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market town in the county of Norfolk, England
Europe > Britain and Ireland > United Kingdom > England > East of England > Norfolk (England) > King's Lynn

King's Lynn is the third largest town in Norfolk in England with a population of 42,800. It is a town with great history, having being founded in medieval times, and is situated towards the west of the county on the Great Ouse river and near the Wash estuary. Though it may not be the great trading port today that it was in years gone by, Lynn's marine links are still a defining feature of the town.

Understand

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King's Lynn Customs House and George Vancouver Statue
Vancouver statue in Kings Lynn

The word 'Lynn' means pool and likely originally refers to a tidal pool on the Ouse, which by the end of the 11th century was home to a small trading settlement. By the 14th century it had a population of about 6,000, which by medieval standards made it a large and important town. Lynn had strong links with the Hanseatic League, with merchants from the rest of Europe doing much trade with Lynn and in 1475 a Hanseatic Warehouse was built for them. Previously named Bishop's Lynn, the town came to be known as King's Lynn in the 16th century.

The old industries of Lynn all but died out by the end of the 20th century. However, fishing in the nearby Wash remains important to the town, as well a growing tourism sector, with many museums and cultural attractions developing. Since the 2000s, King's Lynn has hosted a growing Polish & eastern European community.

King's Lynn is the place where explorer George Vancouver was born.

Get in

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By train

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  • 1 Railway Station, Blackfriars Rd, King's Lynn, PE30 1NX. A two-platformed station located near the centre of the town, and is within 5 minutes walking distance of the town's shopping centre. Direct trains from London King's Cross via Cambridge and Ely terminate at King's Lynn, with journey times from London being around 1 hr 45 min. The station reception is open 5-8PM on weekdays and is well staffed considering its size. King's Lynn railway station (Q26668836) on Wikidata King's Lynn railway station on Wikipedia (updated Apr 2017)

By road

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King's Lynn is at the end of the A10 from London and Cambridge, the A17 from Newark and is on the A47 between Birmingham and Great Yarmouth. King's Lynn is also on Sustrans (National Cycle Network) Route 1.

By bus

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The majority of bus services around King's Lynn town centre are operated by https://www.lynxbus.co.uk/ with their flagship Coastliner 36 service providing half hourly (summer) / hourly (winter) services around the North Norfolk coast. Other services in and around King's Lynn and the nearby villages are served by https://www.gtt-online.co.uk/, Lynx Bus and First who operate the long distance X1 service from Peterborough to Lowestoft via Wisbech, King's Lynn, Swaffham, Dereham, Norwich and Great Yarmouth.

National Express also run a further 2 long distance services: 1 daily service to and from London Victoria Coach station and 1 daily service running to Birmingham from Great Yarmouth.

By boat

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King's Lynn town centre can be accessed from West Lynn on a small passenger ferry. Although King's Lynn has an active port, there are no regular long-distance passenger ferries.

By bicycle

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On foot

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Get around

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The town centre is best explored on foot. Local buses serve the suburbs and nearby towns.

St. Nicholas's Chapel
St. Margaret's Church
King's Lynn Guildhall

Further out

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  • 8 Castle Rising Castle, PE31 6AH, ☏ +44 1553 631330. adults £4.00, children £2.50, concessions £3.30. Castle Rising Castle (Q1049485) on Wikidata Castle Rising Castle on Wikipedia 
  • 9 Sandringham House, PE35 6EH (6 miles north-east of King's Lynn). House mid-Apr to mid-Jul and Aug to Oct: 11AM-4:45PM, gardens all year. The King's house in Norfolk, owned by the royal family (not the nation) since 1862. The ground floor of the house, a museum, the church and the grounds are open - allow four hours to see it all. £13. Sandringham House (Q935116) on Wikidata Sandringham House on Wikipedia 
  • 10 Downham Market is a pleasant small town 11 miles south of King's Lynn. It has the medieval Church of St Edmund and an impressive Victorian clock tower. Half a mile south of town is the six-storey Denver windmill, built in 1835.

King's Lynn has three small markets each week. On Tuesday and Friday, the market is held in the Tuesday Market Place, and on Saturday in the Saturday Market Place. Specialities include fish and seafood (local brown shrimp on Tuesday and Saturday), local organic fruit and veg (Friday) and a Country Market stall selling locally-produced cakes, preserves, produce and plants (Friday).

There are many independent shops, including an egg shop.

