Explore the City Centre & Lace Market

You can start walking up Derby Road from City centre and explore the independent shops and coffee spots. Stop for a coffee and a pastry at Tough Mary's Bakehouse, with no doubt they bake the best croissants and cinnamon rolls in town.

You could then go back and head to Wellington Circus and Oxford Street and go up to get lost in the Park Tunnel where the Ropewalk meets Upper College Street. The tunnel will bring you to The Park Estate, a private residential housing estate right in the city centre, with its magnificent Victorian architecture and gas street lighting, believed to be one of the largest networks of its sort in Europe. You can wander around the neighbourhood along Park Terrace, finishing at the Royal Standard Place.

Go down Standard Hill road until you reach Nottingham Castle, recently re-opened to visits after a big refurbishment, and Robin Hood statue, where you can get the famous picture with the guardian of the city. Continue down Castle Road and stop for a drink before lunch at Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem, claiming to have been established in 1,189…if we assume this is true, it is the oldest pub in England.

Time now to get back to town for some lunch at Bar Iberico, a casual independent restaurant in the bustling streets of Hockley and recommended by the Michelin Guide's last edition. Their food is influenced by the traditional Spanish sharing style, whilst combining flavours & techniques from the Mediterranean to Asian cuisine. Their Menu Rapido is a good and affordable option for lunch. Or If you fancy a different type of food, Everyday people offer a lunch menu which included a ramen bowl and a snack for a very good price too. They are as good as the proper Japanese ramen!

You are right at the heart of town, and it is now time continue your visit. You can start walking the streets of the Lace Market, known to be the oldest area of Nottingham and the centre of the famous lace industry from the 19th century...try to spot the lace details almost in every building! St Mary's church (free entrance) clearly worth a visit, is believed to date back to the Saxon times, mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, a manuscript record of the great survey of most of England and parts of Wales completed at the behest of King William I, the Conqueror. The Contemporary Museum (free entrance) and the Nottingham caves, with the entrance located just below the museum, can be your next two stops. You can finish the day in the church-bar Pitcher & Piano, just few steps away and worth a visit at least to check the inside! Or maybe trying one of the coffee shops listed at the end for a nice coffee and a piece of cake or a pastry.

Wollaton Park, Lunch & Shopping

Let's walk the other way today. Go towards Wollaton Park a more than 500-acre park which includes a deer park and the impressive Wollaton Hall at the top of the hill, a classic Elizabethan prodigy house. It is a good more than 1 hour walk away from town, but you can easily jump in one of the public buses and get there in about 15–20 minutes. The hall is the home of the Nottingham Natural History Museum, and the Nottingham Industrial Museum in the stable block, where you can also have a rest and a cup of coffee. Walk around the park, get lost and try to spot the hidden deer!

Head back to town for a well-deserved lunch at Kushi-ya, a Japanese-inspired restaurant awarded a Bib Gourmand by the 2023 Michelin Guide. The cooking is Japanese but do not expect to find any sushi here; they specialise in kushiyaki: skewers of meat and vegetables, cooked over a charcoal grill. Their lunch offer including one snack and two skewer plus a bowl of rice is an amazing value for money; and desserts are amazing too! You can also try the recently opened Picalilli, they offer taste of the seasons with British and European small plates all crafted from the freshest local produce with an unbeatable Worker's Lunch on offer.

After lunch, maybe is time for some shopping. You can walk around the busy Old Market Square and visit the shops in The Exchange, the city's oldest shopping arcade, located inside the Council House. Then up to Pelham Street to explore Cobden Chambers with its independent shops, including one of our favourites, Studio Chocolate. You can then go back to Flying Horse Walk, where you can find some art galleries, independent boutiques and the Cheese Shop, with a great selection of local, national and international cheeses. For Nottingham inspired gifts have a look at Handmade Nottingham in King's Walk and the Visit Nottinghamshire Tourist Office in Long Row, next to The Exchange. Your shopping afternoon can then end walking Bridlesmith Gate and its fancy shops and boutiques, and then again finishing with a cup of coffee and a piece of cake in one of the coffee shops below.

Arboretum, Hockley & Sneinton

Time to discover the last bits in town. If you fancy starting with a walk in the park, a good option is to visit the Arboretum, the first designated public park in Nottingham and surrounded by nice Victorian houses.

After your morning walk, you can head to Hockley, claimed to be the coolest neighbourhood in Nottingham and home of lots of independent shops, restaurants and cafes. From there you can walk down to Sneinton Market, where you can grab a coffee and a piece of cake in the famous Blend Cafe, head to Bustler for an early street food lunch or if you are a pizza lover maybe try the Working Man's Kitchen. You can then visit the vibrant creative quarter and maybe popping at Luisa's Vegan Chocolate to buy some locally handcrafted chocolate from beans around the world including the 100% cacao one from the Solomon Islands or if you have some time walk to the Green's Windmill and Science Centre, which offers visits and splendid views from the top of the city. If you are a beer fan, worth mentioning that Sneinton is also home of two of the nicest independent local breweries Neon Raptor and Liquid Light. And a must visit in the area will be the Bath Inn, undoubtedly the prettiest pub in town. Is there any best way to finish your visit to Nottingham than with a pint of beer?