Visiting Cheltenham, United Kingdom: Top Sights on Foot

Looking for things to do in Cheltenham? This Gloucestershire town is known for its Regency heritage, historic places of worship, museums, theatres and connection with horse racing. Neywo has a free audio guide for Cheltenham with 37 narrated places, helping you discover the town as you walk.

Cheltenham is part of England in the United Kingdom. Its attractions range from the medieval Cheltenham Minster to the modern GCHQ headquarters, with cultural venues and distinctive religious buildings adding variety to a visit.

What to See in Cheltenham

All Saints’ Church

All Saints’ Church is one of Cheltenham’s most significant historic places. The Grade I listed parish church belongs to the Church of England and is an important part of the town’s architectural and religious heritage.

The Wilson

The Wilson, formerly known as Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museum, brings together local history, fine art, archaeology and an outstanding Arts and Crafts collection. Its displays include furniture, textiles, ceramics, carvings, silver and jewellery, alongside paintings spanning four centuries.

The museum also presents oriental pottery, costume and archaeological objects from the neighbouring Cotswolds. Its history is linked to Baron de Ferrieres, who gave Cheltenham 43 paintings, mostly from Belgium and the Netherlands, as well as £1,000 towards a gallery. The museum opened in 1907 in the former Schools of Art and Science, within a Regency building on Clarence Street originally designed as Cheltenham Public Library by William Hill Knight.

Holst Victorian House

Holst Victorian House is a local museum and a distinctive stop in Cheltenham. Its setting provides another way to explore the town’s past alongside the larger collections at The Wilson.

Cambray Baptist Church

Cambray Baptist Church is a Protestant church building in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. It forms part of the town’s varied collection of religious architecture.

Cheltenham Minster, St Mary’s

Cheltenham Minster, St Mary’s, is the town’s minster and parish church, and the only surviving medieval building in Cheltenham. It is Grade I listed and has remained in continuous use for around 850 years.

The church experienced intermittent closure for repairs between 1859 and 1877, but continues to serve as a living place of worship. Its long history makes it one of the essential places to see in Cheltenham.

Cheltenham Synagogue

Close to St James’s Square, Cheltenham Synagogue is a small Jewish place of worship in the town centre. Its Regency design gives it a distinctive architectural character.

The congregation was formed in 1820, and the present building was completed in 1839. Designed by William Hill Knight, it was listed as a Grade II* building in 1972 and described as an outstanding example of a small provincial English synagogue. The congregation worships in the Ashkenazi rite.

Church of St Andrew and adjoining church hall

The Church of St Andrew, United Reform, together with its adjoining church hall, is another local place of worship in Cheltenham. It adds to the range of Christian buildings found throughout the town.

Church of St Matthew

The Church of St Matthew is a Cheltenham place of worship and another stop for visitors interested in the town’s religious history and architecture.

Everyman Theatre

The Everyman Theatre on Regent Street contains two very different performance spaces. Its main auditorium seats 718 people, while the Studio Theatre offers a much more intimate 60-seat setting.

The contrast between the two spaces makes the Everyman an important part of Cheltenham’s performing-arts scene.

The Playhouse

The Playhouse occupies the former Montpellier Baths, a spa building dating from 1806 or 1807. It is one of Cheltenham’s two oldest surviving spa buildings and is Grade II listed.

The venue opened in 1945 as the Civic Playhouse, originally operated by the Corporation of Cheltenham. Volunteers took over in 1958, and the theatre continues to be run as a registered charity. The building’s earlier life as a spa is central to its character.

St Gregory’s Church

At the corner of St James’ Square and Clarence Street, St Gregory the Great Church—usually called St Gregory’s—is a Roman Catholic parish church with roots in Cheltenham reaching back to 1809.

The present church was rebuilt in the Gothic style between 1854 and 1857. Its bell tower was completed in 1876, and the church was consecrated on 6 November 1877. It was founded by Benedictine priests and dedicated to Pope Gregory the Great.

St Philip and St James Church, Leckhampton

In south Cheltenham, St Philip and St James Church serves as part of the Anglican Diocese of Gloucester and the local parish. Also known simply as St Philip and St James, it has been a centre of worship for more than 150 years and continues to serve a congregation of more than 200 people.

Government Communications Headquarters

One of Cheltenham’s most unusual landmarks is the Government Communications Headquarters, better known as GCHQ. Its main base is known as The Doughnut.

GCHQ is a British intelligence and security organisation responsible for signals intelligence and information assurance for the United Kingdom’s government and armed forces. Its history began after the First World War as the Government Code and Cypher School. During the Second World War, it operated from Bletchley Park and helped break German Enigma codes before becoming known as GCHQ in 1946.

The organisation also attracted major public attention in 2013 after disclosures by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden raised questions about the collection of online and telephone data in the United Kingdom through the Tempora programme.

Bacon Theatre

The Bacon Theatre is a medium-scale venue on the grounds of Dean Close School. It serves both the school and the wider local community, bringing teaching, leisure and public performance together in one setting.

British Steeplechasing Hall of Fame

At Prestbury Park in the village of Prestbury, the British Steeplechasing Hall of Fame explores the history of steeplechasing and the people associated with National Hunt racing.

Opened at Cheltenham Racecourse in 1994, the museum traces the history of steeplechasing from 1819. Its displays introduce the riders and trainers connected with this form of racing, making it a useful stop for anyone interested in Cheltenham’s horse-racing heritage.

Explore Cheltenham with Neywo

Neywo offers one walking tour and one bus route in Cheltenham. The Regency Spa Town: Churches, Stages and Springs walk covers 4.32 km in 118 minutes and includes 10 narrated stops, including All Saints’ Church, Cheltenham Minster, The Wilson, St Gregory’s Church, Cheltenham Synagogue, Everyman Theatre and The Playhouse.

The Service A: A Ride Through Regency Cheltenham bus route covers 4.8 km in 21 minutes and has five narrated stops, including Cheltenham Minster, The Wilson and Cheltenham Synagogue. Together, these routes provide a practical introduction to the town’s churches, cultural venues and Regency history.

Download Neywo and explore Cheltenham at your own pace. The app tells the story of each place as you reach it, with no group and no schedule. Narration is available in 11 languages, so you can turn a visit into a self-guided audio tour and continue exploring independently.