At A Glance
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Accommodation in Market Harborough falls into four types: the historic Three Swans on the High Street, budget chain hotels, village inns with rooms, and countryside self-catering such as The Loft in Clipston.
- The Three Swans is the only full-service hotel on the High Street, with free parking at the rear.
- Travelodge is in the town centre on Abbey Street, and Premier Inn is at East Langton, off the A6.
- Village inns with rooms include The George at Great Oxendon and The Nevill Arms at Medbourne.
- The Loft sleeps up to six in two super king bedrooms, ten minutes from the town, from £150 per night.
Market Harborough is a small market town, so the choice of places to stay is short and very varied. You are choosing between a historic coaching inn, two budget chains, a handful of village inns with rooms and self-catering in the countryside around the town. Which one suits you depends on how many of you are travelling, how long you are staying and what you have come for, and our guide to things to do in Market Harborough is a good place to plan the days around the bed.
We run The Loft, a lake-view stable conversion on the 14 Acres estate in Clipston, ten minutes from the High Street. Every place on this page is open and taking bookings in 2026, and we have described each one fairly, including when a hotel room in town is the better choice. For evenings out, our guide to the best restaurants in Market Harborough covers the town and the village pubs.
Looking for space rather than a room?
The Loft sleeps up to six in Clipston, ten minutes from Market Harborough, with a full kitchen, a lake-view balcony and free parking.
Check availabilityWhere to Stay in Market Harborough: Town Centre, Village or Countryside
The first decision is location. A room in the town centre puts you within a few minutes’ walk of the High Street, Harborough Market, the theatre and the station, which matters if you are arriving by train or want to walk to dinner and back. The trade-off is that town-centre rooms are hotel rooms, and parking in the centre is pay and display unless the hotel has its own.
Staying in a village or in the countryside means a short drive into town, usually ten to fifteen minutes, in exchange for quiet, free parking and more space. Villages such as Great Oxendon, Clipston and Medbourne have inns with rooms and self-catering stays, and they put you closer to Foxton Locks, the Brampton Valley Way and the country houses around the county border. For families and groups, that extra space usually decides it.
Hotels in Market Harborough
1. The Three Swans Hotel, High Street
The Three Swans at 21 High Street is Market Harborough’s historic coaching inn and the best-known hotel in the town. The building is around 500 years old, the hotel says Charles I stayed here, and it has two restaurants and a coffee house on site. Rooms range from singles to suites, including an accessible room, and there is free parking at the rear off Fairfield Road, which is rare for a High Street hotel.
It is also dog friendly, which makes it one of the few central options for travellers with a dog. The Three Swans suits couples, solo travellers and business stays who want to walk to everything. For families who need a living room and a kitchen, or groups who want to be together in the evening, a hotel room is less practical than a house.
2. Travelodge Market Harborough
Travelodge Market Harborough is in the town centre at Edinburgh Court on Abbey Street, a short walk from the High Street and The Square. It offers pet-friendly rooms and a grab-and-go breakfast, with check-in from 3pm and check-out by noon, and it is a straightforward budget base for one or two nights.
The hotel has no car park of its own. Guests use the pay and display car park on Angel Street, which charges £2.50 for four hours or £5 for 24 hours between 7am and 6pm from Monday to Saturday. That works well if you are arriving by train, and it is worth factoring in if you are driving.
3. Premier Inn Market Harborough
Premier Inn Market Harborough is not in the town itself. It sits on Melton Road at East Langton, just off the A6 north of the town, about six minutes’ drive from the station. Parking is free, and the Table Table restaurant next door covers breakfast and dinner, so you do not need to drive in for a meal.
It suits drivers passing through, late bookings and anyone who wants a predictable room with free parking. Because it is outside the town, you will drive or take a taxi for the High Street, and it is not within walking distance of the station.
Insider tip: The Angel Hotel on the High Street closed in 2020 and the building is now student and staff accommodation, so any listing still showing it is out of date. For a central room with parking, the Three Swans is the one to book.
Inns with Rooms Near Market Harborough
4. The George, Great Oxendon
The George at Great Oxendon is a village inn about three miles south of Market Harborough, and about two miles from Clipston. It has four double rooms, each named after a figure from the Battle of Naseby, with breakfast included, and a restaurant with a patio and garden that is open every day.
It is a good choice for a couple who want a pub supper downstairs and quiet lanes outside. The Brampton Valley Way runs close by, so a morning walk is easy, and the town is a short drive away.
5. The Bull’s Head, Arthingworth
The Bull’s Head in Arthingworth, the next village to Clipston and close to junction 2 of the A14, has eight en-suite rooms set around a courtyard and a games room with darts and skittles. It is popular with visitors to the Kelmarsh estate and its events.
