Salisbury and Salisbury Cathedral, United Kingdom

DATE OF VISIT

Multiple times throughout 2021, 2022 and 2023

WHERE DID I STAY?

The White Hart Hotel, 1 St. John's Street, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP1 2SD. The hotel is an Accor hotel.

This is a very nice and comfortable hotel, located very close to the city centre and opposite the cathedral and cathedral close. It is an easy walk from the hotel to any of the points of interest within the city. There is a hotel car park which includes disabled parking, although at the time of my last visit, (October 2023), some of the car park was restricted due to adjacent building work. When making a room reservation at the hotel, I recommend requesting one of the recently re-furbished rooms. The lobby of the hotel is designed like a home living room and is a very comfortable place to sit, read, chat and enjoy coffee. The "lobby menu" is very nice for sandwiches and snacks. Finally the staff at the hotel are very nice, polite and friendly.

The White Hart Hotel is of course not the only hotel in Salisbury but happens to be the one in which I stay. A view of an App. such as Tripadvisor or Airbnb will provide details of other hotels and places to stay in and around the Salisbury area.

PERSONAL FEEDBACK

Salisbury is a great location for exploring not only this part of SW England, (Wiltshire), but also the city itself. Settlement and inhabitation of the area can be dated back to between 600 - 300 BC. As well as being closely located to sites such as Old Sarum and Stonehenge, the city is located approximately 30kms from Southampton and 50kms from Bath, the latter being on a par with Salisbury from the perspective of historical interest.

The city itself is well served with a wide range of shops, restaurants, cafes, banks, hairdressers and supermarkets. In respect of the latter there is a large centrally located Sainsbury's; a very large Tesco located just off the Southampton Road, (requires a car); and a very large Waitrose, located just outside of the City Centre which is walkable from the City Centre if your "shop" is not going to be too heavy!

PLACES TO SEE & THINGS TO DO

• Salisbury Cathedral
• The City of Salisbury
• The Salisbury Museum
• Arundells (the former home of Prime Minister Edward Heath)
• The Salisbury Playhouse
• Old Sarum
• Stonehenge

I can recommend to you an App. called "Salisbury Trails" which is provided by the City of Salisbury to guide visitors to Salisbury's key landmarks, historic sites and cultural and arts venues. 

PLACES TO EAT

My recommendations for "places to eat" are based entirely on personal experience. A review of Apps such as Tripadvisor will provide you with a greater choice.

• Côte Salisbury, Tel: 01722 335164 (https://www.cote.co.uk/restaurant/salisbury/) a brasserie serving French regional dishes. Very popular and so booking is recommended
• Cosy Club, Tel: 01722 334824 (https://cosyclub.co.uk/) very nice for brunch on Sunday with an extensive menu
• The Haunch of Venison Pub, Tel: 01722 411313 (http://haunchpub.co.uk/) very interesting pub with a very good menu, located very close to the market square. Recommended for both lunch and evening meals
• Thai Sarocha, Tel: 01722 415115 (http://www.thaisarocha.co.uk) if you enjoy Thai food then this is a restaurant for you to visit. I have eaten here on many occasions and have never had a bad meal - highly recommended. The restaurant is located very close to the White Hart Hotel
• The Chapter House, Tel: 01722 341277 (https://www.thechapterhouseuk.com/), an extremely friendly pub/grillhouse which also provides accommodation. The menu is extensive and the grills very nice indeed. The Sunday roast lunch is highly recommended. As above, (the entry on Thai Sarocha), I have eaten here on a number of occasions and have never had a bad meal. The Chapter House is located in close proximity to the White Hart Hotel in St. John's Street
• In addition to the above restaurants, many of the "chain" restaurants and coffee shops are also located in the city and a Google search will provide you with a complete list. A few of these restaurants are as follows:
  • Wagamama
  • Pret a Manger
  • Starbucks
  • Costa Coffe
  • Cafè Nero
  • Prezzo
  • Pizza Express
  • Zizzi
• If you are visiting Salisbury with a car, then there are many, many excellent pubs, (in close proximity to Salisbury), serving food located in the area of Cranborne Chase (https://cranbornechase.org.uk/exploring/pubs/)

LINKS

• Salisbury Cathedral (https://www.salisburycathedral.org.uk/)
• Old Sarum (https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/old-sarum/)
• Stonehenge (https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/)
• History of Salisbury and the surrounding area (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salisbury/)
• The Army Air Corps Museum (https://www.armyflying.com/) A car is required to visit this museum which is located in the village of Middle Wallop approximately 12 miles or 20 kilometres from Salisbury