--- title: "Top 10 Things To Do in Lincoln, United Kingdom | Wimup" description: "The 10 best things to do in Lincoln: the cathedral, Magna Carta at the castle, Steep Hill, High Bridge and Brayford, Newport Arch, the Bishops' Palace, Bomber Command and two free museums." url: https://wimup.com/city/lincoln type: City guide updated: 2026-10-30 publisher: Wimup (https://wimup.com) --- # Top 10 Things To Do in Lincoln Lincoln, United Kingdom · Europe · By Wimup Editorial, 10 min read Lincoln is a cathedral city in the East Midlands of England, split between uphill and downhill. The cathedral, the castle and the Roman Bailgate sit on a limestone ridge; the station, the High Street and the Brayford waterfront sit below it, joined by the cobbles of Steep Hill. ## Quick answer Spend the morning uphill: the cathedral, then Lincoln Castle for the 1215 Magna Carta, the Victorian prison and the wall walk. Walk down Steep Hill past the Norman houses, through the Strait to High Bridge and the Brayford waterfront. Keep a second visit for the Bomber Command Centre on Canwick Hill, the Museum of Lincolnshire Life or Doddington Hall. ## Quick facts - **Best months:** May · Jun · Sep - **Ideal length:** 1–2 days - **Budget per day:** $110–180 - **Language:** English - **Getting around:** Walking, buses & trains - **Tourism board:** [Official site](https://www.visitlincoln.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ## The 10 best things to do in Lincoln ### 1. Visit Lincoln Cathedral Landmark · Minster Yard, Lincoln LN2 1PX The Gothic cathedral begun in 1072, whose central spire made it the tallest building in the world until it fell in 1548. Monday to Saturday, admission includes a floor tour; look for the Lincoln Imp in the Angel Choir. - **Time:** 1–2 hrs - **Cost:** Ticketed - **Best at:** Morning - **Tip:** Evensong is free and open to all Links: [Website](https://lincolncathedral.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 2. See Magna Carta at Lincoln Castle Landmark · Castle Square, Lincoln LN1 3AA William the Conqueror's castle holds one of the four surviving 1215 Magna Carta originals, shown beside the 1217 Charter of the Forest. The day ticket also covers the Victorian prison and the medieval wall walk. - **Time:** 2–3 hrs - **Cost:** Ticketed - **Best at:** Opening time - **Tip:** Book online; part of the wall walk is closed for repairs Links: [Website](https://www.lincolncastle.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 3. Climb the cathedral's central tower Viewpoint · Minster Yard, Lincoln Guided tours climb more than 300 steps inside the central tower to a roof view over the city and the county. Tours run on set days in season, carry a fee on top of admission and have limited places, so book ahead. - **Time:** 1.5 hrs - **Cost:** Ticketed - **Best at:** Clear days - **Tip:** No open-backed shoes on the stairs Links: [Website](https://lincolncathedral.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 4. Walk down Steep Hill Walk · Steep Hill, Lincoln The cobbled street from the castle to the Strait, lined with tearooms and independent shops. Halfway down are the Norman House and, at the foot, the Jew's House, both 12th-century town houses still in use. - **Time:** 30 mins - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Weekday morning - **Tip:** Walk down, not up; it is steep ### 5. Cross High Bridge to Brayford Waterfront Walk · High Street, Lincoln High Bridge, built about 1160, is the oldest bridge in Britain still carrying buildings: a timber-framed Tudor row over the Witham. Follow the river west through the Glory Hole to the Brayford Pool marina. - **Time:** 45 mins - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Evening - **Tip:** Stokes cafe sits inside the Tudor row ### 6. Walk the Roman Bailgate to Newport Arch Landmark · Bailgate, Lincoln LN1 3AP Bailgate follows the main street of the Roman fortress, and Newport Arch, its third-century north gate, still stands over the road. It is reputedly the oldest arch in Britain still used by traffic. - **Time:** 30 mins - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Any time - **Tip:** Bailgate's delis make an easy lunch stop ### 7. Visit the Medieval Bishops' Palace Landmark · Minster Yard, Lincoln LN2 1PU The ruined palace of the bishops of Lincoln, once one of the grandest buildings in medieval England, on terraces below the cathedral with a small vineyard. English Heritage opens it on set dates only. - **Time:** 1 hr - **Cost:** Free (donation) - **Best at:** Summer - **Tip:** Check English Heritage for tour dates first Links: [Website](https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/lincoln-medieval-bishops-palace/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 8. Visit the International Bomber Command Centre Museum · Canwick Hill, Lincoln LN4 2HQ The memorial