Norwich & Norfolk Broads

An English city with more medieval churches than any other, a Norman castle and cathedral, the waterways of the Norfolk Broads for leisurely boating, and grey seals on the beaches in winter.

Norwich is the county town of Norfolk in the east of England, about 2 hours from London by train. In the Middle Ages it was England's second-largest city after London, grown rich on wool and textiles, and more than 30 medieval parish churches survive within its walls – the densest concentration of any English city. The main sights lie within a 15-minute walk: the Norman cathedral and castle, the cobbled street of Elm Hill, Norwich Market with its colourful striped awnings, the Art Nouveau Royal Arcade and the Norwich Lanes full of small shops, while a riverside walk along the Wensum leads to Pull's Ferry and the Cow Tower. From about 15 km north-east of the city begins the Norfolk Broads (The Broads), formed when medieval peat diggings flooded; around 200 km of navigable waterways link dozens of broads. Wroxham is the main base for sightseeing cruises and self-drive electric boat hire, and How Hill, Ranworth, Hickling Broad and Horsey Windpump are scattered across the network. In winter, more than a thousand grey seals give birth on Horsey beach. The best time to visit is May–September, when boating on the Broads, gardens and beaches are at their best; winter suits the city, museums and seal watching. Allow 2–3 days: one for the city and one or two for the Broads and coast. The city is easy to explore on foot; trains run to Wroxham or Great Yarmouth, but to reach the Broads' various spots it is best to drive or hire a boat. Holkham Hall, Blakeney Point and other sights on the north Norfolk coast are covered under "North Norfolk Coast".

Top sights

• Norwich Cathedral – A Norman cathedral begun in 1096. Its 96-meter spire is England's second tallest, and it has the largest monastic cloister in England.
• Norwich Castle – A Norman stone keep built on the city's highest point, now a museum and art gallery. After a 2025 renovation, it recreates a medieval royal…
• Elm Hill – Norwich's most photogenic cobblestone old street, with Tudor timber-framed houses in a continuous row and plenty of antique shops, bookshop…
• Wroxham & Hoveton – The “capital” of the Norfolk Broads, a town of boat docks on both banks of the Bure River. It is the first stop for sightseeing boats or se…
• Blickling Estate – A National Trust red-brick mansion from the James I era, said to be the birthplace of Anne Boleyn. Its long gallery library is spectacular.
• Norwich Market – One of England’s largest open-air permanent markets, with about 200 stalls under striped canopies. It is a city-center landmark and a hub f…
• Norwich Lanes – A network of old lanes between the market and St Benedict’s Street, lined with independent shops, cafés, bars and medieval churches.
• Royal Arcade – A shopping arcade in Art Nouveau style, completed in 1899, with exquisite colored tiles and a glass roof, linking the market and the castle.
• Pull's Ferry – A 15th-century flint water gate on the River Wensum, through which stone for the cathedral was brought by canal. It’s a picture-postcard vi…
• Cow Tower – A brick round gun tower from the late 14th century, one of England’s earliest defensive towers designed specifically for artillery, standin…
• Strangers' Hall – A merchant’s house museum dating back to the 14th century, with rooms arranged by period from Tudor to Victorian times, showing how Norwich…
• Dragon Hall – A 15th-century trading hall for wool merchants, with a dragon carved on an oak roof truss; it is a rare medieval commercial building in Wes…
• Sainsbury Centre – An early work by Norman Foster, an art gallery on the University of East Anglia campus, with pieces by Bacon, Giacometti and Henry Moore.
• Plantation Garden – A hidden Victorian secret garden in a disused chalk quarry, with a Gothic fountain and Italianate terraces that are still well preserved.
• Cathedral of St John the Baptist – A Gothic Revival Catholic church completed between 1882 and 1910, the second-largest Catholic cathedral in England, with tower access for c…
• Museum of Norwich at the Bridewell – A city history museum in a former 14th-century merchant’s house, telling the story of Norwich’s textiles, shoemaking and Colman’s mustard i…
• Mousehold Heath & St James' Hill – A wooded heathland to the northeast of the city, with views from St James’ Hill over Norwich and the cathedral spire, often painted by the…
• Whitlingham Country Park – A lake gateway about 3 kilometers from the city center, with two artificial lakes for walking, cycling, canoeing and paddleboarding around…
• How Hill & Toad Hole Cottage – Classic Broads scenery on the River Ant, with a Edwardian-era house on a grassy hill, a windmill and a museum of eel-catcher cottages.
• Hickling Broad – The largest lake in the Norfolk Broads and the flagship reserve of the Norfolk Wildlife Trust, where you can see cranes, marsh harriers and…
• Horsey Windpump – A five-story brick drainage windmill managed by the National Trust, with a viewing platform overlooking Horsey Mere and the North Sea coast…
• Horsey Gap Seal Colony – One of England’s largest grey seal breeding grounds, where thousands of mother seals and white pups can be seen up close on the beach in wi…
• BeWILDerwood – A forest adventure park inspired by a children’s book, with treehouses, rope bridges, slides and boardwalks over marshland, ideal for a ful…
• Museum of the Broads – A small museum on the quay at Stalham, showing how the Broads were formed by flooded medieval peat pits, along with traditional boats and w…
• Ranworth Broad & St Helen's Church – Climb the tower of St Helen’s Church for 360-degree views over the Broads’ waterways. Inside the church is a 15th-century painted rood scre…
• St Benet's Abbey – A riverside abbey ruin on the Bure, where an 18th-century windmill rises from a medieval gatehouse, the most unusual sight in the Broads.
• Great Yarmouth Seafront & Britannia Pier – A classic English seaside resort. The Golden Mile seafront strings together piers, amusement arcades and sandy beaches, making it an easy d…
• Burgh Castle Roman Fort – A 3rd-century Roman fort on the 'Saxon Shore', its three high walls still standing above the Breydon Water wetlands.
• Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden – A woodland and water garden at South Walsham, where waterways wind between ancient trees, boats can cruise a private lake, and spring banks…

Where to eat

• Benedicts – The neighbourhood restaurant of Richard Bainbridge, winner of MasterChef: The Professionals, serving modern British foo…
• The Wildebeest – A Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant just south of Norwich, converted from an old pub, offering great-value modern Britis…
• Benoli – A three-storey Italian restaurant beside Norwich Castle, recommended by Michelin, specialising in handmade pasta and ti…
• Namaste Village Vegetarian Indian Restaurant – A family-run, fully vegetarian Indian restaurant in an 1887 building, loved by locals and visitors for its dosas and cu…
• Shiki Japanese Restaurant – Norwich's longest-established family Japanese restaurant on Tombland by the cathedral, known for sushi, tempura and lun…
• The Ingham Swan – A refined restaurant converted from a 14th-century thatched inn in the north of the Norfolk Broads, recommended by Mich…

Itineraries

• Cambridge, North Norfolk and the Broads in – Punt on the Cam, head north to the coast for seals and sandy beaches, then cross the Broads to Norwich.