Norwich: Guide, Hotels, Map & Photos
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GBP 45 - 126 Premier Inn Norwich City Centre Duke Street
 Located in Norwich city centre, this Premier Inn is ideal for shopping and entertainment in Norwich. The hotel has a restaurant, friendly service and … MoreGBP 49 - 139 Premier Inn Norwich Nelson City Centre Riverside
 Opposite Norwich Train Station and close to entertainment and shopping, this riverside Premier Inn has a good city-centre location, a Table Table rest… MoreGBP 64 - 180 Ramada Norwich
 Ramada Norwich has a pool, gym and sauna and is 1 mile from Norwich Airport and 3 miles from the city centre. Buses stop nearby.
There is free parkin… MoreGBP 39 - 118 Premier Inn Norwich Central (South)
 Providing comfortable, good value accommodation, Premier Inn Norwich Central (South) is 3 miles (4.8km) away from Norwich city centre and 2 miles (3.2… MoreGBP 43 - 111 Premier Inn Norwich Airport
 Next to Norwich International Airport, this Premier Inn hotel has family-friendly rooms with satellite TV, and a Brewers Fayre restaurant serving pub-… MoreGBP 65 - 195 Norwichapartment
 Norwichapartment provides high-quality apartments in the Tombland area of Norwich city centre, near to Norwich Cathedral and the ancient street, Elm H… MoreGBP 52 - 125 Number 17
 With solid oak flooring and boutique design rooms, Number 17 boasts a central location in the heart of historical Norwich. With an impressive breakfas… MoreGBP 30 - 165 Oaklands Hotel
 The Oaklands Hotel is set in its own grounds on the outskirts of Norwich. Overlooking the beautiful Yare River Valley, Norwich Station and city centre… MoreGBP 79 - 99 Samson And Hercules Apartments
 With an enviable location in the heart of historical Norwich, Samson and Hercules Apartments offer self-catering accommodation with a private balcony,… More
 This historic house in beautiful grounds 3 miles from central Norwich has a 2 AA Rosette restaurant, a golf course and a spa with pool.
Marriott Spro… MoreGBP 95 - 155 The Old Rectory
 Enjoy the luxury, charm and character of The Old Rectory, a delightful AA Red Star hotel. The country house is a short journey from Norwich city centr… MoreGBP 70 - 99 The Pavillion Apartments
 The Pavillion offers 1 and 2-bedroom apartments with LCD TVs, DVD players and free Wi-Fi. There is free private parking and Chapelfield shopping centr… MoreGBP 45 - 130 Wensum Guest House
 This friendly guest house has a convenient location not far from the centre of Norwich and offers spacious, comfortable accommodation at great-value r… MoreGBP 70 - 170 The Oaklands Court
 A warm welcome awaits you at Oaklands Court. Being just on the outskirts of Norwich, you can enjoy the beautiful grounds overlooking the Yare River wh… MoreGBP 62 - 154 The Maids Head Hotel
 The Maid´s Head Hotel is conveniently situated in Norwich town centre opposite the famous Norman cathedral. One of Norwich´s most famous h… MoreGBP 80 - 130 St. Giles House
 This luxurious 4-star boutique hotel offers charming, individually designed rooms in a fabulously restored Baroque building, in the heart of Norwich.
… MoreGBP 50 - 165 Stracey Hotel
 Conveniently located just 5 minutes´ walk from Norwich Train Station, Stracey Hotel provides a contemporary base from which to explore lively No… MoreGBP 35 - 120 The Brook Hotel Norwich
 Situated on the outskirts of Norwich, this modern hotel is easily accessible from the A47.
The Brook Hotel Norwich offers you a convenient and easily… MoreGBP 69 - 69 Norwich City Breaks - University Quarter
 With free Wi-Fi, these converted one-bedroom apartments are very spacious and feature 32-inch flat-screen TVs with Freeview channels. Norwich city cen… MoreGBP 89 - 99 Norwich City Breaks
 These converted apartments are walking distance from Chapelfield Shopping Centre, the city centre and Norwich Theatre Royal. There is quick access to … MoreGBP 75 - 150 Catton Old Hall
 Hidden in suburbia 2 miles north-east of Norwich city centre, this charming, romantic, period house with a garden and free parking, is full of quirky … MoreGBP 69 - 219 De Vere Dunston Hall
 With its sweeping drive, combined Elizabethan and Victorian styles and 150 acres of wooded parkland, this attractive hotel offers the perfect retreat … MoreGBP 65 - 165 Georgian House Hotel
 Set in an elegant Georgian building, the Georgian House is a modern, stylish hotel in the heart of Norwich. It has a restaurant, a bar, free Wi-Fi and… MoreGBP 45 - 185 Caistor Hall Hotel
 Caistor Hall, set in the heart of the countryside, is less than 3 miles from the centre of Norwich. It is the perfect venue for weddings, conferences,… MoreGBP 60 - 140 By Appointment
 Housed in three historical 15th-century wood-beamed houses, By Appointment offers a warm welcome, luxury rooms and one of Norwich´s leading rest… More | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Norwich: Guide
Norwich is the two-cathedral city and county town of the England|English county of Norfolk (England)|Norfolk in the region of East Anglia. It lies some 185 km (115 miles) from London and is a convenient base for exploring the Broads and the North Norfolk|North Norfolk Coast.
