The Cotswolds are a band of limestone hills rather than a single town. The famous villages — Bourton-on-the-Water, Bibury, Castle Combe — are pretty and, at midday, overfull. The area is still worth it if you sleep in a smaller place and walk the fields between them.
This is car or taxi country for most visitors, though Moreton-in-Marsh sits on a rail line from London and makes a sane base. Cycling the lanes is lovely and hilly. Drivers are local and in a hurry on bends.
See
One famous village, early
Bourton or Bibury at opening time, then leave before the coaches settle.
A walk between two others
Public footpaths link the honey stone. Five miles is a better day than four villages by car.
A market town
Stow, Cirencester or Chipping Campden have a life beyond the tea towel.
A garden only if you love gardens
Hidcote and others are exceptional and ticketed. They are not a duty.