Visit Leicester Information Centre - Leicester

En Y. L.

Leicester is a city, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a population of 373,399 in 2022. The greater Leicester urban area had a population of 559,017 in 2021, making it the 11th most populous in England,[8] and the 13th most populous in the United Kingdom. A 2023 report ranked Leicester 16th out of the 50 largest UK cities on a range of economic measures, and the first of seven East Midlands cities.

The city lies on the River Soar and is approximately 90 miles (140 km) north-northwest of London, 33 miles (53 km) east-northeast of Birmingham and 21 miles (34 km) northeast of Coventry. Nottingham and Derby lie around 21 miles (34 km) to the north and northwest respectively, whilst Peterborough is located 37 miles (60 km) to the east. Leicester is close to the eastern end of the National Forest.

Leicester has a long history extending into ancient times. The site of an Iron Age oppidum, it developed into the Roman town of Ratae Corieltauvorum following the conquest. The ruins of Ratae were later settled by the Anglo-Saxons, and then captured by the Vikings who made it one of the Five Boroughs of the Danelaw. Leicester became an important town during the Middle Ages, and then an important industrial and commercial centre in the Victorian age, eventually gaining city status in 1919. Since the mid-20th century, immigration from countries of the British Commonwealth has seen Leicester become an ethnically diverse city, and one of the largest urban centres of the Midlands.

Leicester is at the intersection of two railway lines: the Midland Main Line and the Birmingham to London Stansted Airport line. It is also at the confluence of the M1/M69 motorways and the A6/A46 trunk routes. Leicester Cathedral is home to the tomb of King Richard III who was reburied in the cathedral in 2015 after being discovered nearby in the foundations of the lost Greyfriars chapel, more than 500 years after his death. In sporting terms, Leicester is the home to football club Leicester City and rugby club Leicester Tigers.

Christine E.

Organised a coach trip to Leicester which everyone enjoyed. Plenty to see and do, the King Richard 111 visitor centre was well worth seeing. Had a walk around the old town area, some lovely buildings there.

Rich I. D.

Very helpful staff. Thankyou very much for your advice and help. Thankyou for the badge and sticker. I've stuck it on my guitar 🙂

Grzegorz B.

It's alright. Customer service is excellent. You can get some nice Leicester themed souvenirs. They are quite expensive, though.

Can also get some useful info on the local area and the history of it.

Sally G.

Couldn't find anywhere else to rate Leicester but here. Wanted to say what a fantastic city this is. Really interesting to see all the different cultures of people walking about. Some great entertainment on the streets from buskers, loved the clown!! Interesting history with information boards dotted around the streets. Very friendly atmosphere and the city centre streets are so clean! Chatted to a council worker who said they continuously go round picking up litter. Also no chewing gum in sight, the council worker said they come out periodically and clean it up. (Perhaps Leicester people are more responsible about where they dispose of gum!) Other councils could do with taking lessons from Leicester council. Well done!!

Anne S.

Visited the Richard the Third Experience today. Didn’t realise the tourist information centre was in the same place. Very helpful and knowledgeable staff. Thanks for all the good ideas you gave us. We followed many of your recommendations.

Annapatrizia P.

This center presents itself,as a whole, a very welcoming environment and the staff who work there are friendly and competent in giving clarifications to the tourists who go there, the only flaw, as for as I know, the staff only speaks English. To conclude this center is stocked with souvenirs off all tipes,in my opinion not always cheap.

Yadiska

Very nice place with lots of information. They have a variety of maps and pamphlets with information and you can also purchase tours and gifts, as there is a giftshop at the center.