Nottingham
Introduction
Nottingham is a city in Nottinghamshire in the East Midlands of England, sitting between Sheffield to the north-west and Birmingham to the south-west. It is the county town of Nottinghamshire and was granted its city charter in 1897 as part of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee celebrations. The city is historically associated with the lace-making, bicycle and tobacco industries, and it is a UNESCO City of Literature. For many visitors, Nottingham is inseparable from the legend of Robin Hood and his belligerent adversary, the Sheriff of Nottingham.Before you go
Nottingham sits in the East Midlands, with Leicester and Derby as its nearest major neighbours. Its wealth once came from lace making and coal mining, though little of that remains, and the city now runs on a service-based economy. The centre lies on the River Leen, and the southern edge of the city follows the River Trent. At the heart of things is the Old Market Square, redeveloped in the mid-2000s, with most of the main shopping streets clustered around it and the domed Council House at the top end, housing the Exchange Arcade shopping centre. Close to the Lace Market you'll find Hockley, the city's bohemian quarter. Much of the tourism here traces back to the legend of Robin Hood, along with Sherwood Forest and Nottingham Castle. The climate is temperate maritime: mild summers, cool winters and steady, moderate rain throughout the year, so pack layers and something waterproof whatever the season. On safety, Nottingham is overall a safe city, but the media has focused on gun and knife crime in the suburbs, earning it the half-joking nickname "Shottingham". It's best to avoid walking late at night through St Ann's, the council estate northeast of the Victoria shopping centre, and The Meadows, which lies between the railway station and the river. Otherwise, take the normal precautions you would in any large western European city after dark, particularly if you're a woman on your own.Getting there
East Midlands Airport (EMA) is the closest airport, about 12 miles south-west of the city, with flights to many mostly tourist destinations in Europe. The Skylink Express bus runs to the city centre every 30 minutes during the day, taking around 35 minutes depending on traffic, while the slower Skylink Nottingham bus runs hourly through the night and takes 50 minutes to an hour. Birmingham Airport (BHX) is further out and serves major European and many international destinations; reach it by train, changing at Birmingham New Street.
Nottingham railway station sits on the main line out of London St Pancras, with the cheapest tickets available from East Midlands Railway, bookable online before you travel. Regular connections also run to Manchester Piccadilly, Birmingham, Derby, Leicester, Crewe, Sheffield and Leeds, though trains from London to Sheffield do not stop at Nottingham. Turn right out of the station for an easy 10-minute walk to the city centre, or pick up the tram stop directly above the station, served by both tram lines. By car, approach from the south via the M1 at junction 24 or 25, and from the north via junction 25 or 26; nine Park and Ride sites around the city connect to the centre by tram or bus. Two sizeable bus stations, Broadmarsh and Victoria, sit near the main shopping centres, with National Express offering cheap advance tickets on a Nottingham-London route and Megabus also serving the city.
Getting around
Nottingham's compact centre is best explored on foot, since many of its historic streets are pedestrianised or have good pedestrian access, and the railway station is only a short walk from the middle of town. For longer journeys, the city has extensive public transport: buses, trains and trams. The tram network, Nottingham Express Transit (NET), runs two branches that share tracks through the centre before diverging to serve Hucknall, Phoenix Park, Toton Lane and Clifton South, with Park and Ride sites along the way and a stop directly above the railway station. Buy your ticket from the platform machines or the NETGo! app before boarding, or you risk a penalty fare; a short hop fare covers one-way journeys within the city centre, and day tickets and discounts for young people and students are available.
Buses are operated mainly by Nottingham City Transport and trentbarton, departing from Broadmarsh and Victoria bus stations as well as central termini such as Old Market Square, Parliament Street and Carrington Street. Most NCT buses do not give change, while trentbarton buses do. For travel across operators, the kangaroo day ticket covers all public transport in greater Nottingham, and the Robin Hood day ticket covers buses, trams and local trains in the Nottingham area; a Robin Hood prepaid card, sold from ticket machines around the centre, gives discounted fares. Trains from Nottingham station connect to destinations including London St Pancras, Norwich, Liverpool, Derby, Leicester, Lincoln, Birmingham and Cardiff. Dark green London-style Hackney Carriages can be hailed on the street, with ranks at the station, Wheeler Gate, the Victoria Centre, Broadmarsh bus station and The Corner House. Traffic-free cycle routes, including sections of the National Cycle Network, pass the University of Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre and local canal and river towpaths.
