Destination - Norwich

Frequently asked questions

Where is Norwich in England?

Riverside Norwich is the county town of Norfolk, 110 miles north-east of London, 160 miles east of Birmingham and 63 miles east of Cambridge. There are regular Inter City trains from London Liverpool Street to Norwich. Norwich has an international airport with flights including from Amsterdam Schiphol.

As UNESCO’s first English City of Literature, Norwich is nicknamed The City of Stories. Visit and create your own!

Norwich is the only city in an English National Park, the Broads, which are the only man-made National Park.

Why do people visit Norwich?

Richard the Lionheart gave Norwich a Royal Charter to become a city in 1194 because of its bustling market, expanding textile trade and strong agricultural roots.

From Norman times to the 19th century Norwich was the second most important city in the UK after London. Then the Industrial Revolution came and bypassed the city – no fast-running water. Serendipitously, this meant Norwich’s medieval core was left intact while those who benefited from the new manufacturing processes dramatically changed themselves, possibly not for the best.

Norwich is now the best-preserved medieval city in the UK, with Europe’s oldest permanent covered market – it has cheerful rainbow-coloured roofs and is open 6 days a week - and stunning Norman castle and cathedral. Norwich has more than 1500 historic buildings within the city walls, with more medieval churches than any other city in northern Europe, and Elm Hill is a complete historical cobbled street with stunning examples of Tudor buildings and wealthy merchants’ houses.

In medieval times Norwich was the largest city after London and in the Middle Ages boasted a church for every Sunday and a pub for every day. In fact, in 1870, Norwich had a recorded high of 670 licensed premises.

It was 19th century writer George Borrow who named Norwich ‘a fine city’ – you’ll see it mentioned on the name signs as you enter – and another writer, JB Priestley, said of the city, ‘What a grand, higgledy-piggledy, sensible old place Norwich is!’

Norwich is the perfect location for a short break or long weekend, with historical and cultural interests, great shopping, and superb theatre and arts.

What is Norwich famous for?

The imposing castle, nicknamed ‘The Box on the Hill’, and magnificent cathedral, built by the Norman Conquerors around the same time in the 11th and 12th centuries. The cathedral is one of the finest examples of Romanesque architecture in Europe. You can’t miss it – it boasts the second tallest spire in the country, as well as the largest medieval cloisters in England.

The castle keep has been reimagined as Royal Palace Reborn and boasts a unique partnership with the British Museum. With over 1 million exhibits, the Castle is Norwich’s version of The Smithsonian, an eclectic mix of fine art, archaeology (look out for the mummified cat), natural history (including tigers and a giant polar bear) and history of Norfolk including the Vikings, Romans and Boudicca.

Is Norwich a walkable city?

Norwich is a very walkable city. Be a flaneur and take a bimble around Norwich. Take in the vista from Millennium Plain… the 15th century Guildhall, hangar-like, glass-fronted Forum (home to the city’s library), St Peter Mancroft Church (the largest church in Norwich which provoked John Wesley, founder of the Methodists, to say, ‘I scarcely ever remember to have seen a more beautiful parish church’), and City Hall, an award-winning Art Deco civic centre opened in 1938 to resemble the city hall in Stockholm, Sweden and built to replace the flint 15th century Guildhall, across the road, which itself remains England’s largest and most elaborate provincial medieval city hall. Marvel at its ‘knapped’ flint and stone chequerwork. Any direction will provide great sights… and always keep your head up.

From Gentleman’s Walk go through the Royal Arcade, Norwich’s delightful Art Nouveau confections constructed in 1899 style by George Skipper. According to Sir John Betjeman, Skipper ‘was to Norwich what Gaudi was to Barcelona’. Turn left for London Street, the first shopping street in the UK to be pedestrianised in 1967.

There’s a lovely walk by the river Wensum which takes in the Adam and Eve, the oldest pub in Norwich which served masons building Norwich Cathedral, and Pull’s Ferry, a 17th century flint house on the river Wensum, which is named after the last ferryman to work this stretch of the river. It was here that stone from Caen was brought ashore by the Normans to build the cathedral.

