Practical Information
Getting to Nottingham
Nottingham is located in the East Midlands, about 123 miles (198 km) north London.
The closest airport to Nottingham is East Midlands Airport, which is 15 miles (approximately 24 kilometres) away. There are direct flights from and to many European cities including Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, Brussels, Rome or Barcelona. You can find a full destination list on the airport website. It takes about half an hour from there to travel into the city by car or bus. There is a Skylink bus service that runs every half hour from the airport into Nottingham city centre. It costs £5 for a single journey and £8 for a return ticket. A taxi from the airport into the city centre will cost around £35-40.
Birmingham International Airport is a very well connected airport with multiple direct flights to and from several destinations in Europe, Asia and the United States. It is about 1 hour away from Nottingham by taxi or 1 hour 30 minutes by a non-direct train.
Manchester, Liverpool and most of London airports (Luton, Heathrow, Stansted and London City) are about 2 hours away. The less convenient is Gatwick airport, located south to London and about 3 hours away from Nottingham. If you fly into any of these, you will need to plan your journey from those cities to Nottingham by train, coach or taxi.
Nottingham Midland Station is the mainline train station in the city centre. Timetable information is available at the National Rail website. Direct trains from London to Nottingham run every day hourly from St Pancras International Station. You can get cheaper tickets if you book a few weeks in advance. You may also find cheaper tickets through The Trainline website or Virgin Trains.
Transport in Nottingham
Bus
Nottingham City Transport (NCT) is the biggest transport operator in Nottingham, with 310 buses providing a comprehensive network of services across the city, 7 days a week.
You can pay for a day of travel using your smart phone, a Robin Hood Pay as You Go Card or with cash on the bus (exact fare needed). To pay on your smart phone, download the NCTX Buses app and pay using contactless debit/credit card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. Robin Hood cards are available from roadside machines and City Council Travel Centres.
Tram
Over 32 km of track make up Nottingham’s tram network. Nottingham’s trams are operated by Nottingham Express Transit (NET). You can visit the NET Website for more information.
Tickets for immediate travel are available to purchase from the ticket machines located on every tram stop.
Single, day and week tickets are available via the NETGO! app, which you can download on both Apple and Android devices.
Jubilee Campus
The University of Nottingham Jubilee Campus is a modern purpose-built campus, which now extends to 65 acres and is located only one mile from University Park. The initial phase was opened by Her Majesty the Queen in 1999. The state-of-the-art facilities now include the Schools of Education (including CELE) and Computer Science, the Nottingham University Business School, the National College for Leadership of Schools and Children's Services, the University of Nottingham Innovation Park and a Sports Centre.
The campus has been a Civic Trust Green Flag Award Winner every year since 2003, the only university campus to achieve this status. The local community are welcome to enjoy the walks, parks and gardens in the University’s landscaped settings featuring long-established woodland and contemporary gardens such as the Millennium Garden, a quiet and reflective place in which to escape the hustle and bustle of campus life.
Built on a site that previously had industrial use, Jubilee Campus is an exemplar of brownfield regeneration and has impeccable green credentials. An important feature of the campus is the series of lakes which, as well as being home to a variety of wildlife, provide storm water attenuation and cooling for the buildings. Equally important to the sustainable and environmental credentials of the are the roofs covered by low-growing alpine plants, which help, insulate and maintain steady temperatures within the buildings throughout the year, heat recovery mechanical ventilation systems, photovoltaic cells integrated into the atrium roofs, lake source heating and cooling systems, biomass boiler installation or maximized use of passive ventilation engineering.
The environmentally friendly nature of the campus and its buildings have been a big factor in the awards that it has received. These include the Millennium Marque Award for Environmental Excellence, the British Construction Industry Building Project of the Year, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Journal Sustainability Award, the Civic Trust Award for Sustainability and the Lord Mayor's Award for Urban Design. The Jubilee Campus also won international praise with the Energy Globe Award.
