Things to do in Lancaster
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Lancaster
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Spring brings breeding birds at Leighton Moss, greening Bowland valleys and Litfest in March.
Summer brings the Dukes Play in the Park, long bay evenings and Cross Bay Walk high season, with a quieter centre.
Autumn is the local favourite, with Lancaster Music Festival in October and autumn colour in Bowland.
Light Up Lancaster fills early November and Lancaster on Ice starts in late November.
Pantomime, Christmas markets and Lancaster on Ice carry winter, while January is the cheapest and quietest month.
February has the shortest days feel, thinnest museum opening and the rawest bay weather.
What's on
- Lancaster Literature Festival March
Litfest, one of England's longest running literature festivals, with readings across the city.
- The Dukes Play in the Park July to August
A promenade theatre production in Williamson Park at dusk, and the best reason to time a summer trip.
- Lancaster Music Festival Usually October
Over 500 performances in over 50 venues, almost entirely free.
- Light Up Lancaster early November
A night time light art trail through the historic centre, with projections and a fireworks finale in most editions.
- Lancaster on Ice late November to early January
An outdoor rink and tipi bar in the Dalton Square area, with Christmas markets in the centre.
Best things to do in Lancaster
Lancaster Castle
A working Crown Court and former prison where guided tours cover the Shire Hall, cells and Pendle witch trials.
Williamson Park
A 54 acre hilltop park with woodland walks, a butterfly house and views over Morecambe Bay to the Lake District.
Ashton Memorial
A 150 foot Edwardian folly in Williamson Park whose viewing gallery gives the best free panorama in the city.
Lancaster Priory
A major parish church beside the castle with carved choir stalls, embroidery and a calm, concert filled interior.
Lancaster Cathedral
The Gothic Revival Catholic cathedral near Dalton Square, rewarding a slow look at its glass and baptistery.
Judges' Lodgings
Lancaster's oldest town house, furnished with Gillows pieces, with a Victorian classroom and a childhood museum.
Lancaster City Museum
The free city museum in the old Town Hall, tracing Roman Lancaster, the Georgian port and the King's Own regiment.
Lancaster Maritime Museum
The Custom House museum on St George's Quay telling the story of Lancaster's port, canal boats and bay fisheries.
Where to stay in Lancaster
City Centre and Castle Hill
first trip, car free and theatre visits
Castle, theatres, market and station are all within about ten minutes on foot.
St George's Quay
quieter, food led centre stay
Georgian warehouses on the Lune, with the Maritime Museum and the city's best dinner on the street.
South Lancaster and Bowerham
drivers, golfers and university visits
Quieter residential streets, easier parking and hotels with car parks, a bus ride from the centre.
Morecambe Seafront
seaside led trips and repeat visitors
The bay at your window and sunset walks from the door, with Lancaster a ten minute train ride away.
Think twice about
- Sugarhouse and Church Street drinking circuit
Loud until about 3am on student nights in term time. A noise problem for light sleepers, not a safety problem.
- Caton Road and M6 Junction 34 strip
Clean and cheap motorway edge hotels, but marooned with no evening walk and a drive or bus to everything.
- Morecambe West End
Long term deprivation and faded, empty feeling streets at night. Check the exact property and street before booking a bargain.
- Skerton and far north listings marketed as Lancaster
Across the Lune and a bus ride from Castle Hill, with no visitor infrastructure around the listing.
Best restaurants in Lancaster
Quite Simply French
Lancaster's best restaurant, French in technique and Lancashire in ingredient, in a warehouse on the quay.
The Quarterhouse
A contemporary small plates restaurant with the strongest local word of mouth in the city.
Merchants 1688
A pub restaurant in vaulted wine merchant cellars below Castle Park, cosy in winter and ideal after the castle.
The Borough
The gastropub heart of Dalton Square, with roasts, pies and a summer terrace facing the Town Hall.
Wagon and Horses
The quay's traditional inn, with river views and strong vegetarian, vegan and gluten free provision.
The Waterwitch
A canalside pub on the towpath with narrowboat views, generous local cooking and a popular Thursday quiz.
Sultan of Lancaster
The city's most reviewed curry house, a long established Indian restaurant strong on grills and baltis.
