From Wikitravel

Guildford is a large town in Surrey in the south of England. It is one of a very few number of large modern shopping centres the have still retained its historical charm. A short walk up the cobbled high street shows many buildings which are hundreds of years old. The mediaeval castle was used by the King of England in the 1400s and becase of this, Guildford is the only royal town in Surrey

Contents 1 Understand 2 Get in 2.1 By bus 2.1.1 Park and Ride 2.2 By plane 2.3 By train 2.4 By coach 2.5 By car 3 Get around 3.1 By foot 3.2 By bus 3.3 By taxi 3.4 By car 3.5 By map 4 See 4.1 Central Guildford 4.2 Surrounding Area 5 Do 5.1 River trips 5.2 Walks 5.3 Festivals 6 Learn 7 Work 8 Buy 8.1 Shopping 8.2 Money 9 Eat 9.1 Central Guildford 9.2 Surrounding Villages 10 Drink 10.1 Pubs and bars 10.2 Nightclubs 11 Sleep 11.1 Budget 11.2 Mid Range 11.3 Splurge 12 Contact 12.1 Phone 12.2 Internet 13 Get out 13.1 Theme Parks

Understand

Guildford grew up into a large town because of its location at roughly the half way point between England's main naval port at Portsmouth and the admiralty in Greenwich, London. People travelling by horse drawn carriage between the two would stop at inns in Guildford (such as The Angel and The Lion) to swap horses over and to refresh themselves. With the advent of the steam train in the 19th century, Guildford was no longer needed for this purpose, and it fell into decline. But as more and more people started to commute into work in London in the early 20th century, Guildford became more and more rich and popular.

Guildford is the county town of Surrey, but not the administrative centre (that is Kingston-upon-Thames, which is actually in a London borough). It is the economic and cultural centre of the whole of West Surrey, traditionally not so much of a commuter town as Woking, Weybridge and other Surrey towns.

Get in

By bus

Guildford is served by many bus routes from Woking, Aldershot, Godalming and other places. Prices can be fairly expensive and buses do not run very often.

Park and Ride

Guildford has several park and ride carparks, and at the weekend they are the easiest way to get into the town centre. They are situated at Artington (on the Portsmouth Rd heading out towards Godalming, approx 3 miles south of Guildford), Ladymead Retail Park (round the back of the Cornhill Insurance building) and at the Spectrum Leisure Complex. At all three sites, the carparking is free and you just pay for the bus fare to get into the town centre, which is £1.20 for a return.

Ladymead - buses run every 10 mins on Saturday only from 8.30 - 18.00

Spectrum Leisure Complex - buses run every 12 mins on Monday to Friday from 7.27 - 23.10, (although every 20mins after 1930.)

Artington - buses run every 12 mins from Monday to Saturday from 7.30 - 19.30.

By plane

Guildford is well served by London's collection of airports. For travellers coming directly to Guildford, the most convenient (in reducing order of convenience) are:

• Heathrow Airport is about 40 minutes drive along the M25 motorway and the A3 trunk road. Alternatively it is linked directly to Woking rail station by the RailAir express bus service.
• Gatwick Airport is about a hour's drive away via the M23 (northbound), M25 (clockwise) and A3 (southtbound) roads. There is a through train service to Guildford from a rail station in the airport terminal complex, running twice an hour and taking less than an hour.

By train

Guildford main line station is served by commuter and regional train services from many different directions, including two routes to London (one fast via Woking, the other slow via Cobham). The fast services continue southwards to Portsmouth. Guildford also lies on the the line from Reading to Gatwick Airport; beyond Reading, services to Oxford and Birmingham may be accessed, and via Gatwick, connections to Brighton and Kent.

From London, you should travel from London Waterloo station and catch a train whose first stop after Woking is Guildford (there are several of these an hour), the travel time will be about 35 minutes. There are other stopping services from Waterloo via Cobham, but these take so much longer it isn't normally worth considering them.

There is a smaller station called London Road (Guildford), which is the penultimate stop on the line from London via Cobham.

Train times can be found on the National Rail Planner or by calling 0845-748-4950 from anywhere in the UK.

By coach

National Express serve Guildford with express bus (UK English:coach) services from around the country; advanced ticketing is necessary. Note that they serve a stop called Guildford Park Barn, which is a slightly out-of-town location near a Tesco supermarket. You will need to catch a local bus or taxi (if you can find one) to take you into Guildford.

By car

Guildford is served by the A3 trunk road which runs from London to Portsmouth. It is about an hour's drive from central London.

If you are visiting for the day by car, consider using the Park & Ride site at the Spectrum leisure complex just off the A3 southbound, or the site on the Old Portsmouth Road at Artington (on the way to Godalming) and catching the dedicated express bus from these locations.

