Nottingham Life and Visitor Travel Tips

(Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England, UK)

Nottingham is a surprisingly appealing city in the east Midlands area and life here is led at a fairly fast pace, particularly during the busy summer months, when hotel occupancy levels are predictably at their highest. The city of Nottingham is home to a prominent fashion industry, music scene and numerous sporting venues, such as the Trent Bridge cricket grounds.

Leading fashion designer Paul Smith has become an important name in Nottingham and is directly responsible for many of the city's main developments, which include noteworthy bars and nightclubs. The city is also a popular spot for shopaholics and contains an unexpectedly high number of shops and shopping centres, with many notable stores around Old Market Square.

Tourism and Tourist Information

However long you are staying in the city of Nottingham, a visit to the city's Tourist Information Centre is time well spent, allowing you to plan ahead and ensure that you really make the most of your visit. With leaflets, maps, accommodation advice and more, the centre offers an official guide booklet about where to stay, an eating out directory, a retail guide and also an essential guide to the year, which includes all of the main events.

Nottingham Tourist Information Centre (TIC)
Address: 1-4 Smithy Row, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG1 2BY, England, UK
Tel: +44 (0)115 959 5330
Email: tourist.information@nottinghamcity.gov.uk
Open hours: Monday to Friday - 09:00 to 17:30, Saturday - 09:00 to 7:00, Sunday (May to September) - 11:00 to 15:00

Language

Nottingham has grown into a fairly multi-cultural city, although English is always the main language here and almost everyone here would expect you to be able to speak at least a basic level of English. If your English isn't up to scratch, you could be left in awkward situations, so do consider bringing a phrase book, dictionary or taking lessons before arriving. Some hotels do feature staff who are bilingual and may also speak French, Italian, Spanish and other languages, although this is by no means the norm.

Tipping

Tipping is fairly self explanatory and mainly applies to restaurants. You should never feel pressured into leaving a tip, especially if you feel that the service or food was below the level that you were expecting. If you are happy with your meal, a tip of a few pounds or more can be left on the table or given directly to your waiter, although many restaurants do now automatically add a service charge to the bill. In general, it is not necessary to tip more than ten percent at most and usually less.

Smoking

Smoking is particularly unpopular in Nottingham and throughout England as a whole at the moment, and from July 2007, is now restricted in all public places, including pubs and restaurants. Locals are becoming less tolerant towards smokers in the city and it is always clear when smoking is not permitted, as signs are clearly displayed. If in any doubt, ask before you light up to avoid embarrassment.