Things to Do in Chichester
Prices, opening hours, best times to visit and the stuff nobody tells you, everything you need for a first trip to Chichester, England, plus one pigeon's opinions on all of it.
Chichester's cathedral spire is tall enough that sailors once steered by it from out at sea, a rare enough thing among England's medieval cathedrals that it's basically the city's whole personality in one fact. This is the proper guide to things to do in Chichester, what things actually cost, when to go, and which bits are worth the visit. Five main stops below, plus a quiz at the bottom to see if you were paying attention.
Chichester Cathedral
I asked in the quiz what makes this cathedral's spire unusual among England's medieval cathedrals, and the answer is that it's visible from the sea, historically used as a genuine navigational landmark by sailors along the south coast, a rare enough feature that it's often cited as unique among English cathedrals. Built from 1076 onward, replacing an earlier cathedral at Selsey, it holds a Romanesque core with later Gothic additions, including the Arundel Tomb, made famous by Philip Larkin's poem of the same name.
The detached bell tower is a genuine rarity too, most English cathedrals have their bells built into the main structure. Spire visits, climbing up into the roof spaces, can be booked separately from general admission if you want the fuller experience.
Hours Generally open daily, subject to services
Address West Street, Chichester PO19 1PX
Chichester's Roman roots
The city began as the Roman town of Noviomagus Reginorum, exactly the answer I was after in the quiz, and its Roman street grid still largely shapes the modern city centre, four main streets meeting at the Market Cross, echoing the original layout almost two thousand years later. The Novium Museum, built directly over the remains of a Roman bathhouse, takes its name from that same Roman word, and its free ground floor gallery walks you through the bathhouse foundations still visible in situ.
Nearby Fishbourne Roman Palace, a short drive from the city centre, is the largest Roman residence found anywhere in Britain, with genuinely impressive in-situ mosaic floors, worth the detour if Roman history is your thing.
Hours Novium generally 10am-5pm, check current times
Address Tower Street, Chichester PO19 1QH (Novium)
Chichester Festival Theatre
Founded in 1962 and the answer to the third quiz question, this is one of the most respected regional theatres in Britain, with Laurence Olivier serving as its first artistic director before going on to lead the National Theatre. It's launched countless major productions since, genuinely a serious theatrical destination rather than just a local venue, drawing audiences from well beyond Chichester itself.
Check the programme before you visit, since what's on can range from major new plays to classic revivals with well-known casts, and tickets for the bigger productions do sell out.
Address Oaklands Park, Chichester PO19 6AP
Official site cft.org.uk
Chichester's City Walls
A near-complete circuit of Roman walls, among the most intact examples in the whole of southern England, now largely walkable as a pleasant, tree-lined path circling the old city centre. It's free, quiet even in peak season, and a genuinely good way to see how compact and well-preserved the old Roman town plan still is.
Priory Park, on part of the old walls' route, holds the Guildhall, a Grade I listed medieval building, and the remains of a Norman motte, worth combining into the same walk.
Pallant House Gallery
A genuinely well-regarded collection of modern British art, housed partly in a restored Queen Anne townhouse and partly in a striking modern extension, an unusual and effective architectural pairing. It's a paid attraction, unlike most of the free museums nearby, but the collection, including works by Henry Moore, Peter Blake and other major British names, justifies it for anyone with an interest in 20th-century art.
Address 9 North Pallant, Chichester PO19 1TJ
Best time to visit Chichester
May to September gives the most reliable weather for walking the city walls and Priory Park, and it lines up with Chichester Festival Theatre's main summer season if that's part of your plan. The Cathedral and the Novium Museum both work fine whatever the weather's doing, so the city holds up well as a year-round day trip.
Getting around Chichester
Chichester's centre, still largely following its Roman street grid, is compact and entirely walkable, the Cathedral, the Novium, the city walls and Pallant House Gallery all sit within about 10 minutes of each other. Fishbourne Roman Palace and Chichester Festival Theatre are a short drive or bus ride further out.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Chichester worth visiting?
- Yes, particularly for the cathedral's unusual sea-visible spire and the genuinely well-regarded Chichester Festival Theatre, both reasons the city punches above its size for a place this compact.
- How many days do you need in Chichester?
- A day covers the Cathedral, the Novium and the city walls comfortably. Add an evening if you're catching a show at the Festival Theatre.
- Is Chichester expensive?
- Moderate. The Cathedral runs on suggested donation and the Novium Museum and city walls are free; Pallant House Gallery and Fishbourne Roman Palace are the main paid costs.
- What is Chichester famous for?
- Its cathedral spire, historically visible from the sea and used by sailors as a landmark, its Roman origins as Noviomagus Reginorum, and Chichester Festival Theatre, first led by Laurence Olivier.
That's everything I've got.
A note before you plan around this: prices, opening hours, booking requirements and admission details in this guide were correct at the time of writing, but venues change these often and sometimes without notice. Always check directly with the attraction or its official website before you travel or build a schedule around a specific time or price.
Before travelling to any destination featured on this site, please also check your government's latest travel advice, as safety situations, entry requirements and travel warnings can change.
