10 Best Markets in the Cotswolds

The Gloucester Car Boot & Flea Market is a lively and vibrant flea market open twice weekly with dozens of vendors selling gently used clothing, collectables and hidden treasures. Many vendors sell directly from their car boots. You’ll dig for vintage fashion, old toys from your childhood, vintage musical instruments, vinyl records, first edition books, classic comic books, antiques, artwork and just about anything else you might collect.

The prices are great, but you can always haggle. When you get hungry after a few hours of exploring vendor booths and tables, you can head for the food and coffee trucks for some takeaway street eats. It’s held in Hempstead Meadows in Gloucester.

The Eastgate Market in Gloucester is a covered market inside Eastgate’s Mall and is open five days a week. It’s mostly a food market where you’ll find fresh meat, fish, shellfish, cheese, olives, spices, smoked meats and confections. As a public market, however, it also offers its fair share of collectables and gadgets, from phones and electronics to cosmetics, toys and toiletries. You will even find an onsite tailor and a haberdashery.

After a few hours of shopping, when the time comes to get a bite to eat, you’ll find delicious prepared foods at the Market Café. Because it’s indoors, you needn’t worry about the weather cooperating, and it’s open all year long.

The Stroud Shambles Market is held every Friday and Saturday throughout the year and offers a delightful selection of vintage items, antiques, collectables and locally-made arts and crafts. It’s also in the shadow of a historic area dating to the 1500s and surrounded by centuries-old buildings. The market has stood for centuries, and the original benches can still be seen here.

Shambles Market is an atmospheric place that is a wonder to explore and has the feel of the past. It’s also a thriving and busy market filled with modern local culture, an ideal juxtaposition of past and present. Once a meat market, today it’s a vibrant arts, crafts and collectables showcase.

The Moreton-in-Marsh Market is an arts, crafts and farmers’ market offering around 250 vendors selling everything from produce to jewellery and beyond in a vibrant small town. This market is among the Cotswolds’ largest and is held every Tuesday, where everyone from local food and drink producers to regional artisans descend on the town.

You’ll find fresh meats, baked goods and pastries, confectionaries, fish, produce, fresh eggs, wines, candles, handmade artwork and tons of other items you can spend all day hunting. You can look for delicious speciality foods or that perfect souvenir or gift. When you’re done, hit up one of the many cafes and pubs that line the street for a bite and a pint.

The Cheltenham Craft Market opened in 2008 and is famed for its literary and artistic associations, with vibrant stalls along the Cheltenham Promenade shopping area. It’s open the 3rd Saturday of every month from 9 am to 5 pm and brings local artisans, craftspeople and producers together to create a unique venue where you’ll find handmade gifts and other goods in green-and-white popup booths against an elegant Regency background.

As you explore, you’ll feel like you’re walking through a classic provincial market town with plenty of space to manoeuvre around the crowds. This is a vibrant and popular market with quality merchandise and friendly people all out to showcase their personal craftiness, creativity and artistic talent.

The Cirencester Charter Market is among the oldest charter markets in England and is a vital part of Cirencester’s shopping scene, offering stalls packed with everything from plants to furniture. This market’s earliest mention is in the Domesday Book in 1086, nearly 1,000 years ago with a historical legacy for the region. It’s even been featured in film and television programmes as an iconic backdrop for a typical country market.

It runs every Monday from 10 am to 5 pm and every Friday from 9 am to 3 pm. Here you’ll find a wide range of booths selling housewares, wicker baskets, furnishings, plants, prepared foods, fresh produce, arts and crafts.

The Chipping Norton Market has stood in Oxfordshire since the 13th century and still stands in the authentically medieval market square offering fresh, local food to residents and visitors. This is a classic farmers’ market where you may not find local arts and crafts or secondhand goods. You will find fresh fruits and vegetables right off the farm, as well as herbs and spices, baked goods, meats and cheeses, dairy products, locally-sourced honey, jams and preserves and beverages from juices to homemade wines.

Among the more unique offerings are locally-roasted coffee beans and even household coffee plants. It also imparts a vibrant culture and is a great place to experience authentic traditions.

The Malmesbury Artisan and Farmers’ Market has survived operating troubles but was saved from the brink of shutdown in 2015 and today is a vibrant local farmers’ market. 2 private owners run it in conjunction with the Malmesbury Town Team. It operates every Friday from 9 am to 3 pm in the Malmesbury Market Cross in the shadow of the historic Abbey. Here you will find tons of local organic fruits and vegetables, fresh-baked breads and pastries, cheeses, and a variety of delicious takeaway street food from food trucks and local vendors.

The market is a vital part of the town’s soul, popular with residents and a great place to soak up some local colour.

The Tetbury Market is situated beneath a Grade I 17th-century building and is a weekly highlight of the small town, open twice a week and offering food, arts and crafts. Every Wednesday and Saturday, stallholders gather on the ground floor to sell a wide range of vegetables, fruits, pies, plants, fish, meats, herbs, spices and beverages. Upstairs, local artisans come together to sell handmade crafts, including leatherworking, woodcrafts, books, jewellery, wall art, home decor, gifts and trinkets.

Wednesday is generally known as a farmers’ market, and the offerings are more food-focused, while Saturdays are seen as an arts and crafts market. Pick your day depending on your interests, and spend all morning exploring.

The Fairford Market opened in 2018, offering the market town a wide range of traders in just about every area. Like most markets, you’ll find local farmers and producers selling fruits, vegetables, baked goods, cheeses, herbs and spices, local honey and other speciality goods, as well as some prepared foods to enjoy onsite.

In addition, you’ll find arts and crafts vendors selling handmade greeting cards, clothing, housewares, artwork, jewellery and a wide range of creative and artistic endeavours. The vendors change regularly. This market is open every Wednesday from 9 am to 1 pm and does tend to draw a crowd, so it’s best to get here early.