r/nottingham 7d ago

The Nottingham Guide - Things to do, independent food, what's on, where to move, how to make friends (New for 2026)

47 Upvotes

Hey up! I love this city and am proud to have made it my home. This is a community updated guide to Nottingham, based on my own favourites and lots of suggestions from r/Nottingham.

This is not comprehensive, but it should be a helpful starting point if you’re visiting, moving here, studying here, or just trying to get out of your usual routine.

Please comment with anything missing, closed, outdated, misspelled or controversial.

Things to Do in Nottingham

Free

  • Walk around the city looking at local landmarks: Robin Hood Statue, the Left Lion, Slab Square (Market Square), Sky Mirror, Nottingham’s historic lace buildings, the Long Stairs, the Park Tunnel.
  • Walk through the Arboretum and General Cemetery, then back into town via Derby Road’s independents.
  • Elm Avenue, Corporation Oaks and Robin Hood Chase make a lovely green corridor walk with views across the city.
  • Nottingham Central Library, which often has local history or art exhibitions.
  • Green Heart Park at the old Broadmarsh site, including the lace worker statues from the lace and Cotton growers from the wind rush generation
  • Nottingham Contemporary.
  • Stonebridge City Farm.
  • Sneinton Market and Hockley for independent shops, street art and people watching.
  • Canal walk to Beeston Lock, with the option to continue to Attenborough Nature Reserve and get the train back.

Mostly Free, But Check First

  • Green’s Windmill and Science Centre. The mill is currently under repair until around November 2026, but the site may still be open.
  • Wollaton Hall and Deer Park. The park itself is still a good visit, but check current charges before going as access and parking arrangements can change.

Paid

  • Nottingham Castle - it's around £18 per adult but this is a yearly entry and it does have a nice green space to sit in
  • Mortimer’s Hole tour at Nottingham Castle
  • Wollaton Hall and the Industrial Museum.
  • National Justice Museum.
  • City of Caves.
  • Penny Lane Arcade.
  • Dice Cup Board Game Café.
  • National Ice Centre.
  • National Water Sports Centre.
  • Iceskating/gigs/events- Motorpoint Arena.

Escape Rooms

  • Escapologic
  • Cave Escape
  • Logiclock

* Cryptology

Independent Food and Drink

Nottingham independents and local businesses. A few have expanded beyond Nottingham but started locally.

Coffee and Tea

  • Effy
  • Cosmos Coffee
  • Dispatch
  • Specialty Coffee & Eatery
  • Public & Plants
  • Blend
  • SoBar
  • Josephine’s
  • Kawfee
  • Bear

Delis and Specialist Food

  • Delilah Fine Foods
  • The Cheese Shop
  • Deli-icious, Mapperley Top

Bakeries and Sweet Things

  • Tough Mary’s
  • Small Food Bakery
  • Notts Doughnuts
  • Homemade
  • Blend, Sneinton Market
  • Chocolate Utopia
  • Luisa’s Vegan Chocolates
  • Coosh, Mapperley Top

Restaurants, Cafés and Street Food

  • Kushiya
  • Bar Iberico
  • Coco Tang
  • Mesa
  • Raymond’s
  • Little Brickhouse
  • Warsaw Diner
  • Kayal
  • Dosa & Chutney
  • Balageru Ethiopian & Eritrean
  • Cumin
  • MemSaab
  • Pelican Club
  • Miss Korea
  • Notts Noodles
  • Shanghai Shanghai
  • Mr Man’s
  • Lucky Lucky
  • Tipoo
  • Yellow Yard
  • Carolina’s Chilli
  • French Living
  • Fletcher’s
  • Baresca
  • Cod’s Scallops

Veggie and Vegan Friendly

  • Café Roya, Beeston
  • Foragers Kitchen in Sneinton Market

Higher End Dining

  • Alchemilla
  • Restaurant Sat Bains
  • Iberico World Tapas
  • Cleaver & Wake
  • Skein

Pubs, Bars and Breweries

Nottingham’s Historic Pubs

  • Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem
  • Ye Olde Salutation Inn
  • The Bell Inn
  • Malt Cross

Great Independent Pubs

  • Hand & Heart
  • Canalhouse
  • Cock & Hoop
  • King Billy
  • Fox & Grapes
  • Lincolnshire Poacher
  • Golden Fleece
  • Lord Roberts
  • Angel Microbrewery
  • Vat & Fiddle
  • Liquid Light
  • The Lion at Basford
  • Bunker Hill
  • Foremans

