From Wikitravel

Guildford is a large town in Surrey in the South East of England. It has still retained much of its historical charm. A short walk up the cobbled high street shows many buildings which are hundreds of years old. The medieval castle was used by the King of England in the 1400s and because of this Guildford is the only royal town in Surrey.

[edit] Understand

Guildford grew up into a large town because of its location at roughly the half way point between England's main naval port at Portsmouth and the admiralty in Greenwich, London. People travelling by horse drawn carriage between the two would stop at inns in Guildford (such as The Angel and The Lion) to swap horses over and to refresh themselves. With the advent of the steam train in the 19th century, Guildford was no longer needed for this purpose, and it fell into decline. But as more and more people started to commute into work in London in the early 20th century, Guildford became more and more rich and popular.

Guildford is the county town of Surrey, but not the administrative centre (that is Kingston-upon-Thames, which is actually in a London borough). It is the economic and cultural centre of the whole of West Surrey, traditionally not so much of a commuter town as Woking, Weybridge and other Surrey towns.

[edit] Get in

[edit] By bus

Guildford is served by many bus routes from Woking, Aldershot, Godalming and other local places. Prices can be fairly expensive and buses do not run very often.

The main bus station, which is the terminus for all routes heading into Guildford, is on Commercial Road (off the bottom of North Street). From here, one can pick up details about bus services and buy cheaper long term tickets.

[edit] Park and Ride

Guildford has several park and ride carparks, and at the weekend they are the easiest way to get into the town centre. They are situated at Artington (on the Portsmouth Rd heading out towards Godalming, approx 3 miles south of Guildford), Ladymead Retail Park (round the back of the Cornhill Insurance building) and at the Spectrum Leisure Complex. At all three sites, the car parking is free and you just pay for the bus fare to get into the town centre, which is £1.20 for a return.

Ladymead - buses run every 10 mins on Saturday only from 8:30AM-6PM

Spectrum Leisure Complex - buses run every 12 mins M-F from 7:27AM-11:10PM, (although every 20mins after 7:30PM.)

Artington - buses run every 12 mins from Monday to Saturday from 7:30AM-7:30PM.
For more information National Park and Ride Directory

[edit] By plane

Guildford is well served by London's collection of airports. For travellers coming directly to Guildford, the most convenient (in reducing order of convenience) are:

• Heathrow Airport [1] is about 40 minutes drive along the M25 motorway and the A3 trunk road. Alternatively it is linked directly to Woking rail station by the RailAir express bus service.
• Gatwick Airport is about a hour's drive away via the M23 (northbound), M25 (clockwise) and A3 (southtbound) roads. There is a through train service to Guildford from a rail station in the airport terminal complex, running twice an hour and taking less than an hour.

[edit] By train

Guildford main line station is served by commuter and regional train services from many different directions, including two routes to London (one fast via Woking, the other slow via Cobham). The fast services continue southwards to Portsmouth. Guildford also lies on the the line from Reading to Gatwick Airport; beyond Reading, services to Oxford and Birmingham may be accessed, and via Gatwick, connections to Brighton and Kent.

From London, you should travel from London Waterloo station and catch a train whose first stop after Woking is Guildford (there are several of these an hour), the travel time will be about 35 minutes. There are also a limited amount of Portsmouth bound trains that go non stop to Guildford. There are other stopping services from Waterloo via Cobham, but these take so much longer it isn't normally worth considering them.

There is a smaller station called London Road (Guildford), which is the penultimate stop on the line from London via Cobham.

Train times can be found on the National Rail Planner or by calling 0845-748-4950 from anywhere in the UK.

[edit] By coach

National Express serve Guildford with express bus (UK English:coach) services from around the country; advanced ticketing is necessary. Note that they serve a stop called Guildford Park Barn, which is a slightly out-of-town location near a Tesco supermarket. You will need to catch a local bus or taxi (if you can find one) to take you into Guildford.

[edit] By car

Guildford is served by the A3 trunk road which runs from London to Portsmouth. It is about an hour's drive from central London.

If you are visiting for the day by car, consider using the Park & Ride site at the Spectrum leisure complex just off the A3 southbound, or the site on the Old Portsmouth Road at Artington (on the way to Godalming) and catching the dedicated express bus from these locations.

[edit] Get around

[edit] By foot

The central area of Guildford is easily walkable, but hilly. From the railway station you must cross the river Wey in order to reach the town centre and the bus station.

[edit] By bus

Buses not only provide a good way of getting around the central district of Guildford itself, but are adequate for the local community. Although there is a free bus which circles the town centre three times an hour, it is often snarled in the traffic and usually, if you are able, quicker to walk.

