Visiting Leicester - What to do and see?

Where is Leicester?

Leicester is in the heart of England, a phrase that we use to describe something that is in the centre of something, and Leicester is in a region called the East Midlands, which is in the middle of England. If you are travelling from London, it takes about two and a half hours to drive, but if you travel by train it will take just over one hour. East Midlands Airport is just under thirty minutes away but, mainly, only has flights to cities in western Europe. You may have to fly to Birmingham, which is about an hour away, or London airports such as Heathrow or Luton. Before you read the rest of the article, click on the map above and plan your route to Leicester from your city. How long would it take? What type of transport would you have to use? 

Why are more people visiting Leicester?

Leicester has gone football crazy, or barmy as you can see in the newspaper headline in the photo above, and Leicester's multicultural team has encouraged more visitors to come and visit the most multicultural city in the UK. There have been large groups of Italian and Japanese tourists in the city but there has been an increase in numbers from countries all over the world. They want to sample a match at the King Power Stadium or walk around the city and feel the atmosphere that has been created by Leicester's famous Premier League win. During the season, there was a campaign started by a Leicester radio station and a local newspaper, it was called #BackingtheBlues. The idea of the campaign was to turn the city blue in honour of Leicester City. Shop windows and market stalls were decorated in blue and Leicester City paraphernalia, the city's cathedral glowed blue at night and famous statues in the city were dressed in Leicester City scarves. In Leicester, you could suddenly buy Leicester City themed sausages, coffee, beer, pies and cakes; you can see some of these locally produced items in the photos below.

What is the history of Leicester?

It's not only football that brings tourists to Leicester. The city is one of the oldest in the UK and has a history that goes back more than two thousand years. One of the biggest characters in Leicester's history is King Richard III. He lived in the 15th century and his death in the Battle of Bosworth near Leicester (see photo above) marked the end of the Middle Ages in England. A hundred years later, Richard III's life was made into a play by William Shakespeare. The connection between King Richard III doesn't end with his death. His body was believed to have been thrown in a river, but 500 years later, a team from Leicester University discovered the king's body. It was confirmed by experts that the remains were those of King Richard III, and, in 2015, he was reburied in the cemetery at Leicester's cathedral. The new grave is now a huge tourist attraction and is seen as one of the top 25 new tourist attractions to see in the world. 

What to do in Leicester?

So, the King Power Stadium for a Leicester City match might be your priority, you might also want to visit Leicester Cathedral to see King Richard III's tomb and the visitor's centre next to the cathedral. But, what else is there to see in Leicester? Well, Leicester is also home to the UK's national space centre. The National Space Centre hosts the UK's largest planetarium, a 3D space simulator and a 42 metre high Rocket Tower. This should be on anybody's agenda if you're in the city for a short or long stay. Leicester also has five museums, they focus on local history, archaeology, science and technology so there should be something for everyone. The current exhibition at New Walk Museum in Leicester city centre is called Fearless Foxes and tells the story about how Leicester City went from relegation favourites in 2015 to Premier League Champions in 2016.

What about shopping?

Like most cities in the UK, shopping is one of the most popular activities to do at the weekend. Leicester has two big, indoor shopping centres where you can find the biggest brands and best products. If you're looking for something more traditional, take a walk around Leicester Market, which is Europe's biggest covered market and has been officially recognised as the UK's favourite market. If you look closely, you will find Lineker's; a market stall that is owned by the father of Gary Lineker, who was top scorer in the 1986 World Cup and a well-known TV celebrity in the UK and one of Leicester City's biggest celebrity fans. Leicester is also home to the Golden Mile, which is a huge Indian area of Leicester. Here you will find jewellery, clothes, spices and some of the best Indian food outside India. The Diwali celebrations in Leicester, which is the biggest Hindu celebration, are the biggest outside of India and this area of the city becomes a sea of light and colour.

What to eat and drink in Leicester?

After all that shopping, you might be tired. If coffee is your thing, you could go to Bru Coffee, a cafe in the centre of Leicester. They do fantastic cakes, coffee, tea and ice cream, but if you want a Leicester City flavour to your coffee, then this is the place for you. For £2.15, you can buy a Vardyccino, which is a cappuccino with chocolate in the shape of Jamie Vardy's head sprinkled on top. If you want to eat something more than just a coffee and a cake, Leicester has a great range of restaurants. There are lots of Indian and Italian restaurants in the city if you want a pizza or Britain's favourite food (a curry), but you willl also find Chinese, Spanish, Lebanese, Japanese, Moroccan, Turkish and Thai, so there should be something for everyone. But, if you just want a snack, why don't you buy a packet of 'Vardy Salted' crisps. A limited edition flavour of crisp was produced by Walkers, which is a crisp factory based in Leicester and a big employer in the local area. What do you think they taste like?

What to do at night in Leicester?

Leicester has a number of theatres, cinemas and concert venues and there is always something happening on a night out in Leicester. The Curve theatre in the heart of Leicester's cultural quarter is a state of the art theatre that has some of the country's best plays, there are four multi-screen cinemas that offer all the Hollywood blockbusters but also independent movies and foreign language films. I think the Jamie Vardy Movie will be very popular here. As Leicester has a big student population, there are lots of live music venues and comedy clubs. The rock band Kasabian are from Leicester and also performed at Leicester City's Premier League celebrations. If you want something a bit quieter, you could also enjoy a pint of Vardy's Volley in one of Leicester's many traditional pubs.

How to get a ticket?

After Leicester City's success this season, it might be a little more difficult to get a ticket from next season. Some of the tickets for Leicester's final match of the season (against Everton) were being sold on the black market for up to £15,000! This of course is illegal and the club have said they will ban anybody who tries to re-sell match tickets. On the other hand, season tickets at Leicester are one of the best value in the Premier League, last season you could buy one for £365, which works out at less than £20 per match. If you are only going to be in Leicester for a short time, however, the best thing to do is to go to the ticket office at the King Power Stadium or try to buy a ticket online from the official Leicester City website. If you want some help with the language you need to buy a ticket, or the process, have a look at this email lesson we made for you a few months ago.