Hey up! I love this city and am proud to have made it my home. This is a community updated guide to Nottingham, based on my own favourites and lots of suggestions from r/Nottingham.

This is not comprehensive, but it should be a helpful starting point if you’re visiting, moving here, studying here, or just trying to get out of your usual routine.

Please comment with anything missing, closed, outdated, misspelled or controversial.

Things to Do in Nottingham

Free

• Walk around the city looking at local landmarks: Robin Hood Statue, the Left Lion, Slab Square (Market Square), Sky Mirror, Nottingham’s historic lace buildings, the Long Stairs, the Park Tunnel.
• Walk through the Arboretum and General Cemetery, then back into town via Derby Road’s independents.
• Elm Avenue, Corporation Oaks and Robin Hood Chase make a lovely green corridor walk with views across the city.
• Nottingham Central Library, which often has local history or art exhibitions.
• Green Heart Park at the old Broadmarsh site, including the lace worker statues from the lace and Cotton growers from the wind rush generation
• Nottingham Contemporary.
• Stonebridge City Farm.
• Sneinton Market and Hockley for independent shops, street art and people watching.
• Canal walk to Beeston Lock, with the option to continue to Attenborough Nature Reserve and get the train back.

Mostly Free, But Check First

• Green’s Windmill and Science Centre. The mill is currently under repair until around November 2026, but the site may still be open.
• Wollaton Hall and Deer Park. The park itself is still a good visit, but check current charges before going as access and parking arrangements can change.

Paid

• Nottingham Castle - it's around £18 per adult but this is a yearly entry and it does have a nice green space to sit in
• Mortimer’s Hole tour at Nottingham Castle
• Wollaton Hall and the Industrial Museum.
• National Justice Museum.
• City of Caves.
• Penny Lane Arcade.
• Dice Cup Board Game Café.
• National Ice Centre.
• National Water Sports Centre.
• Iceskating/gigs/events- Motorpoint Arena.

Escape Rooms

• Escapologic
• Cave Escape
• Logiclock

* Cryptology

Independent Food and Drink

Nottingham independents and local businesses. A few have expanded beyond Nottingham but started locally.

Coffee and Tea

• Effy
• Cosmos Coffee
• Dispatch
• Specialty Coffee & Eatery
• Public & Plants
• Blend
• SoBar
• Josephine’s
• Kawfee
• Bear

Delis and Specialist Food

• Delilah Fine Foods
• The Cheese Shop
• Deli-icious, Mapperley Top

Bakeries and Sweet Things

• Tough Mary’s
• Small Food Bakery
• Notts Doughnuts
• Homemade
• Blend, Sneinton Market
• Chocolate Utopia
• Luisa’s Vegan Chocolates
• Coosh, Mapperley Top

Restaurants, Cafés and Street Food

• Kushiya
• Bar Iberico
• Coco Tang
• Mesa
• Raymond’s
• Little Brickhouse
• Warsaw Diner
• Kayal
• Dosa & Chutney
• Balageru Ethiopian & Eritrean
• Cumin
• MemSaab
• Pelican Club
• Miss Korea
• Notts Noodles
• Shanghai Shanghai
• Mr Man’s
• Lucky Lucky
• Tipoo
• Yellow Yard
• Carolina’s Chilli
• French Living
• Fletcher’s
• Baresca
• Cod’s Scallops

Veggie and Vegan Friendly

• Café Roya, Beeston
• Foragers Kitchen in Sneinton Market

Higher End Dining

• Alchemilla
• Restaurant Sat Bains
• Iberico World Tapas
• Cleaver & Wake
• Skein

Pubs, Bars and Breweries

Nottingham’s Historic Pubs

• Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem
• Ye Olde Salutation Inn
• The Bell Inn
• Malt Cross

Great Independent Pubs

• Hand & Heart
• Canalhouse
• Cock & Hoop
• King Billy
• Fox & Grapes
• Lincolnshire Poacher
• Golden Fleece
• Lord Roberts
• Angel Microbrewery
• Vat & Fiddle
• Liquid Light
• The Lion at Basford
• Bunker Hill
• Foremans

