Nottingham.
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Nottingham sits in the East Midlands, ninety minutes direct by train from London St Pancras or seventy minutes from Birmingham New Street. The city is built over a honeycombed network of manmade sandstone caves and shaped by its nineteenth-century lace manufacturing trade. The centre is compact, walkable, and anchored by the sprawling Old Market Square. Nottingham is worth visiting if you want historic pub cellars carved into cliffs, industrial textile architecture, and an exceptional independent restaurant scene. Look elsewhere if you want an intact medieval fortress, major national-tier museums, or immediate access to wild countryside.
Last updated 9 Sept 2026
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What to do in Nottingham East Midlands United Kingdom
Nottingham wraps around Castle Rock and the high red-brick terraces of the Lace Market, with Old Market Square sitting squarely in the middle. Days naturally split between underground cave tours, gallery visits, and pints in timber-beamed taverns. The compact centre suits travellers on foot who appreciate architectural grit, literary history, and an energetic dining district packed into the streets of Hockley.
24 hours in Nottingham East Midlands United Kingdom
Start early with the caves under Nottingham Castle, walk ten minutes over to Hockley for an artisan lunch along Broad Street, and spend the afternoon browsing the Lace Market. Finish with a pint of local cask bitter at Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, tucked against the cliff face. Everything in the centre is reachable within a fifteen-minute walk. Select 1 Day above to see it.
2 days in Nottingham East Midlands United Kingdom
Spend your second morning three miles west at Wollaton Hall to wander the Elizabethan courtyards and deer park. Head back into town via the Nottingham Arboretum, then spend your evening enjoying contemporary tasting menus or regional Stilton cheese and charcuterie boards around Carlton Street. Choose 2 Days to expand the plan.
3 days in Nottingham East Midlands United Kingdom
A third day lets you catch the bus north to Edwinstowe for a long walk through the ancient oaks of Sherwood Forest. Alternatively, head northeast to Southwell to tour its grand twelfth-century Norman minster and Bramley apple heritage before an unhurried pub dinner in the Trent Valley.
Nottingham East Midlands United Kingdom itineraries by interest
Historic Pubs in Nottingham East Midlands United Kingdom
Drink bitter inside the sandstone caves of Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem or the tiled Victorian snug of The Bell Inn on Market Square.
Industrial Heritage in Nottingham East Midlands United Kingdom
Tour red-brick 19th-century warehouses in the Lace Market, where Thomas Adams built ornate factories to finish machine-woven lace.
Subterranean Sites in Nottingham East Midlands United Kingdom
Descend into the City of Caves beneath Broad Marsh to see medieval tanneries, malt kilns, and wartime air-raid shelters cut into rock.
Modern Art in Nottingham East Midlands United Kingdom
Visit Nottingham Contemporary for international installations, then browse community studios in repurposed textile mills on Stoney Street.
Literary History in Nottingham East Midlands United Kingdom
Explore Newstead Abbey, Lord Byron's ancestral home, or walk D.H. Lawrence's mining landscape in nearby Eastwood.
Castle & Legends in Nottingham East Midlands United Kingdom
Walk the promontory of Nottingham Castle, inspect the Robin Hood galleries, and trace defensive ramparts dating to William the Conqueror.
Regional Cheese in Nottingham East Midlands United Kingdom
Sample crumbly Colston Bassett Stilton and creamy sage Derby cheese at Delilah Fine Foods or local dairy farms in the Vale of Belvoir.
Stately Homes in Nottingham East Midlands United Kingdom
Walk the deer park at Wollaton Hall, an Elizabethan prodigy house built from Ancaster stone with sprawling natural history rooms inside.
Independent Dining in Nottingham East Midlands United Kingdom
Eat local venison and dry-aged beef across Hockley, or book tasting menus at Restaurant Sat Bains alongside the River Trent.
Green Spaces in Nottingham East Midlands United Kingdom
Stroll the Victorian arboretum planted with hundreds of rare trees, or follow the towpath along the Nottingham and Beeston Canal.
Craft Beer in Nottingham East Midlands United Kingdom
Order cask ales from Castle Rock Brewery at the Vat and Fiddle, or sample modern sour pours along Carlton Street in Hockley.
Forest Walks in Nottingham East Midlands United Kingdom
Take the bus north to Sherwood Forest to walk among centuries-old oak trees, including the massive hollow Major Oak near Edwinstowe.