and exhibition for RAF Bomber Command, on a hill facing the cathedral, which crews used as a landmark. The steel spire stands among walls naming the 57,861 who died. - **Time:** 2 hrs - **Cost:** Ticketed - **Best at:** Afternoon - **Tip:** The memorial and grounds are free to walk Links: [Website](https://internationalbcc.co.uk/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 9. Explore the Museum of Lincolnshire Life Museum · Burton Road, Lincoln LN1 3LY The county's social history museum in the 1857 Old Barracks, from shopfronts and farm machinery to a First World War tank built in Lincoln. Entry is free except on event days. - **Time:** 1.5 hrs - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Weekend - **Tip:** Ellis Mill, the last windmill, is up the road Links: [Website](https://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/museumoflincolnshirelife?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 10. See the Usher Gallery and Temple Gardens Museum · Lindum Road, Lincoln LN2 1NN The city's free art gallery, with Peter De Wint's Lincolnshire watercolours, set in terraced gardens below the Bishops' Palace. Open Thursday to Monday. - **Time:** 1 hr - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Afternoon - **Tip:** Walk up through Temple Gardens to the cathedral Links: [Website](https://www.lincolnmuseum.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ## Historic sites in Lincoln A Tudor gatehouse, a Saxon tower, a gate to the close and the last windmill on the ridge. 1. **Stonebow and Guildhall** (Free · High Street): The late medieval gateway over the High Street, with the council's Guildhall above it. 2. **St Mary le Wigford** (Free · High Street): A church by the station with an 11th-century tower from before the Norman Conquest. 3. **Exchequer Gate** (Free · Castle Square): The 14th-century gatehouse between Castle Square and the cathedral, where rents were once paid. 4. **Ellis Mill** (Seasonal · Mill Road): The last of the windmills that once lined the ridge, restored and opened on set weekend afternoons. ## Shopping in Lincoln Boutiques on the cobbles uphill, a restored market hall and a rebuilt quarter below. 1. **Bailgate** (Independents · Cathedral Quarter): Independent boutiques and delis along the Roman street between the castle and Newport Arch. 2. **Steep Hill** (Independents · Steep Hill): Bookshops, galleries and gift shops in listed houses on the way down the hill. 3. **Cornhill Market** (Market · Cornhill): The 1938 market hall, reopened after a restoration, with local producers and food stalls. 4. **Cornhill Quarter** (High street · Cornhill): Sincil Street and the Corn Exchange, rebuilt as the downhill shopping quarter. ## Best restaurants in Lincoln (2026) A Good Food Guide kitchen, a training restaurant, a Norman house and tapas by the castle. 1. **The Bronze Pig** (Modern British · Burton Road): Modern English cooking with a Mediterranean lean, and the city's best-regarded kitchen. Book. 2. **The Old Bakery** (Fine dining · Burton Road): Tasting menus in a former bakery, run as a not-for-profit that trains young chefs. 3. **Jews House Restaurant** (Fine dining · The Strait): Fine dining inside the 12th-century Jew's House at the foot of Steep Hill. 4. **Wig & Mitre** (British · Steep Hill): An all-day pub and dining room in a listed house near the top of Steep Hill. 5. **Olivares** (Spanish · Castle Hill): A small tapas bar on Castle Hill, between the castle gate and the cathedral. ## Best pubs in Lincoln Award-winning real ale under the castle wall, the oldest tavern and a 1930s interior. 1. **Strugglers Inn** (Real ale · Westgate): Lincoln CAMRA's repeat Pub of the Year, in the shadow of the castle wall, with guest ales and food. 2. **The Victoria** (Real ale · Union Road): A small real-ale local on the corner by the castle's west gate. 3. **Adam & Eve Tavern** (Historic pub · Lindum Road): Reputedly the city's oldest tavern, dating to 1701, across from the Pottergate Arch. 4. **Jolly Brewer** (Real ale · Broadgate): An art deco pub on Broadgate, serving a rotating range of cask ales. 5. **Cardinal's Hat** (Historic pub · High Street): A pub in a timber-framed High Street house, named for Cardinal Wolsey, once Bishop of Lincoln. ## Best cafes and tearooms in Lincoln A Tudor cafe over the river and two tearooms halfway up Steep Hill. 1. **Stokes High Bridge Cafe** (Tearoom · High Bridge): Tea and cake in the Tudor timber-framed row standing on High Bridge. 2. **Bunty's Tea Room** (Afternoon tea · Steep Hill): A family-run vintage tearoom halfway up Steep Hill, good with gluten-free requests. 3. **Pimento Tearooms** (Vegetarian · Steep Hill): A vegetarian and vegan tearoom partway up Steep Hill. ## Lincoln outdoors A Victorian arboretum, a country park with a lake, and flooded gravel pits turned reserve. 