Serviced Apartments in Chester

Discover the best activities and attractions Chester has to offer, and find out what makes this city a vibrant and exciting place to live or visit.

Chester Cathedral
Chester Cathedral is a striking medieval building at the heart of the city that serves as a place of worship, a major visitor attraction and a cultural hub. Its architecture, guided tours, concerts, exhibitions and education programmes bring residents and tourists into the city centre, supporting nearby shops, cafés and hotels. The cathedral’s events and volunteering opportunities strengthen community cohesion and local identity, while ticketed tours and donor support contribute to conservation jobs and the local heritage economy.

Chester Zoo
Chester Zoo is one of the UK’s largest and most visited wildlife attractions, renowned for its conservation work, immersive habitats and global breeding programmes. As a charity and major employer in the region, the zoo generates significant tourism spend—supporting hotels, restaurants and transport—and funds conservation and education both locally and internationally. Its family-focused attractions, seasonal events and outreach projects make it a cornerstone of Chester’s visitor economy and a practical centre for wildlife education.

The Rows (Chester City Centre)
The Rows are Chester’s unique, historic two-level medieval shopping galleries that run along the city’s main streets, housing a mix of independent shops, national retailers, cafés and specialist boutiques. This distinctive streetscape is a major draw for visitors seeking heritage shopping experiences, bringing steady footfall that sustains small businesses and contributes to town-centre vitality. The Rows’ combination of architecture, retail diversity and hospitality underpins local employment and keeps Chester’s city centre commercially vibrant.

Grosvenor Park & the River Dee
Grosvenor Park, together with the scenic River Dee waterfront and riverside walks, provides a green, recreational heart for the city—popular for picnics, festivals, bandstand concerts and family outings. The park and riverbank support community wellbeing, open-air events and leisure businesses (boat hires, cafés), and they enhance Chester’s appeal as a place to live and visit. Their role in hosting seasonal festivals and markets drives local spending and provides accessible recreational space that boosts quality of life for residents.

Chester Racecourse (the Roodee) and Racing Events
Chester Racecourse, known as the Roodee, is the oldest racecourse in continuous use in England and stages major fixtures such as the Chester May Festival. Race days and special events draw large crowds, generating substantial short-term income for local hospitality, retail and transport sectors and providing seasonal employment. Beyond economic impact, the racecourse is a cultural landmark—its history and high-profile meetings contribute to Chester’s national profile and provide social and entertainment opportunities for the community.

Explore the diverse transport options available in Chester, from efficient public transportation systems to convenient road networks. Whether you're commuting to work or exploring the city, this section will give you an overall look at the available transportation systems.

Public Transit System
- Chester railway station - Main rail hub in the city centre providing intercity and regional services; served by operators including Avanti West Coast (directs to London Euston and other intercity routes), Transport for Wales (services across North Wales and into Manchester/Wrexham), and Merseyrail (frequent commuter links into Liverpool). The station has multiple platforms, ticketing facilities and connections to local buses.
- Local and regional buses - Centrally routed from the Chester Bus Interchange / bus station with frequent services around the city and to nearby towns (Ellesmere Port, Wrexham, Deeside, North Wales and Liverpool); operated by major regional companies and smaller local operators.
- Park & Ride services - Several Park & Ride sites on the outskirts of Chester offering regular shuttle buses into the city centre to reduce central congestion and provide parking for commuters and visitors (examples include Upton and other edge-of-town sites).
- Long-distance coach services - Intercity coach routes operate to and from the bus interchange, providing direct or single-change links to major UK cities and airports.
- Taxis and private-hire - Traditional licensed taxis (ranks around the city centre and station) and app-based private-hire services operate across Chester for on-demand travel and airport transfers.
- River transport and leisure boats - Seasonal and leisure passenger boats operate on the River Dee (short cruises and sightseeing trips) useful for leisure travel and tourism connections along the river.

Major Highways
- M56 - East–west motorway linking Chester area with Manchester, the M6 and onward national motorway network; primary route for travel to the North West and M6 interchange.
- M53 - Provides a north–south connection on the Wirral peninsula linking into routes toward Liverpool and the Merseyside area.
- A55 (North Wales Expressway) - Key dual carriageway along North Wales coast providing fast links west toward Holyhead (ferry port to Ireland) and eastwards to connect with English motorway network.
- A41 - Major trunk road running south from Chester toward Telford and the West Midlands, used for regional north–south journeys.
- A483 / A494 - Important regional routes providing links between Chester, Wrexham, Deeside and other parts of North Wales and facilitating cross-border travel between England and Wales.

Cycling Infrastructure
- City cycle routes and paths - Chester has a mixture of signed on-road cycle lanes, off-road shared-use paths and riverside/Greenway routes (including the Dee towpath), plus National Cycle Network links and council Active Travel initiatives that aim to improve segregated cycle lanes, junction safety and connections to Park & Ride and suburban neighbourhoods.

Recent and Upcoming Improvements
- Chester Bus Interchange redevelopment - Centralised, modernised bus interchange and street-level improvements that have improved bus connectivity, passenger facilities and interchange with the railway station, reducing transfer times and congestion in the city centre.
- Rail station accessibility and platform upgrades - Recent Network Rail and station works to improve accessibility (lifts/ramps), platform capacity and passenger facilities, supporting more reliable and comfortable rail commuting and better intermodal connections.
- Service and rolling stock upgrades on regional rail - Operator and government-led investments (Transport for Wales and intercity operators) in timetables, new trains and service patterns across North Wales and into the North West that increase capacity and reliability for Chester commuters and longer-distance travellers.
- Active Travel and cycling schemes - Cheshire West and Chester Council projects to expand and upgrade cycling and walking infrastructure (more segregated lanes, improved crossings and routes into the city centre) to encourage sustainable commuting.
- EV charging and parking improvements - Ongoing roll-out of electric vehicle charging points in public car parks, Park & Ride sites and on-street locations, together with parking management upgrades to support more low-emission travel into and around the city.
- Trunk road and junction work on routes serving Chester - National Highways and local highways maintenance and targeted capacity or safety improvements on strategic routes (A55, M56 corridors and key junctions) that reduce delays for regional and cross-border journeys.