotswolds, expect to see some stunning countryside, quaint villages and grand towns. Some of the large towns are remarkably different from each other; Cirencester dates back to Roman times and has an old fashioned feel with its Market Place and St. John the Baptist parish church that dates back to the fifteenth century. Chipping Campden is still the ideal of the wool town that the Cotswolds area is famous for.
Head to Cheltenham. Cheltenham is a great place to spend a few days if you plan a driving tour of the Cotswolds. Famous as Britain's most popular spa town, the town is also sophisticated and cosmopolitan. Check out the Art Gallery and Museum on Clarence Street or attend one of the many music and arts festivals that are held here during the year. If you are in Cheltenham in March you won't be alone, there will be around 40,000 other visitors attending the Cheltenham racecourse National Hunt Festival.
Booking accommodation in advance during the high season. If you are touring around for only a few days, just book accommodation in one place as the towns are so close together and you won't need to keep packing up. Most of the larger towns will have hotels, youth hostels and bed and breakfast establishments. For full details, go to the Explore the Cotswolds website on http://www.cotswoldsaonb.org.uk