• Traveline, telephone 087-608-2-608 from within the UK, provide an impartial online travel planner and telephone query service for local bus services.

[edit] By taxi

Taxis are by far the most expensive way to get around Guildford. If you do wish to travel by taxi, there are taxi ranks at the front of the Railway Station, and at the bottom of North Street on the other side of the road from the Electric Theatre

[edit] By car

Whilst not as bad as either London or Oxford, Guildford's roads can get very congested at peak periods. Especially if you aren't used to driving on the left, central Guildford is probably best avoided.

On the other hand, a car is the one (possibly along with cycling) of the only really practical ways of seeing a lot of the local countryside and villages. Out here the roads are a lot quieter.

[edit] By map

If you are planning to do any visiting or exploring beyond central Guildford, you will probably want to obtain a decent map of the area. You should ensure that any map you buy clearly shows the national grid reference lines, and explains how to use them, as grid references are frequently used to indicate out of town locations. The best maps for this purpose are those published by the Ordnance Survey (Britain's national mapping agency) and the following maps cover all the locations mentioned below:

• Ordnance Survey Landranger 186. This map covers the area around and between Guildford and Aldershot at a scale of 1:50000 and is best for exploration by car or cycle.
• Ordnance Survey Explorer 145. This map covers the area around Guildford at a scale of 1:25000 and is best for walking.

These maps can be found in any good bookshop in Guildford (see 'Buy' section below), or can be bought online from the Ordnance Survey's web site.

• Online Maps of Guildford city centre

[edit][add listing] See

[edit] Central Guildford

• Abbot's Hospital, High Street, Guildford. [2] Built in 1619 by Guildfordian Archbishop of Canterbury George Abbot as a retirement home for the local elderly.

• Lewis Carroll, author, mathematician and photographer, Lewis Carroll (b1832) lived in Guildford until his death in 1898. Visit Lewis Carolls house 'Chestnuts', on Castle Hill in the centre. See Guided Tours of Guildford.

• The Guildhall, High Street, Guildford. A marvellous Tudor/Stuart building with its overhanging 1683 clock.

• Guildford Museum, Quarry Street, Guildford.

• Guildford Castle and Grounds, Castle Street, Guildford, GU1 3TU (museum@guildford.gov.uk), [3]. Gardens open all year dawn - dusk, castle closed in winter, summer: daily 10AM-5PM. Medieval castle built to protect the town in the 1400s and one of Henry III's most luxurious residences. Recent conservation work revealed a 12th century first floor chamber which is now open to the public. Free entry into gardens, castle Adult £2.50 Student £1.20.  edit

• Guildford Cathedral, Stag Hill, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 7UP, [4]. Open daily, all year round, 8.30 AM - 5.30 PM; Guided tours daily 9:40AM-4:00PM. A 1930s brick built cathedral which was the first to be built on a new site in the south of England since the Reformation. The inside is more impressive than the outside. The cathedral was started in the 1930s, but it wasnt until 1961 that it was consecrated due to an interruption in construction due to World War II.  edit

• St Catherine's ruined abbey a short walk along the river from Guildford town centre.

• The Wey Navigation [5] is the canal that winds its way through Guildford until it reaches the River Thames in Weybridge. Of particular interest is the HQ at Dapdune Wharf, but just sitting down by the locks near the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre watching canal boats is very peaceful and gives one an insight into what the Wey once was - a busy industrial thoroughfare connecting Guildford and Surrey's industries with the rest of the country - and you might even get to help open the locks for the boat!

[edit] Surrounding Area

There are also many interesting things to see around Guildford:

• Clandon Park (national trust), [6].

• Denbies Vineyard, [7] Very good wine.

• Hatchlands Park (national trust), [8].

• Leith Hill and its folly (national trust), [9].

• Loseley House, [10].

• Newlands Corner, [11]. Situated on the southern facing side of the North Downs, there are fantastic views over Surrey and also plenty of walks to be done. 10 min drive from the centre of Guildford.

• Painshill Landscape Gardens

• RHS Wisley gardens, [12]. One of the top Royal Horticultural Society gardens in the country. 15 min drive up the A3.

• Surrey Hills

• Waverley Abbey

• Watts Gallery and the exceptional Watts Chapel located just off the A3, south of Guildiford, near Compton, well worth a visit to see the fine Arts and Crafts buildings.

