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The thing about Norwich, East Anglia’s largest city, is it doesn’t brag about its star attractions, record-busting assets or its medieval-meets-modern heart. In February this year, city centre club Gonzo’s Two Room was named by BBC Radio 1 Dance listeners as the best dance venue in the UK and Europe. Yep, you read that right. Move over London and Ibiza! It doesn’t really brag about its links to Steve Coogan’s most famous creation, either, although that brings a certain comical glamour to the city. Alan Partridge is back on our screens this month, with a deeply funny mockumentary looking at Britain’s mental health. In How Are You? It’s Alan Partridge, Norfolk’s Lanes, the cathedral and its cloister all feature. And some 25 miles northwest at Pensthorpe, the Alan Partridge Sound Bath Garden opens at half term. The city itself is remarkably accessible. It’s only an hour and 45 minutes by train from the capital, and this autumn is the time to visit, thanks in part to a bursting schedule of events and festivals. Thirsty visitors will love the Norwich Beer Festival, running until 2 November. Chocoholics shouldn’t miss Chocolate Festival Fortnight, which takes place in the second part of this month. The Norwich Book Festival opens at half term, too. Events will be hosted in venues such as the National Centre of Writing’s 15th-century Dragon Hall, and at probably the most curvaceous bookshop in the land, The Book Hive. Norwich is England’s first Unesco City of Literature – so expect the literati to be in attendance. October and November also bring a celebration of the arts via the Autumn Festival of Norfolk and the Norwich Film Festival. Whatever time of year you visit, Norwich is a remarkably cultural place for a city break. The city’s Norman cathedral is one of the most impressive in northern Europe. Beneath its lofty roof is a bulbous font made from two copper bowls, once used to create toffee at the Mackintosh-Caley – later Rowntree Mackintosh – factory, where tubes of Rolos were first made in 1937. It wasn’t until after the factory was bombed and then rebuilt in the Second World War that Munchies and Caramac joined the production line, tour guide Paul Dickson tells me as we wander through the historic Lanes. Here, tight streets, alleyways and secret courtyards (mostly pedestrianised) are lined by jettied timber-framed buildings. Flint-knapped churches rub up against glossy coffee shops such as Bread Source and vintage shops Dogfish, Looses Emporium and Sue Ryder. It’s the biggest surviving medieval street pattern in the country, Paul explains. But some city lanes aren’t as they appear. In the 1400s, working folk lived in the ditch below Norwich Castle. A descent into Norwich’s “hidden street”, beneath a former shoe shop, offers a glimpse into this earlier world. Lantern-lit tours with The Shoebox Experiences give you the lowdown. Norwich’s footwear history is illustrious (with Norwich’s Start-Rite the UK’s oldest) but there’s only one shoemaker left in the city, Paul says. Bowhill & Elliott still make a velvet Albert slipper, a house shoe. (Down the same road, you can buy a tiara to go with those: £35,000 for a gorgeous number at Juels.) In the footwear stakes, no one does it better than the fantastic Tardis of local history, the Museum of Norwich. Here you’ll find all manner of lurid-coloured heels, and the almost-crotch-high-boots designed to protect nurses working in the Burmese jungle in the Second World War. Read more: The best museums you should visit in the UK At the newly-reopened Norwich Castle, visitors can find 500-year-old shoes, too, plus a pair of medieval ice skates made from bone. After five years and a £27.5m renovation, the 900-year-old castle, once home to a prison, has turned the clock back to its Norman heyday. The Keep, commissioned by William the Conqueror’s son, has been recreated – down to its medieval floor plan. The Norwich Friend’s Tapestry, a new embroidery inspired by the Bayeux Tapestry, now hangs in the Henry I’s Chamber. The castle’s traditional galleries are still here, too: including priceless Victorian cabinetry full of stuffed animals and a dazzling teapot collection. There’s also the ultimate collection of bling: think tremendous gold neckpieces worn by the Iceni tribe, thought to date back to 60 AD. Elsewhere, catch changing shows at East Gallery, which belongs to Norwich University of the Arts. Or for textiles, wood carving and prints, visit the South Asia Collection, housed inside the extraordinary skeleton of a Victorian roller-skating rink. Read more: The 22 best Halloween events in the UK For lunch, head to the 190-stall Norwich Market. The Bodega whips up New York-style sandwiches (great with a cheeky afternoon IPA at Sir Toby’s Beers.) Or head to Yalm food hall for the stuffed fat bao buns at NXXDS. For something more leisurely, order the cheese and charcuterie platter in the basement of Jarrolds, where the food hall is a local version of Fortnum & Mason. At night, dine at the highly-acclaimed Benedicts for local, seasonal dishes, or at Namaste Village for thali. Brix and Bones, which sells steak by the weight, offers a talking point by way of its smoked bone marrow fudge doughnut. Here, the seats nudge into the curve of an art deco building and Brian Sullivan, the sommelier, keeps diners happy. More deeply delicious autumnal North Macedonian red? Yes, please. After dinner, head down to Gonzo’s Two Room for live bands and DJs. For a decent pint, there’s Ribs of Beef, right on the River Wensum. Cocktails more your thing? Slip behind the bookcase at J. Doe & Co. For more live music, head to the Norwich Arts Centre, or visit Norwich Theatre to see a West End show for a fraction of London prices. In the 1980s, Rowntree Mackintosh’s slogan tugged at the heart strings: “Do you love anyone enough to give them your last Rolo?” I’d give mine to Norwich, definitely. Trains from London Liverpool Street take around an hour and a half. Greater Anglia’s UnLondon campaign offers cheap weekender tickets to the region’s destinations by rail and runs until the end of the year. Children travel for £2. The Maid’s Head Hotel claims to be the oldest in the UK and faces the cathedral, with nights starting from £122 (excluding breakfast.) Don’t miss the complimentary city tours in a Bentley.