1. **Lincoln Arboretum** (Free · Monks Road): A restored Victorian park on the hillside east of the centre, with a lake and a stone lion. 2. **Hartsholme Country Park** (Free · Skellingthorpe Road): Woods, a lake and a campsite on the south-west edge of the city. 3. **Whisby Nature Park** (Free · Thorpe-on-the-Hill): Lakes in old gravel workings run by the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, west of the city. ## Day trips from Lincoln An Elizabethan house, a Restoration mansion, a brick tower, two minsters' worth of stone and a market town. 1. **Doddington Hall** (Historic house · 8 km west): An Elizabethan house of 1593 to 1600, still a family home, with walled gardens and a farm shop. [Website](https://www.doddingtonhall.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 2. **Belton House** (Country house · Grantham): A National Trust mansion of the 1680s near Grantham, with a deer park and an adventure playground. [Website](https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/nottinghamshire-lincolnshire/belton?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 3. **Tattershall Castle** (Castle · Tattershall): A 15th-century brick tower built for Ralph Cromwell, with a climb to the roof. [Website](https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/nottinghamshire-lincolnshire/tattershall-castle?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 4. **Gainsborough Old Hall** (Manor house · Gainsborough): One of the best-preserved medieval manor houses in England, with its original kitchen. [Website](https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/gainsborough-old-hall/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 5. **Southwell Minster** (Cathedral · Nottinghamshire): A Norman minster whose chapter house is carved with the stone foliage known as the Leaves of Southwell. [Website](https://www.southwellminster.org/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 6. **Stamford** (Market town · South Lincolnshire): A stone market town of churches and Georgian streets, with Burghley House on its edge. ## Festivals & annual events in Lincoln (2026) - **City of Lincoln 10K** (April): A 10 km road race through the city, organised by Run For All. - **Lincoln Festival of History** (Early May bank holiday): Re-enactors, talks and living history across the castle, the cathedral and the city. - **Lincoln Grand Prix** (May): A cycle race that climbs the cobbles of Michaelgate lap after lap. - **Lincolnshire Show** (June): The county's agricultural show at the Lincolnshire Showground north of the city. - **Lincoln Pride** (August): A parade from the Cornhill and a day of music in the city. - **Weekend at the Asylum** (August bank holiday): A steampunk festival across the uphill quarter and the castle grounds. - **Heritage Open Days** (September): Free entry to buildings that rarely open, including Ellis Mill and the Guildhall. - **Christmas Lights Switch-On** (Late November): The city lights the High Street and opens its winter events programme. ## Must-try dishes in Lincoln, United Kingdom - **Lincolnshire sausage**: A coarse pork sausage seasoned heavily with sage. - **Haslet**: A pork meatloaf with sage and onion, sliced cold for sandwiches. - **Lincolnshire plum bread**: A spiced fruit loaf, eaten sliced and buttered, often with cheese. - **Stuffed chine**: Salted pork chine slit and packed with parsley, a spring tradition. - **Lincolnshire Poacher**: A hard cow's-milk cheese made on a farm in the Wolds. - **Grimsby smoked fish**: Haddock and cod cold-smoked on the coast, with protected status. - **Grantham gingerbread**: A pale, crisp ginger biscuit from the market town to the south. - **Batemans ale**: Cask bitter from the family brewery at Wainfleet, on many Lincoln bars. ## Lincoln transport & airports - **Lincoln station** (Rail): Downhill, beside the High Street. LNER runs direct to London King's Cross about every two hours; East Midlands Railway serves Nottingham in about an hour. [Website](https://www.lner.co.uk/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - **Airports** (Air): The nearest airports are Humberside, to the north, and East Midlands, to the south-west. Neither has a direct rail link to Lincoln. [Website](https://www.eastmidlandsairport.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - **Local buses** (Bus): Stagecoach runs the city routes from Lincoln Central bus station, beside the railway station. [Website](https://www.stagecoachbus.