Cheltenham is located on the edge of the Cotswolds and has an image of being respectable and wealthy. The small River Chelt flows under and through the town and is subject to regular floods.

Cheltenham is the home of the flagship race of British steeple chase horse racing. The town hosts several festivals of culture.

The town was awarded a market charter in 1226, though little remains of its pre-spa history.

Cheltenham has been a health and holiday spa town resort since the discovery of mineral springs there in 1716. The spa waters continue to be taken recreationally at Pittville Pump Room, built for this purpose and completed in 1830.Cheltenham's success as a spa town is reflected in the railway station, which is still called Cheltenham Spa, and spa facilities in other towns which were inspired by or named after it.

Horse racing began in Cheltenham in 1815, and first became a major national attraction after the establishment of the Festival in 1902. Whilst the volume of tourists visiting the spa has declined, the racecourse now attracts tens of thousands of visitors to each day of the festival each year, with such large numbers of visitors having a significant impact on a town the size of Cheltenham.

The town is famous for its Regency architecture and is said to be "the most complete regency town in England".

On 1 April1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, the borough of Cheltenham was merged with Charlton Kingsurban district to form the modern non-metropolitan district of Cheltenham. Four parishes — Swindon Village, Up Hatherley, Leckhampton and Prestbury— were added to the borough of Cheltenham from the borough of Tewkesbury in 1991.

Festivals

Every year, Cheltenham Festivals organises music, jazz, folk, literary, and science festivals in the town. Events take place at venues including the Town Hall, the Everyman Theatre, The Playhouse Theatre and the Pittville Pump Room.