Hotels in Stamford

Stamford's Georgian streets are lined with independent hotels and B&Bs, but the standout choice is The George Hotel of Stamford, a historic coaching inn dating back to 1597 with its famous gallows sign spanning the High Street. It offers characterful rooms, a well-regarded restaurant and a walled garden for warmer months, and its central location puts the town's churches, museums and market squares within easy walking distance. For something with more history attached to Burghley House itself, The Bull and Swan on St Martin's is a restored 17th-century coaching inn under the same ownership as the estate, offering rooms alongside its restaurant.

Beyond these two well-known names, Stamford has a good scattering of smaller independent hotels and guest houses tucked into the same honey-stone townhouses that make the town centre so appealing, many within a few minutes' walk of All Saints' Place or St George's Square. Travellers who prefer a self-catering base, or who are visiting for a few days to take in both Stamford and nearby Rutland Water, will find cottages and farmhouse stays in the surrounding villages of the Welland Valley, offering easy access to Burghley House, the Rutland Water cycle routes and the market town itself. Booking ahead is worthwhile around the Stamford Georgian Festival in June and the Burghley Horse Trials in September, when accommodation across the town fills up quickly.