Chester: Discover the City Walls, Rows and Zoo

In Chester, you can choose from a range of very different things to focus on: the city walls, Roman history, the distinctive design of the Rows or the zoo. The options range from longer walks and individual historic buildings to a large zoo. A walk along the city walls and a visit to the zoo suit different interests for the day; historic buildings offer a focus more on architecture and history.

City Walls and Circular Walk

Chester City Walls are about two miles long. You can walk them for free all year round; before you travel, check for possible temporary closures of individual sections. This lets you plan your visit while bearing in mind that some sections may not always be accessible.

The Chester City Centre 6km Circular Walk offers a route with several named stops. It starts at the Visitor Information Centre, follows the Shropshire Union Canal and the River Dee, passes through Grosvenor Park and goes around the racecourse. At 6 km, with these stops, the circular walk differs in its orientation from the city walls: its described route takes in waterways, a park and the racecourse. Check the route conditions before setting off.

For planning your day, the guidance for the two walks differs: for the City Walls, year-round access and possible section closures are relevant; for the Circular Walk, the distance, starting point and route are specified.

Roman Amphitheatre and Chester Rows

Chester’s Roman Amphitheatre was the largest in Britain. It is open daily throughout the year during daylight hours. This timeframe is important when planning a visit. You can also walk Chester City Walls year-round, although you should check for possible temporary closures of individual sections.

Chester is unique in Britain for its Rows, a multi-level shopping structure. At street level, shops are located in lower-level premises, with more shops above at the Row level and homes above those. Their distinctive feature is this sequence: shops on two levels, with homes above, form a tiered design. For a visit focused on architecture, the Rows offer a different focus from the Roman Amphitheatre.

Covered galleries on the first floor are also part of Chester’s history: they date back to the Middle Ages and have been part of the city’s history for more than 800 years.

Chester Zoo: Animal Species, Gardens and Playgrounds

At Chester Zoo, visitors can discover more than 500 animal species and explore more than 130 acres. The two figures describe different aspects: the number of species reflects the variety of animals, while the area refers to the grounds visitors can explore. The zoo also has five different playgrounds. Chester Zoo’s award-winning gardens feature plants that play an important role in supporting native wildlife. The zoo therefore brings together animal species, plants and playgrounds as different visitor interests.

If you choose Chester for a hotel stay, you can take these highlights into account when planning: the city walls and circular walk offer different walking experiences, the amphitheatre and Rows each have their own emphasis on history and architecture, and the zoo offers animal species, gardens and playgrounds. Which side of Chester shapes your trip depends on what you want to focus on during your stay.

Discover more destinations: Disley, Elton, Christleton, Willaston, Lower Whitley, Knutsford, Winsford, Marthall

For the broader travel overview: Cheshire.