Coventry

Eco-friendly travel guide to Coventry advises how to be a responsible tourist. Learn how to explore the attractions in a sustainable way and how to respect the local people and culture. Make your trip green by supporting locally owned hotels, organic restaurants and other businesses. Read more on how to protect the environment by making conscientious choices and how to travel green in Coventry, England, United Kingdom.

Coventry city centre

Air quality: 2 / 5

Exploring by foot: 2 / 5

Exploring by bicycle: 3 / 5

Public transportation: 3 / 5

Parks: 3 / 5

Outdoor activities: 4 / 5

Locals' English level: 4 / 5

Safety: 3 / 5

Accommodation: US$10 - $50

Budget per day: US$30 - $150

Responsible Travel

It is not just a city but also the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough in England. This city's total population is estimated to be around 98.64 Km2, and the total population of this city is 371521. The majority of the people present here are Britishers, and then there are Asians, Blacks, and the rest are either mixed race or other. This city was founded in 1043.

Air Quality and Pollution

Air quality in Coventry is poor as per the air quality index in the United Kingdom. The prime reason for such condition is that some cities, including Coventry, are particularly close to areas with high levels of traffic. Several authorities are in charge of monitoring air quality within the district; meanwhile, Environmental Protection monitors check pollution levels with various methods. According to them, the mean concentration of fine particles – 2.5pm is 2.9 g/m3. This city has once suffered from large amounts of Nitrogen Dioxide in the atmosphere, which lead to distinct breathing problems among the citizens. However, the current situation of the city is under control. As a traveller, one must always carry protective gear such as a face mask and other tools to protect yourself from harm.

Respect the Culture

Coventry's cultural heritage forms a unique and vibrant tapestry of ethnic identities and origins, making the city a tourist spot. Although tourists come here in less numbers, Coventry is surely a place to witness some amazing historical and architectural miracles. This city is holds individuals from numerous religions, nationalities, and ethnic origins because Coventry is a home to such communities from all over the world. All this shows the diverse nature of the people around here. Locals help refugees too, and provide them with everything they need. However, you will not see many tourists around here, but the people around are welcoming and helpful in nature. Therefore, as a responsible tourist, you must respect the culture they adhere to by creating a better tourism image. The town celebrates the Embracing African Festival, The Positive Images Festival and The Vaisakhi Parade. The people of this city believe that the region's diversity is not just a feature of Coventry's population, but is in fact, its core strength showing how strong the cultural beliefs are in this part of the country.

Top 10 Places to Visit

Cadbury World, Bournville: Cadbury World is one of the area’s largest attractions luring millions of tourists and travellers from all around the globe to discover the history of chocolate and the manufacturing process via numerous attractive exhibits. This area provides a theme-park-like attraction mainly for children to play and learn about this place's history and how it works.

Birmingham Back to Backs: Birmingham Back to Backs is a worthwhile visiting tourist spot where most people see the unique collection of small 'back-to-backs' homes. This area is full of these homes that offer a unique insight into the working class's horrible conditions. Interesting displays and exhibits are organized for tourists to see the uniqueness of this locality.

Barber Institute of Fine Arts: You can find the Barber Institute of Fine Arts near Birmingham University; it houses an excellent collection of fine arts and ancient remains from the Renaissance to the 20th century. Here, tourists can witness masterpieces by Bellini, Tintoretto, Rubens, Manet, Monet, and many others. The building itself is a piece of art one must not miss while visiting in Barber Institute of Fine Arts.

St. Philip’s Cathedral: St. Philip's Cathedral is the third smallest cathedral in England, built-in 1715; it began as a parish church; now, it is just a historical tourist attraction where you can see its remains. This place is now home to several concert shows and exhibitions where locals visit occasionally.

Jewellery Quarter: Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham houses more than 200 Jewellery stores and showrooms, and galleries allow visitors to see the fine work on precious stones. This place is worth visiting because it has many attractions to visit in addition to loads of historical artefacts that are widely present here.

