Where to Stay in Lincoln, England

What is Lincoln known for?

Lincoln is crowned by one of England's greatest cathedrals. The towers of Lincoln Cathedral rise on a steep hill, once the tallest building in the world, with Lincoln Castle standing beside them and a Magna Carta kept within its walls. The cobbled climb of Steep Hill links the old town to the new.

Cathedral and castle rule the skyline.

What are the main landmarks in Lincoln?

Lincoln Cathedral towers over the city. Its three great Gothic towers rise from the ridge, once the tallest in the world, the wonder of Lincolnshire, seen for miles across the plain. Castle and old streets ring the close.

Lincoln Castle keeps its Magna Carta beside the cathedral, and the steep medieval lanes fall past the Jew's House to the lower town.

What is the history of Lincoln?

Lincoln began as a Roman colony on the hill. The legions built Lindum Colonia here where the roads met the river, and its walls and gates ringed the crown of the ridge. The Normans made it a stronghold.

After the Conquest they raised Lincoln Castle and began the vast Lincoln Cathedral, which grew so tall that for centuries it was the highest building in the world. Wool and trade made the city rich. Merchants filled the streets below the hill, a great Jewish community built fine stone houses like the Jew's House, and the cathedral drew pilgrims from across the land.

War and time humbled the town. The great spire fell in a storm, plagues and sieges struck the streets, and the city shrank for centuries below its mighty church. The castle still keeps one of the four surviving copies of Magna Carta.

Lincoln Cathedral still towers over the plain for thirty miles around.

Where is Lincoln?

Lincoln stands on a steep hill above a flat land. The old city crowns a limestone ridge over the wide plains of Lincolnshire in eastern England, where the River Witham cuts a gap through the hill toward the fens. Flat farmland stretches away for miles.

The ridge lifts the cathedral high over all.

What is the climate of Lincoln?

Lincoln has a dry, mild climate for England. Cool, damp winters and warm summers follow the seasons, and the eastern plains see less rain than most of the country. Winds sweep cold across the open fens.

Grey skies pass over the ridge and the plain.

How do you get to Lincoln?

Lincoln lies in the flat east of England. Trains run to the city from London and the north, and roads cross the plains toward Nottingham and the sea. Buses reach the villages of Lincolnshire.

Most arrive by rail into the old city.