• Lincoln Cathedral [1] - One of the finest and best situated Gothic buildings in Europe, now also famous as the location used to double as Westminster Abbey in The Da Vinci Code movie. For over 200 years it was the tallest building in the world, before its wooden spire collapsed following a storm in 1549. The roof tours are recommended. Architecturally, the cathedral has some of the earliest flying buttresses, and a gargoyle named the Lincoln Imp, with which several legends are associated.

• Lincoln Castle [2], Castle Hill, open Monday-Saturday 9.30am - 5.30pm, Sunday 11am - 5.30pm (winter early closing at 4pm). Closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Eve and Day, admission £3.70, concessions available. Tours available at certain times throughout the day. First established in the Norman period, when the city of Lincoln ranked 3rd in the realm for prosperity and importance. Building started by William the Conquerer in 1068 on a site occupied since Roman times. Contains an original copy of The Magna Carta and despite having no lake or pond is home to some families of ducks during the breeding season. Also a working Crown Court and a Victorian Prison museum. Fabulous views from the walls and observatory tower over the rest of the city and beyond, visitors can stand on the tower where the city's hangings took place, or descend by a ladder into the dungeon where prisoners waited and see the manacles still on the walls. Gruesome.

• Steep Hill is the medieval lane which connects the modern town centre with the cathedral quarter atop the hill. This cobbled street is a delight of old buildings, many of which contain the more interesting shops in the city, and including the Jew's House, a twelfth-century building associated with Lincoln's thriving Jewish community in medieval times. The street's name is accurate and after a handrail-assisted ascent you reach the Magna Carta pub which stands between the castle and the cathrdral. Continue ahead for a few yards if you can be tempted by an interesting ice-cream parlour - their downstairs cafe has you sitting by a tenth-century arch under a vaulted stone ceiling.

• The Lawn, a former psychiatric hospital, is now a visitor attraction which (as well as housing a conference centre) will be mainly of interest for the Sir Joseph Banks Conservatory, a free-to-enter hothouse with exhibits that Banks brought back from his travels with Captain Cook.

• Roman remains are scattered around the cathedral quarter, for example behind the cathedral are the excavated remains of the Roman east gate, and on the north side of the castle at the junction of Westgate and Bailgate are the excavated remains of a Roman well amid the walls. Walking along Bailgate, notice the circles of old stones in the modern road surface - these are the original foundations of roman pillars which lined this route, Ermine Street which stretches from London to York.

• Ellis Mill [3] is a preserved windmill built in 1798, the last remaining example of the nine mills along the Lincoln Edge which milled flour for the city. It stands on Mill Road, now surrounded by houses, but still operates on a volunteer basis and visitors are welcomed and given tours (price 80p, 2pm-5pm Saturdays & Sundays from April - September).

• The Museum of Lincolnshire Life [4] is a rural history museum situated in a Victorian military barracks building, a short walk from the West gate of Lincoln Castle. Admission is £2.20.

By Road

Lincoln sits on the A46 between Newark and Grimsby and at the southern end of the A15. Lincoln is surrounded my minor roads and Lincolnshire itself has no motorways. The central area of Lincoln consists of narrow one-way roads and pedestrianised areas so driving is not recommended. The St. Marks shopping centre has ample parking, and there is a multi-storey car park in the centre of town, near the University and Brayford Pool.

A seasonal Christmas Market Park and Ride service is available and the easiest way to get to the Market. See National Park and Ride Directory

By Rail

Lincoln is served by trains from Grimsby and Newark. Newark is on the East Coast Main Line with fast links to London. Generally, rail journeys are fairly punctual, if a bit uncomfortable. Certain services from Nottingham to Lincoln may be only a single carriage and may be very crowded. Central Trains, the train operator is working on this problem and say that the public should see improvements in the service shortly.

By Air

Lincoln is located close to three UK airports.

• Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield - A direct train from Doncaster to Lincoln is available.
• Humberside Airport - The airport is located near to Barnetby village with a train station running direct trains to Lincoln Central Station
• East Midlands Airport

The easiest way to get around central Lincoln is on foot. The city is small and compact with services no significant distance from any one place. The main High Street is only a minute's walk away from the Railway station and the bus station is practically on the High Street (only if you're a thirty foot legged giant). One can walk from the Eastern most end of Lincoln to the western end at a very leisurely pace in around one hour.

Although there are bus services, these are generally for journeys from the south of Lincoln and North Hykeham to the North of Lincoln.

There are also many minicab firms in the city that would be able to drive you to any location in Lincoln. Prices are charged on a zone system and all minicab firms are regulated by the Lincoln City Council. People are advised not to use unlicensed minicabs. Persons soliciting customers are committing a criminal offence and unlicensed minicabs are not properly insured in the event of injury to passengers or property.

There are two car hire places, one on the Outer Circle Road (Enterprise), with the other being Hertz behind the Marriott hotel.

By Boat

Lincoln sits on the River Witham and is proudly served by the Fossdyke Navigation, a Roman-built canal which links its waterways to the River Trent. There is a service that operates from the Brayford Pool opposite the ODEON cinema, called the Brayford Belle, where for a small fee, will take you on a guided tour of Lincoln and its surrounding areas. Alternatively, you may hire a small motor boat for £20 an hour. These boats however, are generally slow and very small.