National SEA LIFE Centre: National SEA LIFE Centre can be found in Birmingham and is home to an impressive exhibit related to marine life. This centre is one of the most important tourist attractions in the city, luring many people to experience marine life closely. This place's architecture is such that it has an underground tunnel that allows visitors an uninterrupted view of the diverse sea life creatures.

Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery: Birmingham Museum was opened in 1885 and was one of the finest museums in the United Kingdom. Its brilliant exhibitions include a wide collection of works by Pre-Raphaelite painters and sculptures by Rodin and James Tower. This entire art gallery showcases artworks from the 17th to 19th centuries. Apart from this, they also display the city's historical and cultural beliefs that help you to know Coventry in a better way.

Victoria Square & Birmingham City Center: Victoria Square and City Center is Birmingham's heart, where thousands of pedestrians come here to see the beautiful part of the city. This place provides you with plenty of opportunities to experience the depth of the city's culture and historical beliefs. When you reach Victoria Square, you will discover loads of other tourist attractions such as Town Hall, Symphony Hall, Council House, and many others.

Holy Trinity Church: Holy Trinity Church is a must-visit place in this region as it was established before 15th century. There are many more historical things to witness like the stone pulpit, the Bible, and world-renowned Doom painting. This place has tons of historic remains from World War II.

Bagot’s Castle: Bagot’s Castle is present in the village of Baginton on the outskirts of Coventry, built in the 11th century during King Henry I era; this place offers you plenty of historic buildings and ancient gardens. All the remains of those eras are worth witnessing. Apart from this, there are several opportunities for children to indulge in Bagot's castle activities.

Cadbury World, Bournville

Explore

Coventry is home to the rich history, culture, ancient legends, and an abundance of unique arts; there are so many activities for you to see and do in this city. From theatre, music, festivals, events to museums, historic buildings, Cathedrals, and medieval history, the city has something for everyone from all over the globe. The town is just one hour from London; you can reach here by any means you prefer. While travelling in and across Coventry, you will witness various attractions. Although not much tourism is present here, you can find tons of places worth visiting. Check out the popular sites in Coventry that one would not want to miss.

City Parks

City parks in any area or locality play a major role in the economic, social, and physical well-being of the respective country's cities and their residents. In Coventry, these city parks provide locals and visitors with a place to relax and act as a powerful tool for urban communities and local economies. These parks here provide you with several playgrounds, blooming gardens, outdoor playing areas, and many more. Here are a few places in and around Coventry, where you can have a perfect day of relaxation and peace.

Caludon Castle Park

Coombe Abbey Park

Allesley Park

Longford Park

Ryton Pools Country Park

War Memorial Park

Caludon Castle Park

National Parks

There are a handful of nature conservatories in Coventry. Apart from this, you can find several other national parks nearby the city with just one or two hours of the ride. These national reserves are home to thousands of distinct flora and fauna species. Here, tourists can join the natural wildlife and experience their activities closely. These national parks provide you with several other outdoor activities like open theatre, hiking, safari, and many more. Some of the popular national parks are:

Brandon Marsh Nature Reserve

West Midland Safari Park

Hartshill Hayes Country Park

Brandon Marsh Nature Reserve

Beaches

Coventry, however, does not house any beaches in the region, but you can enjoy swimming in some places. Also, there are plenty of beach destinations near the city, taking a couple of hours to reach. The beaches mentioned below are the popular beach destinations in and near Coventry.

Hunstanton

Weston-super-Mare

Skegness

Southend-on-Sea

Barmouth

Hunstanton

Landmarks

Here are some famous landmarks in the city that are popular because of their location or special architecture, which would be great to visit with your family. These landmarks are seen by fewer tourists lately because the city is not known much to the public worldwide. The tourism of this city is not as advanced as other cities in the United Kingdom. However, if you visit Coventry, you will be amazed by its wide range of tourist attractions.

