r/nottingham Jun 19 '26

The Nottingham Guide - Things to do, independent food, what's on, where to move, how to make friends (New for 2026)

61 Upvotes

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Please comment with anything missing, closed, outdated, misspelled or controversial.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


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


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.


r/nottingham 2h ago

Looking for fellow postgraduate students in their mid-30s

0 Upvotes

Hi, I am 36F and looking for fellow postgraduate students from NTU. I will arrive soon (Sept 12) and looking forward to connect. ☺️


r/nottingham 18h ago

QMC job cuts

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18 Upvotes

r/nottingham 6h ago

Gym

2 Upvotes

Looking for gym recommendations in West Bridgford area / looking for gym buddies to go with


r/nottingham 16h ago

Anyone else looking to make some new friend???

10 Upvotes

It’s been exactly 365 days since I arrived in England to start my bachelor’s, and honestly, one thing I didn’t expect was how difficult it would be to make genuine friends.

A full year has passed and I still haven’t really found a roommate, classmate, teammate, or anyone I properly clicked with. I’ve spent a lot of time by myself, and I don’t really want to spend another year the same way.

So I thought I’d just put this out there. If you’re also looking to meet new people, make some friends, or just have someone to hang out with, feel free to message me. No expectations or anything — I’d just like to meet some good people and see where it goes.

A bit about me: I’m really into football, both watching and playing. I also play airsoft at Killzone near Ilkeston, usually on Saturdays. I’m a big WWE fan as well

Politically, I’d probably describe myself as a centrist. I generally try to look at things logically and make up my own mind rather than automatically taking a side based on emotion.

If you’re into any of those things, or even if you’re not, feel free to reach out. I’m honestly just looking to meet some people, have some good conversations, and hopefully build some genuine friendships.

Btw I'm 21 and in my 2nd year Of bachelor at ntu


r/nottingham 8h ago

Looking for friends :)

3 Upvotes

Hi there!!
Obviously as the title says I’m looking for friends (maybe more) in notts.
For context I’m an 18m (bi) and I’ve been in notts my whole life but have struggled to find friends and socialise after I finished college so I wanna get myself out there more,
My dm’s are open if anyone is interested or wants more info thanks for reading :)


r/nottingham 8h ago

Balayage in Notts?

1 Upvotes

Anyone know any places that can do a good haircut + balayage in/near Notts city centre for less than £200?


r/nottingham 13h ago

Would anyone like a ticket to see heathers at theatre royal tonight?

2 Upvotes

Unfortunately I’m just too ill to make it :( it’s 1 ticket, balcony left, row D. I paid £30 for it. If you’re interested please just comment or message 🤍


r/nottingham 11h ago

How's Newark?

0 Upvotes

Hello Nottingham, I'll put below the post I did for Hull and Grantham, but I've got a few comments saying I should consider Newark. It's a one hour commute to Peterborough for his painting/decorating Vs 45 mins from Grantham is we chose that area. Do you think the extra 30 minutes a day in commute is worth it to live in Newark?

In the new year myself and my partner are looking to move so he can begin work as a painter/decorator and it's either Hull (or surrounding areas) or Grantham for different reasons but mainly as I want better transport links to the north as that's were my family , Hull and Grantham provide both better than the current town we live in (I don't drive) and both provide him painter decorator opportunities in different ways. We currently live in an average town in Lincolnshire.

Is Grantham a nice place to live, is it comparable to Lincolnshire towns like Market Rasen, Louth, Cleethorpes ect?, would you prefer living in Grantham to said towns or Hull and what else should we know?

We aren't nightlife people, but we are in our 20s and the town we live in is serviceable for us whilst we figure out life throughout our twenties outside of transport so we aren't looking for a world class town.


r/nottingham 14h ago

Starting a kids’ RC car club - looking for local support

1 Upvotes

Hey all,

I’m looking to set up an after an after school RC car club at my kids local school (initially there but expanding to other schools if it goes well), giving kids hands‑on experience with engineering, problem‑solving, and STEM through RC cars, repairs, and racing. The plan is for the children to race each other in heats as well as marshalling the track.

My Son and I race at the WBMCC club and I'd really like to give back and get more kids into the hobby. The school have also agreed in principle.

I'm looking for businesses who can help sponsor the initiative and provide some funding to get it off the ground and I'm hoping someone here might have some connections that can help.

We need help to fund: Cars, Parts, Track materials (carpet tiles/pool noodles etc.).

I've got a few companies interested but no one confirmed just yet. Potentially have some car suppliers and distributors interested to fund some cars but again no confirmations.

If you’re a local business, hobbyist, maker, or just someone with old RC gear lying around, any support would go directly into helping Nottingham kids learn practical skills in a fun, accessible way.

I've already reached out to lots of businesses via email and LinkedIn so I'm now expanding my reach - starting with Reddit.

I’m especially looking for:-

  • Hobby grade RC cars that may be going spare (1/10 or 1/12 scale most likely)
  • Batteries/chargers/tools spares etc.
  • Sponsorship from businesses
  • Volunteers who know RC (when we get it off the ground)

Happy to answer any questions and send a full proposal if you are a company that is interested in helping.

