• Shrewsbury Castle and Shropshire Regimental Museum, Castle Gate, Shrewsbury (immediately next to Shrewsbury Rail Station), (shropsrm@zoom.co.uk), [5]. Open: Museum - 14 February-26 May 2006, Tues-Sat and Bank Holidays, 10am - 4pm; Grounds - All year round, Monday-Saturday 9am-5pm and summer Sundays. Shrewsbury Castle was built in the eleventh century. The castle now belongs to Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council, and houses the Shropshire Regimental Museum, and an exhibition about the history of the castle. The grounds are also pleasant to walk in and explore. Also site for outdoor drama productions and other events in the summer. £2.50 for museum (Senior citizens £1.25; students, local residents and under-18s FREE; entry to grounds only FREE).
• Rowley's House Museum, Barker Street, Shrewsbury. SY1 1QH, 01743 361196 (museums@shrewsbury.gov.uk, Fax: 01743 358411), [6]. Until 26 May and from 11 Sept-22 Dec: Tues-Sat, 10am - 4pm; From 27 May-10 Sept Mon-Sat, 10am - 5pm, Sun, 10am-4pm. This seventeenth-century house on Barker Street houses the municipal art gallery (on the ground floor) and museum (on first and second floors). The museum charts the development of Shrewsbury as a city from pre-historic times to the modern day in an interesting series of exhibitions. Each room in the museum takes a different period and attempts to recreate what Shrewsbury was like at that time. FREE.
• Music Hall, The Square, Shrewsbury SY1 1LH (located in the centre of Shrewsbury, behind the Old Market Hall), 01743 281281 (mail@musichall.co.uk), [7]. Open: Depends on production. This is Shrewsbury's main performing arts venue. There is no resident company - performances are either touring productions or local amateur productions. The age of the building and lack of backstage space limits the types of performances which are able to be produced here, and for this reason, a new arts venue is being planned for Shrewsbury to replace the Music Hall. The Music Hall also houses Shrewsbury Tourist Information Centre. Entry price: depends on production.
• Old Market Hall, The Square, Shrewsbury SY1 1LH, 01743 281281, [8]. Open: from 10am. Films usually show at approx 14:30, 17:30 and 20:00 daily. Originally opened in 1596 as a Market Hall in the centre of Shrewsbury, this Elizabethan building is now an arts cinema showing foreign-language and artistic films of considerable variety. There is also a cafe-bar and digital arts exhibition. £5 for films (£3.50 for students, over-60s and disabled people. FREE for Digital Arts exhibitions and cafe-bar).
• St Chad's Church, Shrewsbury (in the south part of the town centre, opposite the Quarry Park), 01743 365478 (info@stchadschurchshrewsbury.com), [9]. Summer: Mon-Sat, 8am-5pm; Winter: Mon-Sat, 8am-1pm (From 1pm the outer vestibule and St Aidan’s chapel are open until 5pm.). Church dating from 1792, has unique circular nave.
• St Mary's Church, Shrewsbury, 01743 357006, [10]. Mon-Fri, 10am-5pm; Sat, 10am-4pm. Stained glass windows dating from 14th-19th century.
• The Quarry Park [11]
• Bear Steps' buildings [12]
• St Julian's Church
• St Alkmund's Church

By train

Shrewsbury's railway station is a large, imposing, Victorian building, opened in 1848. It is located on Castle Gates, right next to the castle, just north of the town centre, within easy walking distance of the town centre, shops and many of the town's attractions. Shrewsbury acts as an interchange for many rail lines, including the beautiful Heart of Wales line [2] and Cambrian Coastal line [3] and Shrewsbury is easily reached by rail from most of England and Wales. There are frequent services to Manchester, Wolverhampton, Birmingham and Crewe, and other services to Chester, Wrexham Aberystwyth, Swansea, Pwllheli, and Cardiff.

The famous Heart of Wales Line runs between Shrewsbury and the sea-side city of Swansea, passing through some of Wales' most spectacular scenery and picturesque towns during its three hour and forty minute journey. Trains depart Shrewsbury at 5:19AM, 9:05AM, 2:05Pm. 6:05PM.

By car

Access via the M54 from the West Midlands conurbation, then the A5 from Telford. Parking in the town is notoriously difficult, therefore Park & Ride schemes operate National Park and Ride Directory [4], which enable the visitor to park outside the town in a large car park, and take a bus costing £1 per person (children under 16 are free; students 50p), into the town centre. The park & ride bus goes all round the town centre, and has stops outside most attractions, shops, etc. Park & Ride car parks are located at Meole Brace (to the south of the town), Harlescott (to the north), and Oxon (Shelton) (to the east).

By bus

Shrewsbury is located on the route of the London - Aberystwyth and the London - Wrexham coach services (operated by National Express).

There are various local bus services, mainly linking Shrewsbury with other towns and villages in Shropshire and the surrounding area.

Park and Ride services from Oxon, Harlescott and Meole Brace to the town centre and back (Monday-Saturday) (free parking at Oxon, Harlescott and Meole Brace). Other bus services go from the bus station in the town centre to places in town and further out in the county.

Cabs available at the train station on Castle Gates. Otherwise there are numerous taxi companies.

Roads inside the town centre are to be avoided if travelling by car. Please park outside the town centre in the many car parks available - St Julian's Friars, Abbey Foregate, Frankwell, etc.

• Shrewsbury Fairtrade Shop, 8 St Johns Hill, Shrewsbury, SY1 1JD. Sells a variety of craft and gift items from around the world, cards, Fairtrade food & drink.
• Darwin Shopping Centre and Pride Hill Shopping Centre [13]
• Riverside Mall
• Sundorne Retail Park
• Meole Brace Retail Park

Budget

• Shrewsbury Hotel, Bridge Place / Mardol Quay
• Hole in the Wall, Shoplatch / Gullet Passage
• Coach and Horses, Swan Hill / Cross Hill

Mid-range

• The Armoury, Victoria Quay / Victoria Avenue
• Golden Cross, Princess Street / Golden Cross Passage
• Pizza Express, Mardol

Splurge

• Drapers Hall - St Mary's Square
• Renaissance - The Square
• The Cornhouse - Wyle Cop
• Peach Tree - Abbey Foregate

• Golden Cross, Princess Street
• Dun Cow, Abbey Foregate
• Lion Hotel, Wyle Cop
• Cromwells, Dogpole
• Loggerheads, Church Street
• Three Fishes, Fish Street
• King's Head, Mardol
• The Grove Inn, Belle Vue

Cafés

• Café bar in Old Market Hall [14] -Nice cafe and free wifi in the center of town.