Almost equidistant between London and the south coast, Basingstoke is a large, growing town with Roman roots that’s moved with the times and is now an excellent destination in its own right. Whether you want a family day out at the living history Milestones Museum, exploring the gorgeous Eastrop Park or trying your hand at indoor skydiving, it’s all right here in Basingstoke. And our two hotels in Basingstoke are ideally placed to take in all the action. Factor in a vibrant eating out and café scene, historic pubs and cool bars, several much-loved theatre spaces, a sprawling and ultra-modern shopping centre and excellent transport links and you have a real hidden gem well worth discovering.
Things to do in Basingstoke
Shopping
Not just the leading shopping destination in Basingstoke with over 140 big brands, Festival Place Shopping Centre is also a leisure and entertainment venue with its own trampoline park Flip Out, a huge sports centre spread over seven floors, a 10-screen Vue multiplex and dozens of cafés, bars and restaurants. Located in the heart of town, a short walk from the train station and our Basingstoke Town Centre hotel, the two-floor shopping centre is home to an Apple Store, Debenhams, Gap, H&M and more and open as late as 8pm during the week.
Nearby is The Malls, a smaller multi-purpose shopping centre home to Jessops, Primark, Boots and Argos. As well as hosting a variety of cafés and restaurants, the centre also put on regular events during the year including craft workshops, cooking demonstrations and Christmas fairs.
Located on the north-east edge of Basingstoke, Chineham Shopping is an out-of-town retail park with over 30 stores, cafés and restaurants including Tesco, Boots and Matalan. Open until 9pm during the week and with plenty of free parking, it’s a great place to pick up some essentials or grab a bite to eat.
Getting Around
A relatively small airfield, Southampton Airport welcomes around two million passengers each year flying on easyJet, Flybe, KLM and more to domestic and international destinations including Dublin, Geneva, Amsterdam, Leeds and Manchester. The 30-mile journey takes around half an hour by car or 25-minutes via a direct train service.
With over 1,000 flights each day, Heathrow Airport is the busiest UK terminal and just 40-minutes drive from Basingstoke, an hour by a direct bus service from the train station or 90-minutes via train including two changes. Alternatively, travel the day before and stay the night in one of our hotels near Heathrow Airport.
With regular departures across the local region and further afield to Birmingham, London, Reading and Manchester, Basingstoke Train Station is located in the centre of town. The five-platform station houses several cafés, toilets, a waiting room with a major bus stop and taxi rank outside the main hall.
Shopping in Basingstoke