Coventry Cathedral

Broadgate

Allesley Park Walled Garden

Belgrade Theatre

Coventry Canal Basin

Coventry Cathedral

Museums

Coventry is a historically, archaeologically, and culturally rich city in England that carries an important legacy by its tourism. The museums over here are present in places surrounding various other important landmarks that portray their bravery and loyalty. Some popular museums in Coventry are:

Herbert Art Gallery and Museum

Coventry Transport Museum

Grayfriars

Black Country Living Museum

Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum

Herbert Art Gallery and Museum

Eat

Coventry's culinary heritage has been revolutionizing since the mid-century – now, the city has plenty of exotic food influences. Whether it be a small vendor shop nearby streets or high-profile restaurants, each place offers you its traditional speciality along with foreign cuisines. This city has a unique diversity; thus, you can find every local and international cuisine at a single spot. Coventry allows you to experience different cuisines in a single region. Here are some best-rated restaurants – traditional and vegan and some street foods you must try while travelling to Coventry.

Traditional Local Restaurants

You can find local traditional restaurants at almost every corner of the city. From historic restaurants to recent eateries with their specialities, there are plenty of fantastic places to try the best traditional British and international food in Coventry. Check out the best traditional restaurants in Coventry that offer a wide range of delicacies you will never forget.

The Farmhouse

The Old Crown

2 Tone Café & Simmer Down Restaurant

Turmeric Gold

Selminas Restaurant & Bar

Vegetarian and Vegan

There are vegetarian restaurants all around the city to provide you with the best of its delicious delicacies. From Indian to International, you can get every sort of cuisine in the city. The following restaurants mentioned below serve you with the best of its vegan food and give a good place to overwhelm yourself. These restaurants are present at prime locations that are easier to find and reach.

Panjabi Hut

My Dhaba

Dirty Kitch

Bella Italia – Coventry

Veggie junction

Blue Orchid

Street Food

From popular restaurants to local food retailers, Coventry surprises you everywhere. You can find wide varieties of street foods anywhere in the city. These street foods are cheap but offer you the opportunity to indulge in the town's local businesses and provide help for society's betterment. Some of the highly-rated street foods in the city are:

Sarmale (cabbage rolls stuffed with minced pork)

Salo (a tup of special cold lard)

Bibimbap

Pizza

Korean BBQ

Drink

Coventry is a diversified city, has a rich culture of drinking in the region. This city offers people from every corner of the city to get lost in the vibe of several events or parties hosted by Coventry bars and clubs. There are no restrictions on drinking alcohol in Coventry, allowing its people to consume alcohol whenever they want. Some numerous bars and restaurants in Coventry's prime locations serve alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks that lure thousands of people to this part of the city.

Tap-water

The tap water of this city is pure and can be consumed directly from the tap itself. More to this, there are few benefits of consuming tap water. The first benefit involves straight drinking the tap water, so you do not have to perform any additional purification methods. You do not have to install a water purifier while living in an apartment or a house. The third is that you do not have to spend money on purchasing water bottles. Consuming tap water can help you to reduce carbon footprints as it eliminates buying plastic bottles. Also, water pollution which is present in this city is low. Therefore, please create water pollution and maintain a low rate of decay.

Organic Cafés

Organic cafes are much better than Normal cafes because the dishes that this cafe serves are made up of typical cafes. These dishes are very much beneficial for health. Therefore, they are mostly preferred by a lot of people. Besides this, organic cafes Create support for local farmers because they deal with local farmers for constant and fresh fruits and vegetables. There are many organic cafes in this city because the locals of this city prefer to eat healthily. The dishes in these cafes cost higher than the usual cafes, but many locals still like to eat healthy instead of saving money. Different organic cafes offer different types of cuisines.

