Go to a gallery
Art buffs can visit galleries including the New Art Exchange, the Nottingham Contemporary and Nottingham Castle, with its collections of textiles, silverware and glass. The Nottingham Playhouse and Lakeside Arts Theatre, meanwhile, offer diverse programmes: Philip Pullman's I Was A Rat has its UK premiere at the Playhouse in March.
Find a fashionable spot
Nottingham is the perfect place for fashion-conscious visitors. Delve into the world of Nottingham legend Sir Paul Smith by visiting his first shop on Byard Lane or his flagship store in Willoughby House. Then refresh yourself at one of more than 300 places to eat and drink. Try two- star Michelin restaurant Sat Bains on Lenton Lane or stylish cuisine at World Service restaurant, next to Nottingham Castle.
Get to know literary legends
There's more to Nottingham than Robin Hood. Discover characters from the county's more recent past by following in the footsteps of one of the most fashionable, and notorious, poets of Georgian England, Lord Byron. His writing was inspired by his ancestral home, Newstead Abbey, as well as by St Mary Magdalene church in Hucknall. Another of England's great literary figures can be discovered at the DH Lawrence Heritage Centre, which vividly portrays the writer and the coalmining landscape in which he grew up. Nottingham's literature will be celebrated during the Festival of Words (9-24 February), when the city is home to a multitude of literary events. Speakers will include Michael Rosen, Alice Oswald, AL Kennedy and David Almond.
