Norwich City tourist information.
The county of Norfolk in East Anglia is a marvelous destination all year round. With its vast pristine coastline, quaint villages, scenic countryside, rural towns steeped in history, and the UK’s largest nationally protected wetlands known as the Norfolk Broads, here in the east of England, it is one of the best places to visit.
As the biggest city in Norfolk, Norwich offers an appealing array of entertainment, shopping, accommodation and leisure activities. Less than 2 hours from London, Norwich is one of the largest cities in the region with an estimated population of 130,000. However, it retains a charming country atmosphere, enhanced by its many historical buildings and heritage sites.
From the Norwich Castle and splendid Cathedrals, to medieval flint stone churches and an ancient marketplace, you cannot help but be enveloped by history. Walking through the downtown area of Norwich, where a Saxon village once stood, you will see a meandering river named Wensum (the word for wandering in Anglo Saxon). This city is truly a place of contrasts, bustling with activity amid old world rural charm, modern architecture that nestles alongside centuries old buildings.
A glimpse back into the town’s past reveals that in the middle ages, Norwich was a flourishing Norman centre for cloth producers in East Anglia, becoming England’s second wealthiest city after London in 1700. However, with the Industrial Revolution, manufacturing boomed in towns in the northern parts of the country and the once prosperous Norwich lagged behind. Today, with large companies now setting up office in Norwich, it is again one of the richest cities in the UK, the benefit for modern day travellers is that they can enjoy and appreciate the many beautiful heritage enriched buildings that still stand today.
While some tourists may have overlooked the Norfolk region as a destination, when it comes to shopping, Norwich has been rated one of the UK’s top 10 shopping destinations and when you see the wide range of shops, you’ll understand why. It is also home the the largest outdoor Monday to Saturday market in the UK, which has over 190 stall. There’s has been a market here since Saxon times, and the current market has been at its location for longer than any of the other buildings around it.
As a tourist, one of the first things you should do when arriving in the area is visit the excellent Tourist Information Centre (TIC), which is open year round. You will find it in the centre of Norwich near the marketplace (Forum building, Tel 01603-213999). During the busy tourist season (April-October), the TIC extends its working hours, opening at 10:00am and closing at 6:00pm every day except Sunday when it is open from 10:30am – 4:30pm. Even in off peak season, it is open every day except Sunday from 10:00am – 5:30pm.
The Centre’s friendly staff offers several useful services, including information about events and accommodation, tourist highlights, activities and travelling around the area. In addition, you can order brochures, buy National Express bus and train tickets as well as tickets for various tourist attractions. The Eastern Daily Press publishes a handy events guide on Friday, so don’t forget to pick up a copy.
Any time is a good time to visit Norwich & Norfolk, the climate is temperate, summers are typically warm, though being near the North Sea on the east coast, the weather can sometimes be a bit changeable, but an added advantage of being on the east coast are the the longer daylight hours.
Through the summer months from June – August, temperatures typically hover above 20°C, with the temperature often in to the mid – high 20′s, and as with anywhere in the UK, you can get some rain at any time, but on the whole, compared to many other UK holiday destinations, Norfolk experiences some of the longest daily hours of sunshine at 6 hours per day, combined with some of the lowest annual rainfall.
The wettest time of the year is around October and November time, and February – April provide the driest months in Norwich. Even during the autumn, no matter what the weather, there’s always plenty of things to see and do, as there are numerous festivals and annual events are hosted in the latter part of the year.