Breweries

There are breweries present in this city that produces beers. One of the famous microbreweries of this city is Byatt's brewery. This brewery was established in 2011, and it also has a beer bar established in 2016. The leading beer which this microbrewery produces is a craft beer and uses a traditional method to brew it. Other than craft beer, they also have a vast variety of beer distributed in the entire city. Another famous bravery is DHillons brewery. This brewery was established in 2015. If you want to stay at your residence or accommodation and enjoy the beer, you can even order online, and your beer will be delivered on the same day. This brewery has its reach not only within the city but also in the entire country. People from any part of the country can order online, but they cannot expect the delivery on the same day. You can even visit the bar to enjoy this beer.

Activities

This city is filled with a lot of adventurous, fun, and exciting activities. Some of the best activities include flight simulator. Flight simulators are a device that gives a real local like the view of flights, and you please the role of a pilot with realistic controls. You can experience how the pilot flies the aircraft. The next activity is wall climbing, where you have to climb a wall with all the safety measures such as a harness and other essential gears. This activity can be an enjoyable activity to do in this city. You can even try going carting in this city. If you're travelling with a group of friends you can try paintball in this city. You can even explore the city while moving around in the city.

Yoga and Retreats

There are yoga end retreat studios available in this city because people focus on their fitness and healthy lifestyle by living in this city. It led to the rise of various fitness centres as well as yoga and meditation centres. One of the famous yoga studios is hot yoga, Coventry. Yoga helps in calming the mind, providing flexibility to the body, and keeping a person fit. This studio even holds online classes to attend the live lectures online if you can't come to this studio. Another famous yoga studio is yoga hush. This studio provides classes during the daytime and the evening. This studio creates an environment that supports yoga. The yoga instructors are highly qualified, educated, and professional in their work. You can take the help of the trainer's expertise to perform yoga. This studio remains closed on Saturday and Sunday, and on Monday and Tuesday, they take evening classes only, and on Friday, there is only morning class. 3rd famous yoga studio is Jean yoga. The best part of this yoga studio is that they'll provide you with private sessions in small groups to pay attention to each of the students. This studio remains closed on Sunday and is open from morning to evening on Monday to Friday. This studio even teaches meditation and relaxation techniques, along with yoga.

Accommodation

When it comes to accommodation, this city has many different accommodation types with charges according to the facilities they provide. There are a bed and breakfast type of accommodation present in this city where you get spacious furnished rooms. This Barnacle Hall bed and breakfast offer historical features in its architecture. You get a large King sized bed, television, Flowers and toiletries. Breakfast in this place starts getting served from 7:00 AM, and there are various dishes. Next is a cottage and the name of this cottage is MacDonald antsy Hall. It is a heart-type of the house where you can enjoy government food and drinks. As it has a vast garden covered with trees, this is the best place to relax. Next are some hotels. One of the best hotels is Best Western plus windmill village hotel, which provides a good quality of accommodation and various features such as swimming pool, steam room, sauna, gym, and golf course. There are other different types of accommodation which are also present in this city. These were some of the best and famous kinds of accommodation.

Green Hotels

Green hotels are different from ordinary hotels as they are known for their eco-friendly methods through which they serve their customers and do not harm their nature. There is green water present in this city which offers different could be fit along with spacious rooms. Green hotels are also known for the fresh air and fresh environment which they provide to their customers away from the city. There are hotels which provide Free Wi-Fi access, furnished and specialist rooms, a swimming pool and a pub where you can party at night. There is another hotel which is famous for its relaxed rooms. Other complimentary service includes free Wi-Fi access, sauna and a launch to host parties or meetings.

Hostels and Guest Houses

Many students visit this city; therefore, there are different accommodations present for students. There are student hostels present in the town that ordinary tourists should not use because these hostels have time restrictions. After a specific time, the doors of this hostel close this hostel of. The main aim of these hostels to teach discipline to students. However, you can still accommodate backpackers hostel established for tourists, especially the backpacker’s tourists' community. Backpackers are those tourists who visit any city and do not stay in a particular city for a longer time and generally carry only a bag. These hostels can help you save a lot of money you would have to spend on other accommodations. You can get good company here.

