INDEPENDENT TRAVEL GUIDES Independent ideas for your day out
CHOOSE A PLACE. MAKE A DAY OF IT.
Things to do in Nottinghamshire: Nottingham and Southwell
Nottingham and Southwell offer different ways to spend a Nottinghamshire day. Nottingham brings larger collections and underground sandstone spaces into a city visit; Southwell combines a minster, smaller town streets and the distinct social history of the Workhouse. These two destinations are our present starting points, not a complete county directory or a Sherwood Forest itinerary. Choose the subject and level of walking first, then use the local guide to check bookings, access and opening days. A quieter town visit can be just as complete as a sequence of city attractions.
Nottingham Castle, the National Justice Museum and City of Caves offer different stories and ticket arrangements. The cave entrances and routes are not interchangeable, and underground steps matter when planning with children or mobility needs. Wollaton requires a separate journey. Nottingham Contemporary’s galleries are currently closed for exhibition installation; its café and shop remaining open does not make it an available art-gallery visit.
Southwell suits a slower heritage day around the Minster and town streets, with time for lunch and a modest outdoor pause. The Workhouse and Infirmary is another substantial visit on Upton Road, with difficult social-history themes and differing routes through its buildings. The Southwell Trail is a longer linear former-railway route; choose a short return walk rather than assuming the complete trail belongs in a casual town itinerary.
PLAN A DAY THAT WORKS
Before you set off
Pick the subject before linking the destinations
Nottingham is the choice for a larger museum or underground experience; Southwell offers a smaller town setting and a distinct Workhouse story. For two days, give each its own focus. A same-day pairing is only useful if one stop is deliberately short and the connection fits. A cave admission slot and a substantial Workhouse visit should not be joined by an optimistic travel allowance that leaves no time to eat or pause.
A Southwell day and its shorter version
Start with the Minster during sightseeing access, looking closely at the details that interest you before lunch in town. Take a short heritage-street walk afterwards, with the recreation ground as an optional pause. If the Workhouse is the main reason for coming, give it the principal part of the day instead. The shorter plan keeps Minster and lunch; a full former-railway walk is not required to make the visit worthwhile.
Family curiosity and a day for two
Match children’s interests to castle history, a museum subject or Southwell’s quieter heritage, checking prison themes and cave restrictions first. A pushchair-friendly building does not establish pushchair access underground. Couples might choose a reflective Workhouse visit, minster architecture or one Nottingham collection followed by a meal. Allow space after difficult historical material and compare the cost for the whole party before adding a second paid attraction.
Free entry and the current gallery gap
Southwell’s ordinary Minster visiting and public town routes provide free-entry choices, with tours and events separate. Nottingham’s Arboretum supplies outdoor time, but check facilities and the weather. Nottingham Contemporary’s gallery installation closure means it cannot currently anchor a free indoor day; check for confirmed reopening after its advertised October launch. Museums and caves offer other rainy-day possibilities, though access, paid admission and exposed transfers still need planning. The Workhouse has outdoor connections between buildings.
Check the entrance and the complete journey
City of Caves uses its current street entrance, rather than obsolete shopping-centre directions, and is different from castle cave tours. Southwell requires an onward journey from mainline stations, with the Workhouse separate from the Minster. Check the actual bus or driving route and the final return. For every historic interior, use current access advice rather than assuming a lift elsewhere in the building reaches the particular space you want.
Official information for planning
Our suggestions help you choose a day out. Use these official sources and each local attraction’s visitor information for current travel, opening and access details.
ThingsToDo