Understand
Norwich has a population of about 125,000. It was one of the main cities of medieval England, and retains a significant heritage of medieval buildings. In the 1960s it became a university city with the foundation of the University of East Anglia, which has helped the flourishing of local culture.
The history and culture of Norwich and Norfolk is showcased in the Origins exhibition, now available (Flash required)
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By road
Major trunk roads to the Norwich Area are the M11, A14, A11 (via Cambridge (England)|Cambridge), A12, A140 (via Ipswich (England)|Ipswich) from London, the South East of England and the ferry port of Harwich (England)|Harwich.
The A14, A11 and A47 serve the Midlands and the North.
There isn't a lot of parking in the city. But there is a very good park and ride service. From most of the major junctions on the bypass you can find colour coded buses going into city every 6-7 minutes.
By train
Trains to Norwich depart from London Liverpool Street Station (Circle and Central Underground Lines), half hourly on the hour and half hour. Train services run on weekdays with the fastest journey time of 1h 36m. Other routes serve Cambridge (England)|Cambridge, Peterborough (for connections to the Northeast and Scotland), the Midlands (Birmingham (England)|Birmingham, Nottingham) and the Northwest (Manchester, Liverpool). For details call National Enquiry Line, tel 08457 48 49 50.
By air
Norwich is home to a major regional airport - - with over 300 worldwide connections via Manchester, Edinburgh or Amsterdam. London Stansted is also within easy reach by road (65 miles).
For more information, contact Norwich Airport on (01603) 411923 or Fax (01603) 487523.
See
Norwich Cathedral - the 900-year old Norman cathedral church. Don't miss 'old As I Am', a grinning skeleton on the south aisle wall.
Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery
Dragon Hall - restored trading hall from medieval era, unique in England
Many fine medieval churches including St John Maddermarket, St Peter Mancroft by the Forum , St Stephens, all of which are usually open
the Forum - a new landmark building, architecturally dynamic, housing the municipal library, arts and information centre - includes the amazing Origins exhibition of local history and culture
the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts - located on the campus of the University of East Anglia - Well worth the visit, lovely building and an underground section with changing exhibitions in art, ceramics, xtiles....creative and imaginative. It was designed by Norman Foster and it is an example of an early work of his in the 1970's. Housed in the building is a permanent exhibtion of the Sainsbury supermarket family pottery and sculpture a lot of rare chinese and tribal stuff - worth spending at least half a day there.
Visit Norwich - the official visitor infomation site
If you want some peace and tranquility in the middle of the city, "the plantation " is a small nicely formed private garden. Walking downhill from the Roman Catholic Cathedral (not the Church Of England one) the gardens are on the left between the two parts of the Beeches Hotel.... If there is no one there pop your £2 in the box and enjoy.
Norwich Theatre Royal
Norwich punches above its weight in retail terms and is regarded as one of Britain's major regional shopping centres. The Castle Mall shopping mall has recently been joined by a major new city-centre development, the Chapelfield mall, on the site of a former chocolate factory. It has a big "Cigar entwined in a wire frame" sculpture on top to help people find it.
Other than the shopping centres there is a big John Lewis, Marks and Spencer, Debenhams and local department store Jarrolds. This particular store is unusual in that it is still locally owned and gives 25% of its profits to the John Jarrold Trust - a charity that grant aids worthy causes. London Street is nearby and is Englands first pedestrianised street. The market is the site of the principal shopping area and is occupied by well-known chain stores; additionally, a wide range of independent specialist stores is concentrated around the Upper Goat Lane/Pottergate/St. Benedict's area of the city centre.
That leaves us with the market! Apparently the largest permanent outdoor market in Europe, and one of the finest city markets in the UK. It has recently been refurbished and is a riot of primary colours and retracting roofs. It was designed by the same architect as the Castle Mall, Michael Innes.
Restaurants in Norwich are getting better.
There is a Malaysian buffet on Timber Hill called "Malaysian Delights". The food is good but rather toned down for the average British palate. It has a reasonable range for lunch and a bigger range for dinner. The best thing though is that you can eat as much as you want for £4.99 for lunch and £9.99 for dinner.
There is a range of Chinese restaurants in the city. Mainly they seem to be run by one family under the banner of Lucky Star. They run two big buffets (Riverside and above a car park at the top of St Stevens Street). They are all much of a muchness but Riverside is the most popular and therefore busiest. There are some others (mainly of Prince of Wales Road).
Near the market, between Gentlemans Walk and Rampant Horse Street is a small Lebanese restaurant that does excellent lunchitme flaffels or evening meals.
