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Norwich, an old, historic city in the English county of Norfolk, is about 100 miles from London and is a great place to start exploring the North Norfolk Coast of England. With a population of about 125,000, Norwich is quickly becoming a hotspot for culture and young people, but still maintains its old-school vibe. At one time the history and culture of Norwich and Norfolk was showcased in the Origins exhibitions. It is still a pretty small city, but Norwich has all those hidden gem type places packed into traditional English streets. If you’re looking for a more sophisticated trip, look no further than Norwich.

Norwich Pictures

Things to do in Norwich

Norwich may be a “small city”, but don’t let that fool you, it has some of the most amazing sights and beautiful buildings around. First start off with the Norwich Cathedral, a 900-year-old Norman cathedral church, complete with a grinning skeleton on the south aisle wall. Also be sure to hit up the Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery, which features a “pop in for a pound” in the last hour of opening. Dragon Hall, a restored trading hall from the medieval era, is a cool place to see what life was like way back when. The Forum, a new building with dynamic architecture, houses the municipal library, and serves as an arts and information center for Norwich. It was once the sight of the amazing Origins exhibition, now closed. A cool place to go is the Sainsbury Center for Visual Arts, located on the campus of the University of East Anglia. This cool building features an underground section with changing art, ceramics, and tile exhibitions. It also houses works by Norman foster and a permanent exhibition of the Sainsbury supermarket, pottery, sculpture, and rare Chinese and tribal artifacts. For the artists out there be sure to hit up the Norwich Royal Theater, Maddermarket Theater, and the Norwich Puppet Theater. Depending on when you go to Norwich, you might be in time for either the Norwich & Norfold CAMRA Beer Festival (held every October), or the Norfolk and Norwich Festival (held every May).

Nightlife in Norwich

Norwich has the highest number of pubs per square mile in the UK–pretty impressive, and sure to make for a great time. Norwich is also home to the award-winning Fat Cat pub, a real ale paradise with over 25 ales, and the only pub in the UK to twice win the prestigious CAMRA National Pub of the Year award. A major beer festival is held every year in October and is really great. Also, be sure to try Woodforde’s Wherry and Nelson’s Revenge, two great ales that shouldn’t be missed.

Dining in Norwich

Norwich has a lot of the typical chains associated with a city, but also has several smaller restaurants that are tasty and cheap–great for students on vacation or spring break. Malaysian Delights, a buffet on Timer Hill, is a great place to get a lot of food for only a little money. There’s also great Thai food in Norwich, with Sugar Hut and Silk Thai being the best two places to go. Oasis is a great Indian restaurant, and is located on Queen Street. For great Mexican food, try Pedro’s or Mambo Jambo’s, both in Chapelfield Gardens.

Shopping in Norwich

Norwich is known as one of Britain’s major regional shopping centers, with it’s Castle Mall having been recently renovated and now open for business. Norwich is also home to the largest permanent outdoor market in Europe, and one of the finest city markets in the UK. It’s just been refurbished and is also open for business.

Norwich Travel Tips

• Temperatures can be quite cool in the winter, so if you’re visiting then, pack accordingly!
• Norwich is best traveled by foot.
• StudentUniverse has great cheap student airfare rates to Norwich.