|
 | 48 Hours in...Royal Leamington Spa |
|
Day 1 – Shop till you drop
Leamington Spa is one of the liveliest places within the county and features a whole host of excellent shops, restaurants and bars. A visit to the town wouldn’t be complete without a good look around to buy a few treats, before heading off to a restaurant and perhaps a few bars in the evening to enjoy yourself. | | |
|
Shopping is the aspect of the town that really stands out, as the town features both large department stores and many independent shops and trendy boutiques, offering an excellent opportunity for some time spent shopping for whatever you desire. |
|
Spend the morning looking around the shops and treating yourself on any of the excellent deals to be found. See the main shopping centre, The Royal Priors, for the more well known shops such as Fopps, Marks and Spencer, Waterstones, Top Shop, Athena, Allsports, Miss Selfridges and La Senza among many others.
Outside, along The Parade, other high street names can be found; House of Fraser, Next, Argos, WH Smith, Woolworths, Boots, River Island. The list is endless. | | |
|
The side streets coming off the parade feature many smaller independent stores and boutiques with more trendy items. For a list of all shops and links to maps showing the location see www.royal-leamington-spa.co.uk.
After shopping, sit down and have a bite to eat. The parade has a number of pubs and coffee shops. If the standard Starbucks isn’t your thing then try some of the smaller cafes such as Rhubarb on Warwick St or Wilde’s Wine Bar at the top of the Parade. These cosy places are perfect to just have a coffee, read a paper and watch the world go by. |
|
For the evening it's time to go out and hit the town again and enjoy a good meal in a restaurant. Leamington Spa is a very friendly town and great to go out in at night. Choose from places such as Oscar's on Chandos Street, which is an upmarket restaurant with good quality French food and also award winning steak and chips. Or The Basement Restaurant is another French style restaurant with relaxed atmosphere and jazz music. Moo Bar & Restaurant does a great full English breakfast and is a very retro spacious bar on Russell Street. Other great restaurants include Bistro Pierre on Park St and the newly opened The Leamington Bar and Grill on the Parade. | | |
|
Wildes is a basement bar/restaurant at the top of the Parade, with good low lighting and a relaxed atmosphere serving excellent food. While Mem-Saab on Clarendon Avenue is a great Indian restaurant with flavoursome dishes. Rhubarb, on Bedford Street is very eclectic with great food set in spacious surroundings. The Golden Dragon Chinese Restaurant on Euston Place is excellent too and is highly rated by locals.
There are also many traditional English pubs and bars selling great food such as The Sausage or Toyk on Warwick St, which also has live music on some nights. Other restaurants to consider are Prezzo on Regent Grove which serves great Italian food, or Chicos on Guy St which serves all types of Mexican food.
For those that want to carry on after a meal then you're in for a treat. Leamington Spa has a wealth of different types of pubs and bars, from the grungy Robins Well that features excellent live music from local Punk bands, to Cuba, a trendy wine bar that features some of the best bar culture music from resident DJ's. |
|
For a local's view on what bars to go to see Beer in the Evening - Leamington Spa pages
Nightclubs that you may want to go onto to round the evening off include Sugar, Evolve (recently renamed from Mirage), Rios or Options. However if a club isn't your thing then there are plenty of late bars such as the Stresa Bar or Oceans in which to relax. |
|
For a list of taxi firms see Near.co.uk - taxis in Leamington Spa
Alternatively there are several taxi ranks within the town, they are located at:
- Leamington Railway Station
- Opposite the Leamington Police Station (Holly Walk)
- Outside Sugar nightclub on Tavistock Street Leamington Spa (Part time night time only)
- Outside Rios nightclub on Bedford Street Leamington Spa (Part time night time only)
|
|
Day 2 – Culture and Relaxation |
|
Leamington Spa also has a lot of culture and heritage to enjoy. Leamington's main architectural characteristic is it's wide main streets, with elegant Georgian, Regency and Victorian townhouses, many lined with trees.
Much of this architecture remains, giving Leamington a grand appearance. Looking at these buildings along the Parade and surrounding roads, a visitor can feel the majestic nature of the town and easily understand how Leamington Spa got its Royal prefix. | | |
|
For a guided tour of the town The Royal Leamington Spa Guild of Guides are hosting free evening walks that explore Leamington Spa. However if you do not want to wait until the evening then it's time to go exploring by yourself!
Attractions that are a must to visit while in Leamington Spa include the Royal Pump Rooms which now houses an Art Gallery and Museum. Within these grand rooms visitors can explore life in a Victorian Spa Town, discover the water treatments which were used at the Royal Pump Rooms, or view fine works of art. All for free! |
|
After a morning viewing the Royal Pump Rooms head down to Jephson Gardens to feed the ducks or even hire out a boat from the Leam Boat Centre and row down the River Leam. This award winning park has colourful floral displays from spring to autumn as well as the Glasshouse which features exotic plants from around the world. The Restaurant in the Park adjoins the Glasshouse and offers a scrumptious menu if you're feeling hungry. | | |
|
Turning out of the gardens and left onto The Parade, the visitor can see All Saints Church rising up into the sky. This magnificent church situated at the bottom of The Parade is a fine example of Victorian-Gothic architecture and is large enough to be thought of as a cathedral. | | |
|
For something to do in the evening, The Royal Spa Centre is a first class arts and entertainment venue and holds all types of different entertainment throughout the year. It has seen the likes of Van Morrison and many other famous artists play within its main hall. Check out what is on during your visit and pop down to have a look. Alternative venues for keeping you occupied in the evening include the Loft Theatre Company that hosts non-professional theatre productions. |
|
Alternative venues for keeping you occupied in the evening include the Loft Theatre Company that hosts non-professional theatre productions. | | |
|