[edit][add listing] Do

• Guided tour of Guildford, Tours start from under the Tunsgate arch (opposite the Guildhall clock in the High Street), ☎ 01483 444333 (tic@guildford.gov.uk), [13]. Mondays 11.00am, Wednesdays 2.30pm, Sundays 2.30pm, Thursdays 7.00pm. Walks last 70 to 90 minutes and cover about half a mile, and there are a choice of tours to do from Ghosts and legends to tours looking at historic buildings in the town. Booked through the Tourist Information centre.  edit

• Odeon Cinema. Multi screen cinema showing all the usual Hollywood offerings. edit

• Spectrum. Leisure centre with swimming, bowling, ice skating, fitness suites... edit

• Guildford Lido. Closed in Winter. Attractive 1930s outdoor swimming pool. Can be a bit cold.  edit

[edit] River trips

See http://www.riverweytrips.co.uk/ and http://www.guildfordboats.co.uk

Alternatively, hire a rowing boat (£7) or a canoe (£5) and travel along the river at your own pace. Boats can be hired from the Guildford Boathouse, located at the back of Millmead short stay car park off the Shalford Road. The boats tend to be in good condition and the river is not too crowded!

[edit] Walks

There are many walks around the North Downs surrounding Guildford including the North Downs Way whcih runs from Farnham (8miles West Guildford) to Folkstone some 80miles away. There are also pleasant walks to be had along the River Wey to Godalming or Woking. Pewly down and the chantries SE of the town centre offer a change of scenery.

[edit] Festivals

• Guilfest [14] - annual summer 3-day rock and pop festival taking place on 4th, 5th and 6th July 2008 at Stoke Park. Confirmed acts include Blondie, Levellers, Australian Pink Floyd Show, Dodgy, The Damned, Dreadzone, Kula Shaker, Cerys Matthews and Freakpower.

• Guildford Book Festival [15] - annual festival of literature held on 16th - 28th October 2006 and featuring signings, readings, plays etc.

• Guildford International Music Festival - A biennial festival (2005, 2007, 2009 etc.) featuring many concerts across 2-3 weeks. Genres are mixed, and the festival brings high quality professional acts to the town.

• Ambient Green Picnic - Annual free festival at Shalford Park, featuring local bands, children's activities, environmental and artistic displays.

• Farnborough International Airshow - not technically in Guildford (10 miles away in Farnborough), but well worth a visit to this biennial airshow.

[edit] Learn

Adult learning providers include

• University of Surrey, ph: (+44) 01483 300 800, (fax: +44 (0)1483 300 803) [16]
• Guildford College, Stoke Road, ph: (+44) 01483 448 500, [17]
• Guildford Adult Education Centre, Sydenham Road, ph: 01483 51 85 28. Run by the county council.

There are also various private education providers including a Pitman Centre

[edit] Work

There is a government run Jobcentreplus [18] on the corner of Onslow Street and York Road, near the Police Station. They can help find work of all kinds.

Guildford also has a vast array of temping agencies and private owned job centres. Walk up the High Street or North Street, or look in the local newspaper, the Surrey Advertiser.

[edit][add listing] Buy

[edit] Shopping

Guildford is the major shopping centre of West Surrey, with most of its shops clustered in a fairly compact area on and around the High Street, and the parrallel North Street.

There are three shopping centres,

• The Friary Shopping Centre at the bottom of North Street and Onslow Street
• The White Lion Walk between the bottom of North Street and the bottom of the High Street
• The Tunsgate Shopping Centre halfway up the High Street

There are two major department stores,

• House of Fraser (A&N), [19].
• Debenhams, [20].

Although there are several shopping malls, unlike many modern towns in England, the attractive cobbled High Street has remained the focus of Guildford's shopping district. It is here, on the Hight Street and on North Street that you will find the best shops, and have the nicest shopping experience.

In general stores open M-Sa 9:30AM-5:30PM and Su 10AM-4PM although many stay open longer on some days and some do not open on a Sunday.

[edit] Money

All main British banks and building societies have branches in Guildford, and most of them are situated around the eastern end of the High Street. These branches normally open M-Fr 9AM-4PM and Sa 9AM-noon.

Most bank and building society branches have 'through the wall' type ATMs that are open 24x7.

[edit][add listing] Eat

[edit] Central Guildford

• Auberge Restaurant Ltd, 274 High St, ph: 01483 506202

• Magnifico's Restaurant, 144 High St, pj: 01483 300999

• Mandarin Restaurant, 13 Epsom Rd, ph: 01483 572293

• Matahari, 10 Chapel Street, ph: 01483 457886. [21] Thoughtfully prepared Fusion. The restaurant is small and intimate.

• Old Orleans, Bedford Rd, ph: 01483 567882 Good quality Tex Mex, has a nice bar with seats out on the plaza infront.

