Destinations > England > East Anglia > Norfolk

Norfolk

This largely flat county takes up most of the East Anglia region and it is renowned for its continental-style windmills. Its main attractions include the coastal towns, the Norfolk Broads National Park and the city of Norwich.

Kings Lynn

Lynn is a lovely town on the River Great Ouse that was a prosperous port in the 16th century when it controlled much of the trade between England and northern Germany.

Practical Information

Tourist Information Centre

Custom House, Corner King Street & Purfleet, Kings Lynn

Tel (01553) 763 044

Open Mon-Sat 9.15am-5pm; Sun 10.15am-5pm

Coming & Going

BUS

National Express (website www.nationalexpress.co.uk) have buses to Birmingham, Cambridge, London, Norwich and Peterborough.

First (website www.firstgroup.com) operate buses in Norfolk and neighbouring counties. The FirstTourist ticket costs £6 and gives you one day unlimited travel on First buses in East Anglia.

Buses stop at the Vancouver Centre.

TRAIN

WAGN (website www.wagn.co.uk) operates train services to Cambridge and London (Kings Cross).

Accommodation

Kings Lynn YHA

College Lane, Kings Lynn, Norfolk PE30 1JB

Tel (01553) 772 461

Sights

The Lynn Museum

This museum in a Victorian chapel houses a collection of exhibits on local history.

Market Street, Kings Lynn

Tel (01553) 775 001

Website www.museums.norfolk.gov.uk

Admission £1

Open Tue-Sat 10am-5pm

Sandringham Estate

The Queen's country retreat has been described as "the most comfortable house in England". The royal family regularly uses the house and the main ground floor rooms are open to the public. There is also a museum on the site that displays many items relating to the royal family including a collection of vintage cars.

Sandringham, near Kings Lynn

Bus 411, coastliner

Tel (01553) 772 675

Website www.sandringhamestate.co.uk

Admission £6.50

Open 10 Apr-23 Jul & 1 Aug-30 Sep 11am-4.45pm daily; Oct 11am-3pm daily

Town House Museum

This museum chronicles domestic life in Lynn from medieval times to the 1950s featuring reconstructed rooms from various periods in the town’s history.

46 Queen Street, Kings Lynn

Tel (01553) 773 450

Website www.museums.norfolk.gov.uk

Admission £1.80

Open Jan-Apr Mon-Sat 10am-4pm; May-Sep Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 2pm-5pm; Oct-Dec Mon-Sat 10am-4pm

Castle Acre

This lovely village dates from the 10th century and boasts ruins of a Norman castle and a well maintained priory. Castle Acre is 30km east of Kings Lynn.

Accommodation

The Old Red Lion

Bailey Street, Castle Acre

Tel (01760) 755 557

Sights

Castle Acre Castle

Castle Acre Castle was built in the 12th century as a Norman manor house, but was later fortified to become a castle.

Castle Acre

Website www.english-heritage.org.uk

Admission free

Always open

Castle Acre Priory

Castle Acre’s well-preserved priory was built over a period of seven hundred years and it includes a 12th-century church and 15th-century gatehouse.

Castle Acre

Tel (01760) 755 394

Website www.english-heritage.org.uk

Admission £4.20 (£3.20 students)

Open Jan-Mar Wed-Sun 10am-4pm; Apr-Sep 10am-6pm daily; Oct-Dec Wed-Sun 10am-4pm

North Norfolk Coast

Norfolk’s northern coast is one of Britain’s more relaxed coastal regions. The main towns in this region stretch from Hunstanton, north of Kings Lynn, to Cromer, north of Norwich.

This part of Norfolk has a good selection of hostel accommodation.

Practical Information

Hunstanton Tourist Information Centre

Town Hall, The Green, Hunstanton

Tel (01485) 532 610

Open Apr-Sep 10am-5pm daily

Sheringham Tourist Information Centre

Station Approach, Sherringham

Tel (01263) 824 329

Wells-next-the-Sea Tourist Information Centre

Staithe Street, Wells-next-the-Sea

Tel (01328) 710 885

Coming & Going & Local Transport

First (website www.firstgroup.com) and Norfolk Green (website www.norfolkgreen.co.uk) operate local bus services in northern Norfolk. One of the more useful bus routes is Norfolk Greens bus 36, which runs along the coast from Cromer to King’s Lynn.

One (website www.onerailway.co.uk) runs local train services from Cromer to Sheringham and Norwich.

Accommodation

HUNSTANTON

Hunstanton YHA

15 Avenue Road, Hunstanton, Norfolk PE36 5BW

Bus 410, 411, 412, 413

Tel (01485) 532 061

BURNHAM DEEPDALE

Deepdale Granary

Deepdale Farm, Burnham Deepdale

Tel (01485) 210 256

WELLS-NEXT-THE-SEA

Wells-next-the-Sea YHA

Church Plain, Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk NR23 1EQ

Bus 36 (Coast Hopper)

Tel 0870 770 6084

SHERINGHAM

Sheringham YHA

1 Cremer's Drift, Sheringham, Norfolk NR26 8HX

Tel (01263) 823 215

Norwich

Norwich is the UK's most complete medieval city and it is dominated by a 900-year-old Norman castle and cathedral.

During medieval times the city prospered from the wool trade, which resulted in 33 fine medieval churches including the stunning cathedral.

