Leicester

Understand

thumb | 300px | National Space Centre Leicester has been a town at least since the Iron Age, which from 50 AD the Romans expanded into Ratae Corieltauvorum. In early medieval times it was known as Legorensis civitatis which morphed into Ledecestre, while its Roman street plan remained. Richard III stayed here before the Battle of Bosworth Field on 22 Aug 1485, which brought an end to the Wars of the Roses, to the millennium known as the Middle Ages in England, and of course to Richard himself. His burial site was forgotten until 2012 but is now a major visitor attraction.

Early modern Leicester was some distance from a port and its development lagged behind other midland cities. But from 1790 the canal enabled bulk transport such as coal, and the railway arrived in 1832. Small-scale "cottage industry" of stockings and similar textiles was replaced by the smokestacks and "dark satanic mills" of the 19th century Industrial Revolution. There was major labour unrest, with support for Chartist, radicalism and the Co-op movement. Heavy industry withered during the 20th century and Leicester transitioned to a service economy, though the bid to be a centre for space-related innovation was always a mite optimistic.

Leicester for a century has been one of the most ethnically diverse cities in Britain, drawing in those displaced by turmoil in Europe and beyond. One of the most visible communities is Gujerati: in 1972 Idi Amin the eccentric dictator of Uganda declared that all Asian…

Get around

Walk: most city sights are within walking distance. First Bus Leicester operate a dozen city routes. Arriva and Centrebus run further out. Most tickets are not interchangeable between these companies, but the Flexi Day for all buses in 2026 is £6.20 adult, £4.30 child. Buy on the bus. Park & Ride services (M-Sa) are west at Meynells Gorse off A47, north at Birstall on A6, and south at Enderby by the M1. Cycling is mostly on-road. Sustrans Route 6 crosses the city north-south, and Route 63 goes northwest toward Charnwood Forest. The Bike Park is a secure park open daily. It's by Town Hall on Horsefair St. Free motorcycle parking is available on Abbey Street and behind the Town Hall. A dozen taxi firms ply in city centre.

See

thumb | 300px | Last stand of Richard III thumb | 300px | His tomb in the cathedral Castle walls survive as scraps of masonry in the riverside gardens west of St Mary de Castro. New Walk is a bosky walkway coursing past the museum, from city centre to Victoria Park. It was laid out in 1785 and may follow the line of a Roman road, Via Devana. thumb | 300px | Jewry Wall and St Nicholas Bradgate Park surrounds the house. "Old John" is a hilltop folly of 1784 in the shape of a beer tankard.

Do

thumb | 300px | Guildhall Leicester International Music Festival is cancelled for 2026, but lunchtime concerts are staged at Hansom Hall in Belvoir St. This is a temporary home until an extension at the museum and gallery is complete. Piccadilly Cinema is further east at 40 Green Lane Road. Showcase Cinema is a multiplex at 7 Highcross Lane. Odeon Cinema is at 90 Aylestone Rd. River Soar runs south to north through the city. Walking north leads through Abbey Park to Watermead Park and Birstall, where you can get a bus back to town. South leads through Aylestone Country Park to Aylestone, Blaby and open country beyond. is a large park open in daylight hours. It's between the river and the canal, reached off Abbey Park Road to the east or St Margaret's Way to the west. It contains the remains of the 12th-century Leicester Abbey and of Cavendish House. It has formal gardens, a sensory garden, a boating lake and model boat lake, a miniature railway, visitor centre, cafe, children's play area with paddling pool, pets corner, tennis courts, sports fields, a bowling green, and a bandstand.

Buy

Haymarket shopping centre is on Kildare St, east end of High St, trading M-Sa 7:30AM-7PM, Su 10:30AM-5PM.

Highcross on High St is partly closed by rebuilding in 2026.

The Lanes off Loseby Lane has small independent shops.

Eat

thumb | 300px | Leicester Museum and Art Gallery is the strip along Belgrave Rd into Melton Rd, where inexpensive eating places (often Gujerati) alternate with sari shops and jewellers. Going north from Abbey Park roundabout are (as of Apr 2026): - Milan di Damao at 32 Belgrave Rd, open Tu-Su 9AM-2PM, 5-10PM. - Damao Jetty at 48 Belgrave Rd, open Th-Tu 11AM-9PM. - Punjabi Tarka at 52 Belgrave Rd, open daily 11AM-9PM. - Quality Street Food at 62 Belgrave Rd, open daily noon-11PM. - Egg Junction at 64 Belgrave Rd, open daily noon-11PM. - Shiv Sagar at 78 Belgrave Rd, open Tu-Su noon-10PM. - Chennai Bites at 84 Belgrave Rd, open M-F noon-9PM, Sa Su 10AM-9PM. - Kitchen 26 at 43 Belgrave Rd, open Tu-Su 5-11:30PM. - Sanjha Punjab at 47 Belgrave Rd, open W-M 11AM-9PM. - 4 Seasons Chaat House at 108 Belgrave Rd, open W-M noon-8PM. - Golden Lounge at 59A Belgrave Rd, open Tu-Su 5:30PM-12:30AM. - Sayu Foods at 5 Roberts Rd, open Tu-Su 9AM-7PM. - Hyderabad Wala at 128 Belgrave Rd, open daily non-10PM. - Dakshin at 150 Belgrave Rd, open daily noon-10PM. - Street Taste at 152 Belgrave Rd, open daily 11:30AM-11PM. - Bobby's at 154 Belgrave Rd, open M & W-F 11AM-9PM, Sa Su 10AM-10PM. - Sharmilee at 71 Belgrave Rd, open Tu-Su 9:30AM-9PM. - Chai Panni at 87 Belgrave Rd, open Th-Tu 11AM-9:30PM. - Messy House is a dessert restaurant at 97 Belgrave Rd, open M Tu Th F 5-10PM, Sa Su 1-10PM. - Blue Peter Doon Spice at 3 Law St, open daily noon-midnight. - Mirch Masala is within the…

Drink

Lots and lots and lots of bars, pubs and clubs.

The High Cross is a JD Wetherspoon at 103 High St.

Quarter 25 is a nightclub at 25 Yeoman St.

Sleep

thumb | 300px | Grand Hotel Other Premier Inns are west edge of the city, with two near the beltway A583 and one on A47 Hinckley Rd. Ibis is 200 yards north of the station on St George's Way LE1 1PL. thumb | 300px | Bradgate House Travelodge Leicester Central North on St Matthew's Way gets mixed reviews.

Connect

As of March 2026, Leicester and its approach roads have 5G from all UK carriers.

Go next

Loughborough 9 miles north is the other terminus of the heritage railway. Rutland Water is a reservoir 20 miles east of Leicester, a popular area for bird-watching, fishing, picnics and water sports such as sailing and jet-skiing. Melton Mowbray is where the miniature pork pies come from.