7 Places to Visit in Nottingham – Is it worth visiting?
There are plenty of great places to visit in Nottingham, but before diving into them. If you’re wondering if Nottingham is worth visiting…
The truth is that I’ve visited many places close to Yorkshire, and I wanted to travel somewhere not too far and not too close, so I decided to look into Nottingham.
I remember a friend telling me that Nottingham is a charming place to visit, but I had heard mixed reviews – from “It’s lovely!” to “It isn’t worth a visit”.
However, you must go to Nottingham to create your own opinion of the city. Personally, I think it’s a great city to visit for a day trip because you have a bit of everything (museums, parks, a good variety of restaurants, monuments, etc.) The city isn’t very big, so that will help you visit almost everything in one day.
In this blog, I’ll tell you some of the reasons why Nottingham should be on your UK bucket list, seven must-see places to visit in Nottingham in a day and my food recommendations.
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Top Reasons To Visit Nottingham
- It’s home to the oldest pub in England.
- It’s close to beautiful natural spots.
- Its interesting legends about Robin Hood.
- Its historic buildings.
- Its amazing cafes and restaurants.
- It’s less crowded than other UK destinations.
7 Best Places To Visit In Nottingham
1. Nottingham Castle
One of the best things to do in Nottingham is to visit Nottingham Castle.
Nottingham Castle has been a desirable castle by kings and lords in England, and as a consequence, it has gone through many turbulent events, such as the British Civil War.
This is the perfect place for any history lover as you’ll learn more about the history of this castle and its legends in the great exhibitions and tours.
Apart from the tours, Nottingham’s Castle is also worth visiting for its lush green grounds, where you can enjoy a nice hot drink from one of their cafes.
2. Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem
Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, located beneath Nottingham’s Castle Cliff, is the oldest inn and pub in England. Not only can you enjoy a delicious meal, but take their cellar tour to learn more about this pub – where the pub got its name from and much more.
3. City of Caves
City of Caves is a must-see attraction because you’ll learn so much about the history and culture of this city. Nottingham is well-known for its caves, which were used in different ways through the years.
Some of these caves were houses for poor families, but as time passed, it was used for many other reasons, such as a place to have meetings to carry out illegal activities, a place to protect yourself from explosions during the Second World War, a place to make fabric…
This is a 45-minute guided tour with a history expert who will tell you everything you want to know about the history behind the caves. However, you’ll also have some take to take pictures and wander alone.
I loved how informative the tour was and the little breaks between the talks to take pictures and enjoy exploring the caves.
Also, before starting your tour, while you’re waiting, you can glimpse the little souvenir shop near the ticket office. They have beautiful shiny gemstones to purchase.
Overall, visiting Nottingham Caves is a great experience.
4. Robin Hood Statue
If you’re walking around the castle, you won’t miss the Robin Hood statue because it’s located near the castle entrance.
Apart from taking a picture of this statue, you can also see and read the wall plaques that illustrate scenes from the tales of Robin Hood and his Merry Men.
5. Arboretum Park
This park is a bit further away from the city centre but within walking distance.
It’s also near the city cemetery, as I found out, to my surprise! It seems like you can access the park from the cemetery too, but when I went, they had closed the back gate.
The park is a great place to relax and enjoy a picnic on a sunny day. As you walk in, you can find the small lake and birdcages on the left.
The birdcages didn’t have any real birds as expected, but maybe this is because I visited Nottingham in March, and it was still cold.
One of the best things to do is enjoy the squirrels’ company! There are many friendly squirrels running around the trees, so you can be lucky to feed them or take a close picture of them.
6. Old Market Square
The main meeting point for locals and tourists, Old Market Square, is where you can find your way to shopping streets and the tourist centre if you want to buy a souvenir or ask for any information.
This square is very impressive, spacious and beautiful, and somehow reminds me of London. But, actually, it’s the largest public space in the UK after London’s Trafalgar Square.
On a sunny day, you can grab a takeaway, sit down and relax watching how people pass or interact with others as well as see how children play and run in the fountain area.
Also, this is where many important events, such as Christmas Winter Wonderland in the winter and Riviera Beach in the summer, take place.
7. Carlton Street
If you love visiting vibrant and lively streets wherever you go, you must walk around Carlton Street. I didn’t find this street on anyone’s blogs or travel recommendations, but I always like getting lost in the city, and I found this one while I was there.
Not only is the street vibrant, but it is also full of food options, from little cafes to restaurants. One of my favourite things about this street is the LGBT rainbow pedestrian crossing. It looks so good!
Places to eat in Nottingham
Annie’s Burger Shack
I must admit that I look for restaurants and cafes before travelling anywhere. So, I searched a couple of blogs and TripAdvisor and found Annie’s. I saw that reviews and comments were positive, so I decided to try it.
The restaurant is a bit hidden in comparison to other restaurants that you can find on the main streets, and we arrived it was a bit empty. They have a big menu to choose from, and you can spend more than 5 minutes deciding what burger you want to have.
There are so many different burgers (Mexican fajita burger, German burger…), and the good thing is that they offer vegetarian and vegan options too.
I ordered the Mexican burger with skinny fries, and it was so good. I just need to warn you that portions are very big, so you’d better be hungry.
We didn’t wait very long for our burgers, and the staff was very friendly. Also, I was glad we arrived a bit early for dinner because, after 5 minutes of being sat down, the restaurant was full!
Doughnotts
Fancy something sweet? Don’t miss the opportunity to visit Doughnotts! It’s a little donut shop with a wide variety of tasty donuts, from the famous Homer donut to the salted toffee donut.
I initially saw they do an avocado donut called the Avocadough, and I wanted to try it. But when I got to the shop, they didn’t have any. Instead of the avo donut, I had a red velvet one, and it was delicious!