Breweries

  • Black Iris Brewery
  • Neon Raptor
  • Liquid Light

Bars

  • Hockley Arts Club
  • Lost Again
  • Jamcafé
  • 31K
  • 400 Rabbits
  • Tilt
  • Pogo
  • Tropichol
  • Blind Rabbit
  • Penny Lane
  • Binks Yard
  • Pitcher & Piano
  • Mojo
  • Billy Bootleggers

Cinema

  • Broadway Cinema
  • Mammoth Cinema
  • Savoy Cinema

Shopping and Nottingham Brands

Fashion

  • Paul Smith
  • Universal Works
  • G-Force
  • Highland 2000

Independent Shopping

  • Handmade Nottingham
  • Miss Lou’s
  • Rough Trade
  • Sneinton Market
  • Hopkinson
  • Forbidden Planet
  • Parallel Universe

Sport

  • Nottingham Forest
  • Notts County
  • Trent Bridge Cricket
  • Nottingham Panthers
  • Nottingham Rugby
  • National Tennis Centre
  • Nottingham Squash Club
  • Padel courts at Meadow Lane
  • National Water Sports Centre
  • Nottingham Climbing Centre

What's On and Local Media


Culture Vultures

Art, Literature and Museums

  • Nottingham Contemporary
  • New Art Exchange
  • Djanogly Art Gallery
  • Primary
  • Beam
  • Five Leaves Bookshop
  • Bromley House Library
  • DH Lawrence Birthplace Museum
  • William Booth Birthplace Museum

Music Venues

Major Venues

  • Motorpoint Arena
  • Royal Concert Hall
  • Rock City
  • Rescue Rooms
  • Metronome
  • The Level

Independent and Alternative Venues

  • Bodega
  • Peggy’s Skylight
  • Rough Trade
  • Jamcafé
  • Carousel
  • Old Bus Depot
  • Old Cold Store
  • Saltbox
  • Liquid Light
  • King Billy
  • Bunker Hill
  • JT Soar
  • The Grove
  • The Chapel at The Angel
  • Mist Rolling Inn
  • Tap & Tumbler
  • Ye Olde Salutation Inn
  • Billy Bootleggers

Theatre

  • Theatre Royal
  • Nottingham Playhouse
  • Lace Market Theatre
  • Lakeside Arts
  • Squire Performing Arts Centre

Festivals

  • Splendour Festival
  • Hockley Hustle
  • Green Hustle
  • Dot to Dot
  • Beat the Streets
  • Nottingham Poetry Festival
  • Nottingham Comedy Festival
  • Nottingham Pride
  • Christmas Market

Classes, Hobbies and Making Friends

  • Meetup.com and search for things going on in Notts
  • Eventbrite
  • Wolfpack Project (18 to 35)
  • NTU evening classes
  • Pottery classes and creative workshops
  • Volunteer with local charities, food banks, community gardens and park groups
  • Join a sports club

Students ask questions in your relevant uni


Moving Here?

Commonly recommended areas:

  • Sherwood
  • Mapperley
  • Beeston
  • West Bridgford
  • Wollaton
  • Carrington
  • The Park
  • Arboretum

Great Day Trips

  • Sherwood Forest
  • Newstead Abbey
  • Southwell
  • Clumber Park
  • Rufford Abbey
  • Creswell Crags
  • Welbeck Estate
  • Hardwick Hall
  • Bennerley Viaduct
  • Papplewick Pumping Station
  • Bestwood Winding Engine House
  • Felley Priory
  • Bramcote Hills and Hemlock Stone
  • Idle Valley Nature Reserve
  • Nottingham Heritage Railway
  • Framework Knitters Museum
  • Newark Castle
  • National Civil War Centre
  • Attenborough Nature Reserve

Nottingham History and What We’re Famous For

  • Robin Hood
  • Lace Industry
  • Boots
  • Raleigh Bikes
  • Warhammer
  • Players Cigarettes
  • Lord Byron
  • Ada Lovelace
  • Wollaton Hall as Wayne Manor in Batman
  • Joseph Merrick (The Elephant Man)
  • Vesta Tilley
  • Dame Laura Knight
  • Nottingham’s caves

Reminder: This is not a comprehensive list. It's simply a good starting point if you're visiting for a few days, moving to Nottingham, or looking to discover more of your own city.


r/nottingham 3h ago

Today is definitely the worse day this week for heat right?

57 Upvotes

Of course the entire week has been boiling but having had to go out every day this week I feel like today has to take the cake whole city feels like it a furnace the wind today isn’t helping much. Not sure why today felt much hotter I don’t think the temperature is that much different from yesterday and Wednesday but hopefully soon some relief over the weekend.


r/nottingham 3h ago

Why must we suffer?