Apartments

Apartments are flats which are available for rent. The apartments of this city are fully furnished, clean, and spacious rooms. There is an apartment in this city which is a very popular comment this apartment offers two bedrooms, a Hall and a kitchen, and a flat TV with some channels. The kitchen is modular. Therefore you can find a dishwasher and a microwave along with other things. You can use the kitchen for cooking your food. Another apartment in this city offers three bedrooms, one Hall and one kitchen. This apartment offers two bathrooms with showers but stops. The kitchen is a model dealer; therefore, you can find a dishwasher and microwave. For laundry, there is a washing machine in this apartment that can clean the clothes. Similarly, there are two-bedroom, one Hall, one kitchen apartment, and three-bedroom, one Hall, and one kitchen apartment in this city.

Couchsurfing

There are nearly 4000 hosts registered in this city, ready to accept you for couch surfing. Some of the advantages of couch surfing include that you can save a lot of money with this method's help, which you would have to spend on other accommodation options. The next benefit is that while living with a host family, you can experience that city's culture. This method can help you to make new friends. Some of the disadvantages of couch surfing include that the hosts are unreliable and can cancel the meeting at the very end time. You must always check the host's background, including the job he does because sometimes the host might be very busy with his work, so she will not spend much time with you. The next disadvantage is that this city's crime rate is high; therefore, you should not couch surf here, or even if you want to couch surf, you must have all the knowledge about the host.

Camping

There are campsites present in this city where you can camp, but the problem with these campsites is that camping in this city is not free, especially in these campsites, therefore, you have to pay 5 pounds per night. You even have to purchase other essential equipment such as a tent where you will sleep and other necessary items that may be costly. Therefore camping in this city can be very expensive. Also, the crime rates of this city are very high full you must avoid camping. Camping can be very adventurous as well as relaxing are you will sleep between the natures enjoying the new environment provided by the trees.

How to Get There

There is an International Airport in the city which have established air Connections with major cities of countries. Therefore, you can reach her. You can even take indirect flights to get to this city. You can even get to this city by road from cities like London or other nearby towns. Other than this, you can even hire a taxi, but that can cost higher than other accommodation options. There are trains present in this city and can help you reach this city through London and other nearby towns. You can even reach here with waterways such as a boat through Coventry Canal, but that can take a lot of time.

Air

There is an airport in this city named Coventry airport. The Rigby group owns this airport. The passenger service was ceased in 2008. The nearest passenger airport present in this city is Birmingham airport. You can take a flight to this airport and reach here through buses or trains. The distance can be covered in a short time.

Outside the Coventry Airport

Bus

There are buses which are very comfortable in this city. These buses can be used to travel from neighbouring cities such as London or Birmingham. The fare charges of these buses are not much. You can even use your credit card to pay if you do not want to spend cash. You can meet a lot of new people while using buses. There is no international bus facility available.

Bus in Coventry

Train

There is a railway station in this city, and the name of this railway station is Coventry Railway station. This station has four platforms, and this railway station was opened in 1838 and was rebuilt in 1962. There are trains which can help you to travel from other cities within the country. More to this, some trains can help you cover long distances quickly. These trains are very much comfortable.

Hitchhiking

Hitchhiking is possible in this city, but you cannot travel internationally. However, this place's crime rate is very high; therefore, you must not use this type of method to travel to this city. With the help of hitchhiking, you can save a lot of money but you need to be extra cautious while choosing this option in this city.

Others

There are no other ways to reach here directly, and the only way is through the airport. More to this, you can travel to this city with the help of hiring a taxi. Hiring a taxi can cost you very much higher than other travel options. There is already a lot of pollution in this city, and taxis will create pollution. Therefore you must use it only in the case of an emergency.

Moving Around

You can move around the city, but you must take proper precautions at night because the crime rate is high. There are buses which can help you to move around the city. Other than this, some trains can help you move around or reach any place in less time. You can use the cycle to move around the city. Walking and covering the whole city will be tough.

