How To Have a Perfect Weekend in Nottingham

Why choose a Nottingham sojourn? There’s so much to soak up, admire and do in this dynamic, regenerated city overflowing with culture – from oh-so-cool live-music venues to impressive art galleries. It’s a mash-up of sublime medieval, Victorian and contemporary architecture, and it’s rightly laid claim to Robin Hood, that notorious brigand with the heart of gold. On a practical level, Nottingham is compact and eminently walkable, with an accessible, efficient public-transport system of buses and eco-friendly trams. Let’s get started!

Arrive at your Nottingham hotel on Friday evening. Catch your breath in a well-appointed guest room before venturing out for a wander through Old Market Square – the largest public space in any UK city except for London’s Trafalgar Square – dominated by the majestic, colonnaded Council House, neoclassical in style and topped with a 61-metre dome. The lively piazza sits amid a whirl of activity at the centre of the city’s shopping streets and is a public-transport hub and popular meeting place where many great nights out on the after-dark scene have begun. Book your weekend in Nottingham for early December and you’ll catch the atmospheric Christmas Winter Wonderland market; visit in summer to find Old Market Square transformed into a sandy beach complete with pool, bar and and fairground rides.

Kickstart your first morning with a dose of history. Did you know that Nottingham was once an industrial powerhouse responsible for transforming the face of fashion in Victorian times? It’s five minutes’ stroll from Old Market Square to the funky creative quarter of Hockley and the Lace Market, once the heart of Britain’s textile industry. Today the fine architecture of its buildings stand testament to the city’s historic standing on the global stage. The handsome red-brick warehouses and factories that once thrummed with noisy activity are now home to small local businesses and indie shops. Just off the square, you’ll find a labyrinth of covered passages and alleys swathed in street art and lined by uber-cool galleries and artisan workshops – you’re sure to unearth a suitable lunch spot among all the tapas bars, Asian cafés and traditional pubs.

A subterranean network of some 800 caves sits under the streets of Nottingham. Carved out of sandstone by the city’s residents, down the centuries they have been used as medieval tanneries, wine cellars and WWII air-raid shelters. Today they’re open for fascinating self-guided or guided tours of their winding passageways, shining light into the mysterious nooks and crannies of the city’s long history.

• Garner’s Hill, NG1 1HF
• Open daily 10am-5pm; last tour starts at 4:10pm
• Ticket prices for the caves start at £8.75 (€10.50) – please note that cash is not accepted
• 5 minutes’ walk from the Lace Market and Hockley

You’ve learnt about Nottingham’s past and now it’s time to get bang up to date. Nottingham Contemporary is a thoroughly 21st-century gallery with a concrete façade subtly patterned with a lace effect; its stark-white interior hosts superb modern art displays alongside a mixed bag of lace-making workshops, yoga sessions and craft fairs.

• Weekday Cross, NG1 2GB
• Open Tue–Sat 10am–6pm, Sun 11am–5pm
• Admission free
• Behind the City of Caves

Head back to on-trend Hockley and some of the city’s best restaurants; later make merry on its explosive nightlife scene, where you can count on a late night in speakeasies, bars and clubs.

Perched atop its cliff and with origins dating from 1068, Nottingham Castle has played a vital role in the backstory of Nottingham. Inside, various beautifully curated galleries showcase the city’s decorative arts and lace-making traditions, its uneasy history in the hard-hitting, interactive Rebellion Gallery and – of course – exhibits highlighting the mythology that’s grown up around Robin Hood.

• Lenton Road, NG1 6EL
• Open 10am-5pm
• Admission £15 (€18); free entry for children aged 15 and under
• Walkable from anywhere in the city

It wouldn’t be a weekend in Nottingham without an immersion in all things Robin Hood, the infamous 13th-century outlaw who fought alongside his merry band of men against the Sheriff of Nottingham. Learn about all things Robin by joining a guided tour of city sights associated with him – and there is none so riotously entertaining as the Robin Hood Town Tour led by seasoned guide Ezekial Bone – he’ll soon have you entranced by local folklore on his informative whistle-stop romp through the historic streets of Nottingham.

• Adult ticket £18 (€21.50)
• Duration 2.5 hours
• Meet at The Cross Keys pub, Fletcher Gate, NG1 2GJ
• 10 minutes’ walk from Nottingham Castle

Possibly dating from the 12th century, Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem is reputedly the oldest inn in England; it’s a wonky, half-timbered gem carved out of the rock on which Nottingham Castle stands. Thanks to its great age and general quirkiness, the pub is one of the most popular places to see on a weekend in Nottingham, so book ahead if you want to lunch amid its crooked walls and sloping floors. A highlight of the Sunday lunch menu is the aged beef sirloin, and there’s a view of the castle from the beer garden for sunny days.

• 1 Brewhouse Yard, NG1 6AD
• Open daily 11am–11pm

If you haven’t had your fill of Robin Hood by now, take yourselves off to Sherwood Forest, where he and his rascally band of rogues reputedly lived as outlaws. This ancient area of venerable oak trees, deciduous woodland and heathland is criss-crossed with accessible trails and stretches over 48 kilometres; it’s just under an hour’s drive (there’s a bus too) from the city centre. The Robin Hood-themed self-guided trail takes in The Major Oak, a thousand-year-old tree where he purportedly hid from the Sheriff of Nottingham; you can also visit St Mary’s Church, where Robin and Marian (may) have married, or pick up Robin-related souvenirs in the shop at the Visitor Centre.

• Edwinstowe, Nottinghamshire NG21 9RN
• Visitor Centre opening hours: Nov–Mar 10am–4pm; Apr–Oct 10am-5pm
• Parking £5 (€6) per day
• The Stagecoach Sherwood Arrow runs hourly between Nottingham's Victoria bus station and the Visitor Centre

Looking to explore beyond the Midlands? Consider a weekend in Manchester , a city famed for its sporting prowess and vibrant music scene, or Liverpool, home of The Beatles, stunning architecture and world-class dining.