Hotels near the Norwich Castle

Standing square, stocky and resolute on its mound in the city centre, Norwich Castle towers over the streets below, offering not just a landmark but an insight into the history of this ancient city.

The Castle was built by the Normans as a Royal Palace around 900 years ago. From the 14th century it was used as a prison, finally becoming a museum in 1894 and now housing one of England's finest regional collections of natural history, art and archaeology.

Visitors step back in time as they enter through the Bigod Arch, the original entrance to the Royal Palace. Inside is a reconstruction of King Henry I's Christmas visit to Norwich Castle in 1121. Take a tour of the grisly dungeons or explore the hands-on exhibition of how the castle was built. There are galleries dedicated to local Queen Boudica and her Iceni tribe, ancient archaeological finds, Egyptian Mummies and even lions that roar at passers-by.

Exhibitions in the art galleries show a broad spectrum of 17th-20th-century paintings, featuring the best collections by the Norwich School of Artists John Crome and John Sell Cotman. There's even the world's largest collection of ceramic teapots.

The castle also has a pleasant tea shop and within the Castle Mound is a bustling shopping mall and cinema complex.