Where to stay
For budget stays, hostels cluster within walking distance of the centre. The Igloo Hostel is a five-minute walk from the middle of town, with clean bathrooms, hot water in all of them, a fully equipped kitchen, free tea and coffee all day, free wifi, and a friendly common room with a TV, DVDs, books and board games; downstairs there's a games room with a pool table and foosball. Midtown Hostel on Thurland Street is a minute from the main square, with hot showers, free internet, a decent kitchen, free tea and coffee, and reasonably comfortable beds, though some squeak and noisy parties have been reported. The Britannia Hotel on St James's Street is another option.
Mid-range choices are mostly central. The Crowne Plaza on Wollaton Street has non-smoking rooms with work desks, TVs and complimentary broadband, some adapted for easier access, and serves full or continental breakfasts. The Leonardo Hotel at Waterfront Plaza on Station Street is well equipped with TV, hair-dryer, coffee/tea and biscuits and internet access, with shops and restaurants close by. The Premier Inn Nottingham City Centre on Chapel Bar puts you in the middle of the city centre, and the St James Hotel on St James Street keeps its period elegance in the heart of the city. The Park Plaza on Maid Marian Way is a comfortable city-centre hotel, while SACO Apartments on The Ropewalk suit longer stays and sit within easy reach of the Queen's Medical Hospital and the University of Nottingham. The Holiday Inn on Castle Bridge Road occupies a peaceful marina location.
At the top end, Hart's Hotel sits on Standard Hill off Park Row, and Eastwood Hall out at Eastwood is a hotel and event venue with bedrooms and meeting rooms, all connected to wifi. The Village Nottingham at Chilwell offers a health club, restaurants, a pub, a cafe and a hair salon, and Langar Hall is an upscale country hotel in a Georgian mansion with fine dining, southeast of the city. If you'd rather camp, Thorntons Holt at Stragglethorpe and Shelford Nurseries at Radcliffe on Trent are in the surrounding area.
Food & drink
For a budget meal and a drink, the city has the usual chain restaurants and bars found across the UK, with Wetherspoon pubs always worth trying, plus budget restaurants along Mansfield Road not far from the Victoria Shopping Centre. Next to the Cornerhouse there's a pedestrianised street packed with eateries of varying quality, from Pizza Hut and Subway to Punchinellos, a brasserie with an excellent pre-theatre menu, and takeaways across the city cater for many different tastes. Cheap options include Tuckers on Friar Lane, Roosters Piri Piri on Angel Row, Moulin Rouge on Trinity Square, Chopstix in the Victoria Centre, Hungry Pumpkin on High Pavement, Bunk on Stoney Street, Hockley Kitchen on Carlton Street and GB Cafe and Restaurant on Gedling Street.
For mid-range eating, the Lace Market's Kean's Head is a small pub serving simple but tasty food, from sandwiches to traditional English pub fare to more Italian-influenced dishes, with a good beer selection to match. British options also include George's Great British Kitchen on Queen Street, Cosy Club on Victoria Street and the Corinthian Restaurant on Goldsmith Street. International choices range from French Living on King Street to Las Iguanas in Chapel Quarter, described as a wonderful Brazilian restaurant, and Wagamama at the Cornerhouse for affordable Japanese-style ramen and noodle or rice dishes. Annie's Burger Shack, in The Navigation, is an eating institution to locals, doubling as a spot for high-quality burgers and real ale with canal-side seating. For a splurge, Hart's Restaurant on Park Row, owned by Tim Hart of Hambleton Hall fame, offers lunch-for-less and fixed-price evening menus, while World Service in Newdigate House follows a similar formula and regularly tops local restaurant-of-the-year awards.
