Revealed: The incredible price of accommodation and travel for the 2025 Cheltenham Festival

Punters flocking to this year’s Cheltenham Festival have their work cut out for them in order to cover the incredible accommodation costs of staying near the track.

The four-day meeting at Prestbury Park is without doubt the biggest event on the National Hunt calendar and each year, horse racing fans travel from near and far to get a glimpse of the world’s best racehorses in the flesh.

In the year following the pandemic, the attendance numbers have seen a steady decrease with 240,000 in 2023 and just under 230,000 in 2024.

Many have attributed that fall to the increasing cost of attending the festival, which seems to grow and grow every year leaving punters seeking alternative ideas at friendlier budget options.

How much does accommodation cost for the 2025 Cheltenham Festival?

Data experts at OLB recently found that average hotel prices in Cheltenham during festival week increase at a rate of 286.5% when using Booking.com and Travelodge stays are almost 200% more expensive.

The most cost-efficient process is booking with Airbnb, whose price hike sits at around 45%. That doesn’t necessarily mean it is literally cost-efficient though, as anywhere in the area will still cost you an arm and a leg for a four-night stay.

The average cost of a Travelodge room in Cheltenham (which isn’t even in the town – your cheapest option is nearby in Tewkesbury) costs a staggering £209.66 per night during festival week compared to the average price of £69.43. That means punters would need to fork out over £800 for the festival in accommodation prices alone.

With Booking.com, the cheapest room in Cheltenham for four nights from Tuesday-Friday with a Saturday check out also sits at £800 for two adults – and the general cost is well over £1,000.

Airbnb’s cheapest options sit at £227 per night, meaning a total of over £900 for four nights – and that doesn’t even get you a room in Cheltenham, instead located in nearby towns like Winchcombe, Bourton-on-the-Water and Quenington where you’d need to sort difficult travel to the racecourse.

How much does travel cost for the 2025 Cheltenham Festival?

Not only are accommodation prices through the roof, but simply travelling to the Cheltenham Festival by train also has an astonishing cost attached.

If you wanted to travel from London to Cheltenham Spa for a single day at the festival, the average ticket price increases by over 30% from a cost of £56 to £70 on each day of action.

According to the latest prices from Trainline, the cheapest fare for a return ticket from London Paddington to Cheltenham Spa on Tuesday, March 11 costs £143.79.

It’s no wonder punters who once regularly attended the Cheltenham Festival are opting to fly abroad to destinations like Benidorm for a week in the sun where they can watch every race on a big screen for a fraction of the cost.

Amid festival attendances dropping 18% in the past two years, last September Cheltenham racecourse vowed to address the sky-high accommodation prices for local stays – teaming up with leading UK sports tour operator Venatour.

Venatour have created a package which combines tickets, accommodation and transportation to the racecourse and upon inspection, the cheapest price for one person to attend all four days of the festival with a hotel stay in Bristol comes to a grand total of £1,125.

Regardless of what method you choose, you’ll need to have an absolute blinder at the festival in order to make a dent on the costs of attending the biggest meeting on the jump racing calendar – maybe this will be by siding with some of the big Cheltenham Festival bankers.