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - **On foot** (Walk): The centre is compact: about 20 minutes from the station to the cathedral, most of it uphill. Steep Hill is cobbled and very steep; take a taxi up if needed. ## Lincoln at a glance - **Country:** United Kingdom (England) - **Region:** Lincolnshire, East Midlands - **Population:** About 104,000 in the city (2021 census) - **Founded:** About AD 60, as a Roman legionary fortress - **Magna Carta:** One of four surviving 1215 originals, at Lincoln Castle - **Language:** English - **Currency:** Pound sterling (GBP) - **Time zone:** GMT · UTC+0, BST UTC+1 in summer - **Calling code:** +44 - **Airports:** Humberside (HUY); East Midlands (EMA) - **Power:** 230 V, type G plugs - **Emergency:** 999 or 112 ## Interesting facts - The cathedral's central spire made it the tallest building in the world from about 1311 until the spire fell in 1548. - Lincoln Castle holds one of the four surviving 1215 Magna Carta originals. - High Bridge, built about 1160, is the oldest bridge in Britain that still carries buildings. - Newport Arch, the Roman north gate, is reputedly the oldest arch in Britain still used by traffic. - The Lincoln Imp, a stone devil in the Angel Choir, is the city's emblem and gives Lincoln City FC its nickname. ## Lincoln travel FAQ ### How many days do you need in Lincoln? One full day covers the cathedral, the castle and Magna Carta, Steep Hill and the walk down to High Bridge and the Brayford. Stay a second day for the Bomber Command Centre, the Museum of Lincolnshire Life or a trip to Doddington Hall. ### Is Lincoln worth visiting? Yes, for the cathedral alone, which ranks with any in England, and for one of the four 1215 Magna Carta originals at the castle. The uphill quarter is compact and walkable, and the city is quieter than York or Durham. ### How steep is Steep Hill? Very. It is cobbled, narrow and one of the steepest streets in England, Walk it downhill from the castle, or take a taxi or bus up and save your legs for the cathedral. ### How do you get to Lincoln from London? LNER runs direct trains from London King's Cross in about two hours, roughly every two hours. Other services change at Newark North Gate. Lincoln station is downhill, about 20 minutes on foot from the cathedral. ### Does Lincoln still have a Christmas market? No. The City of Lincoln Council ended the Christmas market after 2022 over crowding and cost, and replaced it with a wider winter programme that opens with the lights switch-on in late November. ## Nearby guides - [Chester](https://wimup.com/city/chester.md): United Kingdom · 10 picks - [Durham](https://wimup.com/city/durham.md): United Kingdom · 10 picks - [London](https://wimup.com/city/london.md): United Kingdom · 10 picks - [All of Europe →](https://wimup.com/europe): 156 cities Part of the [United Kingdom guide](https://wimup.com/country/united-kingdom.md) · [Europe](https://wimup.com/europe.md) ## Sources - [Lincoln tourism board](https://www.visitlincoln.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Visit Lincoln Cathedral (official site)](https://lincolncathedral.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [See Magna Carta at Lincoln Castle (official site)](https://www.lincolncastle.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Visit the Medieval Bishops' Palace (official site)](https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/lincoln-medieval-bishops-palace/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Visit the International Bomber Command Centre (official site)](https://internationalbcc.co.uk/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Explore the Museum of Lincolnshire Life (official site)](https://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/museumoflincolnshirelife?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [See the Usher Gallery and Temple Gardens (official site)](https://www.lincolnmuseum.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Doddington Hall (official site)](https://www.doddingtonhall.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Belton House (official site)](https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/nottinghamshire-lincolnshire/belton?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Tattershall Castle (official site)](https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/nottinghamshire-lincolnshire/tattershall-castle?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Gainsborough Old Hall (official site)](https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/gainsborough-old-hall/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Southwell Minster (official site)](https://www.southwellminster.org/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Lincoln station (official site)](https://www.lner.co.uk/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Airports (official site)](https://www.eastmidlandsairport.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Local buses (official site)](https://www.stagecoachbus.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - Rankings are Wimup editorial picks. Prices, durations and budgets are editorial estimates, not live quotes; check the official site before you go.