Practical Information

Norwich Tourist Information Centre

The Forum, Millennium Plain, Bethel Street, Norwich

Tel (01603) 666 071

Website www.visitnorwich.co.uk

Open Jan-May Mon-Fri 9.30am-4.30pm, Sat 9.30am-1pm & 1.30pm-4.30pm; Jun-Sep Mon-Sat 9.30am-5pm; Oct-Dec Mon-Fri 9.30am-4.30pm, Sat 9.30am-1pm & 1.30pm-4.30pm

Coming & Going

AIR

Norwich International Airport (tel (01603) 411923; website www.norwichinternational.com) has flights to over 400 destinations; however it is hardly a busy hub for backpackers.

BUS

National Express (website www.nationalexpress.co.uk) runs buses from Norwich to Birmingham, London and Stansted Airport.

First (website www.firstgroup.com) operate buses in Norfolk and neighbouring counties. The FirstTourist ticket costs £6 and gives you one day unlimited travel on First buses in East Anglia.

Buses stop at the coach station on Drummer Street.

TRAIN

Norwich is about a 1½-hour train journey from London (Liverpool Street) with trains running every half hour. One (website www.onerailway.co.uk) operates most trains to and from London and Central Trains (website www.centraltrains.co.uk) runs trains to Birmingham, Cambridge, Ely, Leicester, Liverpool, Nottingham and Peterborough.

Local Transport

First (website www.firstgroup.com) operate local bus services in Cambridge. The most useful route is bus 25, which runs between the train station and the city centre.

The FirstDay Norwich ticket gives you one day unlimited bus travel on First buses in Norwich (zones 1 to 4) for £2.80.

Accommodation

There are no hostels in Norwich. The closest hostels are in Great Yarmouth and Sheringham.

Sights

The Bridewell

This medieval building was once a prison for women and beggars and now operates as a museum with exhibits detailing Norwich’s industrial heritage.

Bridewell Alley, Norwich

Tel (01603) 493 636

Website www.museums.norfolk.gov.uk

Admission £2.20

Open Tue-Fri 10am-4.30pm, Sat 10am-5pm

Dragon Hall

This historic house was built around 1430 and represents a superb example of medieval craftsmanship.

115-123 King Street, Norwich

Tel (01603) 663 922

Website www.dragonhall.org

Admission £2.50

Open Jan-Mar Mon-Fri 10am-4pm; Apr-Oct Mon-Sat 10am-4pm; Nov-Dec Mon-Fri 10am-4pm

Norwich Castle

Built by the Normans in 1067 as a royal palace, Norwich Castle is considered one of Europe’s finest Norman buildings. The castle houses a museum and art gallery that feature exhibitions on loan from the Tate and a gallery dedicated to Queen Boudicca.

Castle Meadow, Norwich

Tel (01603) 493 636

Website www.museums.norfolk.gov.uk

Admission £3.50-5.25

Open Mon-Fri 10am-4pm, Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 1pm-5pm

Norwich Cathedral

This magnificent cathedral boasts England’s second tallest spire and over 1000 medieval roof bosses.

The Close, Norwich

Tel (01603) 218 321

Website www.cathedral.org.uk

Admission free

Open 7.30am-6pm daily

Origins

This excellent museum uses interactive exhibits to portray 2000 years of Norfolk’s history.

The Forum, Millennium Plain, Norwich

Bus 19, 20, 21, 22, 26, 27

Tel (01603) 727 920

Website www.originsnorwich.com

Admission £4.95

Open Jan-Mar Mon-Sat 10am-5.30pm, Sun 10.30am-4.30pm; Apr-Oct Mon-Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 10.30am-4.30pm; Nov-Dec Mon-Sat 10am-5.30pm, Sun 10.30am-4.30pm

Strangers’ Hall

This wealthy merchant’s house dates from 1320 and features a Tudor Great Hall, a Georgian dining room and a splendid stone-vaulted undercroft.

Charing Cross, Norwich

Tel (01603) 667 363

Website www.museums.norfolk.gov.uk

Admission £2.50

Open Wed & Sat 10.30am-4.30pm

Great Yarmouth

Great Yarmouth is a seaside resort with the usual assortment of tacky amusement arcades. It is easily accessible from Norwich.

Practical Information

Great Yarmouth Tourist Information Centre

Marine Parade, Great Yarmouth

Tel (01493) 842 195

Open Mon-Sat 9.30am-4pm, Sun 10am-4pm

Coming & Going

BUS

First (website www.firstgroup.com) runs buses in and around Great Yarmouth including buses to Norwich. An all day bus pass for travel in the Great Yarmouth area costs £2.60.

TRAIN

One (website www.onerailway.co.uk) trains run between Norwich and Great Yarmouth.

Accommodation

Great Yarmouth YHA

2 Sandown Road, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk NR30 1EY

Tel (01493) 843 991

Sights

Elizabethan House Museum

This Elizabethan Quayside house depicts family life from Tudor to Victorian times.

Tolhouse Street, Great Yarmouth

Tel (01493) 745 526

Website www.museums.norfolk.gov.uk

Admission £2.70

Open 5 Apr-31 Oct Mon-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat-Sun 1.15pm-5pm

Time & Tide – Museum of Great Yarmouth Life

This new museum has displays on local history including exhibits on Great Yarmouth's maritime and fishing heritage.

Blackfriars Road, Great Yarmouth

Tel (01493) 743 930

Website www.museums.norfolk.gov.uk

Admission £5.45

Open 14 Jul-31 Oct 10am-5pm daily

Tolhouse Museum

This museum, housed in one of England's oldest prisons, has displays on the history of crime and punishment.

Tolhouse Street, Great Yarmouth

Tel (01493) 745 526

Website www.museums.norfolk.gov.uk

Admission £2.70

Open 5 Apr-31 Oct Mon-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat-Sun 1.15pm-5pm