Norwich travel guide

Norwich, United Kingdom

By the Travel Wiki editorial team

Norwich

Introduction

Norwich is a cathedral city in Norfolk, England, and serves as the county town of Norfolk. It lies by the River Wensum, roughly 100 miles north-east of London, 40 miles north of Ipswich and 65 miles east of Peterborough.

Before you go

Norwich is a liberal, cosmopolitan city with a constantly changing student population, a strong professional base and a vibrant cultural scene, so don't let the tired Norfolk stereotypes put you off. It became a university city in the 1960s with the founding of the University of East Anglia, and the universities have brought a steady influx of young residents, many of whom stay on. The city is also historically important, with a significant heritage of medieval buildings including the famous cathedral and the castle at its very centre, plus a smaller Roman Catholic cathedral, St John the Baptist. You can start at the modern Chantry Place shopping centre with its big household-name brands and be among medieval buildings on cobbled streets within a few minutes' walk.

Before you arrive, it helps to know that Norwich is generally safe, but take care in the city centre at night: use common sense, avoid back streets and stay in groups. Anglia Square, Eaton Park and Cathedral Close are best avoided after dark, though there is little reason to be there at night anyway. Prince of Wales Road, the main nightlife area, and the adjacent Tombland get extremely busy with drunk people on Friday and Saturday nights, and random assaults there are not unheard of. An "SOS Bus" runs on a charitable basis from a yellow bus at the bottom of Prince of Wales Road, across the bridge from the railway station, as a support point late on Friday and Saturday nights. The local force is Norfolk Constabulary, with the central police station on Bethel Street next to the City Hall clock tower opposite the market; call 999 in an emergency or 101 for non-emergencies, though expect to wait. Homelessness and begging are a common sight, but the homeless will generally leave you alone and give up if you make clear you will not hand over money.

Getting there

Norwich is a fairly isolated city, and even journeys from nearby places such as Cambridge, Ipswich and King's Lynn take around an hour by car. There are no motorways nearby, though Norwich is signposted from the M11 northbound at Junction 9; from London and the M25, take the M11 to Junction 9 for the A11, follow it until it merges with the A14, then exit for the A11. Other major routes include the A14 from Ipswich via Diss, the A140 from Cromer and the A47 from Great Yarmouth, as well as the A1067 from Fakenham, the A149 from Stalham via Wroxham, the B1108 from Watton, the B1149 from Holt and the B1332 from Halesworth via Bungay. Several surface and multi-storey car parks, run by private companies and Norwich City Council, are signposted in the city centre, and Park and Ride sites on the edge of town have buses into the centre; parking is free but bus fares apply.

Norwich railway station is the city's only station, a short walk from both Carrow Road stadium and the Castle Quarter. Most trains start in London or the East of England, with direct services from London Liverpool Street, London Stratford, Stansted Airport, Chelmsford, Colchester, Manningtree, Ipswich, Lowestoft, Cambridge and Ely, and you can board trains for Norwich from Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield and Nottingham. Within Norfolk, the Bittern Line links Sheringham, West Runton, Cromer and Roughton Road along the coast, while the Wherry Lines serve stations in and around the Broads, including Hoveton and Wroxham, Acle, Reedham and Great Yarmouth; there are no direct trains from King's Lynn or Downham Market, so expect a change, usually at Ely. Norwich bus station, off Surrey Street and Queens Road near Chantry Place, is served by longer-distance routes including Coastlink services from Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth, Sanders buses from Cromer, Sheringham and Holt, excel services from Peterborough, King's Lynn and Dereham, and National Express coaches from London Victoria, Heathrow and Stansted. Norwich International Airport is a minor regional airport with worldwide connections via Aberdeen or Amsterdam, and buses link it to the city centre in under half an hour. By boat, Norwich Yacht Station on Riverside Road offers mooring a short walk from the centre and the station, and National Cycle Route 1 and the Marriott's Way path connect the city by bicycle, while the Boudicca Way long-distance footpath runs south to Diss.

Getting around

Norwich city centre is compact and best explored on foot, with the medieval lanes, cobbled streets and the winding River Wensum all rewarding a walking approach. The railway station is a short walk from the Castle Quarter, and the bus station sits near Chantry Place. Cycling is an option too: many major streets have separate bike lanes and there are cycle tracks along the two rivers, though be aware that some mapped lanes are little more than a narrow strip painted in the gutter, or an arrow suggesting you share a pavement with pedestrians. National Cycle Route 1 runs through the city, heading north to the North Norfolk Coast and south towards Beccles and Ipswich.