After extensive redevelopment, the town center now has many more shops to offer including: TK Maxx, New Look, JJB Sport, TJ Hughes, Monsoon, Accessorize, 2 new coffee shops (Cafe Nero and Costa) and many discount shops

  • 1 Sainsbury's (Superstore/supermarket), Scania Way, Hardwick Industrial Estate, PE30 4LR, ☏ +44 1553 731720. M-F 7AM-11PM, Sa 7AM-10PM, Su 10AM-4PM. Petrol station (different hours), cafe (different hours), pharmacy (different hours). ATMs. (updated Apr 2017)
  • 2 Asda (Supermarket), Langley Road, South Wootton, PE30 3UG (2 miles NE of town centre), ☏ +44 1553 731310. M-Sa 7AM-11PM, Su 10AM-4PM. (updated Apr 2017)
  • 3 Morrisons (Supermarket), Coburg St, PE30 1RX, ☏ +44 1553 768596. M-Sa 7AM-10PM, Su 10AM-4PM. Petrol station (different hours), cafe (different hours). ATMs (updated Apr 2017)

At the top end of the market are the Riverside Restaurant, Prezzo and Luigi's, all excellent places to eat.

For cafe food and drink, try the Green Quay cafe on South Quay or Crofters.

Avoid the Globe on the corner of the Tuesday market place and walk straight past down to the Crown & Mitre at the bottom of Ferry Street for a wonderful selection of traditional home cooked meals at very affordable prices.

Drink

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Most pubs in the town have a very reasonable selection of not only lagers and bitters, but also local ales. As in all towns and cities there are several places that are not up to scratch. The Crown & Mitre is well worth a visit with its fine selection of real ales and all the maritime artifacts you could wish to see.

Sleep

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  • 1 Duke's Head, 5-6 Tuesday Market Place, PE30 1JS, ☏ +44 1553 774996. If you would prefer a slightly more upmarket hotel, is well worth a look. Stunning outside architecture, and situated on the Tuesday Marketplace, this is one of the best places to stay. Free Wi-Fi. (updated Apr 2017)
  • 2 The Globe Hotel, Tuesday Market Place, King St, PE30 1EZ, ☏ +44 1553 668000. 
  • 3 Congham Hall, Lynn Rd, Grimston PE32 1AH (6 miles southeast of King's Lynn), ☏ +44 1485 600250, . Upscale hotel and spa in Georgian manor near the King's temporary residence at Sandringham, in extensive parkland. Great comfort, service and dining. B&B double £200. (updated Aug 2020)
  • 4 Maranatha Guest House, 115-117 Gaywood Rd, PE30 2PU, ☏ +44 1553 774596, . £32 (single). £60 (double). (updated Apr 2017)
  • 5 Beeches Guest House, 2 Guanock Terrace, PE30 5QT, ☏ +44 1553 766577. Check-in: 2-8PM, check-out: by 10AM. Free Wi-Fi. Secure bike storage. £50 single, £80 double. (updated Apr 2017)
  • 6 Acorn B&B, 19 S Wootton Ln, PE30 3BS, ☏ +44 1553 671534, . Walkers and cyclists welcome. Secure storage for bicycles. Free Wi-Fi. £45 per person per night, £60 single occupancy. Bank holidays extra £7 per night.. (updated Apr 2017)
  • Bank House, King's Staithe Square PE30 1RD, ☏ +44 1553 660492. Georgian bank converted into upscale small hotel. Smart decor, great dining. B&B double £120. (updated Jun 2020)
  • 7 King's Lynn Caravan & Camping Park, New Road, North Runcton PE33 0QR (off A47), ☏ +44 1553 840004. Clean friendly site with good facilities, open all year. Tent £18-30, hook-up £15-33. (updated May 2022)

Stay healthy

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Connect

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King's Lynn has 4G from all UK carriers. As of May 2022, 5G has not reached this area.

Go next

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  • North Norfolk, with its popular seaside resorts including Old and New Hunstanton, Sheringham, Cromer as well as the many quintessentially English villages dotted around the green countryside.
  • Norwich, Norfolk's only City, is about an hour's drive down the A47 and offers a great range of shopping opportunities along with historical buildings and a Premier League football team. It is also situated next to the Norfolk Broads.
  • Great Yarmouth, a large seaside town that hosts a Sea Life Centre, 15 miles of smooth sandy beach and one of the UK's largest range of amusement arcades. Getting there may be slightly more of a challenge for those without car travel, as it is 1 1/2 hour drive directly down the A47 (trains do not run in this direction from King's Lynn Rail Station).
  • Shouldham Thorpe is a small, sleepy but friendly village at just 11 km from King's Lynn. Its small parish church (St. Mary the Virgin) was for a large part rebuilt around 1860.
  • Ely is a market town/mini cathedral city, 30-40 minutes from King's Lynn by train. It is also possible to walk between the two via the very flat Fen Rivers Way - there are several train stations between the two towns if you want to segment your walk.
Routes through King's Lynn
END ←  N  S  → Downham Market → Ely → Cambridge
Lincoln ← Spalding/Boston ←  W  E  → END
Peterborough ← Wisbech ←  W  E  → Swaffham → Norwich


This city travel guide to King's Lynn is a usable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.
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