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Chester Cathedral
Attractions in Chester

Chester Cathedral and more: what to see in Chester

The middle of Chester has 9 places to visit within 1 km. Mapped inside Chester’s built-up area are 11 places to visit, and within 5 km of its edge another 6. Look for 5 museums, 4 castles and 2 zoos. Of these, one is looked after by English Heritage. For a longer trip, Beeston Castle lies 15 km away.

Photo: Chester Cathedral, Stephen Hamilton (CC BY-SA 3.0)
In Chester
11
inside the built-up area
Within 5 km
6
of the town’s edge
Museums & galleries
5
in or near town
Castles & historic places
8
in or near town
Cared for
1
National Trust, English Heritage, Cadw and others
Best known

Start with these in Chester

2 museums, a castle and a zoo follow Chester Cathedral.

CathedralChester Cathedralin townCastle · English HeritageChester Castlein townZooChester Zooin townFortChester city wallsin townMuseumGrosvenor Museumin townMuseumCheshire Military Museumin town

Each has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.

The map

Where each one is

Old Hawarden Castle, 8.6 km away, is the farthest on the map.

1234567891011121314151617

The dashed line is Chester’s built-up area; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · ONS built-up area 2022

By kind

Which kinds

Count 8 castles or historic places and 5 museums or galleries.

Museums & galleries 5 museums5 in town
Castles & historic places 4 castles · 1 cathedral · 1 fort · 1 historic site · 1 historic house4 in town · 4 nearby
Zoos, theme parks & days out 2 zoos · 2 aquariums2 in town · 2 nearby

Green: inside Chester. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.

1 place is cared for by English Heritage (Chester Castle).

Every place

All 17 on the list

17 places in all: 11 in town and 6 within 5 km of its edge.

The 11 inside Chester come first, best known first; then the places within 5 km, close and well known first. Churches and listed buildings are on the History page, not here.

697 listed buildings and 9 scheduled monuments are on Chester’s History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Chester →

Big names nearby

Trips out

Worth the drive, Beeston Castle (15 km) is first of the 12.

Castle · English HeritageBeeston Castle15 km southeastArt galleryWalker Art Gallery25 km north · 338K visitors a yearCathedralLiverpool Cathedral23 km northCastleHolt Castle Ruins13 km southCathedralMetropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King24 km northBig drawArt galleryTate Liverpool24 km north · 540K visitors a yearArt galleryLady Lever Art Gallery20 km northBig drawMuseumWorld Museum Liverpool25 km north · 606K visitors a yearCastle · CadwCastell y Fflint17 km northwestBig drawMuseumMerseyside Maritime Museum24 km north · 945K visitors a yearCastlePeckforton Castle15 km southeastHistoric house · National TrustJohn Lennon's Childhood Home21 km north

Places well known beyond Chester (Wikipedia articles in several languages, published visitor counts, or a National Trust, English Heritage or Cadw property), close and famous first. Distances are straight lines from the middle of the town.

Your questions on Chester

What are the main attractions in Chester?

The best known inside Chester’s built-up area are Chester Cathedral, Chester Castle, Chester Zoo and Chester city walls. In all, 11 places to visit are mapped inside the town, and 6 more within 5 km.

Does Chester have a museum?

5 museums and galleries are in or within 5 km of Chester: Grosvenor Museum, Cheshire Military Museum, Phoenix Tower, Chester and Sick To Death.

Is there a National Trust or English Heritage property near Chester?

Yes. In or within 5 km of Chester, 1 place is cared for by English Heritage (Chester Castle).

What are the best-known days out near Chester?

Within 40 km: Beeston Castle (15 km), Walker Art Gallery (25 km), Liverpool Cathedral (23 km), Holt Castle Ruins (13 km).

Where are Chester’s historic buildings listed?

Chester has 697 listed buildings, 54 of them Grade I. They are on its History page, from Historic England’s list, not repeated here.

How is this list made?

From OpenStreetMap (museums, galleries, zoos, theme parks and attractions, castles, forts and abbeys, and historic houses and gardens that are open to visitors) and Wikidata (what each place is, who runs it, its website and visitor counts). A place counts for Chester when it is inside the ONS 2022 built-up area, and as nearby within 5 km of its edge. Opening times and prices are not shown: check the official site.

Places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in the ONS 2022 built-up area (Open Government Licence v3.0). Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.

Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).

Photo credits (25)

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.