Worcester Tourist Attractions and Sightseeing

(Worcester, Worcestershire, England, UK)

Walking tours of the city are the easiest way to familiarise yourself with what is on offer in Worcester city centre. Led by experienced Green Badge guides, these walking tours take in the city's most popular tourist attractions, such as the cathedral and churches, the riverside and the buildings of Friar Street.

Away from the city centre are a number of scenic parks and green spaces, such as the attractions of both Worcester Woods Country Park and the Spetchley Park Gardens. Tourists frequently favour a trip on the Evesham Vale Light Railway, perhaps followed by a cruise along the River Severn, a wager or two on the horses at the Worcester Racecourse, or an evening performance at either the Swan Theatre or the Huntingdon Hall venue.

Walking / Guided Walks

Address: Tourist Information Centre, Guildhall, High Street, Worcester, Worcestershire, WR1 2EY, England, UK
Tel: +44 07890 222117
Those joining a walking tour will learn the history of the city's Worcestershire sauce and porcelain, and how King Charles II managed to successfully escape after the infamous Battle of Worcester in 1651. Most tours last roughly 90 minutes and operate all through the year, regardless of weather. Other tours lead you around the Teme Valley countryside, or around the city at nighttime, when ghost walks tell of how Oliver Cromwell once sold his soul here, to the devil.
Open hours: daily - seasonal variations
Admission: charge, discounts for children

Swan Theatre

Address: The Moors, Worcester, Worcestershire, WR1 3ED, England, UK
Tel: +44 01905 611427
The Swan Theatre hosts many professional productions each year, being visited by tourist companies, dance groups and amateur theatrical organisations. Capable of accommodating audiences of 350 people, the theatre stages a popular seasonal pantomime at the end of the year, running from early December until the beginning of January. The box office is open Monday to Saturday, between the hours of 10:00 and 17:00, and again 45 minutes before the actual performance.
Open hours: daily - hours vary according to performance
Admission: charge for performances

Worcester Racecourse

Address: Grandstand Road, Pitchcroft, Worcester, Worcestershire, WR1 3EJ, England, UK
Tel: +44 01905 25364
An important racing venue for thoroughbred horses, the Worcester Racecourse is an oval circuit measuring around 13 furlongs and has long been a leading tourist attraction in the city. The racecourse enjoys a scenic setting next to the River Severn and hosts at least 20 jumping race days each summer, with the National Hunt racing season commencing each year in March. Horse racing has been taking place here for some 300 years, making this rank as one of the United Kingdom's oldest racecourses.
Open hours: National Hunt Jumping events - May to October
Admission: charge

Worcester Tourist Attraction: Huntingdon Hall (Countess of Huntingdon's Hall)

Address: Crowngate, Worcester, Worcestershire, WR1 3LD, England, UK
Tel: +44 01905 611427
The Grade-II listed Huntingdon Hall is the city's principal venue for live music, comedy and entertainment and each years plays host to many well-supported events. This historic church was built in the 1770s by the Countess of Huntingdon and was last used as a place of worship in 1976, and closed thereafter. Local fundraisers keen to preserve the building for the city managed to raise more than £1 million over the following ten years and converted the church into its current incarnation as an entertainment venue, retaining lots of the original features and wooden pews to add character.
Open hours: daily - hours vary according to performance
Admission: charge

Spetchley Park Gardens

Address: Spetchley Park, Spetchley, Near Worcester, Worcestershire, WR5 1RS, England, UK
Tel: +44 01905 345106
The expansive Spetchley Park Gardens lie on the easterly outskirts of Worcester, where they cover roughly 12 hectares / 30 acres and comprise some glorious expanses of hidden countryside. The main attractions of Spetchley Park are its seasonal flora, with springtime magnolia and cherry trees, summer rose beds and herbaceous borders, and almost glowing autumnal foliage. Further enhanced by the far-reaching vistas of the Malvern Hills, the gardens also contain a playground area for children, friendly peacocks and squirrels, and a lake with ducks. There are also fountains, innumerable follies, bridges and mature specimen trees, which often frame the view. Each December, more than 10,000 visitors come to the Spetchley Park Gardens to stroll along the evening Illuminated Trail.
Open hours: April to September, Wednesday to Sunday - 11:00 to 18:00; October, Saturday and Sunday - 11:00 to 16:00
Admission: charge, discounts for children under 16 years old and seniors, children four years old and under are free

Worcester Woods Country Park

Address: Worcester Countryside Centre, Wildwood Drive, Worcester, Worcestershire, WR5 2LG, England, UK
Tel: +44 01905 766493
Encompassing over 40 hectares / 100 acres of mature oak woodland, the Worcester Woods Country Park provides an important green space in the easterly suburbs of the city and includes wildflower meadows (Hornhill), designated walking trails and a children's playground. There are regularly buses connecting the park with the city centre, and many locals come here to socialise, hire a barbecue, walk their dog, fly a kite or join an orienteering session.
Open hours: Monday to Friday - 08:30 to 17:00, Saturday and Sunday - 09:00 to 17:00
Admission: free

Evesham Vale Light Railway

Address: Evesham Country Park, Twyford, Evesham, Worcestershire, WR11 4TP, England, UK
Tel: +44 01386 422282
At just 5 km / 3 miles to the south of the city, the Evesham Vale Light Railway is situated within the nearby Evesham County Park and opened in the summer of 2002. Using a 380-mm / 15-inch gauge line, the railway track stretches for just over 1.5 km / 1 mile around the park and through the orchards. Several scale steam locomotives operate here and transport passengers along the track in small carriages. After your train ride, you can explore the further attractions in the park, which include picnic spots, walking trails along the River Avon, courtyard shops and a garden centre. Seasonal steam galas and rallies take place here during the summer season.
Open hours: Saturday and Sunday, school holidays - hours vary
Admission: charge, discounts for children under 15 years old and seniors, children two years old and under are free

Worcestershire Cricket Club

Address: New Road, Worcester, Worcestershire, WR2 4QQ, England, UK
Tel: +44 01905 748474
Reputed to be one of the most beautiful cricket grounds that the world has to offer, the Worcestershire Cricket Club is based on New Road, just across from Cripplegate Park. The club has hosted many world-class cricket matches since being established in 1865 and is the home ground of the Worcestershire Royals, which many fans know better as 'the Pears'. In 1933, the club's very own Cyril Walters, made a staggering nine centuries in just one innings, and this great feat remains quite unbeaten today.
Open hours: hours vary according to cricket matches
Admission: charge