There are plenty of standard chain shops on the high street, just about everything one could want. These range from bigger chains such as HMV, to smaller chains such as Lush cosmetics, and even more local shops. Various streets run off the high street, containing more shops. There is also the Waterside shopping centre on the high street. If you venture further up to Steep Hill and the Bailgate area beyond, you will find more local and traditional shops, such as sweet shops and knick knack shops. All of the major banks are also in the town centre.

• The Cheese Society Cafe, 1 St Martins Lane, Lincoln (Just off the top of the High Street, near the bottom of the Strait), ☎ 01522 511003, [5]. 10.00-4.30pm Monday to Saturday. A highly individual established cafe & cheese shop specialising in cheesy dishes, such as double baked souffles, baked Camembert, and other non-cheesy options Uses many local producers. The food is freshly cooked and presented to a really high standard. Light and airy, bistro style, with pretty slick service. Can get busy, as it seats 24, but well worth waiting for a table. Food is served until 4pm. Not suitable for under 10's. Licensed. Reasonably priced.  edit
• Big Wok, Beaumont Fee, Lincoln. This is a Chinese restaurant that offers only a Buffet. In the early to mid afternoon there is the standard buffet that is open until 5 o'clock in the afternoon. The Grand Buffet starts at this time which offers a Tepenyaki, sushi (without raw fish) and Pekin Duck and a number of other alternatives. The food is generally good, although some of the items that are deep fried are a little greasy rather than crispy. The reputation of the restaurant has suffered somewhat due to poor hygiene however the management insist that new measures have now been taken to ensure top quality food. But it's advisable to treat that with a pinch of salt! Prices are £4.99 for the standard buffet and this rises to £9.99 for the Grand Buffet. Drinks are extra but fairly reasonable (A large Coca Cola costs about £2.50, coming in a Pint sized glass). No service fee is charged, but a tips jar is available at the counter should any wish to make any. Be advised that you are charged on the basis of how many seats are filled as well as what buffet is ordered. So although you may not eat anything, you will still be charged the full cost of a meal

• Chimichanga's, Brayford Waterfront, Lincoln. This is a new restaurant, however has received great reviews of it's food. Service is considered to be mediocre, but due to it's staff being new to the business, it can be expected that service will improve. Chimichanga's specialises in Mexican style food and is relatively expensive, but food is considered to be of very high quality.

• Nando's, Brayford Waterfront, Lincoln. A chain restaurant specialising in Portuguese peri-peri chicken dishes, all of which are offered in a variety of spice strengths (lemon & herb, mango & lime, medium, hot, extra hot). Its service is very good and very prompt. Beware of the Extra hot serving! Prices are fairly cheap considering the size of portions you receive. There is no service charge and babies and children are very welcome.

• The Nosey Parker, Tritton Road (at the junction with Dixon Street) This is a pub that serves a pub lunch. Portions are fairly generous and you can expect to pay about £5-£10 for a meal although there are a number of special offers where you can receive 2 meals for £10. Their steak is absolutely fantastic and quite generous. Be prepared for a very long wait for food, though.

• Pizza Express, High Street (at the corner with Grantham Street), Lincoln. Is is in the upper half of the pedestrianised High Street. Don't let the name fool you! It doesn't serve pizza fast. It serves, what some would say, the best pizza in all of Lincoln, but expect to pay somewhat higher prices!

• Planet Masala, Wigford Way, (5 minutes from the High Street), Lincoln. Indian restaurant. The general standard of food is fairly good, but service is very very slow. Expect to wait up to a half hour for a meal! This will be the same even if you are the only customers in the restaurant. Various reasons have been offered to answer this, one of which included that "meals were cooked to order" though this is unlikely! Drinks come in a very small glass but are refillable, though don't be surprised if you had to refill your drinks half a dozen times during the course of a meal. Prices are fairly low, but a full meal could be expensive. Dishes generally cost about £5-£8 each.

• Pyewipe Inn - Out along the canal. Good food, but a somewhat arrogant attitude to customer service - now under new ownership, with a full customer care program in place.

Most major fast food chains are available in and around the town centre.

• McDonalds - was stuck in 1986, but recent refit brings it up to about 1999.
• Burger King (x2) - usually not very busy
• Starbucks - full always
• Subway (x2)
• KFC - A huge distance down the high street
• Pizza Hut
• City Snax/Double M - Near Market Area.

Most bars also have food menus.

• The Vine Inn, Newland Street West. A traditional local pub in the heart of the West End used by both local and students.
• The Victoria, near the castle within Lincoln hosts some of the finest ales in the city and is well worth a visit.... throw back to what a real pub should be with real people. Now having a mixture and varied clientèle but with excellent service and atmosphere, a superb place to go.
• The Tower (part of a hotel) Great place to meet with friends up hill, more trendy that other bars in the area and serves mainly the aspirational and upcoming crowd.

There are plenty of bars in Lincoln, most of which are on the high street or the waterfront. The main nightclub in Lincoln is the Engine Shed which was finished in September 2006. It is the biggest music venue in the area, and so far has played host to bands such as The Zutons and The Damned. It is open to both students and locals, although it is students only on Wednesday and Saturday. Other clubs are:

• Scream - pub downstairs, club upstairs, plays a variety of popular music. Fairly cheap and good variety of drinks available.
• Ritzy's - Featuring three floors playing different music. Very expensive on weekends. Student only night on Wednesday.
• Sugarcubes - The only rock club in Lincoln (after the closure of Martha's and Po Na Na), cheap drinks and equally cheap decor.
• The Cell - Good variety of music, with rock and R'n'B nights. Two floors, although very small and not particularly cheap.