King Richard III and Medieval Leicester
Walk into Leicester Cathedral on Peacock Lane and you stand where a king spent his final nights before marching to his death at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. Richard III lies buried here under a simple stone slab—a man lost to history for more than five centuries, then discovered in 2012 beneath the foundations of the lost Greyfriars chapel and brought home to his city in 2015. The cathedral itself, substantially rebuilt in the 1860s, holds the ceremonial pall that covered his coffin during the reburial.
Next door, the King Richard III Visitor Centre walks you through the evidence: his life and times, his death in battle, the genetic identification that confirmed his remains, and the original burial site now visible through a glass floor. Across the lane stands the Guildhall Museum, a timber-framed hall built around 1390 that served as town hall, performance venue, and jail. Its Medieval Leicester Galleries show how the city lived in the centuries when it was a royal stronghold and meeting place of parliaments.
- Leicester Cathedral: adult £5
- King Richard III Visitor Centre: adult £12.50, child £6.25
- Guildhall Museum: free admission
- St Mary de Castro Church nearby shows the chapel of the former castle, with parts dating to 1107
Roman and Early Saxon History in Stone
The Jewry Wall Museum holds the physical remains of Roman Leicester—Ratae Corieltauvorum—a stretch of masonry that was part of a temple and bathhouse dating to the 2nd century. The museum display traces the city from its Iron Age oppidum days through the Roman conquest around AD 47, when it developed as the tribal capital of the Corieltauvians. Walk to St Nicholas Church nearby, built in the 9th century directly over a Roman shrine to Janus; the church was extensively restored in Victorian times and remains in use today.
- Jewry Wall Museum: adult £12.50, child £6.25
- St Nicholas Church: open Saturday 2–4pm, Sunday 6–8pm
Museums, Art and the Steam Age
The Leicester Museum and Art Gallery on New Walk surveys the area's story from prehistory onwards—a traditional museum walk through time. New Walk itself, laid out in 1785, is a tree-lined passage that may follow the line of a Roman road and runs from the city centre to Victoria Park, making for a pleasant stroll with the museum as your destination.
For something entirely different, the National Space Centre 2 km north of the city centre displays rockets, space technology and models of the near solar system. Just 100 yards away, Abbey Pumping Station houses four working steam-powered beam engines in their original location—a glimpse of Victorian engineering still in motion. The National Gas Museum, housed in the gatehouse of the former gas works, traces the history of gas usage and the appliances it powered.
- Leicester Museum and Art Gallery: daily 11am–4:30pm; free admission
- National Space Centre: adult £22, child or concession £20
- Abbey Pumping Station: free admission, open school holiday Mondays
- National Gas Museum: Tuesday–Wednesday 10am–3pm
Outside the City: Ruins and Battlefields
Bradgate House in Newtown Linford, 6 miles from the city centre, stands as a ruin from 1520—believed to be the birthplace of Lady Jane Grey, the nine-day queen executed at seventeen. The house was abandoned in the 18th century, and Bradgate Park surrounds it with rolling grounds and Old John, a hilltop folly built in 1784 in the shape of a beer tankard.
Four miles west of the city, Kirby Muxloe Castle is a moated fortified manor house begun in 1480 by Lord Hastings but never completed—a structure frozen in time when Richard of Gloucester seized the throne and began eliminating his rival's supporters. You can walk around the moat free of charge.
Fifteen miles west lies Bosworth Battlefield, where Richard III spent his final hours before the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485. The museum on Ambion Hill explores the battle; the site itself is now believed to lie a couple of miles further south beneath modern farmland. A re-enactment takes place near the anniversary on 22 August.
- Bradgate House: Wednesday–Sunday 11am–4pm
- Kirby Muxloe Castle: moat walk free; castle access by group tour only
- Bosworth Battlefield: daily 10am–4pm; adult £10, child £7
Parks, Waterways and Sport
Abbey Park, open in daylight hours between the river and the canal, contains the remains of the 12th-century Leicester Abbey, formal gardens, a sensory garden, boating lakes, a miniature railway, children's play area with paddling pool, and a pets corner. The River Soar runs south to north through the city; walking north through Abbey Park leads to Watermead Park and beyond towards Birstall.
Leicester Tigers play rugby union in the top tier (Premiership) at Welford Road Stadium. Leicester City FC, "the Foxes," play at King Power Stadium a mile south of the city centre. Leicestershire County Cricket Club plays at Grace Road; they were promoted in 2025 and now compete in Division One of the County Championship, with matches lasting 3–4 days. Leicester Riders compete in basketball's top tier (SLB) at Mattioli Arena. The Leicester Rowing Club holds its annual regatta in April and May.
In August, the Caribbean Carnival and the free "For the Love of Jazz" festival in Jubilee Square bring music and celebration to the streets.
Getting There and When to Visit
Leicester sits on the Midland Main Line and is served by direct trains from London, Birmingham and other East Midlands cities. It lies at the intersection of the M1 and M69 motorways, making it accessible by car from across the region. The city has no single "season"—visit in spring for the rowing regatta, summer for the parks and outdoor music festivals, or any time to explore the medieval heart and museums. August brings Caribbean Carnival and jazz festivals. Most museums and attractions open daily or on weekends year-round.
Leicester rewards the visitor who takes time to follow the threads of its long story: from Roman temple stones to a medieval king's tomb, from Victorian industry to modern sport. Start with Richard III, walk the medieval streets, explore the museums on New Walk, and let the River Soar guide you into the parks and beyond. The city reveals itself to those who linger.