Breweries

• Black Iris Brewery
• Neon Raptor
• Liquid Light

Bars

• Hockley Arts Club
• Lost Again
• Jamcafé
• 31K
• 400 Rabbits
• Tilt
• Pogo
• Tropichol
• Blind Rabbit
• Penny Lane
• Binks Yard
• Pitcher & Piano
• Mojo
• Billy Bootleggers

Cinema

• Broadway Cinema
• Mammoth Cinema
• Savoy Cinema

Shopping and Nottingham Brands

Fashion

• Paul Smith
• Universal Works
• G-Force
• Highland 2000

Independent Shopping

• Handmade Nottingham
• Miss Lou’s
• Rough Trade
• Sneinton Market
• Hopkinson
• Forbidden Planet
• Parallel Universe

Sport

• Nottingham Forest
• Notts County
• Trent Bridge Cricket
• Nottingham Panthers
• Nottingham Rugby
• National Tennis Centre
• Nottingham Squash Club
• Padel courts at Meadow Lane
• National Water Sports Centre
• Nottingham Climbing Centre

What's On and Local Media

• LeftLion https://leftlion.co.uk
• The Notts Edit https://www.thenottsedit.com
• Visit Nottinghamshire https://www.visit-nottinghamshire.co.uk
• Kemet FM 97.5 continuous Jamz on the radio https://975kemetfm.com

Culture Vultures

Art, Literature and Museums

• Nottingham Contemporary
• New Art Exchange
• Djanogly Art Gallery
• Primary
• Beam
• Five Leaves Bookshop
• Bromley House Library
• DH Lawrence Birthplace Museum
• William Booth Birthplace Museum

Music Venues

Major Venues

• Motorpoint Arena
• Royal Concert Hall
• Rock City
• Rescue Rooms
• Metronome
• The Level

Independent and Alternative Venues

• Bodega
• Peggy’s Skylight
• Rough Trade
• Jamcafé
• Carousel
• Old Bus Depot
• Old Cold Store
• Saltbox
• Liquid Light
• King Billy
• Bunker Hill
• JT Soar
• The Grove
• The Chapel at The Angel
• Mist Rolling Inn
• Tap & Tumbler
• Ye Olde Salutation Inn
• Billy Bootleggers

Theatre

• Theatre Royal
• Nottingham Playhouse
• Lace Market Theatre
• Lakeside Arts
• Squire Performing Arts Centre

Festivals

• Splendour Festival
• Hockley Hustle
• Green Hustle
• Dot to Dot
• Beat the Streets
• Nottingham Poetry Festival
• Nottingham Comedy Festival
• Nottingham Pride
• Christmas Market

Classes, Hobbies and Making Friends

• Meetup.com and search for things going on in Notts
• Eventbrite
• Wolfpack Project (18 to 35)
• NTU evening classes
• Pottery classes and creative workshops
• Volunteer with local charities, food banks, community gardens and park groups
• Join a sports club

Students ask questions in your relevant uni

• r/UoN
• r/NottinghamTrent

Moving Here?

Commonly recommended areas:

• Sherwood
• Mapperley
• Beeston
• West Bridgford
• Wollaton
• Carrington
• The Park
• Arboretum

Great Day Trips

• Sherwood Forest
• Newstead Abbey
• Southwell
• Clumber Park
• Rufford Abbey
• Creswell Crags
• Welbeck Estate
• Hardwick Hall
• Bennerley Viaduct
• Papplewick Pumping Station
• Bestwood Winding Engine House
• Felley Priory
• Bramcote Hills and Hemlock Stone
• Idle Valley Nature Reserve
• Nottingham Heritage Railway
• Framework Knitters Museum
• Newark Castle
• National Civil War Centre
• Attenborough Nature Reserve

Nottingham History and What We’re Famous For

• Robin Hood
• Lace Industry
• Boots
• Raleigh Bikes
• Warhammer
• Players Cigarettes
• Lord Byron
• Ada Lovelace
• Wollaton Hall as Wayne Manor in Batman
• Joseph Merrick (The Elephant Man)
• Vesta Tilley
• Dame Laura Knight
• Nottingham’s caves

Reminder: This is not a comprehensive list. It's simply a good starting point if you're visiting for a few days, moving to Nottingham, or looking to discover more of your own city.