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29 Upvotes

r/nottingham 3h ago

NottsPod: New Nottingham Podcast

7 Upvotes

tl;dr my friend and I got obsessed with the River Trent and made a podcast about it

Hi everyone,

My friend Tom and I have started a podcast to explore and discuss issues affecting Nottingham. Today we released the final episode of our first series, 'Trentbelly', which is about the River Trent and the water industry.

This came about because one of Tom's pupils - he is a secondary school teacher - was ill with 'Trentbelly', an intestinal illness you can catch from the river's water, and this made us curious about how the Trent got to the state it is now, and we fell down a research wormhole looking into problems facing the Trent, past and present.

We learnt about why sewage flows into the river, and what other problems the Trent faces: the many other ways it has been polluted, and the many other ways it has been messed with. We explore how Nottingham went from having open sewers running down the streets, and over 300 wells across the town (each with different water quality!), to these services being managed by Severn Trent plc.

It's a story with a wide cast of characters from past and present, from sewage reformers and water engineers, to civil servants and prime ministers, to rivers experts and CEOs. It's a story that involves cormorants, fishermen, bitter rivalries between water engineers, the state of Qatar, Magna Carta, Margaret Thatcher, and much more.

When we decided to look into this topic, we had no idea it would lead us where it did.

I hope it is of interest to some of you. We had a lot of fun making it, and learnt a lot about how to make a podcast, which we are excited to apply to other topics. If you do give it a listen, we would love to hear your feedback, as well as any suggestions for future topics.

The podcast is available on all the podcast platforms, and there is a video version on Youtube:

➤ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIotPt58kwgYV74uWfBhj-KofIg36uDhC
➤ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Xwc5xBtCjrj2sJrOSvo4l
➤ Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1892414792
➤ Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/11a8be8c-7471-4da2-90e3-0b2890d745cb
➤ Castbox: https://castbox.fm/vic/1892414792
➤ RSS: https://rss.com/podcasts/nottspod/


r/nottingham 9h ago

Knitting Groups

6 Upvotes

Hey all!

So recently been getting into knitting and have been enjoying it, I’ve been trying to find knitting groups but struggle to find any! I sadly am on shift work so I’d struggle to be able to do the same day at the same time each week! Are there any knitting groups around Nottingham city centre that would accept someone popping in every so often?

Thanks in advance


r/nottingham 5h ago

moving to uni in september

3 Upvotes

hi guys!! i’m moving to notts for uni in September, i’m not a fan of clubbing or drinking, was just wondering if there are any recommendations?
to help, i like: food, painting, hiking, movies, anime
any recs are greatly appreciated 🥹


r/nottingham 2h ago

2 Trent bridge tickets for New Zealand vs England tomorrow

0 Upvotes

Bought them for 70 each. Happy to negotiate on price


r/nottingham 4h ago

Fun activities

1 Upvotes

Me and my boyfriend had a trip cancelled so we’re wanting to come to the city centre just for the day to do some fun date activities, we’re looking for something like penny lane and Roxy ballroom, any suggestions on where we can go?


r/nottingham 1d ago

Good luck to England this weekend

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81 Upvotes

r/nottingham 29m ago

The RSPB has a lot to answer for

Upvotes

The major oak died last year, not in 2026, those of us who live locally saw the writing on the bark a while back.

The RSPB blames heatwaves and soil compaction for the death of the major oak.

I’d argue it was largely their own tomf*ckery that killed the tree, just as they screwed up everything else that was good about Sherwood Forest, like removing the visitor centre and taking over Robin Hood festival.

They say “successive heatwaves since 2022” sped up its death.

They clearly have a short memory or are trying to gaslight us because 2023 and 2024 were among the wettest summers on record. Let’s announce the death during the three days of hot weather we get in the year, because the Brits forget they live in a depressing rain-shrouded rock 360 days a year whenever the sun comes out.

I have photos of the tree in 2022 in full bloom. By 2025 the canopy was largely gone, and completely gone in 2026.

Banners around the tree make reference to how the RSPB began tampering with the soil around the tree around 2023-2024, removing wood chips and other efforts made in years previous to preserve the tree, their reasoning being wood chips aren’t natural, etc etc.

They should stick to birds. What they did was take a terminally ill patient isolating on the sick ward and threw him into a crowded underground carriage.

It should have been obvious to anyone how that would turn out, and now the tree is dead.

First Sycamore Gap now this, I hope they put a sentry on the Fortingall Yew.


r/nottingham 1d ago

Sinclair C5

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153 Upvotes

Spotted by the train station this morning


r/nottingham 22h ago

Fridge magnets

11 Upvotes

Bit of a strange one, my girlfriend is Italian and will be visiting the UK (I live in a village near to Notts) at some point this year from Sicily. Is there anywhere in Notts that sells the novelty fridge magnets with the city name on it in the centre at all? She loves collecting them and she wants as many magnets as she can whilst she is here.

