Winchester Travel Guide

  Winchester Cathedral
by balhannah
 
  • Winchester Cathedral
      Winchester Cathedral
    by balhannah
  • City centre of Winchester
      City centre of Winchester
    by balhannah
  •   Things to Do
    by balhannah
  •   Things to Do
    by balhannah
  •   Things to Do
    by balhannah
 

Pro

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 History, architecture, pleasant (and tiny) city 


Con

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 Difficult to drive round 


In a nutshell

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 As much history as you could want. 

 

Explore Winchester

Things to Do  

Alfred's round table

Alfred's round table, Winchester

 deeper_blue Says:  See King Alfred's round table in Winchester castle hall. Built in the 13th century the great hall features stained glass windows, a judge's gallery, wrought steel iron gates, and the table mounted high on the wall. Open from 10am-5pm, all year round bar xmas day and boxing... 

Winchester Cathedral

Winchester Cathedral, Winchester

 deeper_blue Says:  The cathedral is the spiritual heart of the city, surrounded by lush green spaces and trees. Built in 1093, its spire can be seen from all over the city made from bright coloured limestone. The stain glass windows and bells are also impressive. 

STONEHENGE

STONEHENGE, Winchester

 balhannah Says:  We went to Stonehenge from Winchester, a distance of about 33kms.We just followed the tourist sign's, and when we saw a heap of traffic, we knew we were nearly there.We drove down the road, past the Stone's which were on our left. Past them, was a dirt car park [pay] but as... 

ABBEY GARDEN'S - 13

ABBEY GARDEN'S - 13, Winchester

 balhannah Says:  The Abbey Garden's are my last stop before heading to the Car parked by King Alfred's statue.The gardens are part of the site of St Mary’s Abbey which used to be one of the largest religious houses in Britain. There is a scented garden within the main Gardens complete with a... 

THE OLD MILL - 12

THE OLD MILL - 12, Winchester

 balhannah Says:  On my River Itchen Canal walk, once I reached High Street, I decided to cross over and continue walking a little further.Lucky I did, as this is where the Old Mill is, and it spans the River Itchen. The original Mill was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. In 1744, it... 

CANAL WALKWAY - 11

CANAL WALKWAY - 11, Winchester

 balhannah Says:  After seeing the Bishop's Palace, I decided to head back to the Car following the River Itchen Canal & Weir Walkway.Would you believe there is a 30 mile walk you can do following the River Itchen from its source to its confluence with Southampton Water. If you are feeling... 

BISHOP'S PALACE - 10

BISHOP'S PALACE - 10, Winchester

 balhannah Says:  Walking further along College Street, I happened to notice another nice old building. It was Bishop's Palace or Wolvesey Palace, part of the west wing of a much larger and grander mansion built in the 1680s, under instruction from Bishop Morley. Old Wolvesey Castle had... 

JANE AUSTEN'S HOUSE - 9

JANE AUSTEN'S HOUSE - 9, Winchester

 balhannah Says:  Moving a few steps, I find Jane Austen House.Now, word of warning, DON'T EXPECT ANYTHING SPECTACULAR, as unless you notice the plague on the wall, you can easily walk straight past.It is painted a Mustard colour, and is now a private residence, NO ENTRY ALLOWED.In 1817, when... 

ST. SWITHUN'S GATE - 8

ST. SWITHUN'S GATE - 8, Winchester

 balhannah Says:  I spent a considerable amount of time in Winchester Cathedral and on heading out, I chose to walk to St. Swithin street, which is where I came across the imposing St. Swithun Gate/Kings Gate/Priory Gate, all the names you may hear it called. It was built along the line of... 

INSIDE WINCHESTER CATHEDRAL - 7+

INSIDE WINCHESTER CATHEDRAL - 7+, Winchester

 balhannah Says:  Now I am going inside to see how spectacular the inside is!Well, I can tell you, I was overwhelmed when I saw the long, extremely high, Norman Nave! It was one of those stop still & wow moments!The Nave is the longest one in a Church in England. They say it's a highlight of... 