There seem to be loads of Thai restaurants in Norwich. Not sure why it has more than its fair share but since most of them are good we shouldn’t complain. The best two are Sugar Hut and Silk Thai. Sugar Hut is owned by a couple who have 3 restaurants in the city and this one is the original and best. Good menu and choice of wines, lovely staff and well prepared food. Quite busy on the weekend for dinner so book in advance. Thai Silk on the other had seems to always be quiet. Very well decorated with lovely fixtures and fittings. It has a good range of food and but is slightly more expensive than Sugar Hut.
Indian restaurants in Norwich have, over the past decade or so, been engaged in a fierce price war which has seen menu prices stay low - sometimes, it has to be said, at the expense of quality.
A very good new Indian restaurant called Oasis opened recently on Queen Street. It is in a converted church so it has big high ceilings and lots of space. There are quiet little enclaves off to the side where they seem to put couples which is a nice idea as the main restaurant can be noisy with a band. If you want fun and a lively atmosphere then it is great. Well decorated with a very modern style so as different as you will get from the stereotypical Indian restaurant. Food is medium hot by English standards so if you are used to Asian or Indian food then you need to ask them to spice it up a bit (which they seem happy to do). The staff seem helpful and friendly if not the most traditional of service.
There are several other Indian restaurants on Magdalene Street and a good place on St Benedict’s called Bengal Spice.
The standard Cafe Uno, Pizza Express etc are all present but are of a fairly chain restaurant standard so go if you want but there are some better choices. Zizzis in Tomblands is nicer than average with a traditional big wood burning oven so they do some nice flavoured pizzas and baked pastas. The best value for money is probably Figaro's. Pizzas around £6-£7 and generous toppings and some very good calzone.
There is one other place to mention as you should avoid it. Italia Nostra. It is just off Tomblands and looks really authentic from the outside. That is about all it has going for it though. It is dark inside, the staff are fairly arrogant and forgetful and the food is disappointing.
Two worth trying. Pedro’s in Chapelfield gardens and Mambo Jambo’s. Pedro’s is ok nice setting in the park but the service is poor. Mambo Jambo’s on the other hand is great. Don’t go expecting great food but you get loads of it. It also has a cheap bar and is always full of groups of friends, work parties and birthday parties. This may be because for a reasonably price you get loads of drinks and huge portions of food.
There are many good restaurants in Norwich but to date only one restaurant, Adlards in Upper St. Giles Street, has earned itself a Michelin star. Although it can be a little on the pricey side it is well worth the cost to visit.
The Belgian Monk on Pottergate in the city centre is fantastic for mussels and does very good food at reasonable prices. They also do a variety of different beers: cherry beer is definitely worth a try.
Norwich was once famous for having a church for every week in the year and a pub for every day. It had the highest number of pubs per square mile in the UK. Today, Norwich is home to the multi award-winning Fat Cat, a real ale paradise, located off the Dereham Road. Other popular pubs in the city center include the Ten Bells, Pottergate Tavern (for the alternative crowd), The Coach & Horses, historic Adam & Eve, and Steam Packet. North of the city are the King's Head in Magdalen Street, the Shed (with Fat Cat Brewery) and the Duke of Wellington, all real ale pubs with an extensive selection of ales and some cider. See the link below to a comprehensive guide.
There is the Maids Head in Tomblands but it is a bit old fashioned and out of date. They tried refurbishing their restaurant so maybe the will sort the rest of the inside soon too. It is in a very pretty building so it is good for tourists who want a bit of old England.
There is the hotel Nelson by the railway station. Very convenient but full of middle managers come to do some work for Norwich Union. Also can be very noisy at night as it is opposite Riverside (a big entertainment complex).
There are a couple of new chains hotels in town. On Duke Street next to a new car park is the Premier Travel Inn, clean, cheap and central but very bland. There is also a new Travelodge next to the new bus station, bland but clean and convenient.
There is a Hilton just out to the North of the city on Cromer Road. Nice enough as all Hiltons are and convenient for the airport and Norfolk Broads.
There are a range of bed and breakfasts around the city some good, some bad.
Out of the city there are some larger golf type hotels. Dunston Hall (owned by the De Vere group) just south of the city and Sprowston Manor (owned by the Marriott group) just north of the city. Both are OK and generally get 4 star ratings but they are hardly hotels you would choose to go on holiday to. They have lots of facilities (spas, gold pools etc) and are the best place to stay around Norwich if you don’t need to be in the city centre.
This "Travel Guide" section is drawn from the Wikitravel article "Norwich". We hope you will edit and improve it. It is available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 license.Do
Maddermarket Theatre
Norwich Puppet Theatre
Norwich & Norfolk CAMRA Beer Festival held every October
Norwich is the key site for the Norfolk and Norwich Festival held every year in the month of May.Buy
One street not to miss is Elm Hill. It's a medieval cobbled street near Norwich Cathedral that backs onto the River Wensum and is renowned for its antiques and tea shops.Eat
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