Nottingham Tourism And Travel Guide

Set up along the Trent River at the core of East Midlands, Nottingham is a significant transport hub and is popular for its parks, broad streets, ancient attractions, vibrant nightlife and magnificent festivals. With over a million visitors flocking the town every year simply for its diverse cultural heritage, places like the Sherwood Forest, home to the legend of Robin Hood and the Nottingham Castle are huge crowd pullers! There’s a wide range of exciting and interesting activities to keep you busy, including wildlife excursions, Parkour, orienteering, water sports and more.

Tourism in Nottingham has experienced a rise in the recent times, owing to its popularity as a Hens and Stags wonderland, not only for its medieval pubs and rock clubs of repute but also for its weekend activities and events that include treasure hunts, spa sessions and boat parties. Here’s a small travel guide to help you find your way around the town and make the most of Nottingham’s calendar of events, with the choicest fairs, shows, food and attractions.

Supported by the East Midlands Airport, Nottingham is now accessible to most of the global cities via flights with stopovers, especially for low-cost airlines. The East Midlands Airport is closest to Nottingham’s city centre at a distance of 24 km.

By Air:

With an approx. travel time of 13 ½ hours from New Delhi to Nottingham that includes transfers, you can book flights with Swiss Air, Air India, Air France and a few other flight operators. One of the fastest options of reaching Nottingham is to book a flight to London Heathrow (LHR) Airport from New Delhi and then make the journey ahead by train. 

By Train:

The journey by train from Birmingham International Airport to Nottingham is roughly 1 hours 36 minutes, with at least one train operating every day. With over 31 trains functioning on the rail route, it is best to book your tickets in advance, with the first train leaving at 6.19 am and the last train out at 23.09 hrs.

By Road:

Located at a distance of 88 km approx. and a travel time of 47 minutes, you can travel to Nottingham from Birmingham by road as well. Take a Rideshare or board a bus leaving from the Birmingham Coach Station. With the journey time of roughly 2 hrs, you can take a bus at an estimated fare of INR 1,700 max.

Getting Around:

The city of Nottingham’s known to have one of the most efficient and largest transport networks in the United Kingdom, with two major bus stations at Victoria and Broadmarsh that cover the entire city and council area. The bus service is easily accessible, as is the train service, not to forget the Tram Network. You can always rent a bike as well to explore your way through the city at your leisure.

The best time to visit Nottingham is during summer and the early months of April through August. The fall season in Nottingham overlaps with a variety of festivals that celebrate its most legendary resident – Robinhood! And the weather makes it even more exciting and interesting to explore the town on foot while cozying up to the comforts of central heating every now and then!

Spring (March-May):

The temperature and humidity levels together make springtime in Nottingham relatively cold, with the temperature fluctuating between 9°C and 18°C. Rainfall occurrence is a bit common with nearly 5 to 7 days of rains every month, slowing down the incoming tourist traffic and opening doors for lucrative travel deals.

Summer (June-August):

Summer experiences comfortable and pleasantly cool weather with a warm temperature and moderate rainfall of 6-8 days in a month. The period between the months of June through August is the second-best time of the year from a tourism perspective, when the lodging and accommodation options may be overpriced, so it's best to make travel arrangements in advance!

Fall (September-November):

With oscillating temperatures of 7°C-19°C that make the climate chilly, owing to the humidity and wind levels, the fall season in Nottingham experiences significant rain or snowfall for at least 5-8 days in a month. September through November is the busiest period in the year to visit Nottingham.

Winter (December-February):

Nottingham’s really chilly during December through February and not really ideal for warm weather enthusiasts. The average temperature varies between 6°C-9°C and it rains or snows at least 6-9 times a month, slowing down tourism during winters.

Robin Hood Festival:

Home to several celebrities from a diverse arena of literature, arts, technology, science, religion, politics and the armed forces, Nottingham comes across as a very industrious and upstanding community of people with an evident sense of responsibility. From a wide array of things to do here, Nottingham’s Sherwood Forest hosts the Robin Hood Festival every year to celebrate its most favorite resident for a week, using the Robin Hood motif for their local businesses and labels as well.

