Whether you want to learn more about its Norman inhabitants at the redeveloped Castle Keep, contemplate life’s big questions in the Sainsbury Centre or hit the books at the country’s only contemporary literature house, Norwich’s cultural creativity runs deep. 

For Norman treasures and battlement views

Norwich Castle is one of the finest examples of a medieval royal palace in Europe, built by William the Conqueror and his sons – William and Henry – as a display of power and prosperity. But that’s not the only reason to go; a just-completed multi-million-pound redevelopment has completely transformed the visitor experience. For the first time ever, all five floors of the Keep, from the basement to the battlements, are accessible. Its 900-year history has been brought to life, too, with original rooms reopened (including the roof with far-stretching city views), new exhibits and immersive storytelling.

Furnishings and furniture are faithfully recreated, floor-to-ceiling audio-visual projections on the walls depict 12th century characters and you’re invited to sit on a throne, dress up like a Norman noble or simply wander round, enjoying the grandeur. Highlights include a specially commissioned Norwich Friends Tapestry, a 19-metre-long hand-embroidered extension of the Bayeux Tapestry, and the Gallery of Medieval Life, developed in partnership with the British Museum to showcase of-the-era artefacts and treasures.

www.norwichcastle.norfolk.gov.uk

Norwich Castle © Norfolk Museums Service

For historic architecture and contemporary sculpture

Norwich Cathedral

The city’s Castle Keep isn’t the only exciting new cultural development in the city – Norwich Cathedral has a surprise in store, too. Once you’ve admired the lofty height of its Romanesque roof, its vast Caen stone arcades and the carved medieval bosses, you need to head outside. Not just for the elegant spire (the second tallest in the country, complete with a golden weathercock and resident peregrine falcons), but also to catch ‘Art in the Close’. 

This new free sculpture exhibition runs until Spring 2026, which will see the Cathedral Close become the setting for a mix of works by artists Lynn Chadwick and John Maine, including Chadwick’s steel work ‘Sitting Figures, 1989’, in the Lower Close and Maine’s striking abstract sculptures in Almary Green. The exhibition is the brainchild of the Dean of Norwich, the Very Revd Dr Andrew Braddock, who was keen to host contemporary art in a historic setting to inspire visitors and underscore the Cathedral’s rich history of celebrating the arts. 

www.cathedral.org.uk

For world-class art and thought-provoking programming

Sainsbury Centre 

The Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts is a must-see for many reasons. The genre-defying museum – designed by Sir Norman Foster, his first major public building – houses the extraordinary collection of Sir Robert and Lady Lisa Sainsbury, spanning prehistory to the present day. You might spy Tang dynasty figurines next to a Francis Bacon, an Egyptian carved hippo from 1880BC locking eyes with Alberto Giacometti’s ‘Standing Woman’. 

Keen to make the museum as interesting and accessible as possible, its Director Jago Cooper has introduced a unique exhibition programme, with a series of six-month seasons exploring one big question. And don’t miss the alfresco Sculpture Park, which stretches across the UEA’s campus and is peppered with works by everyone from Henry Moore to Sir Antony Gormley and Elisabeth Frink. Tickets operate on a ‘Pay If and What You Can’ basis.

www.sainsburycentre.ac.uk

For stage stars and fringe performers

Norwich Theatre

Norwich Theatre comprises not one but three sites in the city – Theatre Royal, Theatre Playhouse and Theatre Stage Two. The Royal is the largest, seating 1300 people; opened for the first time in 1758, it’s been the go-to for Norwich’s culture vultures for centuries. The annual pantomime is always a showstopper; Christmas 2026’s will be Peter Pan. Throughout the rest of the year, expect some of the biggest names and productions in touring theatre. 

The Playhouse is a 10-minute walk away, a former maltings that’s now an intimate 300-person venue showing comedy, dance, international music, fringe, drama and some great children’s plays. The Playhouse Bar is the ideal place for a post-performance debrief. Finally, Stage Two is the newest addition, a 120-seat studio theatre space that’s a creative hub-meets-rehearsal studio.

www.norwichtheatre.org

For musical talent and laughs aplenty

Norwich Arts Centre

Behind the glorious flint facade of the Grade I-listed St Swithin’s, it’s a hive of activity – the church is now a contemporary multi-arts venue, delivering an alternative programme of new music, theatre, comedy, live art and dance since 1980. The indie venue has charitable status and its ethos is simple: to support and nurture emerging multi-disciplinary talent. Indeed, were you to have visited in the 80s and 90s, you might have danced along to bands including Nirvana, Oasis, Muse, Coldplay, Kasabian and The Manic Street Preachers. 

After a refurb in 1999, the NAC continued to be a hotbed for young talent – Russell Howard, The Mighty Boosh and Josie Long have all taken to the mic – and to this day it continues to bring a multi-layered, culturally diverse programme of performance to the city. The buzzing bar has a focus on locality, serving Adnams and Wildcraft beers, Norwich-made Norfolk Raider Cider, Norfolk Gin and coffee sourced from Strangers Coffee Company. 

www.norwichartscentre.co.uk

For storytelling and collaborative creativity

National Centre for Writing

Norwich’s literary connections have long been a gripping tale – the city was home to writers as far back as the 14th century, when Dame Julian wrote Revelations of Divine Love, the earliest surviving book in the English language by a woman (as an aside, do swing by The Julian Shrine on Rouen Road; www.julianshrine.org). Since then, everyone from Kazuo Ishiguro and Ian McEwan to Anna Sewell and Sarah Perry have found inspiration here. Indeed, in 2012, Norwich was named as England’s first UNESCO City of Literature, in recognition of its literary heritage and creative drive. 

So it seems only fitting that it is home to the National Centre for Writing, a contemporary literature house committed to ‘the transformative power of stories’. Housed in the magnificent medieval Dragon Hall on King Street, the Centre offers a year-round programme of collaborations, events, festivals, residencies and activities for readers, writers and translators of any age, from mentoring sessions with authors and book quizzes to drop-in writing workshops and ‘How To Write Romantic Fiction’ courses.    

www.nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk

For all opening times and entrance fees (if applicable), check the individual websites