Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Crown
This is a lovely old hotel with contemporary style: The bed-
rooms range from attic rooms to suites big enough for families. The hotel is at the
heart of this quiet seaside town, and its two
restaurants
are renowned for excellent,
modern British food. If the Crown is full try its sister hotel, The Swan, a few doors
up the High Street overlooking the tiny market place. It's a little more genteel and
therefore more expensive, but with a perfect lounge for afternoon tea. See the
Adnams website, below, for other stylish hotels in Suffolk and Norfolk.
90 High St., Southwold, Suffolk IP18 6DP. www.adnams.co.uk.
&
01502/722186.
14 units. £154-£184
double; £216 suite. Rates include English breakfast. AE, MC, V. Free parking.
Amenities:
2 restaurants;
bar; room service, Wi-Fi in lounge and bar (free).
In room:
TV, hair dryer.
13
NORWICH
109 miles NE of London; 20 miles W of the North Sea
Norwich is the very essence of East Anglia. Until the Industrial Revolution it was
England's second city and, like much of the region, hugely wealthy. As a result its
Norman cathedral
is one of the finest examples of Romanesque architecture in
Europe and has the largest cloisters in England and the second tallest spire. But
with the end of the East Anglian textile trade, and the silting up of Norwich's river
port, the city became little more than a backwater in the late 19th and early 20th
centuries. Happily this meant the city retained many of its medieval streets—it
has 31 medieval churches—and it is now regarded as one of the most complete
medieval cities in England.
Essentials
GETTING THERE
Trains from London's Liverpool Street Station take just under 2
hours (NXEA; from £45). If you're driving from London, take the M25, M11, and A11.
VISITOR INFORMATION
The
Norwich Tourist Information Centre
is in
the Forum, 2 Millennium Plain, Bethel Street, NR2 1TF (
&
01603/213999;
www.
visitnorwich.co.uk), open daily 9:30am to 5pm (except Sun in winter).
GETTING AROUND
For buses, contact
Norfolk Bus Station,
Surrey Street,
(
&
0871/002233
). The city is compact but the bus saves walking out to some of the
farther points. Buses are operated by First (
&
0871/2002233;
www.firstgroup.com).
ORGANIZED TOURS
Walking tours of the city can be booked at the Tourist
Information Centre in the Forum (see above), or try the hop-on, hop-off
City Sight-
seeing
bus (
&
01708/866000;
www.city-sightseeing.com).
Exploring the Area
Norwich's history and relaxed atmosphere have attracted tourists for decades now,
and as the only city for miles it has excellent shopping facilities—particularly its huge
market, which is open every day.
Royal Arcade
is one of the city's most picturesque
shopping areas, where you'll find the
Colman's Mustard Shop
(
&
01603/627889;
www.colmansmustardshop.com), selling mustard products and displaying some fas-
cinating memorabilia. Colman's Mustard is one of Norwich's most famous names,
and another is
Norwich City Football Club,
which has better catering facilities
than any other soccer club in England thanks to its patron Delia Smith, the television
cook.
Delia's Restaurant & Bar
is open Friday and Saturday nights at the stadium
in Carrow Road (
&
01603/218704;
www.deliascanarycatering.com).