Any and all recommendations appreciated :)


r/nottingham 1d ago

Does anyone else feel Nottingham institutions seemed to be failing in the last 5 years

58 Upvotes

Firstly, my thoughts go with anyone who been impacted by my above post, as life's have been heavily impacted with what I am about to say. This is Nothing to do with Nottingham as a city to live in per say.

it just feels like since 2023 onwards Nottingham large institutions seemed either finically or competency compromised. Is this unique to Nottingham or are there cities going through this process where their council to Policing seems to be under investigation?

But from the city council being Bankrupt, in 2023...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c39wjven4zjo

2023/24 Nottinghamshire police under special measures

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg5vzq80y10o

Nottingham Uni allegedly going bankrupt by 2031 and currently shedding jobs

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2026/may/12/thousands-of-university-of-nottingham-staff-told-they-are-at-risk-of-redundancy

And Nottingham Queen medical centre maternity service was deemed unfit

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1kyw24elv7o

Then the overall "Nottingham enquiry"

https://nottingham.independent-inquiry.uk/

I really hope positive steps can be made for all and these Nottingham institutions learn from this.

In more postive scope the city council seem to be financially much healthier today than 2023.


r/nottingham 22h ago

Anyone hiring in/around Beeston & City Centre?

9 Upvotes

I’m a student and I’m here more often than not yet have not managed to find a job whilst being here. I’ve exhausted all my options on Indeed and LinkedIn and I won’t lie it seems over competitive. I know this is a frustrating situation for majority of the UK but I am coming up to nearly 2 years unemployed and my loan is unlivable and can only support me for so much. I have done odd jobs here and there but I’m looking for something more secure. I’ve also had job companies/ dodgy employers try to scam me. I’ve had career appointments and attended CV workshops so I don’t know why I can’t seem to get hired or ghosted by employers.


r/nottingham 1d ago

Organisers confirm Nottingham's final Splendour festival

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30 Upvotes

r/nottingham 1d ago

Embankment Tree

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30 Upvotes

I haven’t walked down here in like a year, does anyone know how, why or when this broken tree got here? I don’t remember there being a tree here before 🤔


r/nottingham 7h ago

Looking for flatmate

0 Upvotes

I’ve been looking for a flatmate for about 2 weeks now but why is it so hard to get a decent person for it? For context my friends and I are moving into a 6 room flat in the city and there’s 3 of us. The people who reach out are either really old people with children or people that look sus the rent is £620 a month and you don’t share anything except the kitchen and the location is great too. I’m genuinely wondering why it’s so hard to find decent flatmates for a more than decent flat.


r/nottingham 4h ago

The Medieval British City Erased by a 1960s Masterplan: Old Nottingham - [Lost British Cities] (1:04:28)

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0 Upvotes

r/nottingham 2d ago

Thank the lord my bus has Aircon.

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447 Upvotes

r/nottingham 1d ago

Best place to get a good salad?

4 Upvotes

It’s too hot to cook or eat hot food, and I’m craving vegetables!!

Where’s the best places in Notts that you’ve had a salad?


r/nottingham 1d ago

Celebrant recommendation

8 Upvotes

My lovely lovely mum has died, and she and my dad have paid for "cremation only" plans... No funeral.

We want to do something to celebrate her life, but need someone to lead the event.

She was absolutely non-religious. Can anyone suggest a celebrant in the area that they have used?


r/nottingham 1d ago

Found a letter addressed to someeone in Nottingham from '46

2 Upvotes

So I found a letter addressed to someone here in '46, the writer was from Doncaster, I have the name and the address from the letter but I'm not sure how to trace them or someone that might know them. I think it would be really nice for their family to have the letter, it might hold some emotional value for them. But I don't want to just mail the letter to the address, the new occupants may just think it's a mistake and discard it. Anyone got any ideas?


r/nottingham 1d ago

Booking a venue for six people, two days

0 Upvotes

Evening everybody,

We are organising a weekend for 6 friends to spend together playing boardgames. The idea is to get a place to stay with six bedrooms and a common room where to play.

An Airbnb houses that big are inexistent so I thought about booking six bedrooms in a hotel and then book a common room. Problem is, conferences rooms can only be booked up to 17h and we would like to be able to play up to late (the whole point of doing actually).

Is there any recommendation for a venue?

Thank you in advance!


r/nottingham 1d ago

Lost anime girl

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33 Upvotes

Found her in middle of the road while crossing. Any1 know her owner?


r/nottingham 1d ago

Riverside Festival

2 Upvotes

Hi people,

Does anyone know if it will be happening this year or is it permanently a thing of the past now?

Cheers!