A beacon of British history, cultural highs, and indie shopping, Winchester is the perfect city break. Easy to get to and small enough to tackle in a day or over an indulgent weekend. Winchester’s a walker’s city, and it’s when you’re wandering that it rewards you most. With our guide to this Hampshire hotspot, you’ll hit a few must-see classics and opportunities to get off the well-worn track. Here’s how to spend 24 hours in Winchester…

SATURDAY MORNING

It’s the weekend, and while we all about lazy lie-ins and breakfast in bed, there’s no time for that. Winchester is compact but there’s a lot to see, so you’ll want to be up and at ’em to make the most of the historic sights.

First stop: Winchester Cathedral. This tourist titan dates back to the 11th-and is the longest Gothic cathedral in Europe. When you’ve finished gazing heavenwards in awe, pay tribute to Hampshire’s first lady, Jane Austen, buried in the north nave aisle. Time it right and join a Crypt Tour to see Antony Gormley’s Sound II sculpture, one of Winchester’s most atmospheric hidden spots, deep in the nave.

Established as a town under the Romans, King Alfred the Great put Winchester on the map when he made it his capital in 927AD. A mere 5 min stroll from the cathedral grounds, the former king – immortalised as an enormous bronze statue – stands tall at the bottom of the High Street. While you’re here, Find out more about King Alfred and Winchester’s origins as an Iron Age trading centre to Anglo‑Saxon glory in the City Museum’s three galleries.

Next stop: Westgate Museum. From Alfred’s statue is full steam ahead up the high street to the sole surviving part of Winchester Castle. The legend of King Arthur lives on at The Great Hall with Westgate Museum at the top of the hill where you can marvel at the Round Table. Take a bit of a breather and pitstop at Queen Eleanor’s Garden, a peaceful oasis with scented herbs and plants. 

Gamers, escape room fans and history buffs will love 878 AD in The Brooks. An immersive museum, it puts you right in the thick of the Anglo-Saxon struggle against the Vikings. The second part of the experience is a self-guided augmented reality tour of the city. Cool. Culture vulture? An art gallery, auditorium and public library all rolled into one, The Arc on Jury Street regularly features nationally important exhibitions. Equally importantly, its large, light-filled café does a great cappuccino.

If you’ve got the whole family in-tow, Winchester Science Centre & Planetarium has loads of cool live shows and hands-on indestructible activities for curious kids, as well as a space zone and planetarium. Also nearby, there’s Marwell Wildlife, a 140-acre landscaped park home to all kinds of exotic and endangered species.

SATURDAY: LUNCH

New on the High Street, dine on all the icons at PizzaExpress, including the brand’s new 60th birthday menu, featuring the Queen Margherita with an entire ball of creamy burrata, alongside fan favourites such as the American, Padana and the Piccolo menu – a kids menu that makes eating out stress-free and fun (yes, it can be done). The restaurant itself has all the interior hallmarks of a PizzaExpress – open-plan kitchen and signature marble-topped tables – but with a cool modern décor with hanging plants, gold and basket light fittings, neon signs and quirky local nods on the bespoke, illustrated wallpaper. Look out for the pizza Round Table and Winchester’s (Great) King Alfred sipping a whopping glass of wine. Cheers!

SATURDAY: AFTERNOON

Once you’ve checked off the sights, spend the afternoon in the shops. Winchester is full of brilliant independent boutiques and lifestyle stores. In the centre of town, Muddy Award-winners Sass & Edge have a big following for their fashionable women’s collections. And best Lifestyle Store Award-winning H&B Style on Thomas Street has a cool and quirky mix of gifts, clothes and homewares.

For more fashion and home, stop by serious chic The Hambledon on Jury Street (pictured above) and Mint Tea on Southgate Street. And for preloved, Re:dress on Romsey Road is a style trove for designer and modern vintage, from Gucci loafers to Mulberry bags.

SATURDAY: EVENING

All that shopping and sightseeing definitely calls for a drink. If you’re staying in town, pop in for a pint at one of Winchester’s many gorgeous ye-olde pubs, like The Wykeham Arms and The Bishop on the Bridge.

Laying claim to be the earliest building in England to house a bar, with parts of the pub dating back to 1002, the super-historic, wooden beamed The Royal Oak has its entrance tucked away on a teeny thoroughfare off the High Street. Of course, it’s rumoured to be haunted.

A stalwart of the Winchester evening scene, Greens Bar & Kitchen has a buzzy atmosphere and a reliably good selection of wine. Also on Jury Street, head for the friendly Cabinet Rooms, with its huge cocktail and mocktail list, sharing platters and bar snacks. Before you head in, take a look at local street artist Hendog’s new painting of Indian socialite and aristocrat Bapsybanoo Pavry.

Entertainment-wise, catch a show at the historic Theatre Royal Winchester. Or if film’s your thing, the city’s Everyman cinema shows a decent selection of indie offerings.

MAKE A NIGHT OF IT

Housed in an elegant 18th-century Georgian building (1715), Winchester’s Hotel du Vin is the original boutique hotel with crisp linen, deep baths and powerful drench showers. Just five minutes’ walk from the train station, The Winchester Hotel & Spa combines modern comfortable rooms with a restaurant and bijou spa with pampering treatments. Or just a short taxi-ride away, check in at Lainston House, a gorgeous red brick, 17th-Century Georgian country mansion in 63-acres of Lady of the Manor grounds.

NEED TO KNOW

By car, Winchester is located just off Junctions 9, 10 and 11 of the M3, or via the A34 from Newbury and Oxford. By rail, Winchester is an hour direct from London Waterloo. There’s also direct routes from Southampton, Portsmouth, Bournemouth, Weymouth, Birmingham and the north of England.