Wells



Wells is the smallest city in England, with a population of around 10,000. It is in Somerset in the south-west of the country. The city is dominated by the magnificent Gothic cathedral and is famous for its remarkably intact ecclesiastical quarter. This area contains the Bishop's Palace – the seat of the Bishop of Bath and Wells – and the Vicar's Close, a medieval street purported to be the oldest continuously-inhabited street in Europe. The city takes its name from the natural wells found in the Cathedral grounds, which feed the moat and ponds around the Bishop's Palace. The majority of the Edgar Wright comedy Hot Fuzz was filmed in and around Wells.

Understand

 * Wells visitor information

By plane
The nearest airport is, around  away. You can hire a car at the airport or catch the bus into Bristol in order to catch a bus to Wells. In common with many rural towns, Wells has no train station.

By car
From Bristol, take the A37 south until you reach the A371, then head west into Wells. From Bath, take the A39 west into the A37, and then on to the A371 west into Wells. If coming from the South, exit the M5 at junction 23, then take the A39 "Bath Road" through Glastonbury and continue North to Wells.

By train
These stations nears Wells are reachable from Bristol and London Paddington:
 * Castle Cary station: bus, changing in Shepton Mallet;
 * Weston-super-Mare Milton station: direct bus;
 * Bristol Temple Meads: direct bus;
 * Bath Spa station: direct bus.

By bus
There is an hourly bus service, number 376, from Bristol to Street. Get on at Bristol bus station or at Bristol Temple Meads rail station. This service is run by FirstGroup and up-to-date timetables can be found here.

Bristol → Pensford → Wells → Glastonbury → Street

Get around
The city is so small that unless you have a medical condition you should have no trouble walking everywhere. If you would like there are taxis but these would only be useful making forays into the countryside (beautiful, by the way) or to nearby Cheddar, but these are accessible by bus, as well. Taxis in Somerset are expensive, even more so than in most large cities.

See




Buy
Every Wednesday and Saturday there is a market in the Market Place with all kinds of local art, jewellery and other goods.

The city's main attractions offer gift shops, perfect for a souvenir to take home.

High Street and the Market Place are probably the best places to shop in Wells. You'll find W. H. Smith, Waterstones and many other shops including charity shops, pharmacies, clothes shops and a wide range of coffee shops. Several shops open on Sundays.

There are several large supermarkets south of the High Street, including Tesco and Lidl, however be careful as pedestrian access involves crossing busy roads (zebra and pelican crossings are installed).

Drink
There are several nice pubs in Wells. The Rose & Crown has some nice ales and a great beer garden, but it can get quite busy on weekends. The City Arms has some great food, but it's quite quiet in there and lacks the pub atmosphere. The Crown has a great atmosphere and it's a great pub.

Go next
Other local attractions near Wells are: These attractions are all accessible by bus (buses usually leave from the bus station near Tesco)
 * Bath
 * Bristol
 * Cheddar
 * Glastonbury
 * Mendip Hills to the north
 * Street (with Clarks Village outlet mall)
 * Shepton Mallet — a pleasant historic market town with a good range of listed buildings
 * Wookey Hole Caves (full of adventure for little kids)