Norwich is the capital of East Anglia, an area on the east coast of England which is famous for its natural beauty and impressive architecture. Norwich is a wonderful city to explore and is popular with tourists all year around.

Norwich is not a city of luxurious hotels, bit it has a good selection of reasonably priced places to stay in, both in the city centre and further out. The Beeches Hotel, for example, next to the cathedral, has a beautiful Victorian garden. Comfortable accommodation costs £65 for two nights’ bed and breakfast per person. Norwich is famous for its magnificent cathedral. The cathedral has a summer programme of music and events which is open to general public. One event, “Fire from Heaven”, is a drama and musical performance with fireworks, a laser light show and a carnival with local people dressed in colourful costumes.

Norwich is also home to the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, a world-class collection of international art in a building at the University of East Anglia. This is well worth a visit and there is a lovely canteen with an excellent selection of hot and cold snack. It also specializes in vegetarian food. In addition, the city has a new professional theatre, the Playhouse, on the River Wensum. The city’s annual international arts festival is from 10 to 20 October.

Finally, if you fancy a complete break from the stresses of everyday life, you could hire a boat and spend a few days cruising along the river of the famous Norfolk Broads National Park. In our environmentally friendly age, the emphasis has moved towards the quiet enjoyment of nature and wildlife. You can hire a boat, big or small, for an hour or two or even up to a week or two. This makes a perfect day out holiday for people of all ages.

(Adapted from “Succeed in Cambridge English Preliminary” by Andrew Betsis and Lawrence Mamas)