Theatre:

The venue for state-of-the art theatre, The Nottingham Playhouse conducts diverse, bold & exciting drama, comedy & musicals regularly in association with big theatre companies. The town’s cultural mix extends to its fascination for English Outdoor sports like tennis, cricket and more and of course delicious food!

A Date with Nottingham’s Parks:

With an assortment of lush landscapes and gorgeous lakes at Clumber Park, one of the most romantic venues to go on a date, the Rushcliffe Country Park or the Wollaton Hall & Deer Park. Some other captivating attractions in the town include the Framework Knitter’s Museum and the Grand Central Railway. 

Outdoor Activities:

Enjoy the award winning Conkers, at the core of National Forest for a unique blend of indoor and outdoor activities to keep you busy for long. Take boat rides or river cruises on the numerous waterways and canals through the county. Monkey around, swinging between trees and flying down the zip slides at Sherwood Pines - Go Ape or hire a Segway to ride around the scenic forests, rich and vibrant through all seasons.

For the adventure buffs, visiting Creswell Crags in the County’s North is a must, where you will find age-old rock formations and Britains’s lone example of cave art from the Ice Age as well as a collection of fascinating medieval archeological discoveries. Enjoy water sports at the Holme Pierrepont Country Park with white water rafting, canoeing and more.

Nottingham’s diverse range of cafes, bars, pubs and restaurants featuring a blend of international with classic cuisine and the choicest of trendy delis is what attracts soulful foodies here. Whether it is Alchemilla, with its plant based delicacies, speckled with contemporary fish and meat courses or The Cod’s Scallops with its rock sticks and lobster pot, casual dining has never been so delicious before!

The Larder on Goosegate is popular for its Truffle Cheese Rarebit and Chestnut Mushroom Soup, Celeriac dauphinoise, Nottingham Lamb and Salsa Verde, while The Moorish Ibérico serves premium cured meats and Andalusian tapas served in a contemporary style in addition to global side dishes like chicken wings, served with yuzu sweet chilli. Some other popular places for casual dining at affordable prices are Kayal for south Indian fare, Marrakesh for Moroccan delicacies, Delilah Fine Foods with a mezzanine café and Italian salads, platters and sandwiches for lunch. Malt Cross is a café bar-business hub and arts centre, with a well-stocked bar and a menu that offers a diverse range of loaded fries, burgers, club sandwiches, chips, wings and steaks. You’d also explore the Brew Cavern for beers and local Black Iris, the Hockley Arts Club for late night cocktails.

With a strong reputation to back its style quotient, what was once the global hub for the manufacture of delicate lace and hosiery, Nottingham is now considered one of the top 10 shopping destinations in the United Kingdom. With a vibrant mix of trendy retail stores, designer boutiques and high street fashion, with an abundance of voguish labels available at the Broadmash and Victoria Shopping Arcades and the magnificent Exchange Shopping Centre, you’d love going crazy with the liberating experience of shopping at Nottingham!

Nottingham’s, Guidigo, a shopping app will guide you to the town’s hidden gems that include the elegant Bridlesmith & its concealed arcades. Nottingham’s avant-garde, Hockley – that’s located in the Creative Quarter, overflows with creative and quirky businesses and indie shops, while Derby Road’s quaint and specialist shops will have the arts & crafts enthusiasts asking for more, despite its selected shops and the choicest assortment of pubs.

The Old Market Square is renowned for its crafts fairs and flea markets, not to forget the seasonal shops that brim the town with fresh, local produce, dominating the area with a classy selection of high-end and fashionable independent stores, as well as art at the Castle Galleries or the premium liquor and cigars at Gauntleys. Shoppers interested in the big brands and classy labels can shop to their heart’s content at the Trendy Bridlesmith Gate, where the likes of Kurt Geiger, Hugo Boss & Cath Kidston stand proud amidst Tudor styled porticos and redbrick balconies lined up on the neighboring narrow lanes. Paul Smith, one of Nottingham’s local designer leads the show with two stores on the Low Pavement.