Get around

By foot

The central area of Guildford is easily walkable, but hilly. From the railway station you must cross the river Wey in order to reach the town centre and the bus station.

By bus

Buses no not provide a good way of getting around the central district of Guildford itself, but are adequate for the local community. Although there is a free bus which circles the town centre three times an hour, it is often snarled in the traffic and usually, if you are able, quicker to walk.

• Traveline, telephone 087-608-2-608 from within the UK, provide an impartial online travel planner and telephone query service for local bus services.

By taxi

Taxi's are by far the most expensive way to get around Guildford. If you do wish to travel by taxi, there are taxi ranks at the front of the Railway Station, and at the bottom of North Street on the other side of the road from the Electric Theatre

By car

Whilst not as bad as either London or Oxford, Guildford's roads can get very congested at peak periods. Especially if you aren't used to driving on the left, central Guildford is probably best avoided.

On the other hand, a car is the one (possibly along with cycling) of the only really practical ways of seeing a lot of the local countryside and villages. Out here the roads are a lot quieter.

By map

If you are planning to do any visiting or exploring beyond central Guildford, you will probably want to obtain a decent map of the area. You should ensure that any map you buy clearly shows the national grid reference lines, and explains how to use them, as grid references are frequently used to indicate out of town locations. The best maps for this purpose are those published by the Ordnance Survey (Britain's national mapping agency) and the following maps cover all the locations mentioned below:

• Ordnance Survey Landranger 186. This map covers the area around and between Guildford and Aldershot at a scale of 1:50000 and is best for exploration by car or cycle.
• Ordnance Survey Explorer 145. This map covers the area around Guildford at a scale of 1:25000 and is best for walking.

These maps can be found in any good bookshop in Guildford (see 'Buy' section below), or can be bought online from the Ordnance Survey's web site.

See

Central Guildford

• Abbot's Hospital, High Street, Guildford. [1] Built in 1619 by Guildfordian Archbishop of Canterbury George Abbot as a retirement home for the local elderly.

• The Guildhall, High Street, Guildford. A marvellous Tudor/Stuart building with its overhanging 1683 clock.

• Guildford Castle, in the Castle Gardens, Castle Street, [2] Medieval castle built to protect the town in the 1400s. Was restored in 2005, and is now open again.

• Guildford Cathedral, Stag Hill [3] Impressive 1960s cathedral.

• St Catherine's ruined abbey a short walk along the river from Guildford town centre.

• The Wey Navigation [4] is the canal that winds its way through Guildford until it reaches the River Thames in Weybridge. Of particular interest is the HQ at Dapdune Wharf, but just sitting down by the locks near the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre watching canal boats is very peaceful and gives one an insight into what the Wey once was - a busy industrial thoroughfare connecting Guildford and Surrey's industries with the rest of the country - and you might even get to help open the locks for the boat!

Surrounding Area

There are also many interesting things to see around Guildford:

• Clandon Park (national trust) [5]

• Denbies Vineyard [6] Very good wine.

• Hatchlands Park (national trust) [7]

• Leith Hill and its folly (national trust) [8]

• Loseley House [9]

• Newlands Corner [10] situated on the southern facing side of the North Downs, there are fantastic views over Surrey and also plenty of walks to be done. 10 min drive from the centre of Guildford.

• Painshill Landscape Gardens

• RHS Wisley gardens [11] One of the top Royal Horticultural Society gardens in the country. 15 min drive up the A3.

• Surrey Hills

• Waverley Abbey

Do

River trips

See http://www.riverweytrips.co.uk/ and http://www.guildfordboats.co.uk

Alternatively, hire a rowing boat (£7) or a canoe (£5) and travel along the river at your own pace. Boats can be hired from the Guildford Boathouse, located at the back of Millmead short stay car park off the Shalford Road. The boats tend to be in good condition and the river is not too crowded!

Walks

Festivals

• Guilfest [12] - annual summer 3-day rock and pop festival taking place on 14th, 15th and 16th July 2006 at Stoke Park. Confirmed acts include Embrace, Aha, Billy Idol, Morning Runner, Nizlopi, The Lightning Seeds and The Stranglers.

• Guildford Book Festival [13] - annual festival of literature held on 16th - 28th October 2006 and featuring signings, readings, plays etc.

• Guildford International Music Festival - A biennial festival (2005, 2007, 2009 etc.) featuring many concerts across 2-3 weeks. Genres are mixed, and the festival brings high quality professional acts to the town.

• Ambient Green Picnic - Annual free festival at Shalford Park, featuring local bands, children's activities, environmental and artistic displays.

• Farnborough International Airshow - not technically in Guildford (10 miles away), but well worth a visit to this biennial airshow.

