Five Free Things to Do in Chester

In this post, we’ll be looking at some of the attractions that you can visit for free in the historic city of Chester, in the UK.

1. Visit The Grosvenor Museum

The Grosvenor Museum (27 Grosvenor Street, Chester) is packed with exhibits tracing the history of the city and also has some excellent works of art on display. Highlights of the museum include The Webster Roman Stones Gallery, where you can see a reconstructed Roman cemetery. It includes 35 Roman tombstones, the largest collection to be retrieved from one site in Britain, together with altars and a reconstruction of an optio’s quarters.

The museum also features reconstructed rooms illustrating what a town house would have looked like during different periods in history. Rooms include a Victorian kitchen and parlour, a Georgian drawing room, an Edwardian bathroom and a 1920s nursery.

2. Walk the City Walls

Chester has the most complete circuit of ancient city walls in Britain and the route around them is more than two miles long. It will take you at least an hour to walk the entire circuit.

It’s free of charge to walk the city walls and there are a number of access points around the city. You can print off guides to the different sections from the Chester City Council website and there are also information panels along the route which explain the historical significance of different sections of the walls.

You will be able to see many of Chester’s most important buildings, such as the Eastgate Clock, the Bridge of Sighs and Chester Castle, and see some great views of the city, the canal and the Clwydian Hills.

3. Explore Chester Visitor Centre

Chester Visitor Centre (Vicars Lane, Chester) is well worth a visit as it now houses the Amphitheatre Interpretation Centre, where you can find out more about the archaeological work being carried out at the  Chester Amphitheatre site.

The Chester Amphitheatre is believed to be the largest uncovered amphitheatre in the UK and archaeologists have carried out a number of excavations at the site over the years. They have uncovered Roman, Medieval and more modern artefacts, and you can see archaeologists sorting and cleaning the finds in the Chester Visitor Centre. There is also a viewing platform, where you can look out over the amphitheatre site, which is right opposite the visitor centre. 

4. Relax in Grosvenor Park

This Victorian park is Chester’s main park and it’s a great place in which to relax. It’s located in the centre of Chester and overlooks the River Dee.

There are a number of things to see in Grosvenor Park, including Billy Hobby’s Well, the medieval Shipgate Arch, the Anchorite Cell and Grosvenor Park Lodge.

5. Listen to a Traditional Town Crier

If you are visiting Chester between 1 May and 31 August, you can see one of Chester’s famous town criers making a midday proclamation at The High Cross, where Chester’s four main streets (Eastgate Street, Northgate Street, Watergate Street and Bridge Street) intersect. The proclamations take place daily from Tuesday to Saturday.

Chester’s town criers are David and Julie Mitchell, the only husband and wife town crier team in the world. David Mitchell has won a number of Town Crier Championships and Julie is currently the world’s top-ranking female town crier.

Whilst in the centre of Chester, don’t miss “the Rows“, the two-storey, arcaded groups of shops, some of which are believed to date back to the 13th century.

Tags: budget travel, cheap travel, Chester, free attractions, UK holidays, UK travel