WINCHESTER GUILD HALL - 4

WINCHESTER GUILD HALL - 4, Winchester

 balhannah Says:  Walking along Broadway street, the name changes to High Street, which is where the Guild Hall is located.It was on 22nd December 1871, Viscount Eversley laid the foundation stone for this Gothic Revival Guild Hall. Less than two years later in May 1873, Lord Selborne opened... 

Hotels  

Holiday Inn Winchester

 1 Review and 334 Opinions  After a rather disasterous start with our original hotel having a wedding, so no facilities... 

Mercure Wessex Hotel

 1 Review and 456 Opinions  Having stayed there for almost two weeks, I can say that I am very familiar with the hotel. The... 

Restaurants  

The Wheatsheaf: Chef & Brewer

The Wheatsheaf: Chef & Brewer, Winchester

 grayfo Says:  Family restaurant that operates under the Chef and Brewer chain belonging to the Premier Inn Stable. The Wheatsheaf in North Waltham was built in the late 19th century and is reputed to have been a coaching stop for author Jane Austen. This hotel has a vast bar area, lots of... 

Courtyard Cafe: Downstairs at the Guildhall

Courtyard Cafe: Downstairs at the Guildhall, Winchester

 SallyM Says:  The Courtyard Cafe is part of Winchester's Guildhall. There is a large indoor seating area as well as an outdoor area. It serves light lunches, cakes and hot drinks. Lunchtime soup and a roll costs less than £4. We just dropped by for tea and were tempted into having a... 

Transportation  

Trains to Winchester

Trains to Winchester, Winchester

 planxty Says:  Trains from London Waterloo are fast and frequent, taking only an hour on the fast train, or slightly longer on the stopping service.They are operated by Southwest trains and are normally modern rolling stock with buffet facilities. 

Shopping  

Winchester Christmas Market: November and December

Winchester Christmas Market: November and December, Winchester

 grayfo Says:  Although Winchester Christmas Market is one of the UK’s newer markets it still attracts more than 350,000 visitors each year and includes over 80 Chalet-style stalls and 113 exhibitors as well as a food court, a Nativity scene, a Father Christmas Grotto and surrounds an... 

Various: The High Street

Various: The High Street, Winchester

 deeper_blue Says:  Winchester's pedestrian high street is the hub of the city. It stretches from King Alfred's statue up towards the Westgate. There are some great stalls outside selling fresh cheese, olives and meats, and a wide variety of shops, including decent pubs and coffee shops.... 

Off The Beaten Path  

Winchester walk

Winchester walk, Winchester

 deeper_blue Says:  There are some nice walks around the outskirts of the city. Visit Abbey Gardens close to the cathedral and follow the river Itchen, also close by is Wolvesey Castle. Winchester has a lot of history and you'll notice its richness if you explore the quieter parts. 

Teeny tiny church..........

Teeny tiny church.........., Winchester

 leics Says:  The church of St Swithun is actually upstairs, lying over the Kingsgate just outside the Cathedral close. In Medieval times it was quite common to build churches over town gates, but very few remain today so it is worth popping in (it is open most days). It would be very,... 

Sports & Outdoors  

St Swithun's
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deeper_blue 1110 reviews

Winchester has a lovely private school on Alresford Road, called St Swithun's. The swimming pool is open to the public at selected times and there are tennis courts and football fields, although I don't think they are open to the public.

Written Nov 2, 2012

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History of Winchester

History of Winchester, Winchester

 grayfo Says:  Winchester has evidence of settlements dating back to the Iron Age, during this time Winchester was a tribal centre of the Britons under the name Caer Gwent. On St Catherine's Hill a rampart and ditch made for defence by an Iron Age settlement can still be seen. Since that... 

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Map of Winchester