City guides: Nottingham

Nottingham is a vibrant and exciting city with great culture, nightlife and shopping. It has seen a lot of development in recent times, mixes the modern with the traditional and is a place where there is always something happening.

Bars and clubs

Nottingham's bars have it from the coolest cocktail bars to the oldest pub in the country. The Lace Market offers the trendiest bars in the city, including The Living Room, Dogma and Escucha. Don't miss the Pitcher and Piano, which is in a former church, providing a very unique setting for a great night out. The oldest pub in the country, Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem is partly located in the caves of Nottingham and allows you to sample great beer, history and the unusual experience of a pint in a cave.

Nottingham has many clubs catering to most tastes, from the chart friendly at Oceania, the retro sounds of the 70s at Flares, rock and indie at Rock City and The Cookie Club and the best underground sounds at Rescue Rooms and Stealth.

Shopping

Nottingham is often cited as one of the best destinations for shopping in the country and it is easy to see why. All the shops are within easy reach of each other so you can be checking out the vintage shops of Hockley, such as Cow and Wild Clothing and within a five minute walk you can be on Bridlesmith Gate where you will find the trendy boutiques such as Flannels, Paul Smith and Reiss. The city also has two shopping centres, the Victoria Centre and the soon to be redeveloped Broadmarsh Centre.

Eating out

The diversity of restaurants in Nottingham provides plenty of culinary delights from the cheap and cheerful to the expensive Michelin star restaurants. Homemade Cafe on Pelham Street sells a tasty selection of sandwiches and cakes for under a fiver and if you’re after a vegetarian or vegan meal, visit the Alley Cafe.

Mansfield Road, located to the north of the city centre, has food from all over the world. The best curry in the city can be found at MemSaab on Maid Marion Way and the uniquely named Spanky Van Dykes sells great warming student grub and has a cheap beer and burger offer.

 

Entertainment

There is plenty going on in Nottingham encompassing live music, film, comedy and art. Nottingham is home to the smallest cinema in the world, the Screen Room (with just 21 seats). Art house The Broadway shows the latest cultural films. Live music is featured somewhere every night in the city with headliners playing at the Capital FM Arena. The newest bands can be heard at The Bodega Social located on Pelham Street. If you would rather have a laugh, then check out the Glee Club at Nottingham’s Waterfront, which features established and up and coming comedians. 

The city is also home to The Nottingham Contemporary Art Gallery with exhibitions and displays from leading artists from around the world. Nottingham is a city of full of history and has its own castle where the legend of Robin Hood can also be explored. 

Student accommodation

There are plenty of private halls located right at the heart of the city centre, which is ideal for the Nottingham Trent students. The University of Nottingham has several student halls located on campus surrounded by the beautiful University Park and the Jubilee Campus has several student halls including Newark Hall. If you fancy living slightly out of the city, try Lenton or West Bridgford where you will find lots of cheaper, private student accommodation with great transport links into the city.

Top 3 places to see

• Goose Fair
• A band at Rock City 
• Nottingham beer festival

Nottingham is a warm and welcoming city full of culture, entertainment and heritage. It is a city of legends, where you will feel right at home and don't be worried when the locals call you 'duck' - they’re just being friendly.