A LITTLE PLANNING. A BETTER DAY.
Pair something to discover indoors with time to play outside. The Novium and Priory Park make a manageable central combination, while Fishbourne offers a longer Roman outing. Theatre visits and canal cruises can work well when their timings, age guidance and access match the family.
Start with the Novium if you want a short, flexible museum visit. The Roman bathhouse remains give children a concrete starting point before moving to objects and activities upstairs. Ask about the available interactives and leave before attention runs out; general admission is free, but a special exhibition or event can charge. The museum has a lift and baby changing, and its current quiet sessions may suit visitors who find sound and crowds difficult. Put a food break between the museum and Priory Park. Allow about 10–15 minutes to walk between the two at a family pace, with more time for browsing or crossings. The park’s equipped play area and grass can fill the rest of the afternoon. Look at the Guildhall from outside without promising entry, and keep climbing the motte or exploring ramparts optional. For a shorter day, have an hour in the museum, lunch and a brief park stop. Fishbourne is better treated as the day’s main visit when children are interested in Roman life. Allow about two hours on site, including time for the covered floors and whichever garden areas suit the weather. Confirm any handling session or holiday activity before promising it. Add the journey from Chichester, the walk from the station or bus stop and a food break; bringing a picnic gives you an alternative if the café offering changes. At the canal, a short walk from the basin may be enough for younger children. A scheduled cruise is a separate paid outing with a departure you must meet. Under-twos still count towards passenger numbers, so include them when booking. Stay close beside the water even during a brief visit, and leave the full marina walk for a day with a planned return. For a performance, choose the show rather than simply the theatre building. Read age guidance, running time and content notes; check whether a relaxed performance or sensory kit would help. A family backstage tour has its own date and ticket, with access affected by the current production. Keep lunch and travel simple before a matinee, and avoid stacking a long museum visit immediately beforehand.
FIND YOUR KIND OF DAY
Begin with the Roman bathhouse remains preserved inside this purpose-built museum, then explore the district’s people and changing landscape upstairs. The Novium is a useful first stop for understanding the city beneath today’s streets. Keep the permanent displays as a short visit, or add the temporary exhibition if its subject appeals.
Priory Park combines open grass and a children’s play area with reminders of the city’s older defences. Look at the Guildhall from outside, then choose between a play break, a seat under the trees and a short look towards the walls and motte. It is a useful place to let a museum morning settle rather than another timed attraction.
Visit surviving Roman mosaic floors in their original setting, then use the museum and reconstructed gardens to imagine the scale of the household around them. Fishbourne rewards a slower visit: compare patterns, look at what survives and distinguish the archaeological remains from the garden reconstruction. It sits west of Chichester and deserves a separate travel allowance.
Start at the city basin for boats and a short waterside walk, then turn back when you have had enough. The full towpath towards the marina is a much longer outing, not a shortcut back to the centre. A basin visit can fit around a train journey; a boat trip needs its own ticket and departure time.
Choose a production at the Festival Theatre or adjoining Minerva, then build the day around the performance rather than adding it at the last minute. The theatres sit beside Oaklands Park, giving you somewhere to pause before taking your seat. A matinee can anchor an afternoon; an evening performance needs a checked return journey.
Look at the changing light and architecture, then choose a few artworks or chapels to explore more closely. Chichester’s cathedral brings historic fabric and later artistic commissions into one working religious building. An unhurried ground-floor visit leaves time for the adjoining garden, while a guided tour can give the spaces more context.
PLAN YOUR DAY
The Novium followed by lunch and Priory Park. Check the museum’s Tuesday–Saturday autumn opening and keep the park stop as long or short as the children want.
Plan a museum visit →The main covered areas have generally level access and ramps, while the gardens have gravel paths. Check the route for your buggy and keep garden sections optional.
Check palace access →Under-twos are free on the scheduled cruise but must be included in the passenger numbers. Confirm seating and boarding arrangements with the Trust.
Read canal family advice →No. Use the specific production’s age guidance and content notes, and check the date of any relaxed performance or family tour separately.
Choose a suitable performance →HELP IMPROVE THIS GUIDE
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