Winchester Cathedral
Church · England's longest medieval cathedral, holding Jane Austen's grave, the Winchester Bible and Antony Gormley's statue in its crypt.
Winchester
A cathedral city of the old kingdom of Wessex, where England's longest medieval cathedral, a castle hall with the Round Table and the chalk-stream River Itchen share a walkable centre.
From King's Cross St Pancras: 1 h 36 min by train · 2 h 6 min by car
Travel times by TravelTime
Time there: 6.5–11 h to see all 9 places
Get directionsCityLakes & riversScenic viewsCharming streetsCastlesCathedrals & abbeysMuseums
Must-see places
Winchester College
Historic house · A school founded in 1382 whose medieval chapel, Chamber Court and cloisters can be seen on a guided visit.
Great Hall Winchester
Historic house · The surviving hall of Winchester Castle, built for Henry III and home to the medieval Round Table of King Arthur legend.
St Cross Hospital
Historic house · England's oldest almshouse, still home to its Brothers in black and claret robes and still giving bread and ale to wayfarers who ask.
Wolvesey Castle
Castle · The ruined medieval palace of the Bishops of Winchester, beside the cathedral close.
St Catherine's Hill
Nature · A chalk-downland nature reserve crowned by an Iron Age hillfort, with views back over Winchester and the Itchen valley.
Kingsgate and College Street
Old streets · One of Winchester's two surviving medieval city gates, with a small church built over its arch, on the way to the cathedral close.
Winchester City Mill
Attraction · A National Trust watermill on the River Itchen in the middle of the city, grinding flour by water power.
St Giles Hill viewpoint
Viewpoint · A grassy hilltop above the east side of Winchester with views over the city and its cathedral.
Quick facts
Winchester Cathedral is the longest medieval cathedral in the world, 170 metres of Norman and Gothic stone, with Jane Austen's grave in its north aisle and the largest, best-preserved 12th-century Bible in England.
The Great Hall of Winchester Castle, built for Henry III in the 13th century, hangs the Round Table of Arthurian legend on its wall.
St Catherine's Hill, an Iron Age hillfort and nature reserve just above the River Itchen, and the 12th-century Hospital of St Cross, where anyone who asks at the Porter's Lodge is still given the Wayfarer's Dole of bread and ale, are both an easy walk from the centre.
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