BeenThere-DoneThat		The Unofficial Guide to Great Britain

If you like picturesque corners, history, Britain's heritage and, of course, nice shops then you cannot possibly go wrong with Norwich. Were you to stay a week you could not cover everything Norwich has to offer.

There are an extraordinary number and variety of good places to eat from coffee shops to restaurants such as the Forget-me-not coffee shop shown here. It is housed in an old parish church, together with a bookshop, and has been done very well. This church is, as are so many churches in Norwich, of medieval origin with later modifications - the clock dates from 1827. Another cofee shop of which we had experience was The Britons Arms on Elm Hill. This used to be the oldest inn in Norwich and it is still just as old but is no longer an inn. We had lunch there one day and we both concur that you have not tasted the ultimate pork pie until you have tried theirs. If you are not a fan of the average pork pie bought in the local shop then don't worry because that bears absolutely no relation to the home made version they serve here - highly recommended. There are Indian, Chinese, Malaysian, Thai, Mexican, Italian, Greek etc. - you get the picture! Click on the picture for a larger view

Norich does have a number of surprises. Mousehold Heath, on the north-eastern side of the city, is an area of woodland and open heath within the city boundaries where, from some parts, you can get a good view over the city as shown in the first picture below.

Norwich is also a city with two cathedrals. There is also a Roman Catholic Cathedral shown in the second picture below although it is not as old as the Norman one having been built in the late 1800s. There are also over 30 medieval churches within the boundaries of the old walled city.

Click on either picture for a larger view

The Tourist Information Centre is located in the Forum (the huge modern glass building), near St. Peter Mancroft Church, and is open from Monday to Saturday.

Telephone: UK: 01603 212212     Overseas: 44 1603 212212
email: info@norwich.gov.uk

They offer an accommodation booking service together with a variety of maps and guides.

There is good public transport in Norwich and from Norwich to other parts of Norfolk. There is a railway station so you can get to Norwich easily by train and there are a multitude of bus services within the city and from the city out to other places such as the Norfolk Broads. Norfolk County Council provide a free guide to public transport within Norfolk including a map of the routes - very useful.

There are two railway routes out of Norwich to other parts of Norfolk. The Bittern line , from Norwich to Cromer and Sheringham and the Wherry Lines from Norwich to Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft in Suffolk. These lines also interconnect with other heritage lines such as the North Norfolk Railway (The Poppy Line) and the Bure Valley Railway (Narrow Gauge). Using the 'Coast Hopper' bus service from Sheringham you could also connect with the Wells and Walsingham Light Railway (Narrow Gauge).

There are two 'special' bus services which connect with the railways and they are the Coast Hopper , which connects with the 'Bittern Line', running from Sheringham to Hunstanton through a number of coastal villages and the Broads Hopper , which connects with the 'Bittern Line' at Wroxham and the 'Wherry Lines' at Acle and runs from Acle to Blickling through various Broads villages.

If you don't want to drive, or can't, then these services give easy and convenient access to many places of interest in Norfolk.

Norfolk		England