The Jubilee Hotel & Conferences
Set in the 65 acres of lakeside grounds of the campus, The Jubilee Hotel & Conferences offers an innovative setting for meetings and events, alongside the comforts of a modern hotel with 100 rooms. Delegates attending the course can enjoy free Wi-Fi access and free parking.
The venue is located around three lakes that are committed to wildlife conservation. It is conveniently located just 10 minutes from J25 of the M1 and the centre of Nottingham, with direct rail links to and from London.
Nottingham Venues is kindly offering accommodation in the The Jubilee Hotel at a reduced rate to the delegates attending the course. Rooms should be booked under the group code WEBMU2024 through the hotel website - https://nottinghamvenues.com/bedrooms-accommodation/rooms-jubilee-hotel. You will need to click on promo code and scroll down to group code, please see detailed instructions following this link: https://tinyurl.com/RoomsNott
Please bear in mind there are a limited number of rooms available and the cut-off date for this allocation is 24/04/24. We would recommend an early booking to avoid disappointment.
The Jubilee Hotel & Conferences
What to do in Nottingham
3-day wander in Notts
Ay up me duck!*, we just wanted to help a bit for you to have the nicest stay in our city. Please see below a glimpse of Nottingham prepared just for you as a small local guide. Hope you enjoy your visit to Nottingham!
* "Ay up, me duck!" is a colloquial greeting native to the East Midlands, meaning "Hello, my dear!"
Day 1
You can start by a walk up Derby Road towards City centre. Stop for a coffee and a pastry at Tough Mary's Bakehouse, with no doubt they bake the best croissants and cinnamon rolls in town.
You could then head to Wellington Circus and Oxford Street and go up to get lost in the Park Tunnel where the Ropewalk meets Upper College Street. The tunnel will bring you to The Park Estate, a private residential housing estate right in the city centre, with its magnificent Victorian architecture and gas street lighting, believed to be one of the largest networks of its sort in Europe. You can wander around the neighbourhood along Park Terrace, finishing at the Royal Standard Place. Go down Standard Hill road until you reach Nottingham Castle, still closed to visits after a big refurbishment, and Robin Hood statue, where you can get the famous picture with the guardian of the city. Continue down Castle Road and stop for a drink before lunch at Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem, claiming to have been established in 1189 and, if assume this is true, the oldest pub in England.
Time now to get back to town for some lunch at Bar Iberico, a casual independent restaurant in the bustling streets of Hockley and recommended by the Michelin Guide’s last edition. Their food is influenced by the traditional Spanish sharing style, whilst combining flavours & techniques from the Mediterranean to Asian cuisine. Their Menu Rapido at £16.95 is a good option for lunch.
You are right at the heart of town and it’s now time continue your visit. You can start walking the streets of the Lace Market, known to be the oldest area of Nottingham and the centre of the famous lace industry from the 19th century. St Mary’s church (free entrance) clearly worth a visit, is believed to date back to the Saxon times, mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, a manuscript record of the great survey of most of England and parts of Wales completed at the behest of King William I, the Conqueror. The Contemporary Museum (free entrance) and the Nottingham caves, with the entrance located just below the museum, can be your next two stops. You can finish the day in the next door church-bar Pitcher & Piano, worth a visit at least to check the inside!
Day 2
Let’s walk the other way today, go towards Wollaton Park a 500 acre park which includes a deer park and the impressive Wollaton Hall at the top of the hill, a classic Elizabethan prodigy house. The hall is the home of the Nottingham Natural History Museum, and the Nottingham Industrial Museum in the stable block, where you can also have a rest and a cup of coffee. Walk around the park, get lost and try to spot the hidden deer! Head back to town for a well-deserved lunch at Kushi-ya, a Japanese-inspired restaurant awarded a Bib Gourmand by the 2023 Michelin Guide. The cooking is Japanese but do not expect to find any sushi here; they specialise in kushiyaki: skewers of meat and vegetables, cooked over a charcoal grill. The lunch offer at £15 for one snack and two skewer plus a bowl of rice is an amazing value for money; and desserts are amazing too!