It suits groups of friends who want a pub base with separate rooms, and drivers coming off the A14. Market Harborough is around fifteen minutes away.
6. The Nevill Arms, Medbourne
The Nevill Arms sits by the brook in Medbourne, about six miles north-east of Market Harborough. The inn has ten bedrooms, a courtyard with a Josper grill and a riverside terrace, and it was refurbished in 2022 and 2023.
It is a lovely village for a weekend of food and walking in the Welland Valley, with Rockingham Castle and the villages around Hallaton within an easy drive.
Country House Hotel Near Market Harborough
7. Kilworth House Hotel and Theatre
Kilworth House is a four-star country house hotel on a 38-acre Victorian estate at North Kilworth, about nine miles west of Market Harborough. It has fine dining, spa and beauty treatments, ample parking, and it is dog friendly. Its open-air theatre has staged summer productions in the grounds since 2007.
It is the choice for a special occasion or a spa break, and for theatre-goers in the summer season. For a longer stay with children, a self-catering house gives more space for the money.
Holiday Cottages and Self-Catering Near Market Harborough: The Loft
The Loft is our home for guests on the 14 Acres estate in Clipston, a Northamptonshire village ten minutes south of Market Harborough. It is a converted stable with a large dining balcony overlooking our private lake, two super king bedrooms that split into four singles, a sofa bed, and space for up to six guests, with a maximum of five adults. The kitchen is fully equipped for families, and there is a gas barbecue and picnic bench outside.
Inside, there is air conditioning and underfloor heating, 100MB fibre broadband with a work zone, a Smart TV with Netflix and an Xbox, an Amazon Echo for music, and original art on the walls. We leave bean-to-cup coffee, fresh milk, herbal teas and breakfast provisions for your first morning. Parking is free and private, and rates start from £150 per night.
What Is Included At The Loft
- Two super king bedrooms that split into four singles, plus a sofa bed
- Private dining balcony overlooking the lake on the 14 Acres estate
- Fully equipped family kitchen, gas barbecue and picnic bench
- Air conditioning, underfloor heating and 100MB fibre broadband with a work zone
- Smart TV with Netflix, Xbox and an Amazon Echo with music streaming
- Bean-to-cup coffee, fresh milk and breakfast provisions on arrival
- Free private parking, ten minutes from Market Harborough
Booking is flexible. On our flex rate you can change dates up to 30 days before arrival, subject to any difference in rate, or cancel up to 30 days before arrival for a full refund. A 50% deposit secures the booking, and the balance is collected 30 days before check-in. For larger groups, The Loft can be booked with The Barn and The Cottage on the same estate, and our page on group accommodation near Market Harborough explains how the three work together.
A Note from Susan
“The balcony is the heart of The Loft. Most of our guests have breakfast out there watching the geese on the lake, and on cold evenings the underfloor heating makes it a fabulous place to come back to after a walk. I always tell families to stock up at Farndon Fields on the way in, because the kitchen is made for a proper dinner together.”
Susan, Founder of Espais Roca
Market Harborough Accommodation Compared
Rates change with the season and around local events, so the comparison focuses on location, parking and who each place suits. Check live prices on each official website before you book.
Places To Stay In Market Harborough
| Where | Location | Parking | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Three Swans | High Street | Free, at the rear | Couples, dog owners, walk to dinner |
| Travelodge | Abbey Street, town centre | Angel Street pay and display | Budget, train travellers |
| Premier Inn | East Langton, off the A6 | Free | Drivers, late bookings |
| The George | Great Oxendon, 3 miles | Inn car park | Couples, pub suppers |
| The Nevill Arms | Medbourne, 6 miles | Inn car park | Food-led weekends |
| Kilworth House | North Kilworth, 9 miles | Free | Spa breaks, occasions |
| The Loft | Clipston, 10 min drive | Free, private | Families, groups of up to six, longer stays |
Your Countryside Base Near Market Harborough
The Loft, Clipston: lake views, two super king bedrooms and space for six
Book Your Stay at The Loft
Which Market Harborough Accommodation Suits Your Trip?
Two questions settle most bookings: how many nights you are staying and how many of you are travelling. One night for two people points to town, where you can walk to dinner. Two nights or more, or a family or group, and the value of a kitchen, a living room and free parking starts to outweigh a second or third hotel room.
Step 1: Count the nights. For a single night, a central hotel keeps things simple. For a weekend or longer, look at inns and self-catering, where you can settle in and unpack properly.
Step 2: Count the guests. Two people fit well in a hotel room. Four to six people, or two families, will usually find a house better value than several rooms.
Step 3: Decide on transport. Arriving by train, choose the Three Swans or Travelodge in town. Driving, a village or countryside stay gives you free parking and the lanes to yourself.