The Three Mariners
One of Lancaster's oldest pubs, with well kept cask ale, low beams and live folk music near the quay.
Outdoor things to do in Lancaster
Lancaster Golf Club
A James Braid parkland course in the grounds of Ashton Hall, with Lune estuary views and a hall clubhouse.
Heysham Golf Club
A welcoming 18 hole course above Morecambe Bay where Irish Sea weather is part of the test.
Cross Bay Walk
A guided walk across Morecambe Bay sands from Arnside to Grange, led only by the King's Guide to the Sands.
Trough of Bowland
A high pass and fell loop in the Forest of Bowland, Lancaster's crowd free answer to the Lake District.
Lune Aqueduct
John Rennie's 1797 aqueduct carrying the Lancaster Canal over the River Lune, reached by a flat towpath walk.
RSPB Leighton Moss
The largest reedbed in north west England, with hides for marsh harriers, bearded tits, otters and red deer.
Arnside Knott
A 159 metre limestone hill above the Kent estuary with views to the Lakeland fells and down Morecambe Bay.
Eric Morecambe Statue
Eric Morecambe in his Bring Me Sunshine pose on Morecambe Promenade, best seen at sunset over the bay.
Best hotels in Lancaster
Lancaster House Hotel
The city's full service four star, with a pool and health club, well placed for golf and regional touring.
The Midland
A Grade II listed art deco landmark on Morecambe Promenade, with sea view rooms over the bay.
Quite Simply French
Boutique rooms at Lancaster's best restaurant, so the city's top dinner and breakfast are in the same hands.
The Sun Hotel & Bar
A 300 year old coaching inn near the castle, with characterful rooms above an award winning ale and gin bar.
Toll House Inn
A Victorian inn with 28 rooms and an acclaimed kitchen, central yet calmer than the castle streets.
The Royal Hotel and Bar
A family run 14 room central hotel with a well regarded bar, courtyard and notably personal service.
Travelodge Lancaster Central
A reliable central budget chain hotel that keeps the whole city centre programme walkable.
Premier Inn Lancaster
A practical motorway edge budget hotel with free parking, best for drivers and one night stopovers.
Is Lancaster expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | £55 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | £110 a person |
| Splurge | £220 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Judges' Lodgings: a few days ahead
- The Dukes: weeks ahead
- Lancaster Grand Theatre: a few days ahead
- Lancaster Golf Club: weeks ahead
- Heysham Golf Club: a few days ahead
- Cross Bay Walk: weeks ahead
- Quite Simply French: weeks ahead
- The Quarterhouse: a few days ahead
- Book Quite Simply French and The Quarterhouse when the trip is booked, not on arrival.
- Book a dated Cross Bay Walk as soon as a tide date matches your visit.
- Book The Dukes Play in the Park and popular Lancaster Grand touring shows early.
- Book cancellable hotels early for graduation, Music Festival and Light Up Lancaster dates.
Is Lancaster safe?
- Emergency number is 999 and the non emergency police number is 101.
- The Lune is tidal and fast, so keep to promenades, jetties and marked paths.
- Carry a map, footwear and layers in Bowland, where bog, mist and patchy signal are normal.
- Carry a waterproof layer in every month, as north west weather changes fast.
Lancaster travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Never walk onto Morecambe Bay sands unguided, the tides and channels are lethal.
- Do not treat Lancaster as a motorway comfort break, it needs at least a night.
- Do not expect Morecambe to be Blackpool, it is a promenade, a statue and bay views.
- Check Judges' Lodgings and Maritime Museum opening days, both run seasonal part week patterns.
- Swap Williamson Park to the first clear morning rather than visiting in horizontal rain.
Getting around Lancaster: public transport and more
- Walk the city in clusters, Castle Hill, the quay and Dalton Square, as Lancaster is compact but hilly.
- Use Lancaster station for London, Manchester, Edinburgh and for Morecambe, Silverdale and Arnside day trips.
- Take the number 18 bus to Williamson Park's Wyresdale Road gate to save the steep climb.
- Park first in a named central car park rather than hunting for a hotel door on the one way system.
- Check tide times before using Arnside or Morecambe shore car parks, because they can flood.
Who Lancaster suits
| Solo travellers | Great |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Lancaster your trip
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