Location: Guildford
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What to do and see in Guildford, England: The Best Things to do Good for a Rainy Day
Guildford /ˈɡɪlfərd/ ( listen) is a large town in Surrey, England, United Kingdom located 27 miles (43 km) southwest of central London on the A3 trunk road midway between the capital and Portsmouth.
Restaurants in Guildford
1. Spike Heritage Centre
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 214 reviews
We are open! All tours need to be pre-booked at least 3 days in advance. The Casual ward to the Guildford Union Workhouse was, and still is, known locally as The Spike. This is no ordinary visitor attraction but a unique visit to a time, place and a way of life for generations history often chose to forget. Prepare to be deeply moved as the tour guides escort you through an unforgettable Night at the Spike. 600 Casual wards were built in Britain, the Guildford Casual Ward is uniquely the only remaining with its working cells.
Reviewed By nickymay33 - Godalming, United Kingdom
Six retired teachers from the Guildford area, most of whom had not visited The Spike before, were treated to a guided tour conducted by Dave and TJ. School teachers are not always the easiest people to impress with a talk but this group unanimously agreed that the two volunteers combined to tell an interesting story of the lives of the inmates who were 'allowed' to either sleep for the night on payment of a penny or to work for a whole day in lieu of payment. Neither vagrants nor casuals were able to return within a month and had to find their next accommodation in other nearby towns. This visit illustrated the hardship suffered by the unfortunates who lived in the years before the welfare state came into being. The video shown was good backup for the guides' comments but undoubtedly the highlight of the tour was visiting the actual cells where the inmates slept and worked. The charitable trust which runs this historic gem is continuing to improve the visitor experience with additional information about the history of the workhouse which also stood on this site and which before being demolished became part of St Luke's Hospital. Do visit, knowing that your entrance fee will help to preserve this small part of Guildford's disappearing history.
2. Surrey Wine School
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 432 reviews
Wine Tasting for everyone! Fun, informal and informative Wine Tastings and Courses in Guildford and Surrey. Private (birthdays, hen nights etc) and business groups (client entertainment, team building etc).
Reviewed By Bobgrav
Lovely to be back again. Jeremy has done extremely well to ensure everything is very safe. Masks worn all the time except when tasting, hand sanitiser present and the NHS Covid 19 QR scan when entering the tasting room. Social distancing well thought out so that singles or couples tables are nicely apart. The recent French cheese and wine tasting excellent as usual due to Jeremy's knowledge and presentation. A really fun evening enjoyed by everyone and we all left with more knowledge about the wines and cheeses tasted. Thank you Jeremy, I shall certainly be back for more wine knowledge presented in his unique humerous style. Bob.
3. Shalford Mill
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 72 reviews
Reviewed By Shipp_fi - Guildford, United Kingdom
National Trust volunteer (John) gave us a fascinating tour of the mill. Highly recommend this visit. Learnt so much and his enthusiasm was infectious.So that's where the expression "fair to middling" comes from!
4. Containment
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 242 reviews
Containment is a fun, challenging live escape game just outside Guildford, Surrey. Designed for groups of 4 - 6 people. With 3 rooms running you can pick the challenge that most appeals. We lock you up in a themed room, and give you exactly 60 minutes to get out. In order to beat the live escape game you and your team must solve cryptic puzzles, complete physical challenges and identify clues. Can you and your team work together to escape the rooms? Take on The Bomb, The Vault or The Lab!
Reviewed By egroeg9
Great fun, staff were really friendly before and whilst explaining the escape room to us. Actual escape room was great for all of us, it being our first time. Some puzzles were really challenging and it was a nice touch to add a few red herrings in there as well, just to throw you off the scent of the true answer to the puzzle. Look forward to inviting some more people next time and trying a different room.
5. Natural Light Surrey
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 69 reviews
The perfect place for some well-deserved pampering and relaxation. An oasis of calm a stone’s throw from Guildford Town Center. Here you will find a stillness and sanctuary where you can relax the mind, renew the body and revive the soul. From the moment you walk into the room you are transported by the sounds and aromas. Just a few deep breaths, close your eyes and let go. This is a place to nurture your mind and body - I have created a warm and welcoming environment for you to enjoy the complete benefits of holistic therapy. The scent of lemongrass and clary sage perfumes the air along with candle light and music. This is a precursor of the treatment to follow. The fragrance of home made blended oils, herbs and spices fill the air communicating to your body and mind to completely relax. A tranquil experience, through caring hands. Change the way you feel. Come in stressed. Leave revitalized. Dedicated to your health and wellbeing. Essential Balance. Massage and Wellness.
