Travel & Hotels

The Wedding is at the Norwich Arts Centre on beautiful St Benedicts Street in the Norwich Lanes

Where should I stay?

We are right in the middle of the historic city centre, so there are lots of places to stay in walking distance including a budget Premier Inn on Duke Street and the fancier Maids Head Hotel where Rachel will stay (Evan, who knows...). There is another Premier Inn on Prince of Wales Road, but is in a less family friendly area: see this tripadvisor page. There are some Airbnbs about; we would advise booking these ASAP as it is a holiday weekend. Also, here is a reddit post where people discuss hotels in Norwich!

In the UK, full sized beds are typically referred to as doubles.

How would I get there from abroad?

Fly into London, or any other UK airport. Norwich does have an airport but it is very small.  Google flights say the best time to book flights for late May is November till February.

How should I get there from London?

Train

Norwich is just under 2 hours from London, by taking the train from Liverpool Street Station (you can also take a train from Kings Cross). You can get from any of the major London airports (Heathrow, Gatwick, Stanstead) to Liverpool Street via the tube, including the new Elizabeth Line which goes direct. Here is a tube map. The second page tells you how to find each station on the diagram if you are not familiar. The last train to Norwich is around 9/10pm but please make sure you check timetables for your travel dates.

When you buy a ticket from London to Norwich, it is best to get an 'Off-peak open return'. This means you can get any train back to London - so make sure you don't lose the tickets! It costs about 72 pounds for an adult.

You can read more about on/off-peak times here. On-peak times are weekdays ONLY. This does not include Monday 26th as this is a holiday. 

It is a bank holiday weekend which means they may be doing track maintenance! Oh no! This might mean the trains are less frequent, or you might have to take a replacement bus service. We will check the website closer to the time. Train tickets can be much cheaper if you book in advance (up to to 12 weeks, check prices here and here - which you can also look for timetables). You do not need to buy in advance, but you must buy them before you get on the train.

If two of you are traveling around together, you can get a two together railcard which gets you 1/3 off tickets when you travel together ONLY. This is on the mainline trains, and not the tube.

Norwich Arts Centre is a 24 minute walk from the train station, or there are taxis just outside the station. Norwich does not have Uber.

Coach/Bus

You can also book a National Express coach which tends to be cheaper, and should not have Sunday disruption. These are not always on time depending on London traffic.

Driving

Depending on the time of day, it can be around 2-3 hours to drive. London has two chargeable locations called the congestion zone and the ULEZ. It might be easier to just ask Rachel about these if you plan to drive (ask in advance!).

Taxi

ABC Taxis in Norwich offer airport transfers from Heathrow for approximately 250 pounds for a 4-seater, with a 25% increase between 2300 and 0500 on Fridays and Saturdays. Other companies likely offer this service, including ones based in London but you will need to make your own enquiries.

I am planning to come the morning of Sunday, but can't check my luggage yet!

There will be a small area to store luggage (probably the bridal dressing room aka the green room). Please let us know in advance if you might need to use it!

How long should I stay for?

Norwich is the best city in the world. It has a castle you can visit for an extremely reasonable price (a little extra for the dungeons and battlements!) and is full of charming cafes, bars, shops and of course pubs! Look at our recommendations on the Local Recommendations page!

Do I need to tip in the UK?

You can see a useful guide to tipping in the UK here.