After lunch, maybe is time for some shopping. You can walk around the busy Old Market Square and visit the shops in The Exchange, the city's oldest shopping arcade, located inside the Council House. Then up to Pelham Street to explore Cobden Chambers with its independent shops, including one of our favourites, Studio Chocolate. You can then go back to **Flying Horse
Walk, where you can find some art galleries, independent boutiques and the Cheese Shop, with a great selection of local, national and international cheeses. For Nottingham inspired gifts have a look at Handmade Nottingham in King’s Walk and the Visit Nottinghamshire Tourist Office in Long Row, next to The Exchange. Your shopping afternoon can then end walking Bridlesmith Gate** and its fancy shops and boutiques.
Day 3
Time to discover the last bits in town. If you fancy starting with a walk in the park, a good option is to visit the Arboretum, the first designated public park in Nottingham and surrounded by nice Victorian houses.
After your morning walk, you can head to Hockley, claimed to be the coolest neighbourhood in Nottingham and home of lots of independent shops, restaurants and cafes. From there you can walk down to Sneinton Market, where you can grab a coffee and a piece of cake in the famous Blend cafe or head to Bustler for an early street food type lunch. You can visit the vibrant creative quarter or if you have some time walk to the Green's Windmill and Science Centre, which offers visits and splendid views from the top of the city.
Websites for the recommendations above… among some others
Restaurants
Bar Iberico. https://www.baribericotapas.com/
Kushi-ya. https://kushi-ya.co.uk/
Bustler. https://www.bustlermarket.co.uk/nottingham
Pelican Club. For tasty pasta dishes/fish/steaks with live music. Dinner only. https://www.thepelicanclub.co.uk/
Pizzamisu. Authentic Napolitan style pizzas and best tiramisu in town. https://pizzamisu.co.uk/
Everyday people. For the best ramen in town. https://theeverydaypeople.co.uk/
Binks Yard. For nice tacos and pizzas. https://binksyard.com/
Mesa. Wood fired cooking in Hockley. Dinner only. https://www.mesahockley.com/
Little Brickhouse. Honest cooking by a German and Norwegian couple. https://www.littlebrickhouse.co.uk/
Delilah. Deli style food. https://delilahfinefoods.co.uk/
Sexy Mamma Loves Spaghetti. Real pasta! Always check their specials blackboard. https://sexymammalovespaghetti.co.uk/
Anne’s Burger Shack. Best American-style burgers in town. https://anniesburgershack.com/
Cafes & Bars
Tough Mary's Bakehouse. http://www.toughmarysbakehouse.co.uk/
Blend. https://www.blendnottingham.co.uk/
Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem. https://www.greeneking-pubs.co.uk/pubs/nottinghamshire/ye-oldetrip-to-jerusalem/
Doughnotts. Local homemade doughnuts. https://www.doughnottsofficial.com/
The Specialty Coffee Shop. Real coffee served by a young Italian couple. https://www.instagram.com/thespecialtynottingham/
Canal House. Unique pub, surrounded by canal with a boat inside! https://www.castlerockbrewery.co.uk/pubs/canalhouse/
Attractions & Shops
St Mary’s church. https://www.stmarysnottingham.org/
Nottingham Contemporary. https://www.nottinghamcontemporary.org/
Nottingham Caves. https://www.nationaljusticemuseum.org.uk/cityofcaves
Wollaton Hall. https://wollatonhall.org.uk/
Green's Windmill and Science Centre. https://www.greensmill.org.uk/
Studio Chocolate. https://www.studio-chocolate.co.uk/
The Cheese Shop. https://cheeseshopnottingham.co.uk/
Handmade Nottingham. https://www.handmadenottingham.com/