While many of us believe that we need to travel to feed our craving for culture and history, Chester is a city that begs to differ. Historically rich with medieval buildings and Victorian restorations, along with cultural entertainment such as Chester Zoo and the Grosvenor Museum. As a whole package, this UK city proves it can hold its own against oversea tourist favourites. This location a fun way to spend the day with your family and friends; accessible by bus, train or car. One idea is to extend your stay to fully enjoy what Chester has to offer, hook up a trailer or caravan to your towbar for an easy weekend away. Even if you are a Chester local and are looking to venture to new places, there are many convenient services to help your towbar needs. While many overlook this city in favour of bigger hotspots such as London, Chester is a popular UK location with both the locals and tourists.

One major tourist attraction within Chester is of course, the Cathedral. An english medieval architecture style building, named the Cathedral of the Diocesse of Chester in 1541, the building adds immensely to the historical feel of the area. The stature of the gothic-esque monument provides a stunning landscape for tourists and locals alike. Since its controversial restoration in the nineteenth century, the Cathedral has been a place of worship and tourist appreciation. In the modern era, the tourist hotspot is used as a venue for concerts and exhibitions as a way to integrate the public and historic culture. Unknown to most, Chester is the only UK city where the full structure of its ancient walls remain intact. Reminiscent of Roman times, the stone walls create a historic atmosphere palpable to anyone close to the structure. Also, the city is home to ancient ruins scattered around the area due to Chester’s geographical location making it one of the Roman Empire’s most important outposts in the UK. Being so close to remnants of the past has had an increasing effect on the locations tourism level, with an impressive 62.18 million people visiting Chester in 2016, according to the Chester Standard.   

For a child friendly visit, Chester Zoo is the perfect tourist attraction for people looking for a fun day out. Being the UK’s largest zoo with over 11,000 animals in 110 acres of award-winning gardens, no wonder it is a country favourite. Located in Upton, not far from the city centre of Chester, the zoo is set up in an ideal place for locals and tourists if they wish to enjoy half a day at the zoo and the other half somewhere in the city. With over 400 different species of wildlife, this allows the zoo to include animal attractions such as; a penguin pool, chimpanzee island and Asian elephant forest enclosure. It is fair to say that a visit here is for adults and children alike and may be one of the reasons why the amount of visitors is steadily growing in the city. This is a great addition to Chester’s growing reputation as a tourist hotspot, with the zoo establishing itself as the UK’s most popular zoological park. Similarly, Blue Planet Aquarium is also a tourist attraction in Chester surrounding wildlife. Located next to Cheshire Oaks retail park, it contains 50 different fish and marine species. The marine life based aquarium is a child focused attraction, with activities such as; feeding times, pirate hunts and face painting. It houses Europe’s largest collection of sharks that can be viewed from the aquariums ‘Aquatheatre’. In all, these two wildlife attractions add to Chester’s appeal as a UK city and are a fun way to spend the day with family.

Now arguably, a sure way to guarantee tourism is through the appeal of clothes. Chester offers an array of clothing stores from high street to designer trends, intentionally catering for everyone who visits. By combining shopping and history, the Rows are an obvious choice for a shopping trip in Chester. The unique Rows created in the Middle Ages have stood the test of time to become a popular shopping experience. With one of a kind galleries providing stores at street level with steps to another tier of shops above, offering visitors the opportunity to undertake some time people watching before heading back into the thick of countless shoppers spending money. Altogether, the Chester Rows are a main tourist attraction and one of the most well preserved historic architecture in the UK. Nowadays, the Rows are inhabited by both shops, cafes and restaurants but the historical feel has not abandoned the medieval buildings even today. Although Cheshire Oaks designer retail is more historically relevant then the Rows, the tourism it brings to the city is undeniable. Introduced in 1995, it is the UK’s largest outlet centre, with 145 stores and is also the first designer outlet village in Europe. With discounted prices on previous season designs, the outlet is a major attraction for discount buyers and label lovers.    

Of course you can’t mention Chester without thinking about Chester Races. As the 65 acre home of Chester racetrack, this is a countrywide favourite activity. As racing is a major sport event Chester races, like others, combines gambling, drinking and socialising all into one. A fun weekend overall, the races is an opportunity for women to get dressed up in their colourful dresses and stylish headpieces, while the men can don their three piece suits and go as a group to the event. After more than 450 years racing at Chester racetrack, the city has maintained its reputation as a horse racing favourite. A great way to experience the sport and social aspect of the day, Chester racetrack also caters for days such as; family fun day, a horse show and our Cheshire Life Nursery Handicap.

Proving that Chester really does have everything a tourist needs, the city is bursting with rich culture, modern stores, historical attractions and popular events. A great location to travel to with friends or as a family. The city is highly recommended as a place where history and modern times collide to create a fun, full experience. Altogether, visiting Chester is a popular way to appreciate historical roots and admire the growing city.