Things to Do in Nottingham: A Complete Guide
Nottingham trades heavily on its Robin Hood legend, and honestly, why wouldn’t it. But there’s a lot more going on beneath the surface here, quite literally, than the story of a man in green tights stealing from the rich. If you’re weighing up things to do in Nottingham, you’ll find a city with genuine medieval roots, an entire network of caves carved into sandstone beneath the streets, and a food and nightlife scene that regularly gets overlooked in favour of bigger cities nearby.
Nottingham Castle and the Robin Hood legend
Nottingham Castle isn’t the fairy tale turret you might be picturing. The original medieval castle was largely destroyed centuries ago, and what stands today is mostly a 17th century ducal mansion built on the same rock outcrop, recently reopened after a major renovation that added new galleries telling the story of the city and its most famous legend. The grounds still give you a sense of why this spot was chosen, since the sandstone bluff offers commanding views over the city below.
Robin Hood memorabilia is unavoidable here, and rightly so. A bronze statue of Robin stands just outside the castle walls, permanently mobbed by visitors taking photos mid draw of his bow. Whether or not you buy into the legend’s historical accuracy, Nottingham leans into it with genuine enthusiasm rather than embarrassment, and the annual Robin Hood Pageant each October brings the story to life with reenactors and archery displays around the castle grounds.
The caves beneath the city
What genuinely surprises first time visitors is the maze of man made caves running beneath Nottingham’s streets, carved into the soft sandstone over centuries for uses ranging from tanneries and pub cellars to air raid shelters during the Second World War. The City of Caves attraction, entered through the Broadmarsh area, takes you down into a network of these caves with exhibits recreating a Victorian slum dwelling and a wartime shelter, giving a genuinely different angle on the city’s history than the castle above.
There are reckoned to be some 800 caves scattered under Nottingham in total, more than any other city in Britain, and several pubs in the city still have cave cellars you can ask to see if you’re having a drink there. It’s an odd, slightly eerie contrast to the busy shopping streets directly above.
The Lace Market and the Old Market Square
The Lace Market district takes its name from Nottingham’s dominance of the global lace trade during the Victorian era, and the tall red brick warehouses that once processed and stored lace now house independent boutiques, bars and restaurants. It’s a good area to wander for an hour, with cobbled streets and architecture that hints at just how much wealth the lace trade brought to the city in its industrial heyday. St Mary’s Church, the oldest building in the area, is worth a look too.
Old Market Square, right in the city centre, has been Nottingham’s main gathering point for over 800 years and remains the largest market square in England. These days it’s flanked by the grand Council House with its distinctive dome, and the square itself hosts everything from a Christmas market to outdoor screenings and an ice rink in winter. It’s a natural spot to get your bearings before heading off to explore further.
More things to do in Nottingham
Wollaton Hall, a magnificent Elizabethan mansion set in a large deer park just outside the centre, is another side of Nottingham worth seeing, and film fans might recognise it as Wayne Manor from the Batman films. The National Justice Museum, housed in Nottingham’s former courthouse and gaol, is a slightly grim but fascinating look at the history of crime and punishment, complete with original cells and courtrooms you can walk through.
Nottingham Contemporary, near the Lace Market, hosts free exhibitions of contemporary art in a striking modern building, and is a good stop if you want a break from the city’s older, more historic attractions.
Food, nightlife and getting around Nottingham
Nottingham’s food and drink scene has grown a genuinely loyal following, helped by a large student population from its two universities. Hockley, next to the Lace Market, is packed with independent restaurants, coffee shops and bars, while the city’s several craft breweries and gin distilleries, including Nottingham’s own City of Caves themed gin bars, reflect a drinking culture that goes well beyond the standard high street chains. For something classic, Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem claims to be one of the oldest inns in England, built into the sandstone rock beneath the castle.
The city centre is compact and easily walkable, with the castle, Old Market Square and the Lace Market all within about fifteen minutes of each other on foot. Nottingham also has an excellent tram network, the NET, which is useful for reaching the train station or areas slightly further out. Trains from London St Pancras take around two hours, making Nottingham a solid weekend break option, and the city tends to be quieter and cheaper to visit than many of its neighbours, particularly outside of university term time when accommodation prices dip. If you fancy comparing notes with a trip closer to home, our guide to UK staycation ideas is worth a look too.
If you enjoyed this, our guide to things to do in Oxford is well worth a read too.