Reviewed By Nikki6385
Excellent experience from start to finish. Booked a last minute appointment due to having some neck pain, the team were super efficient and accommodating, received email confirmation almost immediately. Alice was incredible with her deep tissue massage and extremely knowledgeable, came away a lot more comfortable and thoroughly relaxed. Will definitely be booking again!
6. 5 Spice Cookery
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 44 reviews
5 Spice Cookery is an oriental cookery school specialising in Malaysian, Thai, and Japanese cuisine based in Guildford, Surrey, UK.
Reviewed By sophieclarme
I booked this for my husbands birthday, we made Massaman curry from scratch, stir fried veg and mango sticky rice. It was so fun to make the curry, seeing all the ingredients and how it comes together. Sue is a great teacher and has so much knowledge and we learnt so much from today! It all tasted incredible and took us back as if we were in Thailand again. We made so much food, we also got to take home what we made and have for dinner. Great experience, yummy food! Thank you for a lovely day
7. Paradox Parlours (formally Guildford Escape Rooms)
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 490 reviews
Our fully interactive, thematic live escape rooms pull you right into the reality of the story. As a team of 2-6 players, can you find the clues, solve the puzzles and beat the room. We have two unique rooms, designed and built by us. Will you help send Vince Baxter, the notorious crime boss down for a terrible murder he's committed in "The Case Of The Missing Gun" or will you help save the human race from the robot uprising of the latest in-home assistance technology in "Venus"?
Reviewed By R2755DVmelanied
I was looking for a family activity over the Christmas period prior to daughter (21) and son (19) returning to university. Given her passion is musical theatre and he is mad about football and indie music, I thought it might be quite difficult to find something that would appeal to us all. However, "The Case of the Missing Gun" fitted the bill perfectly! We all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, the young guy who welcomed us and explained everything was lovely and we will definitely return to try our luck at "Venus".
8. Grape and Grain Tours
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 50 reviews
Grape and Grain Tours run delectable food and drink day tours in the South of England. On the Surrey Hills Tour (departing from Guildford Railway Station) and the Hampshire Tour (departing from Winchester Railway Station) guests enjoy a fun and educational day in the English countryside, visiting an English vineyard for wine tasting, a brewery for beer tasting and a distillery for gin tasting. A delicious two-course gastropub lunch and luxury transport are included. The tours are hosted by company owner, Joel Eastman, who has 15 years experience in the drinks industry. Throughout the day Joel reveals intriguing stories about Hampshire’s rich drinks history. It's a relaxed and social, day perfect for couples, groups of friends, family or work colleagues. Grape and Grain Tours also offers special tours throughout the year, as well as private bookings and corporate tours.
9. St Augustine's Abbey, Chilworth
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 11 reviews
Reviewed By barringtonbunterpat - Brighton and Hove, United Kingdom
Amazing that these Benedictine monks at St Augustine's Abbey, Chilworth receive scores of prayer requests from all over the world via their website and that this tiny, unknown and beautiful part of the Surrey countryside is such a prayerful place.
10. Unplug + Play
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 25 reviews
As with any cafe we'll be serving a fine selection of drinks and snacks to suit every taste, but we offer one thing that sets us apart from everywhere else: entertainment. We have a library of around 300 board games for your enjoyment, from the old familiars such as Monopoly and Pictionary, to the more modern masterpieces like King of Tokyo, Magic Maze, and Inis.
Reviewed By Jess2012l
Came here as a birthday outing as my boyfriend and I had been wanting to go here for a while now and it was amazing! The staff were friendly and knew all about each board game so could describe and help us find one suitable for us. We loved browsing at the wide range of board games to play from 2 player games to trivia to physical games to adult games, and the food and drinks were great too. The prices are very reasonable and we’ll definitely come again as there were so many board games we didn’t have a chance to play! The only thing i would say would be helpful for people like us who had never been before would be that we would have liked to have someone explain to us upon arrival whether we were allowed to get up from our tables or whether the people who worked there came to the tables as we were a bit confused if we were allowed to go and browse at the board games and café area (with social distancing of course!). But apart from that it was brilliant!
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