How to Spend 24 hours in Lincoln
24 hours in Lincoln will see you meander down cobbled streets, stroll around historic castle grounds and push yourself up one of the steepest hills in England. Famed for its medieval cathedral and its links to the Magna Carta, Lincoln is teeming with history, culture and some pretty incredible architecture. I spent 24 hours in Lincoln when I met up with my friend and fellow travel blogger Rachel last summer and we had a wonderful weekend soaking up the sunshine on one of the hottest days of the year. Here’s an overview of what we got up to, including recommendations of where to eat, drink and stay, and how I’d recommend you spend your 24 hours in Lincoln…
Visit Lincoln Cathedral
No trip to Lincoln is complete without paying a visit to the beautiful Lincoln Cathedral, located at the top of Steep Hill. With history dating back to 1072, the year of its construction, Lincoln Cathedral was built in the Early Gothic style and is the fourth largest in England, with only Liverpool Cathedral, York Minster and London’s iconic St Paul’s Cathedral ahead of it. It is widely known that the cathedral held one of only four remaining copies of the original Magna Carta, which is now proudly on display in Lincoln Castle instead. From the outside, the cathedral is impressive and doesn’t look dissimilar to Paris’s stunning Notre Dame, whilst inside there are vaulted ceilings, stained glass windows and stone carvings of famous Lincoln Imps.
Walk up Steep Hill
Lined with independent shops, cafe’s, restaurants and tea rooms, Steep Hill is one of Lincoln’s most famed attractions, and is the gateway to the Cathedral Quarter. Connecting Lincoln Cathedral and Castle with the rest of the city, this steep, cobbled street is a must-see during your 24 hours in Lincoln. First used by residents when the city was called ‘Lindum Colonia’, the Roman inhabitants expanded the settlement down the hill, and archaeological excavations proved that the hill was once lined by steps during that time. Nowadays, Steep Hill, with a 16.12º gradient, has been named the fourth steepest street in England by the Ordnance Survey. Please note that Steep Hill isn’t suitable for those with accessibility needs, but the Steep Hill Shuttle can help you get to the top instead.
Go to the historic Lincoln Castle
One of the most famous medieval castles in Great Britain, and built on the site of a pre-existing Roman fortress by William the Conqueror in 1068, a visit to Lincoln Castle is an absolute must for your 24 hours in Lincoln itinerary. The castle has two mottes, making it one of only two castles of its kind in England, with the other one at Lewes, East Sussex. One of the best preserved medieval castles in the country, Lincoln Castle was used as a prison and court throughout history, and is still used as a Crown Court even today. Inside the castle you can find one of only four surviving exemplars of the famous Magna Carta from 1215. The castle is open to the public seven days a week, and you can either buy tickets for the castle itself, to walk around the medieval walls, or both! If you are tight on budget you can also walk around the castle grounds for free, but this will not get you into either the castle or the walls itself.
Wander along Brayford Waterfront
After we had spent an hour or so at the Waterside Shopping Centre, located right in the middle of the city and home to a wide range of high street stores, we took a wander down to the waterfront’s north side to check out the Brayford Waterfront. There we found plenty of restaurants and bars as well as luxury hotels and a multi-screen cinema. We didn’t get chance to dine here during our 24 hours in Lincoln, but we both thought it would make a lovely place for lunch or dinner, and if the weather is nice you can enjoy an alfresco meal whilst overlooking the waterfront on a summer’s day. You can also take a trip on the famous Brayford Belle, a boat which takes you around the Fossdyke Canal and Brayford Pool, where you can learn all about the area’s history.
Where to stay
There are many hotels and b&b’s from which to base yourself from for your 24 hours in Lincoln, with well known hotel chains littered across the city. We opted to stay at the Premier Inn Lincoln Centre, as it was cheap and cheerful and in a great location. At £39 for the night it was an absolute steal and was the perfect base for our stay. The room was spacious, the check in was easy, and there was a restaurant on site for booking breakfast, lunch or dinner if you wished. Being just a 15 minute walk from the train station was really handy, and the rest of the city was even closer on foot too. I’d definitely recommend a stay at the Premier Inn for your trip to Lincoln, but the Doubletree by Hilton, Castle Hotel and The Lincoln Hotel looked like great places to stay too. Apparently the rooftop bar on top of the Hilton is a great place for cocktails but it was a bit out the way and we didn’t have time to go there during our short 24 hours in Lincoln.
Where to eat and drink
The great thing about Lincoln being quite a small city is that everything feels quite close together. The shops, bars and restaurants are all within walking distance of the river, cathedral and train station, meaning there’s no part of Lincoln that feels too far away. We tried quite a few food and drink places during our short 24 hours in Lincoln, and it was a great way to get to know the city a little bit better. For lunch and sweet treats I’d recommend Stokes Cafe, they’ve got one located on the main High Street, and another at the back of the castle on Union Road. It was the first place Rachel and I stopped as we arrived in Lincoln, with our suitcases in tow, and it certainly didn’t disappoint.
Later on that afternoon we had a couple of cocktails in the sunshine at The Lion and Snake, a lively bar with a big beer garden located in the Bailgate area of the city. For dinner on the Saturday we headed to Wildwood, a cute grill restaurant serving huge portions of Italian classics – we had a pizza and calzone which were bigger than our heads! For cocktails that night we headed to The Curiosity Shop and Carousel Bar, both of which were super cute and good fun for a night out. The next day, just before we caught our trains home, we had a delicious Sunday lunch at The Horse and Groom, located by the Brayford Waterfront area. There are just over 300 restaurants in Lincoln, and there were so many places I got recommended, including Ole Ole for authentic tapas, The Strait and Narrow for delicious cocktails and Browns Pie Shop for amazing pies.
I had a fantastic time during my 24 hours in Lincoln, made even better by the glorious sunshine we were treated to all weekend long. Lincoln is the perfect place for a UK staycation, with plenty of sights to see and excellent places to eat and drink. The shopping is great, the history is interesting and the nightlife is good fun. Have you visited Lincoln before? I’d love to know what you thought of it! I’ll certainly be spending another 24 hours in Lincoln at some point in the future and can’t wait to revisit this pretty English city.
Love Jess x
