Free things to do in Norwich

Yes, this is our list, and yes, our tour is on it. We'd still put it here even if it weren't. It's the only near-daily free walking tour in Norwich. 1 hour 45 minutes, a local guide, and the stories that didn't make it onto any blue plaque. Free to book, tip what you think it was worth at the end. Most guests pay £10 to £20 per person. If it wasn't worth it, you don't pay.

We start at The Forum and finish near the Cathedral, taking in Elm Hill, the Lanes, the Market and Norwich Castle along the way. Group capped at 15 so you can actually hear the guide.

Book your spot (free) →

Free entry, no queues. Most people don't realise. The cathedral is 900 years old and the spire is the second tallest in England. The Cloisters are the largest medieval cloisters in the country. Walk around them once for the architecture, again for the silence.

The grounds are also free and the Close is one of the prettiest patches of Norwich. Look for the statue of Edith Cavell beside Erpingham Gate. Cathedral opening times here.

The most photographed cobbled street in the city. Largely unchanged since the 16th century. Used as a Netflix filming location for Jingle Jangle. Five minutes is enough to see it. Twenty minutes is enough to actually feel it. Either way, costs nothing.

Pop your head into the Britons Arms at the top of the hill. The thatched-roof Tudor coffee house is one of the oldest buildings in Norwich. Coffee isn't free, but looking at it is.

One of the oldest open-air markets in Britain. 900 years of trading on the same patch. Wander the stalls under the colourful roof. Talk to the people who've been there for decades. You don't have to buy anything. Lunch from a stall is one of the best-value meals in the city if you do.

A Victorian sunken garden hidden behind a hotel. Free to enter (donations welcome and worth it). Most locals don't even know it exists. Quiet, weird, beautiful.

Bring a book. Sit on the steps of the gothic fountain. It's 200 yards from the city centre and feels like a different decade. Garden details and opening hours.

A 15-minute walk from Tombland gets you to one of the best views of the city. Open heathland, woodland paths, and a long view across all the spires and towers. It's where Robert Kett camped 16,000 rebel peasants in 1549 before marching on the city. Now mostly used by dog walkers and runners. Free, always open, and one of the few places in Norwich where you can actually see the shape of the city.

Pick up the path at Fye Bridge or Pulls Ferry and walk in either direction. Past Cow Tower, under Bishop Bridge, around the Cathedral. Half an hour gets you views you won't see from any street. The river bends through the city like it forgot it was a city. No entry fee, no queue, no rush.

The museum costs money. The grounds and the view from the mound are free. Walk up, sit on a bench, look at the city. The castle has been standing on that mound since 1067 and was a county prison until 1887. From the top you can pick out the Cathedral, City Hall and the Forum in one glance.

Independent shops, hidden coffee spots, courtyards behind courtyards. No chain coffee, no brand names you'd recognise. Walking here is free and accidental window-shopping is the whole point. Pop into Jarrolds for the rooftop view, then disappear into the back streets behind it.

Saving the best for last. After the cathedral closes, the Close itself stays open and quiet. Catch the cathedral's west front in low light. There are benches. There's usually nobody around. It's one of those small, free things that locals do and visitors mostly miss.