Originally the Roman city of Deva, Chester is still surrounded by much of the defensive walls which were in place around 2000 years ago....as well as these the Romans left behind many ruins and even an amphitheater for our enjoyment. It is not only the Romans, however, who have left their historic mark on the City - in fact history features so highly in Chester that even many of the shops are built within the "Rows" - Chester's unique two-tiered buildings; these are mainly built in the traditional medieval black and white and have been restored to provide easy access to Chester's main shopping centres. For a more modern shopping experience Chester is close to two major out of town retailing complexes - Cheshire Oaks near Ellesmere Port and Broughton Shopping Park in North Wales.

Whatever your preference we are confident that we can almost guarantee that Chester has some great places for you to eat and drink. There's a great mixture of coffee houses, traditional tea shops, cafe-bars and of course the good old British pub. With Japanese to Jamaican, Thai to Italian restaurants all you have to do is pick the one for you and sit back and enjoy.

If you fancy something a bit more relaxing then perhaps you would enjoy a stroll or boat ride along the River Dee - followed by a picnic in the Grosvenor Park which is just a stones throw from one of the most popular areas of the River.

Chester also boasts a stunning Cathedral. The site on which it is built has been a place of worship for over 1000 years and was once a Benedictine Monastery.

Of course if you're a fan of horse racing or just fancy a day at the races then Chester has it's own racecourse - the Roodee. There is top class flat racing on 12 dates from May to September every year including two three day festivals.

Talking about Chester's main tourist attractions wouldn't be complete without mentioning the Zoo. Chester Zoo currently has over 500 different species of animals and award winning gardens. You can rest assured that conservation is at the very heart of the Zoo and around half the species that are housed there are threatened in the wild. Chester is the 2003 holder of the Good Britain Guide Zoo of the Year.

Finally, Chester does have it's own theatre: the Chester Gateway which offers a good mix of comedy shows, plays and even childrens events. Further to this there are many events 'in the Park' throughout the year.

Chester also offers the opportunity to attend the English in Chester language school for overseas students. They offer a quality learning experience and a caring study environment for those wishing to learn English.

There is so much to do in Chester we simply cannot list everything here - but we hope this has given you a flavour of the city and it's most popular attractions.