Things to do in Swindon

If castles and country parks are your thing, you’re in luck – there are dozens of leafy parks and ruined castles dating back to the Iron Age just waiting to be discovered in Swindon.

With The Brunel and The Parade shopping centres offering everything from high street classics to cool boutiques, Swindon town centre shopping has all bases covered.

From paintball to laser quest, go-karting to skateboarding and rock climbing to cycle trails, you’ll find the right activity for you in Swindon whether it rains or shines.

Choose from over a dozen hand-picked restaurants, cafés and food markets with our eating-out guide, spanning everything from Brazilian to Italian cuisines. Tuck in!

Whether you’re up for a night of bar-hopping, an Old Town pub crawl or want to dance until dawn, we’ll point you in the right direction for your night out in Swindon.

Choose from either the Wyvern Theatre or the Swindon Arts Centre, both of which put on a broad range of musicals, plays, stand-up comedy and more.

With six museums on offer, spanning everything from the birth of railways to the rise of computers, Swindon’s museum scene is one of its main attractions.

Any town that puts on annual beer and literature festivals is OK by us. Factor in several art galleries and museums and you have an impressive cultural scene.

From microbreweries to historic watering holes, Swindon has a thriving pub scene. It’s easy to make a night of it with a pub crawl around the Old Town, or head out into the countryside for a breath of fresh air and a fine local ale.

Theatre, comedy, sport, music – Swindon might be relatively small, but it has lots to offer. Its theatres are well worth a visit, and with football, motocross, greyhound racing and ice hockey on offer, Swindon also packs a sporting punch.

Bristol Airport is handily located just 40 miles away, while the bus and train stations are a short walk from each other and from the town centre, making getting in and around Swindon a real breeze.

There are three hotels in Swindon to choose from if you're planning to visit this historic town, which boasts a wide range of shopping opportunities and traditional pubs as well as some stunning stately homes within easy reaching distance.