City buses are mostly operated by First Norfolk and Suffolk and are handy for the train station, the Riverside entertainment district, the university and the airport, though point-to-point journeys may involve changing in the city centre, where stops are spread out along a stretch of crowded pavement. Ignore the coloured "lines" and note the route number on the front instead. Buy tickets from the driver by contactless payment (Visa and Mastercard only), or via the First app or ticket machines at stops; return and day passes are also available. Timetables are strictly advisory, so for anything time-critical take a taxi. Metered black cabs are fairly cheap by British standards, with ranks on Guildhall Hill and outside the rail station, while telephone-booked minicabs such as Veezu, Courtesy Cars and Enterprise Private Hire are cheaper for longer trips; all book up solid at peak times. Driving within the city is rarely the best option, as much of the centre is pedestrianised or closed to private cars and the ring roads clog badly at rush hour and weekends. Park and Ride sites on the edge of the city offer free parking with bus fares into the centre.

Where to stay

Norwich has four main hotel chains in the city: Premier Inn, Travelodge, Holiday Inn and Mercure. The Maids Head Hotel on Tombland is a bit old-fashioned and out of date, but it occupies a very pretty building and suits tourists who want a bit of old England; Queen Elizabeth I is supposed to have slept in its Elizabethan suite. The Premier Inn Norwich Nelson City Centre sits by the railway station and is very convenient, though it can be noisy at night as it faces the Riverside entertainment complex. The Holiday Inn South Norwich has well-appointed rooms and a bar stocked with numerous local beers alongside continental brews, while its restaurant is rather expensive and breakfast is questionable. The Holiday Inn North Norwich is convenient for the airport and the Broads, and the Mercure Norwich, between the airport and the city centre, has an indoor pool, an air-conditioned gym and a Finnish sauna. The Travelodge Norwich Central Hotel is directly next to the main bus station.

For something smaller, 38 St Giles is an upscale B&B in a Georgian townhouse, and the Assembly House is a grand Georgian place often used for weddings, with rooms in the St Mary's House extension. The Abbey Guest House near the station is charming, very clean and in a quieter area within walking distance of town. Outside the city, Dunston Hall to the south and Sprowston Manor to the north have lots of facilities including spas and pools, and are the best place to stay around Norwich if you don't need to be in the city centre. Further out, Dial House in Reepham village has off-beat decor that is largely for sale, and Norfolk Mead in Coltishall is a relaxing hotel in a riverside Georgian house with great dining. You can also camp at the Camping and Caravanning Club Norwich on Martineau Lane, where the camping field is surrounded by river on two sides and the site is around half an hour's walk from the railway station.

Food & drink

Norwich has a wide spread of small, independent restaurants alongside the familiar chains, and two clusters are worth knowing. The Norwich Lanes, the loosely defined area around and including St Benedicts Street, holds many of the best, and the old Triangle between Colman Road, Newmarket Road and Earlham Road has its own concentration. For a cheap and varied meal, head to the stalls at Norwich Market, where Churros For The People and Fresh are among the options. Elsewhere in the budget range you'll find Grosvenor Fish Bar on Lower Goat Lane for fish and chips, the vegetarian Greenhouse Trust cafe and shop on Bethel Street, the vegan Loving Hut on Cattle Market Street, and The Waffle House on St Giles Street, a daytime and late-opening place for sweet and savoury Belgian waffles with good coffee.

Mid-range eating runs across several cuisines. For Asian food, try Thai Kitti on Opie Street, the well-regarded Japanese restaurant Shiki on Tombland, or Blue Joanna on Unthank Road for Asian-style street food and cocktails, with live music later in the evening. Indian choices include Namaste Village on Queens Road, which is vegan and vegetarian, and The Bengal Spice on St Benedicts Street. For North African and Middle Eastern food, Workshop on Earlham Road serves mezze in a quirky setting that also sells plants and furniture, while Haggle is on St Benedicts Street. Italian options include Benoli on Orford Street, Paolo's in an art deco building on St Giles Street, and Italia Nostra. The Belgian Monk on Pottergate is known for mussels and a range of beers, including a cherry beer worth trying. Pubs are a big part of eating out here, especially in the Golden Triangle west of the centre: The Unthank Arms is a well-established gastropub, The Black Horse on Earlham Road serves roasts on Sundays, and The Marsh Harrier on Ipswich Road does a generously sized fish dish. For a splurge, Benedict's on St Benedicts Street is a fine-dining restaurant with a constantly changing menu. On the drinks side, the local ale of choice is Woodforde's Wherry, and Adnams Bitter and Broadside from Southwold are also common; real ale fans should seek out the Fat Cat, The Coach & Horses and the historic Adam & Eve, and a major CAMRA beer festival is held each year at St Andrews Hall, though it gets extremely crowded.