• Pews Bar & Restaurant, 21 Chapel St, ph: 01483 535012 [22]

• Planet Spice 20 Tunsgate, ph: 01483 306222. Good curry house, smaller and quieter than Rose Valley. Meals cost about £10. Beers about £2.50.

• Rose Valley Curry House, 50-52 Chertsey St, ph: 01483 572572. Best curry house in town. Prince Harry and his mates have been known to dine here in the past.

• Rumwong, 16-18 London Road, ☎ 01483 536092, [23]. Well presented Thai Restaurant with a decent menu. There is normal seating, and for the brave, more traditional (much lower!) seating. Mains from around £8.  edit

• Sir & Madam Thai Restaurant, 8-9 Jeffries Passage, ph:01483 535025

• Strada Restaurant, 222 High St, ph: 01483 454455

• The Thai Terrace-Rooftop Restaurant, 7th Floor Castle Car Park, ph: 01483 503350 Offers superb view of the town

• Yvonne Arnaud Riverview Restaurant, Millbrook, ph: 01483 569334

• Zinfandel Restaurant, 4 Chapel St, ph: 01483 455155 [24]

[edit] Surrounding Villages

• Worplesdon Place Hotel - very good food, but a bit expensive, and service can be slow.

[edit][add listing] Drink

[edit] Pubs and bars

In the town centre area, Bridge Street (between The Friary shopping centre and the railway station) has a cluster of formulaic wine bars and cafe bars. Cheap prices and themed nights are fun, and popular with locals, as such the area gets extremely busy around closing time.

• Bar Mambo Onslow Street. Brilliant location.... Drink prices now very reasonable. Shows a lot of sport - football, rugby, etc. Staff are very friendly, food is fantastic. It's the place to be...

• Bar Med Bridge St. A (loosely) Mediterranean themed bar that shows a lot of Sky football matches. Reasonably priced beer, and pretty good food aswell.

• Wetherspoons Bridge St. huge bar on two floors. Cheap beer and serves good food during the day. Pints cost £2-£3 although there are often drinks promotions. Closes at 11PM.

On or near the High Street:

• Auberge 274 High Street, ph: 01483 506202. Very cool wine bar and French restaurant. One you try it you'll been hooked!

• Joe Clarks 176 High Street, ph: 01483 563846. Cafe/ Wine bar with a Mediterranean feel.

• Fahrenheit 55 3 Milkhouse Gate (just off the High Street, near Sainsburys), ph: 01483 579111, [25] Very cool tapas bar with live bands playing from time to time. The food can be quite expensive, and it's not all tapas, but it's still very nice! Pints of beer cost around £3, and cocktails £4. Fahrenheit is one of the last bars to close in town: it is open until 2AM most nights.

• Five & Lime, Leapale Road (Opposite Leapale Road Car Park). An excellent bar in the centre of Guildford, A good selection of tap & bottled beers plus some amazing spirits. The food is excellent & served from 12PM-7PM. Open later on Friday & Saturday.

• The King's Head 52 Quarry Street, ph: 01483 575004. Inside, a traditional English pub, outside a very chic rooftop terrace. Very nice sitting outside in the summer.

• The Robin Hood Sydenham Road, 01483 888307. Just behind the High Street, a 'proper' pub, good beer, great friendly atmosphere, food lunchtimes and evenings with new menu and famous Sunday Roast which takes some beating! Live music Friday and Saturday evenings with acoustic Sunday night entertainment starting mid-August. Need to book for Sunday lunch.

• The Royal Oak 15 Trinity Churchyard, ph: 01483 566637. Hidden just behind the top of the high street, a traditional English pub, serving a range of real ales and imported drinks. Also known to host a few live music events from time to time.

• The Star Inn, 2 Quarry St, ph: 01483 532887. Quite a lively pub with a young crowd. Good live local bands on some nights.

• The Guildford Tup, 46 Chertsey St, ph: 01483 562441. close to York Road Car Park. Expensive beer, but very good beer garden with BBQ and frequent bands

• Ha Ha Bar and Canteen, 16-17 North Street, ph: 01483 573534. Nice central location, close to the Bus Station and Taxi rank, opens till 1PM F/Sa.

[edit] Close to the River Wey

• The White House, 8 High Street, ph: 01483 302006. Nice outside terrace close to the river, very nice to relax an a summers day or night

• The George Abbot, 7-11 High Street, ph: 01483 302006. Large Pub with big screens with live sports. Good selection of beers and real ales. Nice selection of food.

• Weyside Inn, Millbrook, Guildford, ph: 01483 568024. Located a short walk out of town close to the Yvonne Arnold Theatre, nice outside deck which stretches right out next to the river (railings are now placed at the edge for safety).

