From Wikitravel

Northampton is the county town of Northamptonshire, and is one of the largest settlements in the UK not to be a city. It is located approximately halfway between the cities of Birmingham and London.

[edit] Get in

There are numerous routes into Northampton.

[edit] By plane

The nearest airports to Northampton are Birmingham, East Midlands, and London Luton Aiport in Luton. There are rail and bus links from London, home of Heathrow, Gatwick, and Stansted Airports.

[edit] By train

Northampton Castle Station offers frequent links from Birmingham and London every 30 minutes most times of the day with trains operated by London Midland. The railway station is located approximately 15 minutes walk from the town centre and has frequent buses passing the site. Taxis are also available from outside the station.

[edit] By car

Northampton is well connected by road with many distribution companies being based in and around the town. The M1 motorway passes right through South Northamptonshire, and from here it is about 15 minutes to the town centre. Junctions 15, 15A, and 16 all serve the town.

[edit] By bus

National Express offer coach services across the country from Greyfriars bus station in the town centre.

[edit] By boat

A branch of Grand Union Canal passes directly through Northampton.

[edit] Get around

Most common way of getting around is by car, but on Saturdays expect queues because of the football and rugby games that go on.

Northampton also offers a comprehensive bus service. The two main operators in the town are Stagecoach Northampton and First Northampton. Service tends to be more patchy on Sundays; however, Monday to Saturday the bus is a viable method of transportation around the town.

Stagecoach Northampton also offer a number of regional bus routes to the outlying villages and towns in Northamptonshire making exploring small towns like Bugbrooke possible.

[edit][add listing] See

Northampton has a number of attractions:

Guildhall: A classic neo-gothic styled building built in 1861 by Edward William Godwin. It now houses the Northampton Borough Council offices. The Guildhall is located opposite the Tourist Information office on St Giles Street.

Northampton Museum and Art Gallery: A collection of artifacts from Northamptons past with particular homage to the shoe industry that caused the town to first boom. The museum is open from 10:00 - 17:00 on Monday to Saturday and 2:00 - 17:00 on Sunday.

The Express Lifts Tower in St James.

[edit][add listing] Do

Shop along Abington Street, the main pedestrianised shopping area in Northampton. Both the Grosvenor Centre and Peacock Place shopping centres have entrances from this street.

Northampton Market is one of the oldest in the country and operates daily out of Market Square, just off The Drapery and Abington Street.

Watch some sport - Northampton Saints are a top-flight rugby union team, the Cobblers play League One football, and Northamptonshire play cricket at the County Ground.

Attend a play at Royal & Derngate, Northampton's jointly run main theatres.

Each August the town hosts the [1] Northampton Balloon Festival on the Racecourse.

[edit] Learn

The University of Northampton offers tertiary level courses in a range of subjects.

For vocational courses and A level courses, Northampton College has a wide range of courses on offer.

[edit] Work

Northampton Job Centre is located on Frances Street and has listings for casual and permenant positions as well as job advice. It is essential for migrants to the area to visit the job centre to secure National Insurance Cards.

Adecco and the usual temporary work firms also operate in Northampton.

[edit][add listing] Eat

For its size, Northampton has a good range of restaurants to suit any budget.

[edit] Budget

Academy Coffee Haus offers cheap meals from around £7 a head.

[edit] Mid-range

The Fox and Hounds pub in Harlestone offers good pub fare at a reasonable price of around £18 a head.

La Tasca offers Spanish styled cuisine for a reasonable average price of £14 a head

[edit] Splurge

The New French Partridge offers fine, French styled cuisine for around £54 a head.

[edit][add listing] Drink

• Caffe D'Italia, 5 Fish Street, Northampton, NN1 2AA. Great little Italian cafe with friendly staff. Lovely Italian-style sandwiches and cakes too.  edit

Clubs and pubs are located all around Northampton town centre and the night life is pretty lively most of the time.

For alternative music, pubs along the Wellingborough Road cater for grunge, punk and rock with local acts performing on Friday nights.

[edit] Contact

Police, fire and ambulance services are all reached from 999 or 112.

[edit] Stay safe

Drunken activity in the town centre on Friday and Saturday nights is common and intoxication should be avoided to ensure safety.

Areas around Wellingborough Road at night can be a little dangerous due to the high number of council estates in the area and caution should be exercised. Keep to well lit areas along the road and avoid taking short cuts through back streets.

The atmosphere after football and rugby matches can be a little loud and boisterous, avoid wearing other teams colours in these instances.

Stay away from Blackthorn, Briar Hill and other council estates near the town centre. These areas are known for trouble and a visitor to the area will stand out like a sore thumb. The inhabitants of these areas will not offer you assistance if required so it is advised that you stay away.

[edit] Get out

Althorp House the resting place of Princess Diana is located in Northamptonshire just outside of Northampton.

Stoke Bruerne is also located halfway between Northampton and Milton Keynes on the canal and offers a picturesque escape from Northampton.

Trains also depart at regular intervals from Northampton railway station for every possible destination in the country using either Milton Keynes Railway Station, London Stations or Birmingham New Street as transit points.

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