What to see and do
Nottingham rewards you whether you stay close to the city centre or head out into the surrounding county. Start at Nottingham Castle, which despite the name is a small stately home rather than a medieval fortress, with only the gatehouse surviving from the original building; its grounds take in a children's play area and wide views over the region, while inside you'll find a museum with various exhibitions, including the country's first municipal art gallery, plus interactive exhibits and games added when it reopened after refurbishment in 2021. You can book a tour of the caves beneath the castle for an extra fee. Just outside the castle walls stands a statue of Robin Hood, and on Castle Road you'll find Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem Inn, one of several pubs claiming the title of oldest in Britain and built into the sandstone caves under the castle, at Brewhouse Yard, where the Museum of Nottingham Life traces the city's social change over three centuries. The City of Caves attraction, reached from Garner's Hill, leads you through a sandstone cave network once used as a tannery, pub cellars and air raid shelters. The National Justice Museum at Shire Hall offers a guided tour of roughly an hour to ninety minutes, so book a time slot, and combined tickets are available with the City of Caves. Nottingham Contemporary puts on major contemporary art exhibitions with education programmes for all ages, and the Council House, a neo-Baroque building in Old Market Square, runs free pre-booked tours. Further out, Wollaton Hall is an Elizabethan mansion set in a large deer park, housing the city's Natural History Museum, with the Industrial Museum in an outbuilding and its collection of machinery, cycles, motorcycles and cars. Green's Windmill in Sneinton preserves the working machinery of the mill where the self-taught mathematician George Green laboured, alongside an exhibit on his contributions to science. The Haunted Museum near the train station blends witchcraft, haunted objects and pop-culture horror. Beyond the city, Newstead Abbey was the home of the poet Lord Byron, who is buried in Hucknall Church, a short walk from the Hucknall tram stop. Sherwood Forest Country Park holds the Major Oak, said to be the hideout of Robin Hood and his band of outlaws, while Clumber Park offers parkland and woods good for walking and cycling, and Sherwood Pines has woodland walking. The Great Central Railway at Ruddington runs journeys on historic steam and diesel locomotives, Papplewick Pumping Station shows off its richly decorated twin beam engines, and the Framework Knitters' Museum in Ruddington covers technology transitional between cottage industry and the great Victorian mill halls. For an evening, the Victorian Theatre Royal is the city's main touring house for musicals, opera, ballet, drama and pantomime, and it forms part of the Royal Centre alongside the Royal Concert Hall. The Playhouse, a striking modern theatre, has a resident company of national and international reputation, with the Sky Mirror sculpture by Anish Kapoor outside. Smaller venues include the Lace Market Theatre, the Nottingham Arts Theatre and the Djanogly Theatre at the Lakeside Arts Centre in University Park. For films, Broadway mixes independent, foreign-language and mainstream releases across four screens with cafes and bars.When to go
Nottingham has a temperate maritime climate, which means mild summers, cool winters and steady, moderate rainfall spread across the year. If you visit in summer, you can expect mild temperatures and long daylight, but rain remains possible, so plan for some wet days even in this season.
Winters are cool and damp rather than snowy. Expect grey, wet conditions and pack for rain and chill; deep snow is not typical here. Whenever you come, a waterproof layer is worth carrying, since rainfall is moderate but persistent throughout the year.
Festivals & events
Nottingham's event calendar peaks in the summer months. Nottingham Pride takes place in July, while the Riverside Festival follows in August.
Three days in Nottingham
Day one: Start in the city centre at Old Market Square, where the Council House and the Exchange Arcade give the square its character. From there, walk to the Lace Market and Hockley, the neighbourhoods that carry Nottingham's textile past in their streets and buildings. Close by, Nottingham Castle sits above the city, and the stories of Robin Hood and the Sheriff belong to this landscape.
Day two: Give the day to Sherwood Forest and the Robin Hood connection that runs through Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. Back in the city, the River Leen and the River Trent shape the edges of Nottingham, and the neighbourhoods of St Ann, Victoria and The Meadows sit within reach. In the evening, return to the centre, where Old Market Square and the Lace Market are lively after dark.
Day three: Look at Nottingham as a UNESCO City of Literature, with its literary life woven into the city and the wider East Midlands. The city sits in the East Midlands, within easy reach of Sheffield, Birmingham, Leicester and Derby, and East Midlands Airport connects it to Europe. Use the day to move between the centre and the neighbourhoods, taking in the character of Hockley and the Lace Market before you leave.