[edit] More traditional English pubs

• The Angel, on the High Street. A very pleasant pub, with a fine selection of locally brewed ales. It is expensive to drink here but this keeps the youth out, making it one of very few pubs in Guildford town centre where you can enjoy a quiet drink!

• The White Hart, White Hart Lane, Wood Street (3 miles outside of Guildford) is a nice traditional English pub serving good quality local ales in a very attractive setting.

[edit] Nightclubs

• Harper's (Temporarily known as The Drink), Onslow St.
• The Lions Den (formerly known as Voodoo Lounge, now a Gentlemens Club Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday), Onslow St.
• Dusk (formerly known as Cinderellas and Time).
• The Legion , Millbrook.
• Flares , Bridge Street.

[edit][add listing] Sleep

[edit] Budget

• Abeille Guest House, 119 Stoke Rd, ph: 01483 532 200, [26] .From £35

• Holiday Inn, Egerton Rd, ph: 0870 4 009 068 [27]. From £35 to £199

• Premier Travel Inn, Parkway, ph: 0870 1 977 122, [28]. From £47.

• Travelodge, Woodbridge Meadows, ph: 0871 984 8484, [29]. From £19.

[edit] Mid Range

• Asperion Hotel, 73 Farnham Rd, ph: 01483 579 299, [30]. From £50.

• Blanes Court Hotel, 4 Albury Rd, Guildford, ph: 01483 573 171, [31]. From £60.

• Clavadel Hotel, 1 Pit Farm Rd, ph:01483 569066.

• Quinns Hotel, 78 Epsom Rd, ph: 01483 560 422, [32]. From £54.50.

• The Angel Posting House and Livery, High Street, ph: 01483 564 555.

• The Guildford Hotel, 253 High St, ph: 01483 564 511, [33]. From £50.

• The Royal Hotel, 132 Worplesdon Rd, ph 01483 575 173.

• The Worplesdon Place Hotel, Perry Hill, ph: 01483 232 407.

[edit] Splurge

• Mandolay Hotel, 36-40 London Rd, ph: 01483 575 158 [34]. From £110.

[edit] Contact

[edit] Phone

Guildford's area code (for landline numbers) is 01483 when dialed from within the UK or +441483 from outside the UK.

Cellphone coverage is generally good within the city and surrounding area.

[edit] Internet

If you are travelling with a laptop then you will find broad-band internet access in the rooms of most, but not all, medium to high end hotels. If this is important to you check before booking. Alternatively there are many WiFi hot spots in and around Guildford and WiFinder provides a register.

There are also several places that offer web and other internet access if you are travelling without a laptop. These include:

• Cafe Nero, High Street.
• Guildford library, 77 North Street (at the top of North Street), ph: 01483 568496 (fax: 01483 579177), [35]. Free access.
• Quarks Internet Cafe, 7 Jeffries Passage, ph: 01483 451166, [36].

[edit] Get out

• London 45 mins by train/car, with many tourist attractions and things to do.

• Portsmouth to see the Historic Dockyard. About 50 mins by train/car.

• Farnham Ancient Historic Market Town, about 15 minutes by Train/ Car from the City Centre.

• Windsor Fabulous royal castle, which the Queen still uses, and very attractive town. Most recently the Guildhall hosted the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla.
• World War I Brookwood American Cemetery and Memorial - Southwest of the town of Brookwood, about 9.5 kilometers (six miles) north of Guildford. Open daily except for December 25 and January 1; 9AM to 5PM. The final resting place for 468 American military dead from World War I. There is a small chapel inscribed with the names of 563 Missing in Action persons. Free

[edit] Theme Parks

There are three very good theme parks all within 45 minutes drive of Guildford:

• Chessington World of Adventures Just off M25, Junction 10 [37] 2006 opening times: from March 27th - October 31st. Great theme park and zoo that is aimed at kids and younger teenagers. Tickets: £29 adults, £19.50 kids, although there are many 1/2 price offers going on around the year.

• Legoland Windsor near Windsor, [38] 2006 opening times: 25th March - 29th October. Good theme park, aimed at younger children, with fewer rides, although it has many lego towns. Tickets: £30 adults, £23 kids.

• Thorpe Park Just off M25, Junction 12 [39] The big theme park in the South! Thorpe Park is aimed squarely at adrenaline junkies (although there are plenty of rides to suit others!) and is well worth a visit. Be sure to go on all the rides, especially Colossus (world's first 10 loop roller coaster), Nemesis Inferno (fast and fun!) and 2006's big new ride, Stealth (0 - 80mph in 2 seconds!)Tickets: £28.50 adults, £20 kids

This is a usable article. It has information for getting in as well as some complete entries for restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow!