Windermere Travel Guide

Tourist Guide

Windermere showing café scenes, heritage architecture and street scenes
Windermere showing café scenes, heritage architecture and street scenes
Lake District National Park which includes rainforest and a river or creek
Windermere which includes mist or fog and a garden
Windermere showing street scenes, signage and heritage architecture

Windermere is the perfect lakeside destination all year round.

With the water’s shores so close, the scenery is always fantastic and the leisure activities plentiful. The village of Windermere itself has plenty of shops and nice restaurants to enjoy where you can eat outside and enjoy the fantastic scenery. Several local viewpoints offer visitors panoramic views of both the lake and the more distant Pennines.

Windermere and wider Cumbria have a wide selection of accommodation types to choose from, including some local hotels and bed & breakfasts. Why not spoil yourself and stay in a luxurious spa, perfect to relax in and receive some pampering.

Windermere, originally a small hamlet called Birthwaite, came to prominence with the completion of the railway link from Kendal. The railway terminated at Windermere to avoid the steep descent into the lakeside at Bowness.

Bowness-on-Windermere is one of the most popular holiday locations in the Lake District. With immediate access to the waters of Windermere, it is an excellent location for water activities, such as boating.

Bring the family to Grizedale Forest, which offers tree top adventure activities and much more for the whole family to enjoy. It makes for a perfect location for a great day out. There are different levels of park walking trails to suit all needs. Take a picnic and make a day of it.

While staying in Windermere take the opportunity to explore the rest of Cumbria. The North Pennines, Eden Valley and a section of the Yorkshire Dales are all located within Cumbria.

Cumbria itself is a real treasure trove of historic sites including some of the earliest stone circles in the UK. Hadrian’s Wall runs along its border making for a real interesting place to delve further into Britain’s historic and famous past.

Explore Cartmel Priory a simple beautiful priory with some great examples of Norman architecture. This large Priory in the small village of Cartmel does not disappoint in terms of structure with beautiful carved effigy of a knight and his lady, coupled with interesting wall plaques and floor tomb stones.

Designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the North Pennines is one of England’s most picturesque places. Made up of expansive countryside of heather moors and peatlands, with lush green dales as far as the eye can see, along with its welcoming communities and intriguing remains of a mining and industrial past, make it a top place to visit when in Cumbria.

The Annual Holiday Sale

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Lakes Hotel and Spa

Lakes Hotel and Spa

5 out of 5
Kendal Road Windermere England
The price is £145 per night from 24 Mar to 25 Mar
£145
24 Mar - 25 Mar
includes taxes & fees
Stay at this luxury hotel in Windermere. Enjoy free Wi-Fi, a full-service spa and 15 hot tubs. Our guests praise the breakfast and the helpful staff in their ...
9.6/10 Exceptional! (1,239 reviews)
We were given an upgrade to our room which had a hot tub Fantastic

Reviewed on 5 Mar 2026

Lakes Hotel and Spa
Beech Hill Hotel & Spa

Beech Hill Hotel & Spa

4 out of 5
Newby Bridge Road Windermere England
The price is £92 per night from 12 Mar to 13 Mar
£92
12 Mar - 13 Mar
includes taxes & fees
Stay at this hotel in Windermere. Enjoy free parking, 2 hot tubs and breakfast (surcharge). Our guests praise the helpful staff and the comfy rooms in their ...
9.4/10 Exceptional! (59 reviews)
The whole experience was exceptional from the friendly staff to excellent facilities.

Reviewed on 24 Feb 2026

Beech Hill Hotel & Spa
The Belsfield Hotel

The Belsfield Hotel

4 out of 5
Kendal Road Windermere England
The price is £124 per night from 12 Mar to 13 Mar
£124
12 Mar - 13 Mar
includes taxes & fees
Stay at this business-friendly hotel in Windermere. Enjoy free Wi-Fi, 2 restaurants and breakfast (surcharge). Our guests praise the breakfast and the helpful ...
8.6/10 Excellent! (1,003 reviews)
Breakfast setup felt very cramped Plates were cold so after a few minutes so was the food On arrival at breakfast on 1st day we were told you know the drill maybe he mistook us for someone else No lake view in breakfast room as they have erected a fence which cuts off the view but other than that ...

Reviewed on 2 Mar 2026

The Belsfield Hotel
Lowest nightly price found within the past 24 hours based on a 1 night stay for 2 adults. Prices and availability subject to change. Additional terms may apply.
Hapimag Burnside Park Apartments

Hapimag Burnside Park Apartments

4 out of 5
The Lodge, Kendal Road Windermere England
Stay at this golf aparthotel in Windermere. Enjoy free Wi-Fi, free parking and a health club. Popular attractions Lake Windermere and Bowness Pier are located ...
9.2/10 Wonderful! (82 reviews)
The room and staff were fine but we had no hot water for about 16 hours and had to use another apartment to shower which was not great.

Reviewed on 27 Feb 2026

Hapimag Burnside Park Apartments
Kotel Windermere

Kotel Windermere

4.5 out of 5
Lake road Windermere England
Stay at this luxury aparthotel in Windermere. Enjoy free Wi-Fi, free parking and a garden. Popular attractions Lake Windermere and Windermere Jetty Museum of ...
9.2/10 Wonderful! (256 reviews)
Room was amazing, clean fresh warm and inviting

Reviewed on 21 Jan 2026

Kotel Windermere
A beautiful Cabin on the 5 star White Cross Bay in a quiet area of the park -

A beautiful Cabin on the 5 star White Cross Bay in a quiet area of the park -

Windermere England
Stay at this cabin in Windermere. Enjoy free Wi-Fi and in-room fireplaces. Popular attractions Lake Windermere and Brockhole - the Lake District Visitor Centre ...
10/10 Exceptional! (175 reviews)
Lovely and clean, amazingly accommodating for dogs! Great recommendations for places to go! A lovely weekend spent thank you!

Reviewed on 22 Feb 2026

A beautiful Cabin on the 5 star White Cross Bay in a quiet area of the park -
Lowest nightly price found within the past 24 hours based on a 1 night stay for 2 adults. Prices and availability subject to change. Additional terms may apply.

Popular places to visit

Things to do

Reviews of Windermere

4.7
Top destination
5 - Excellent
400
5 - Excellent 71%
4 - Good
151
4 - Good 27%
3 - Okay
9
3 - Okay 2%
2 - Disappointing
0
2 - Disappointing 0%
1 - Terrible
3
1 - Terrible 1%

4/5 - Good

Verified traveller

Great location to base from to explore the Lakes

5/5 - Excellent

Verified traveller

Beautiful

4/5 - Good

Verified traveller

Lovely place to visit i can imagine it would be alot better with nicer weather but it didnt spoil our trip just disappointed with the room considering the price we paid

5/5 - Excellent

Verified traveller

Nice and quiet this time of year. Superb place for relaxing and walking the dogs.

4/5 - Good

Verified traveller

It’s a beautiful place

5/5 - Excellent

Verified traveller

Perfect for a weekend break

Cities near Windermere

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