The best way to spend a day in Chichester
Chichester in the sunshine
Compact, attractive and easy to navigate, Chichester is a lovely city to spend a day strolling around, with just the right amount of historic sights, appealing shops and delicious places to eat and drink to make it enjoyably manageable.
In no particular order, these are the things we did when I spent a day in Chichester recently with friends, each of which I would heartily recommend including in your itinerary should you ever visit this delightful spot.
Visit Chichester Cathedral
Chichester Cathedral
No visit to Chichester would be complete without exploring its fabulous, gothic Cathedral which has the dubious distinction of having been devastatingly damaged by fire not once, but twice, in relatively quick succession, in 1114 and 1187. Only after the second blaze was it decided to rebuild the roof out of stone rather than wood. Even so, the Cathedral suffered another structural blow when its tower and spire collapsed in 1861 and it was another five years before both were fully repaired.
The interior of Chichester Cathedral
Fortunately the building has remained sound since then and there’s much to enjoy inside its vaulted ceiling interior, including ancient and historic artefacts and remains, and wonderful tombs and memorials - I especially loved this one of the Earl of Arundel and his wife Eleanor, tenderly holding hands, which was apparently the inspiration for the poem An Arundel Tomb, by Philip Larkin which ends with the famous line ‘What will survive of us is love’
The tomb of Richard Fitzalan, Earl of Arundel and his wife Eleanor of Lancaster
Amongst the old there are also more recent and modern elements to enjoy like this gloriously vivid stained glass window designed by Marc Chagall
The Chagall Window in Chichester Cathedral
And an arresting Graham Sutherland painting depicting Jesus’s return to life after crucifixion.
Noli Me Tangere (Touch me not) by Graham Sutherland in Chichester Cathedral
If your visit happens to coincide with the timings of one of the guided tours I always think they’re worth taking. Our guide pointed out and explained all kinds of interesting elements we would otherwise have missed or not fully appreciated.
Full details of the Cathedral’s opening hours can be found on their website HERE
Walk around the old city walls
The original Roman walls around Chichester city are still partly in tact
Built to protect its prosperous trade and defend the town from coastal raiders, the 3rd century walls were originally seven metres high. Today, the extensive and carefully preserved remains can be enjoyed on a 1.5 mile walk which you can do either following the instructions in the leaflet you can pick up from the Tourist Information Centre, or, as we did, by navigating by a mixture of sight and a picture of the map we passed on the street which we took on our phones, reading the interesting information panels along the way.
It’s a great way to get a sense of what the old city looked like. And an even better vantage point to look into the houses and gardens that run alongside it!
Map of Chichester town centre with the walls walk marked in red
Explore the shops
If you like chocolate, you’ll love Montezauma*s
The shops that line the two main inter-crossed streets - which are mostly pedestrianised - and scattered down the small side lanes off them, are a satisfying mixture of high street staples and tempting independents selling everything from clothes and homeware, to books and toys, and gifts, flowers and food. Plus a strong handful of charity shops (I do love a good charity shop).
You could easily spend a couple of hours wandering in and out of them all, but if you’re a chocolate fan (and if you’re not, I’m afraid we can’t be friends), then make sure you include a visit to Montezuma*s at 29 East Street (you definitely won’t be able to miss its bright blue shop exterior). Their fabulous and sometimes unusually flavoured chocolate - dark chocolate with orange and geranium anyone? - is beautifully packaged and presented and, most importantly, insanely delicious.
Enjoy the food and drink
The Barn, Little London
There are soooo many places to drop in to in and around the city centre to grab a bite - or something more substantial - have a coffee or enjoy a glass of something chilled, from well known chains to inviting independents. The place that caught our eye when we were looking for a spot to have a reviving cuppa, and which turned out to be such a delight that we went back the next morning to try the food that looked so good on everyone else’s plates, was The Barn, Little London on East Street (number 40 to be precise).
As you can see from the pics and as we can all confirm from our two visits, everything about it - the quirky, eclectic interior and wonderful courtyard with it’s cosy cabins and airstream kitchen, the fab food and homeware products to buy, and the truly scrumptious dishes and sweet treats they make and are served by the wonderfully friendly staff team - makes this a place you really mustn’t miss and that, like us, you’re sure to want to return to.
We also ate a lip-smackingly delicious Turkish dinner at Reina Kitchen where all four of us had meals that made us want to lick our plates clean.
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