What is there to do in Norwich?

Norwich has its own ‘Bridgerton’ venue, the magnificently grand Georgian Assembly House, built in 1754 as public rooms for genteel society. You can have a traditional English Afternoon Tea there today.

Have tea or stay at The Maids Head Hotel in Norwich, reputed to be the oldest hotel in the UK. It’s also where Elizabeth I (her mother Anne Boleyn grew up at Blickling) is said to have stayed when she was in the city, possibly with her great friend Matthew Parker, the original Nosey Parker. Yes, Nosey Parker was a Norfolk guy!

In 1882 the Catholic Duke of Norfolk gave to a gift to begin the construction of the Cathedral of St John the Baptist. Built on the highest point in the city, take the Tower Tour for brilliant views. On a clear day you can see Happisburgh lighthouse on the coast!

Behind the Cathedral are the Plantation Gardens, Norwich’s very own Secret Garden and Grade II English Heritage listed. Built in a medieval chalk quarry the 3-acre garden features a 30ft Gothic fountain, an Italianate terrace, rustic bridge and woodland paths.

Is Norwich good for shopping?

Norwich is a fabulous shopping destination with two malls, all the High Street names plus brilliant independent shopping in The Lanes. Take a look around the family-run Jarrold, Norwich’s wonderful independent department store, the Harrods of the East, with an award-winning book department that has over 40,000 titles. (It was Jarrold who published 30 million bestseller Black Beauty by Anna Sewell).

Are there any museums in Norwich?

Besides the brilliant Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery, visit the Museum of Norwich at The Bridewell in the delightful Lanes (shopaholics will love the independent shopping). A cornucopia of city history, you’ll find a first edition of The Revelations of Divine Love, the first book published in English written by a woman, Julian of Norwich, and considered one of the great spiritual classics.

Are there any theatres in Norwich?

There’s a range of theatres in Norwich to choose from.

Norwich Theatre Royal is one of the country’s best provincial theatres and has shows and events throughout the year.

Norwich Puppet Theatre is a community outreach organisation just off the city centre. Creating magical theatrical performances are just one of the things they do. Oh, and hands-on skills sessions too.

See a performance at the Maddermarket Theatre in Norwich, the first permanent recreation of an Elizabethan theatre. You thought the new Globe on the embankment in London got there first, didn’t you? Not at all – the Maddermarket was opened in 1921 and it’s a world class Shakespearean-style playhouse.

How many churches are there in Norwich?

There are 33 medieval churches in Norwich, many of them now repurposed as venues for everything from coffee shops and antiques to indoor skateboarding, St Peter Parmentergate Church.

What has been filmed in Norwich?

Stardust with Clare Danes, 45 Years with Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay, Steve Coogan’s Alpha Papa (2015), 2020 Netflix film Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey, Good Luck To You, Leo Grande, starring Academy Award-winning actress Emma Thompson to name a few.

The Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts on the University of East Anglia campus outside the city was the ‘upstate New York HQ’ in the Marvel Avengers films starring Robert Downey Jr. This Norman Foster-designed hangar-like building has free admission to the permanent collection which includes work by Modigliani, Picasso and Bacon.

Outside explore the Sculpture Park, which includes works by Henry Moore, and take a walk around the Broad. Nearly Earlham Park has a café and an opportunity to paddle barefoot in the River Yare.

What day is market day in Norwich?

Norwich market is the largest permanent covered market in Europe and is open every day except Sunday. Where to eat in Norwich market? You’ll be spoilt for choice, from simple chips to Thai.

What events are there in Norwich?

The Norfolk and Norwich, held every May over two weeks, is the oldest continuous arts festival in the UK.

Enjoy the annual CAMRA beer festival across the city in October-November.

The Lord Mayor’s Weekend in July has music, entertainment and street procession.

There are regular events at The Forum, including the Science Festival every February.