Learn

Adult learning providers include

• University of Surrey, Guildford, GU2 7XH, ph: (+44) 01483 300 800, (fax: +44 (0)1483 300 803) [14]
• Guildford College, Stoke Road, Guildford, GU1 1EZ ph: (+44) 01483 448 500, [15]
• Guildford Adult Education Centre, Sydenham Road, ph: 01483 51 85 28. Run by the county council.

There are also various private education providers including a Pitman Centre

Work

There is a government run Jobcentreplus [16] on the corner of Onslow Street and York Road, near the Police Station. They can help find work of all kinds.

Guildford also has a vast array of temping agencies and private owned job centres. Walk up the High Street or North Street, or look in the local newspaper, the Surrey Advertiser.

Buy

Shopping

Guildford is the major shopping centre of West Surrey, with most of its shops clustered in a fairly compact area on and around the High Street, and the parrallel North Street.

There are three shopping centres,

• The Friary Shopping Centre at the bottom of North Street and Onslow Street
• The White Lion Walk between the bottom of North Street and the bottom of the High Street
• The Tunsgate Shopping Centre halfway up the High Street

There are two major department stores,

• House of Fraser (A&N) [17]
• Debenhams [18]

Although there are several shopping malls, unlike many modern towns in England, the attractive cobbled High Street has remained the focus of Guildford's shopping district. It is here, on the Hight Street and on North Street that you will find the best shops, and have the nicest shopping experience.

In general stores open M-Sa 9:30am-5:30pm and Su 10am-4pm although many stay open longer on some days and some do not open on a Sunday.

Money

All main British banks and building societies have branches in Guildford, and most of them are situated around the eastern end of the High Street. These branches normally open 9am-4pm M-Fr and 9am-noon Sa.

Most bank and building society branches have 'through the wall' type ATMs that are open 24x7.

Eat

Central Guildford

• Auberge Restaurant Ltd, 274 High St, Guildford, GU1 3JL, ph: 01483 506202

• Magnifico's Restaurant, 144 High St, Guildford, GU1 3HJ, pj: 01483 300999

• Mandarin Restaurant, 13 Epsom Rd, Guildford, GU1 3JT, ph: 01483 572293

• Old Orleans, Bedford Rd, Guildford, GU1 4SJ ph: 01483 567882 Good quality Tex Mex, has a nice bar with seats out on the plaza infront.

• Pews Bar & Restaurant, 21 Chapel St, Guildford, GU1 3UL, ph: 01483 535012

• Rose Valley Curry House, 50-52 Chertsey St, Guildford, GU1 4HD, ph: 01483 572572. Best curry house in town. Prince Harry and his mates have been known to dine here in the past.

• Sir & Madam Thai Restaurant, 8-9 Jeffries Passage, Guildford, GU1 4AP, ph:01483 535025

• Strada Restaurant, 222 High St, Guildford, GU1 3JD, ph: 01483 454455

• The Thai Terrace-Rooftop Restaurant, 7th Floor Castle Car Park, Guildford, GU1 3RT ph: 01483 503350

• Yellow River Cafe, 16-19, Chapel St, Guildford, Surrey GU1 3UL Tel: 01483 503100. Excellent Ken Hom SE Asian cafe/restaurant. Good food, good value. Lively atmosphere.

• Yvonne Arnaud Riverview Restaurant, Millbrook, Guildford, GU1 3UX, ph: 01483 569334

• Zinfandel Restaurant, 4 Chapel St, Guildford, GU1 3UH, ph: 01483 455155

Surrounding Villages

• Worplesdon Place Hotel - very good food, but a bit expensive, and service can be slow.

Drink

Pubs and bars

In the town centre area, Bridge Street (between The Friary shopping centre and the railway station) has a cluster of formulaic wine bars and cafe bars. Cheap prices and themed nights are fun, and popular with locals, as such the area gets extremely busy around closing time.

• Bar Mambo Bedford Rd

• Bar Med Bridge St, Guildford. A (loosely) Mediterranean themed bar that shows a lot of Sky football matches. Reasonably priced beer, and pretty good food aswell.

• Bar Zuka Onslow St

• Wetherspoons Bridge St, Guildford. Cheap beer and serves good food during the day. Pints cost £2-£3 although there are often drinks promotions. Closes at 11PM.

On or near the High Street:

• Fahrenheit 55 3 Milkhouse Gate (just off the High Street, near Sainsburys) Guildford, Surrey, GU1 3EZ, ph: 01483 579111, [19] Very cool tapas bar with live bands playing from time to time. The food can be quite expensive, and it's not all tapas, but it's still very nice! Pints of beer cost around £3, and cocktails £4. Fahrenheit is one of the last bars to close in town: it is open until 2AM most nights.