What to see and do

Start at the Norman cathedral, a 900-year-old building whose south aisle wall carries the grinning skeleton known as 'old As I Am'; the surrounding Close is very quiet and holds statues of Nelson and Wellington. Norwich Castle dominates the city centre: commissioned by William the Conqueror and completed by his son Henry, it has served as a royal palace and later a prison before becoming a museum and art gallery, and its keep has been restored to recreate the Great Hall and royal apartments, with access to the battlements and fine views over the city. The museum's galleries cover local and natural history, and its art gallery displays paintings from the Norwich School of artists alongside visiting exhibitions. Elsewhere, seek out Dragon Hall, a restored medieval trading hall unique in England with guided tours once or twice a month, and the many fine medieval churches including St John Maddermarket, St Peter Mancroft by the Forum and St Stephens, all usually open. The Forum is a landmark building opened in 2001, architecturally dynamic, housing a public library, an arts and information centre and a cafe bar, with regularly changing events and exhibitions. Further out, the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts on the University of East Anglia campus, designed by Norman Foster, holds a permanent exhibition of the Sainsbury family's pottery, glass and sculpture collection, and is worth at least half a day. Also of note are Cow Tower, a fortified gun tower whose interior is not open to the public; the Great Hospital, an almshouse open only on a monthly tour that must be booked in advance; the Catholic Cathedral of St John the Baptist, with tower tours on Saturdays from early May to late September; the secluded Plantation Gardens, created from a disused chalk quarry; and the City of Norwich Aviation Museum, with its collection of military and civil aircraft.

For events, the Norfolk and Norwich Festival is held in May in the city and beyond, and the Norwich & Norfolk CAMRA Beer Festival takes place every October at The Halls, a former friary complex that also hosts concerts and antiques markets. Norwich City FC, "The Canaries", play at Carrow Road half a mile south of the railway station, while Norfolk CCC usually play cricket at Manor Park Horsford at the north edge of the city. Marriott's Way is a long hiking and cycling path along a former railway trackbed, heading upriver through Drayton, Attlebridge, Lenwade, Whitwell and Themelthorpe before turning east to Aylsham. The city has several theatres: Norwich Theatre Royal, Norwich Playhouse, the Maddermarket Theatre and the Norwich Puppet Theatre. Among the parks, Eaton Park lies west of the city, Catton Park to the north, Waterloo Park north of the centre, and Chapelfield Gardens sits in the very centre roughly adjacent to the Royal Theatre, with a hut selling refreshments and a wood-fired burger restaurant. You can also take PADI and SSI scuba courses and dive trips, swim or climb at the SportsPark on the university campus, or play golf at Eaton Golf Club.

When to go

Norwich has a temperate maritime climate, so you won't face extreme temperatures at any time of year, and rain is spread fairly evenly across the seasons. Its East Anglian position means winter can bring occasional snow or sleet showers on a northerly or easterly wind, and frosts are a regular feature of the season, so expect cold, crisp mornings if you visit in winter.

Summer is when the warmest days occur, though sunshine isn't guaranteed: sea fog or haar can drift in during the summer half of the year. Whenever you come, plan for changeable conditions rather than settled weather.

Three days in Norwich

Day one begins in Norwich itself, getting your bearings in a city that rewards walking. Start around Chantry Place and Anglia Square to see the everyday face of the centre, then head for the Cathedral Close, one of the most complete and peaceful enclosures of its kind in England. From there, wander down to Tombland, the old heart of the city beside the River Wensum, and follow the river for a while to take in the water and the bridges. If you are arriving from London, Ipswich, Peterborough, Cambridge, King's Lynn, Diss, Cromer or Great Yarmouth, the city is easy to reach and makes a natural base for exploring Norfolk.

Day two takes you out to Eaton Park, a fine example of a traditional public park where you can spend a relaxed morning walking the paths and watching the city at leisure. In the afternoon, return to the centre and look at the civic side of Norwich: City Hall and Bethel Street give you a feel for the city's institutions, and you may notice the work of the Norfolk Constabulary and the SOS Bus, a service for those out at night. The University of East Anglia lies within reach, and the city's religious life is visible in places such as St John the Baptist and the Roman Catholic presence in the area. Friday and Saturday evenings bring the centre to life, so plan to be out in Tombland or around the market streets then.

Day three is for looking outward across Norfolk. Use Norwich as your starting point and take a day trip to Cromer or Great Yarmouth on the coast, or head inland to Diss or King's Lynn, all reachable from the city. If you prefer to stay close, spend the day around the River Wensum and Tombland, revisiting the Cathedral Close at a slower pace. Before you leave, take one more walk through the centre and note how the old and new sit side by side, from the medieval streets to the shopping districts. The weather in this part of England is changeable, so carry a layer and expect a shower or two whatever the season.

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