Top Tourist Attractions In Chester

Chester Zoo

Chester Zoo is one of the UK's top tourist attractions, offering a fun packed day out for everyone, no matter what age. You can see over 500 different species of animals, visit the award-winning gardens. A fantastic day out for the family. As featured on Channel 5 Zoo Days tv series.

Chester Zoo is open all year from 10am except Christmas Day & Boxing Day. Children under the age of 14 must be accompanied by an adult.

Chester Zoo, Upton-by-Chester, Chester CH2 1LH
chesterzoo.org

Chester Rows & Timber Framed Buildings

Visitors come from all over the UK and the world to visit Chester. Chester is one of the most beautiful historic cities in England, famous for its galleried rows, Roman remains, shops & boutiques, the town crier, ghost walks and complete city walls. Chester is remembered best by visitors for the black & white timbered buildings that are Tudor style. "It's like walking back in time through Old England".

• Photo of Bridge Street Rows & black & white building
• Photo: Chester Cross

Chester Roman Amphitheatre

The ruins of this unique Roman Amphitheatre in Chester are currently being excavated and new finds are being found all the time. To find out more about the Romans and Roman Chester you can visit Dewa Roman Museum or The Grosvenor Museum and also Guided Tours of Chester. The best time to see and talk to the archaeologists is in the summer when they are busy working on the amphitheatre dig. This was one of the largest Amphitheatres in the UK!

• The Roman Amphitheatre Project
• A Panoramic Photo of Chester Roman Amphitheatre
  

Chester Cathedral

Chester Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral built on Anglo-Saxon foundations dating back to the year 907. Since then it has gradually been extended and rebuilt three times, the most lasting design from 1250 being what we see today. For the first 530 years it was known as Saint Werburgh's Abbey after the remains of the Saint it housed. The Dissolution of the Monasteries saw it become a cathedral. It was thanks to the admiration of King Henry VIII that it has survived.

• Photo Gallery of Chester Cathedral
• Photo Gallery 2
• chestercathedral.com

The Eastgate Clock

Today the Eastgate Clock is our city landmark which is a popular photo stop and features on many guides to the city. Erected on top of the stone archway over Eastgate Street in 1899. The Eastgate Clock was built to commemorate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee of 1897.

The stone archway underneath the clock was built earlier in 1769 to replace an earlier Medieval gate which replaced an even earlier roman gate!

• Old antique postcards of our famous clock
• Interactive movie near the Eastgate Clock

Complete City Walls

Chester has a complete stone wall surrounding the city which you can walk on and see views of the city you would not see at street level. See the Norman defences, Roman fortifications/walls, Chester Castle and the city gates. You can get on and off the walls at different points along the way.

Update:
The walls are currently being repaired in places so you might not be able to walk the complete route.

• Take an online tour of the city walls here

The River Dee at Chester

The River Dee is very popular in the summer months where you can sit on the banks and listen to brass bands play in the old band stand, or take a leisurely cruise on the showboats, hire a rowing boat or motor boat, take a walk along the path on the banks to the Earls Eye, watch out for Cormorants or feed the Swans, buy a Cheshire ice cream, watch the river boats from the beer gardens. A great place to relax on Sunday afternoons!

• Photos of The River Dee and The Groves
• Panoramic Movie of the River Dee

Grosvenor Park, Chester

Grosvenor Park was one of the first public parks in the UK outside of the industrial cities and was given to the citizens of Chester (Cestrians) in 1867 by Richard Grosvenor, the Second Marquess of Westminster. It is the ideal place to relax on hot summer days. There is also a miniature steam railway for children! Next, follow the winding paths that take you down to the river.

• Movie of Grosvenor Park - QTVR - DevalVR (PC only)
• Movie of Grosvenor Park 2 - QTVR

For further attractions in Chester and places to visit see below:

• Map of Chester
• Chester Museums
• Shopping Guide
• What's On In Chester - Festivals & Parades in Chester
• Map of Cheshire Attractions

Chester Audio Tours by Walk Talk Tours

Chester Revealed tour is narrated by actor and broadcaster Jonathan Keeble. The tour features a short welcome to the city by David Mitchell, half of the only husband and wife town crying duo in the world.

Visitors can enjoy a stroll along the Rows, the unique covered walkways that still run uninterrupted through the front of buildings in the centre of the city. Hear about the Grosvenor family's influence on the city and the wider world. Take a walk on the city's walls. Hear about Chester's once fraught relationship with neighbouring Wales. See Roman ingenuity first-hand in the Roman Gardens. Get a must have picture of the Eastgate Clock, the second most photographed timepiece in the world. Admire Chester Cathedral. Hear of an elopement, several alleged hauntings, bungled hangings and more with the Chester Revealed audio downloadable tour.

Chester Revealed represents excellent value at just £5. Great savings are available for groups and parties. This tour comes complete with a free downloadable map for listeners to print out, so you won't miss a thing.

The tour is 1.7 miles (2.7km) long. The tour can be completed in two hours, though listeners have the flexibility to go and explore the city at their own pace. Download a tour to your mp3 player at walktalktour.com