Walk

Walking in this city is not safe at night. Therefore, you should avoid walking at night. More to this, there are city parks where you can walk. While walking, you can meet a lot of people. If you travel to this city in summer, you must be hydrated enough. There are a few walking tours available in this city.

Bicycle

There are bicycles available for rent which can be used to move around the city. You can even purchase a second-hand cycle to move around the city if you stay for a longer time. The streets might be confusing; therefore, you must have your mobile phone with you. In summer, you must have a water bottle to stay hydrated. Bicycling can help you to remain fit.

Electronic Vehicles

There are electronic vehicles present in this city. These vehicles can help you to reduce your carbon footprints. More to this, there are electric taxis which are present in this city. You can hire electric taxis to move around the city. Electric vehicles reduce air and noise pollution.

Public Bus

There are public buses present in this city. These buses can help you to move around the city. More to this, public buses can help you to meet a lot of new people. You can book the local buses through the online application. You can even book them online to save cash and also the ticket will be sent to your mobile phone.

Tram, Train and Subway

There are fewer trains present in this city which can help you to move around the city. Other than this, these trains can help you to reach any destination within the town in lesser time. These trains are very comfortable. You can check the status of the train online. There are no trams in this city.

Sustainable Shopping

Sustainable shopping involves shopping for those products whose production does not harm nature by any means. These products are made without harming nature; therefore, these products are far better than average yields. Sustainable products require more staffing than machine power; thus, there is a lot of labour required during the production, resulting in increased employment. Local food or flea market, which farmers organize, comes under sustainable food products because farmers arrange the market. More this, sustainable shopping like second-hand products is less costly than average yields.

Food Markets

Coventry Market

Kalma Foods

Arina Market

Sultan Market

Flea Markets

Tesco Extra

Tesco Superstore

Bristol Flea Market

Second Hand Stores

New To You

British Heart Foundation

Eco-Fashion

Arrow Store

H&M

Lee

Recycling

Recycling is a good practice that involves reusing products that can be reused. Recycling helps reduce the use of new raw material obtained through different harmful processes, including mining, cutting trees, and others. There are few raw materials obtained through mining or cutting down trees that are harmful to the earth, and recycling reduces these activities. Recycle includes those wastes that can be reused; therefore, it reduces waste by sending it to the recycling centre.

Waste

Waste needs to be dumped because junk is useless and most of it cannot be recycled; therefore, it is sent to a landfill. Landfills are vast pieces of land where all the waste is dumped collectively. Trash is further forwarded to the incinerator, where it is decomposed. Around 60 per cent of this city is dirty because the locals of this city do not have time to help the government to clean this city. They also litter the waste anywhere they want.

Work and Study Abroad

This city's education pattern is divided into four major parts, which are known as critical stages. The crucial step lies between the age groups of 5 to 7 years old, and key stage 2 lies between the age 7 to 11 years, key stage 3 lies between the age of 11 to 14, and the last step, which is stage 4, lies between the age group of 14 till 16 years of age. The first two key stages, stage 1 and stage 2, come under primary education, and stage 3 and stage 4 come under secondary education.

Exchange Student

Many universities present in this city that have access to this program, especially Coventry University, are among the best universities and come on 13th ranking in the world. This University faces a lot of students who visit this city as a student exchange program youth. With this program's help, you can learn a different culture and a foreign language used in that country. This program can help you to gain experience in two other countries. Some personal benefits of this program are that you can boost your self-confidence.

Au Pair

This method can help you to stay in any particular city without spending anything on accommodation. Au pair work is widely available in this city because both the parents are usually working, so they are always searching for a person who can take care of their child. More to this, the crime rate of this city is high. Therefore you must take proper precautions while serving as an au pair.

Volunteering

Volunteering involves social work which can be done in abroad in order to know about the locals in more detail while travelling on holidays. It makes volunteering difficult in a foreign country because you do not have an earning. Many volunteering organizations help homeless and jobless people by providing them with food and shelter. Some of them help stray animals and look after them. You can join any of the organizations you wish to work with.