Step 4: Check the calendar. Race weekends at Silverstone, the fireworks in November and the run-up to Christmas fill the town early, so book those dates well ahead.
Places to Stay Near Market Harborough for Events and Weekends
Many visitors use Market Harborough as a base for something nearby. Silverstone is about forty minutes from The Loft, and our Silverstone Circuit guide covers the grandstands and race weekends. Foxton Locks is fifteen minutes away, and in late November the Canal and River Trust switches on its Christmas illuminations there, which is one of the prettiest winter evenings in the area.
Autumn and winter bring their own reasons to stay. The Harborough Fireworks Spectacular is on Wednesday 4 November 2026, the Farmers Market sets up on The Square on the first Thursday of each month, and the Christmas lights switch-on usually falls on a Saturday in late November. Frosty mornings on the Brampton Valley Way, wildlife on the lake and cosy evenings with the underfloor heating on make a winter weekend at The Loft a very different stay from summer. For the end of December, our guide to New Year breaks near Market Harborough covers New Year’s Eve dinners, New Year’s Day walks and January days out.
“Throughout our stay the communication with Susan was first class. Immediately after booking we received detailed instructions to reach, and access, the property and also of what to expect once we got there. The Loft is situated in a quiet country setting. The Loft was superb, it was spotlessly clean throughout and everything looked new. The kitchen was extremely well equipped, a really nice touch was the Espresso coffee machine. We were able to make tea and coffee on our arrival and provided with breakfast for the next morning. The living and dining areas were very comfortable with modern decor. We used the free wifi and Netflix provided. The bedrooms were spacious, the beds were really comfortable and the bedding was of high quality. Each bedroom had its own ensuite and a wonderful shower. I loved the gadgets in the house especially the touch pads on the walls which operated the temperature, lights and external door. This is easily of the best Airbnbs we have ever stayed at.”
Maureen, via Airbnb
Is Market Harborough Worth Visiting, and What County Is It In?
Market Harborough is in Leicestershire, in the Harborough district, but the River Welland runs through the town and marks the old boundary with Northamptonshire. That is why the town is often described as sitting on the border, and why The Loft, ten minutes south in Clipston, has a Northamptonshire address.
It is worth visiting for a relaxed day or a weekend. The town has an award-winning indoor market open Tuesday to Sunday, the Old Grammar School built on pillars in 1614, independent shops and cafes, and Welland Park, the largest park in the town, with a playground and riverside paths. Foxton Locks is fifteen minutes away and the countryside begins at the edge of town.
Eating and Drinking Around Market Harborough
The High Street and the lanes around The Square hold most of the restaurants, cafes and delis, and Union Wharf has waterside dining beside the canal basin. The Three Swans has two restaurants of its own, and the village inns at Great Oxendon, Arthingworth and Medbourne all serve food, which makes an inn stay an easy weekend without driving after dinner.
If you are self-catering, Harborough Market and Farndon Fields farm shop are the two places to stock up. The farm shop has a butcher, a deli and the Farmer’s Kitchen restaurant, and many of our guests cook dinner at The Loft on at least one night of their stay. Our restaurants guide lists the places worth booking.
Getting to Market Harborough and Parking
Market Harborough is on the A6, with the A14 and the M1 close by, and the fastest East Midlands Railway trains reach London St Pancras in about 57 minutes. The station is a ten-minute walk from the High Street, so the Three Swans and Travelodge both work well without a car.
For countryside stays you will need a car, because the lanes between the villages have no pavements and few buses. The drive from The Loft into town takes about ten minutes, and the main town-centre car parks are St Mary’s Place and The Commons. On market days and Saturdays, arrive before 10am for the easiest spaces.
Photos of The Loft: Luxury Accommodation Near Market Harborough
The Loft sits on the 14 Acres estate in Clipston, with countryside on every side and a private lake beneath the balcony.
Space, a Kitchen and a Lake View
The Loft is ten minutes from Market Harborough, with two super king bedrooms that split into singles, a private balcony over the lake, free parking and room for up to six. Book direct for the best rate.
Check Dates at The LoftAccommodation in Market Harborough: Frequently Asked Questions
Where Should I Stay In Market Harborough?
What Are The Best Hotels In Market Harborough?
Is The Angel Hotel In Market Harborough Still Open?
Does Travelodge Market Harborough Have Parking?
Is There Dog Friendly Accommodation In Market Harborough?
Are There Holiday Cottages Near Market Harborough?
What County Is Market Harborough In?
How Far Is The Loft From Market Harborough?
Town and canal photographs via Wikimedia Commons: Neil Theasby, CC BY-SA 2.0; Ian Rob, CC BY-SA 2.0; Colin Park, CC BY-SA 2.0; Mick from Northamptonshire, CC BY 2.0.