Thinking about spending the weekend in Chester?! Well, we believe that to be a great idea!
Give this blog post a read to hear some of our suggestions for a weekend in Chester.
First off, some history on the adorable town of Chester, United Kingdom.
- Chester is a city in North West England.
- It is the second large-largest settlement in Cheshire.
- Chester was initially founded as a Roman Fortress in the 1st Century A.D.
- Chester is home to “The Rows”.
- The Roman Amphitheatre in Chester is still having ongoing excavations.
Must see(s) on your weekend in Chester
The Rows
The Rows are a shopping district housing 2-level, covered arcades and Tudor-style half-timber buildings. These incredibly unique buildings are the only ones like it in the world! Dating back to the 13th Century, you won’t want to miss The Rows.
You could spend hours walking up and down The Rows on your weekend in Chester. You will never be bored with many places to shop, eat, and drink. If you are looking for designer shopping, they’ve got it. If you are looking for independent boutique shops, they’ve got it. Some weekend retail therapy never hurt anyone!
Chester City Walls
Chester is the best-preserved walled city in all of England. Originating from 100 AD, these walls are Grade I listed. You can walk almost the entire way around the city along the walls (there are only 100 meters of section missing). The walls took over 100 years to complete and it is guessed that they were completed in the middle of the 12th century.
We did the walk of the walls on a Saturday in March and it was lovely. It wasn’t very busy so we were able to stop wherever we wanted and snap some photos and take in the beautiful views.
Chester Cathedral
Another magnificent Cathedral.
Chester Cathedral was founded as a Benedictine Abbey in 1092. The church was gradually rebuilt in Gothic style (taking 275 years to complete), starting in 1250.
Unfortunately, but fortunately, there was a rehearsal for the Chester Philharmonic Orchestra the day we were there and weren’t able to take a tower tour. Normally, that would have upset me but I was a band geek in Highschool and really enjoyed sitting and listening to the orchestra. To sit inside a cathedral and listen to an orchestra was awe-inspiring. A few tears may have been shed on my part.
If you are able to make it to a tower tour it is 125ft high, and 216 steps. Tours take place at 11 am Monday to Thursday, 11 am and 1 pm Fridays and 11 am, 1 pm and 3 pm Saturdays. You can purchase tickets here!
Chester Cathedral is open from 9:30 am to 6 pm Monday – Saturday and 9:30 am to 5 pm on Sunday. There is also a cafe and a gift shop inside. The Cathedral entrance is free to access. Make sure you pop by on your weekend in Chester.
Chester Roman Amphitheatre & Roman Gardens
The Chester Roman Amphitheatre is the largest in the United Kingdom. It could sit 7,000 people!
Built-in the late first Century AD, the Roman Amphitheatre was used for military training and entertainment. It has been derelict a couple of times (used as a garbage pit and a rock quarry, and even had houses built on top of it!). Final excavations began in the 1950s.
Admission to the Amphitheatre is free and it is open daily all year round during daylight hours. When you are there, you can see it right off the path of the City Walls (address; Little St John Street, Chester, Cheshire, CH1 1RE).
The Roman Gardens are just outside the city walls and very close to the Amphitheatre. They are open daily during light hours as well. You can tour them at your leisure and can learn a lot of history from the many plaques scattered around. The access is from Little St John Street near New Gate.
Eastgate Clock
Did you know that the Eastgate Clock is the second most photographed clock? Right behind Big Ben, coming in at number one. Crazy right!? It was built in 1899 to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee of 1897.
The clock was built by J.B Joyce of Whitchurch in Shropshire. Until 1974 a technician had to come into town and wind the clock on a weekly basis to get it to continue to tell the time!
You can find the clock just off of Eastgate Street and can access it by walking the walls (address; 41-45 Eastgate, Chester, Cheshire, England). Eastgate Street is a definite must during your weekend trip to Chester.
Places to grab a drink in Chester.
Prohibition
If you are looking for a place to grab a drink on your weekend in Chester; our first suggestion is Prohibition. Prohibition is a jazz and blues cocktail bar hidden on Watergate Street. It is a speakeasy-style bar with dim lights and a mysterious atmosphere.
The cocktail menu is hidden inside a book and is full of many mouthwatering choices. They are open 7 days a week (Sunday – Thursday 5 pm – 12 am. Friday 5 pm – 2 am and Saturday 3 pm – 2 am.
The secret will be kept for how to get in, that’s half the fun!
Kahiki Chester
Yes.. another cocktail bar, but worth a stop on your weekend in Chester! As a relatively new bar to the area, it was standing-room only. Packed wall to wall with people. It took us quite a while to get a seat, and we ended up having to share with another group. That’s always the fun though, isn’t it? Going to a new place, getting to meet and talk to new people?
Kahiki was a vibe. It’s a Manhattan meets Tiki bar with live music every weekend. It is fun, and lively, and has a fresh, tasty, and experimental cocktail menu. There is tiki culture décor everywhere, tons of flowers (definitely selfie-worthy) and really romanticizes tropical culture.
Did you know that Kahiki is Polynesian for Pineapple!? Well, now you know.
Khahiki is open Monday – Wednesday 5 pm – 12:30 am, Thursday – Saturday 5 pm – 3:30 am and Sunday 5 pm – 1:30 am. The address is; 8 Watergate St, North, Chester CH1 2LD.
Add it to your list when spending a wonderful weekend in Chester.
Oddfellows Arms
We stumbled upon Oddfellow Arms serendipitously. While walking back to our hotel and you could hear the laughter (and karaoke) from the street! We thought, “Well why not, let’s have one more drink before bed, everyone looks like they’re having so much fun in there”. Boy was there fun being had.
On the weekends they do karaoke and it pulls a pretty decent crowd. There were some regulars, of course, but there were also people on holiday letting loose.
If you’re looking for a fun place to end (or start your night if you love karaoke) this is definitely the place to go (Side note – I couldn’t get Trevor to sing karaoke with me). Drinks were reasonably priced too!
Looking for a wonderful weekend in Chester? Add Oddfellows Arms to your to-do list.
Other things to do during your Weekend in Chester!
- Chester Racecourse
- Chester Boat Cruise
- Chester Zoo
- The Grosvenor Museum
- Cheshire Military Museum
Have you been to Chester? We’d love to hear what you did and how much you enjoyed it!
Comment below!