You can eat it out or inside! If you go upstairs, they have a cosy area to sit down and enjoy your donut.
Places to stay in Nottingham
Leonardo Hotel Nottingham (formerly Jurys Inn)
Leonardo Hotel Nottingham is a 4-star hotel located less than 5 minute walk from the train station and not far from the city centre. It’s only 15 minute walk from Old Market Square where you can find a great variety of shops, restaurants and bars.
The hotel offers comfortable and modern rooms that are equipped with air conditioning, a flat-screen TV, an ensuite bathroom, a safe, and free WiFi.
🏨 Check out availability and prices here
VRBO house
If you prefer to feel at home and stay somewhere spacious, this river facing townhouse with a balcony and parking at Trent Bridge is for you.
This cosy house includes two of the three bedrooms (a double and twin) that open out onto a beautiful balcony with seating where you can look down onto the riverside and look across to Trent Bridge itself.
This townhouse is also perfect if you plan to spend more than a weekend in Nottingham, as the owner offers good discounts for weekly and longer stays.
🏨 Check out availability and prices here
Frequently asked questions about Nottingham, UK
Which part of England is Nottingham?
It’s part of the East Midlands, in the centre of England.
Is Nottingham a nice place to visit?
Yes, Nottingham is an underrated city, but it has fantastic things to do for everyone, whether you love visiting historical places or parks to eating delicious food.
Is Nottingham safe?
Yes, Nottingham is generally a safe destination for travellers.
So, is Nottingham worth visiting?
Yes! Nottingham is a very underrated city. Most travellers will choose other cities over Nottingham, but this city can surprise you.
There are beautiful places in Nottingham and its surroundings. If you spend more than a day in the city, you should explore beautiful outdoor places like Sherwood Forest National Nature Reserve, Wollaton Hall & Park , Newstead Abbey, or the Peak District National Park (one of the most beautiful places near Nottingham).
I hope I’ve inspired you to visit Nottingham and let me know in the comments if you’re adding these places to visit in Nottingham to your UK bucket list!
Safe adventures!
Cristina x
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Top things to do before visiting Nottingham
- Book accommodation in Nottingham with Booking or VRBO.
- If you’re travelling to Nottingham by train, check train prices here. Are you planning to rent a car instead? Check out Discover Cars for the best deals.
- Are you planning to go on a day trip from Nottingham? Have a look at this guide.
- Book travel insurance for your trip. This is a must for any trip.
Nottingham looks so awesome Cristina! I totally want to go now and I love Robin Hood growing up. 🙂
I’m glad you like it! I think one of the main reasons I wanted to go was Robin Hood 🙂
Oh how great, I had no idea, I´m definitely putting it on the daytrips list for when I visit my friends in the UK again, thanks for sharing!
That’s great to hear 🙂 I think you’ll like it.
I love charming England towns and Nottingham surely looks like one! Especially since I watched Robin Hood too many times when I was young 😀
I think that small towns are more charming than some bigger cities in the UK 🙂
It looks like a nice city to discover! Must be perfect for a weekend getaway in the UK!
Yes, it’s a great place to spend your weekend 🙂
That mexican burger is giving me food envy!
You must try it 🙂 It was delicious
The food alone looks like it’s worth the trip! I’m a sucker for both good burgers and donuts, so I’ll keep those in mind if I ever visit! 🙂
I agree with you! You will love them 🙂
Looks like an interesting place. Awesome picures loved it
Thank you, Madhu 🙂
What a fun place to explore. I had no idea Nottingham had so many caves though. I would also have to visit the Robin Hood statue while I was there. But love smallish cities that you can see in a day or two. Thanks for the tips!
You are welcome, Kelly. I think UK small towns have so much to offer! Not only their city centres but their surroundings 🙂
Sounds like such a nice city! Good thing you decided to visit anyways and love your photos!
Thank you! I’m glad I visited it 🙂
Nottingham is my home city! I’m so glad you liked it, even though I’ve not lived there for several years, my parents still do and I love going back, especially to that Carlton Street area, there’s always new and interesting things that pop up there! Lovely guide xx
It’s great to have someone from Nottingham commenting on my blog 🙂 Carlton Street is one of my favourite places like you say, there are interesting things around. Thank you, Helena xx
Looks like such a nice place! I would love to visit one day when I’m back in Europe 🙂
That would be great!
Looks like a beautiful place to visit, love those caves! And I always love a good donut place 😁
The caves are amazing 🙂 I believe you’d enjoy visiting Nottingham.
Nottingham looks like such a cute place to visit! I love little towns outside of the big cities because you can really see the culture. When I was in England visiting London, on my day trip to Stonehenge we stopped in the town Bath and it was the cutest! Just like what you’d picture from a small town in England, Nottingham looks the same!
Great article! I can’t believe I didn’t know the oldest English pub is in Nottingham. I used to go Nottingham for lacrosse games and never took advantage of the great city. Looking forward to visiting again!
I am VERY not familiar with the UK, so thanks for pointing out where Nottingham was, because I have HEARD of it, but I had no idea where it was in relation to other things. ALSO OMG, the food looks so good! Makes me excited for an eventual UK roadtrip!
I’m so happy you visited Nottingham so you could share your opinion with us. I would love to visit! I’m all about history so would love Nottingham Castle, the caves look super cool and those donuts look amazing!
I hadn’t thought of visiting Nottingham before! It looks like a good idea for a day trip if you’re in the area, and I like the historic points of interest you can visit too.
I used to live in Nottingham, and would walk home through the Arboretum so it was a real trip down memory lane reading this. The Jerusalem is great too! To my shame (I’m pleading student poverty at this point) I never made it to the castle. I’ll have to go back and rectify this glaring omission now I can stretch to the entry fee.