• The Star Inn, 2 Quarry St, Guildford, Surrey GU1 3TY ph: 01483 532887. Quite a lively pub with a young crowd. Good live local bands on some nights.

For more traditional English pubs, try one of the following:

• The Angel on the High Street is a very pleasant pub, with a fine selection of locally brewed ales. It is expensive to drink here but this keeps the youth out, making it one of very few pubs in Guildford town centre where you can enjoy a quiet drink!

• The White Hart, White Hart Lane, Wood Street (3 miles outside of Guildford) is a nice traditional English pub serving good quality local ales in a very attractive setting.

Nightclubs

• Harper's (formerly known as The Drink), Onslow St
• Time (formerly known as Cinderellas)

Sleep

Budget

• Abeille Guest House 119 Stoke Rd, Guildford, GU1 1ET ph: 01483 532 200 [20] From £35

• Holiday Inn Egerton Rd, Guildford, GU2 7XZ ph: 0870 4 009 068 [21] From £35

• Premier Travel Inn Parkway, Guildford, GU1 1UP ph: 0870 1 977 122 [22] From £47

Mid Range

• Asperion Hotel 73 Farnham Rd, Guildford, GU2 7PF ph: 01483 579 299 [23] From £50

• Blanes Court Hotel 4 Albury Rd, Guildford, GU1 2BT ph: 01483 573 171 [24] From £60

• Clavadel Hotel Epsom Rd, Guildford, GU1 3JT, ph: 01483 572 064

• Quinns Hotel 78 Epsom Rd, Guildford, GU1 2BX ph: 01483 560 422 [25] From £54.50

• The Angel Posting House and Livery, High Street, Guildford, GU1 3DP ph: 01483 564 555

• The Guildford Hotel 253 High St, Guildford, GU1 3JG, ph: 01483 564 511 [26] From £50.

• The Royal Hotel 132 Worplesdon Rd, Guildford, GU2 9RT ph 01483 575 173

• The Worplesdon Place Hotel Perry Hill, Guildford, GU3 3RY ph: 01483 232 407 [27]

Splurge

• Carlton Hotel 36-40 London Rd, Guildford, GU1 2AF ph: 01483 575 158 [28] From £110

Contact

Phone

Guildford's area code (for landline numbers) is 01483 when dialed from within the UK or +441483 from outside the UK.

Cellphone coverage is generally good within the city and surrounding area.

Internet

If you are travelling with a laptop then you will find broad-band internet access in the rooms of most, but not all, medium to high end hotels. If this is important to you check before booking. Alternatively there are many WiFi hot spots in and around Guildford and WiFinder provides a register.

There are also several places that offer web and other internet access if you are travelling without a laptop. These include:

• Cafe Nero, High Street, Guildford.
• Guildford library, 77 North Street, Guildford, GU1 4AL (at the top of North Street) ph: 01483 568496 (fax: 01483 579177) [29] Free access.
• Quarks Internet Cafe , 7 Jeffries Passage, Guildford, GU1 4AP ph: 01483 451166 [30]

Get out

• London 45 mins by train/car, with many tourist attractions and things to do.

• Portsmouth to see the Historic Dockyard. About 50 mins by train/car.

• Windsor Fabulous royal castle, which the Queen still uses, and very attractive town. Most recently the Guildhall hosted the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla.
• World War I Brookwood American Cemetery and Memorial - Southwest of the town of Brookwood, about 9.5 kilometers (six miles) north of Guildford. Open daily except for December 25 and January 1; 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The final resting place for 468 American military dead from World War I. There is a small chapel inscribed with the names of 563 Missing in Action persons. Free

Theme Parks

There are three very good theme parks all within 45 minutes drive of Guildford:

• Chessington World of Adventures Just off M25, Junction 10 [31] 2006 opening times: from March 27th - October 31st. Great theme park and zoo that is aimed at kids and younger teenagers. Tickets: £29 adults, £19.50 kids, although there are many 1/2 price offers going on around the year.

• Legoland Windsor near Windsor, [32] 2006 opening times: 25th March - 29th October. Good theme park, aimed at younger children, with fewer rides, although it has many lego towns. Tickets: £30 adults, £23 kids.

• Thorpe Park Just off M25, Junction 12 [33] The big theme park in the South! Thorpe Park is aimed squarely at adrenaline junkies (although there are plenty of rides to suit others!) and is well worth a visit. Be sure to go on all the rides, especially Colossus (world's first 10 loop roller coaster), Nemesis Inferno (fast and fun!) and 2006's big new ride, Stealth (0 - 80mph in 2 seconds!)Tickets: £28.50 adults, £20 kids

This is a usable article. It has information for getting in as well as some complete entries for restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow!