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5 Places to visit In Coventry for FREE

1. Coombe Abbey

This stunning park has 500 acres of magnificent woodland, gardens, lakes and parks. Within the grounds stands the Coombe Abbey Hotel, built in 1150. The Abbey has been operating as a hotel since 1995. You can still visit the grounds without being a guest of the hotel. The Coombe Abbey country park is ideal for dog walking, summer days out, picnics and at times BBQ’s. In the past, Coombe Abbey has hosted big events, such as the Coombe Weekender back last year. 

In Spring 2019, Go Ape’s newest tree-top assault course came to Coombe Abbey, which is a chargeable attraction within the grounds of Coombe. There are toilets onsite, as well as places to eat and drink. There is also a discovery centre. 

If you are taking the car, please keep in mind that parking is NOT free. You can find the cost of parking HERE

Coombe Hotel
Coombe Abbey

The city has had three cathedrals. The first was St Mary’s, a monastic building, of which only a few ruins remain. The second was St Michael’s, a 14th-century Gothic church later designated cathedral, which remains a ruined shell after its bombing during the Second World War. The third is the new St Michael’s Cathedral, built after the destruction of the former. You can now visit the cathedral for free (previously £6 per adult). You can also walk through the cathedral ruins. The cathedral is based in the town centre of Coventry. Various car parks are located near by at a cost, but it is also easily accessible via public transport.

Before you plan on visiting the Catherdral. Make sure you visit the website https://www.coventrycathedral.org.uk/ to make sure there are no private events on. They have calendar available so you can plan your visit.

Coventry Cathedral & Ruins

3. Herbert Art Gallery

The Herbert Art Gallery is a museum, art gallery, records archive, learning centre, media studio and creative arts facility on Jordan Well in Coventry. 

It is a perfect place to delve into Coventry’s history and engage with art and culture. Named after Sir Alfred Herbert, a local industrialist who founded Alfred Herbert Limited, at one time the world’s largest manufacturer of machine tools. An exhibition of modern art, historical artefacts, and a room full of old masters and various other exhibitions. 

There are also interactions within the galleries. The Herbert Art Gallery is free to enter and often has various theme workshops and other activities during school holidays. The gallery is located in the town centre. Various car parks are located near by at a cost, but it is also easily accessible via public transport.

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Herbert Art Gallery

The war memorial park is a large park of about 48.5 hectares located just outside the city centre. The park was opened in July 1921 as a tribute to the 2,587 Coventrians who died between 1914 and 1918 fighting in the First World War. 

The most prominent structure within the park is the city’s war memorial monument, built in 1927. The park is a great space for picnics. Small disposable BBQ’s are allowed too, but discouraged due to previous damage caused to the park benches. 

There are ample facilities for all kinds of activities. Facilities include Football Pitches, Bowling Green, tennis courts, a small golf course, splash and play area (only open at certain times), a skate board area and an outdoor fitness trail with 9 exercise stations.

 They also offer a free weekly 5km park run every Sunday for anyone to participate in if they wish. The memorial park is the host of the annual Godiva Festival, which is a huge event held every summer. 

Parking at the memorial park is free.

War Memorial Park

5. FarGo Village

FarGo Village is an artistically repurposed industrial space in the outskirts of the city centre, designed exclusively for creative and independent businesses. FarGo is a mixture of mobile catering units, small boutique style units housed in container like structures, and large warehouse stores.

Units include coffee shops, a vegan cafe, craft beer brewery ‘Twisted Barrel’, vintage clothing shops and the world’s only museum dedicated to TV actor Phil Silvers. The comic book writer/artist Al Davison also has a shop at FarGo. 

It is free to enter FarGo village and look round. Of course, you may want to take money with you and indulge in a bit of shopping, drinking and eating. It is easily accessible by public transport. If travelling by car, there is a charge for parking. There are 4 local car parks to choose from. 

The prices and locations of which can be found HERE.

fargo
FarGo Village

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