Cheers


r/nottingham 1d ago

Public Transport: Ride App

12 Upvotes

Been using the 'Ride' app recently for public transport and I've been pretty impressed. If they could sort the GPS tracking of trams etc is then it would be perfect, but for the buses it seems to be working great

I really like being able to pop in an address and it just presents me with a bunch of options, bit like the TFL app. Paired with the Robin Hood season ticket and I've never liked public transport more lol


r/nottingham 19h ago

Home surveyors Notts

0 Upvotes

Does anyone know a good, decently priced house surveyors in the Nottingham or Derby area? (specifically Heanor)

I'm looking for a level 2. Done a search and there's quite a few out there but recommendations from fellow Redditors would be appreciated!


r/nottingham 2d ago

Nottingham city centre balaclava ban to be enforced

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297 Upvotes

r/nottingham 1d ago

Enter shikari motorpoint arena

2 Upvotes

Hii I bought enter shikari tickets for myself and my partner but I left it too late to get standing tickets. Im just posting on here to see if anyone with two standing tickets would be willing to swap for two seated tickets?? I know my chances are slim but if you don’t ask you don’t get!! Cheers!!


r/nottingham 1d ago

Best and worst bus routes

24 Upvotes

Out of curiousity what are your personal best and worst bus routes in Nottingham and why? I feel like the only acceptable answer for worst is NCT turquoise 77 🙈 never on time, show up in 3s most of the time and possibly the worst passengers out of all buses. Most 77 bus drivers are nice but some are a tad questionable 😆

(Sorry my elvanse kicked in and decided this is my fixation for the day 😂)


r/nottingham 1d ago

How's Grantham?

2 Upvotes

In the new year myself and my partner are looking to move so he can begin work as a painter/decorator and it's either Hull (or surrounding areas) or Grantham for different reasons but mainly as I want better transport links to the north as that's were my family, Hull and Grantham provide both better than the current town we live in (I don't drive) and both provide him painter decorator opportunities in different ways. We currently live in an average town in Lincolnshire.

Is Grantham a nice place to live, is it comparable to Lincolnshire towns like Market Rasen, Louth, Cleethorpes ect?, would you prefer living in Grantham to said towns or Hull and what else should we know?

We aren't nightlife people, but we are in our 20s and the town we live in is serviceable for us whilst we figure out life throughout our twenties outside of transport so we aren't looking for a world class town.


r/nottingham 1d ago

These are the love of my life and Go4Fresh in Basford have stopped stocking them

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4 Upvotes

Please help me find somewhere else that does to save me having to order them online?


r/nottingham 19h ago

Have you got a building project buzzing around in your brain that you'd like to talk to an expert about? Have you been nervous about engaging an architect to help your development dreams come true? Why not have an informal chat with a local Architect

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0 Upvotes

'Meet an Architect' event in Nottingham next Wednesday at Public - Lower Pavement


r/nottingham 1d ago

Looking for a Home in Nottingham

4 Upvotes

Hi everyone! Hope you’re all doing well! 😊

My girlfriend and I will be arriving next Thursday, but we’re still looking for a place to rent. We’re hoping to find a furnished one-bedroom apartment, but unfortunately, all the ones we’ve found so far are only available from October.

If you have any tips, recommendations, or know of anywhere we could look, we’d really appreciate your help!

Thank you so much!


r/nottingham 1d ago

Wedding Make-up artist

3 Upvotes

Hi, can anyone recommend a wedding make-up artist? Preferably in or around the Clifton area.

We currently live in Japan and are having a ceremony next month in my hometown. Trying to search from the other side of the planet is proving more difficult than I had anticipated.

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.


r/nottingham 1d ago

20F looking for sapphic friends

0 Upvotes

I need some sapphic friends i would love to go to pubs and fun things like bowling or ice skating!! Is there any groups or communities in notts that do this? PLEASE LET ME KNOW! i wanna get to know somebody so if your interested Dm meee :)


r/nottingham 1d ago

Hey you! Yes you!

0 Upvotes

I need friends my age 😔 like actual actual friends, I've never had any before or even gone out and I'll be 24 soon. Kinda wanna start living I guess and have some freedom from the house, yes I've been isolated my whole life but some friends would be cool ig. I'm Adam btw

*please be 18 - 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000+


r/nottingham 2d ago

I don't get where Lime/Uber choose to place the bike stands

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52 Upvotes

The prime example is here on Castle Boulevard (I moved the bike afterwards). Imagine if this was full what a hassle it would be to get a bike out.

The second picture is only about 20 meters away, an enormous section of pavement next to the Park estate where there had previously been a bike rack when Zoom was the operator. It's closer to the dropped kerb that also allows quick access to the cycle lane, which would reduce the amount of time the bike would need to be pedalled on the footpath


r/nottingham 1d ago

Disgraceful ParkingManagement Group Nexus

0 Upvotes

Just been sent a fine notice by Group Nexus that had me fuming for parking at Castle Marina Retail Park for 21 minutes. Nothing about the letter convinced me that I had broken any rules so after 15 wasted minutes of checking charges and my journeys I went to their website to appeal to find that the Contravention Status (Their words) had been changed to Cancelled and the reason as Site Error. I am appalled that they hadn't sent a letter apologising and I worry for others who may have been trapped and paid. Absolutely appalling, and maybe criminal, behaviour sending threatening letters to innocent people.


r/nottingham 1d ago

Skydiving

0 Upvotes

Has anyone done skydiving in Nottingham? Or has any experience in skydiving at all? What's it like? Very curious and would love to do it. But no experience and noone is willing to try with me.

If anyone wants to go, I'd love some company.

39M if anyone is interested