Top Things to Do In Wells, England: A Guide to Exploring the Smallest City in the UK

As often happens each fall, when the weather in Chicago turns crisp and gloomy, I start rewatching the Harry Potter films. While not technically filmed there, the movies have me reminiscing about the trip we took to Wells, England in 2019, and particularly the gorgeous cathedral there. We had planned a spring trip to Italy that year, but found that flying to London first and then over to Italy would be the cheapest way to go. At the time, our Australian friends Steve and Debbie happened to be living in the UK for the year, so we contacted them and decided to meet up. They had traveled extensively in the area, so we let them take the lead with planning. We just had one stipulation: no London. We’d been there before and wanted to check out smaller towns or the countryside this time.

Wells Cathedral

We settled on Wells, the Cotswolds, Bath and Cambridge. The smallest free-standing city in the UK, Wells is filled with history and Gothic architecture. Here is our list of the top things to do in Wells:

Take a Tour of Wells Cathedral

The biggest highlight in Wells is its massive, sprawling cathedral. Construction of the current cathedral began back in 1180 and is one of the first examples of the Gothic style to have been found in England. It hosts one of the largest collections of medieval sculptures in the world. What impressed us the most were all of the small nooks and crannies found throughout the property, along with a famous ancient astronomical clock in the north transept.

Wells Cathedral UK

Cathedral Wells Architecture

Wells Cathedral Stairs

Wells Cathedral Clock

Snap a Photo at the Vicars’ Close

Perfectly Instagrammable, this small street near the cathedral claims to be the UK’s oldest residential street. As the name suggests, it used to be where vicars would live and study. I don’t envy the people living there now, as the street has become extremely popular with the influencer crowd. Still, it’s absolutely stunning and a definite must-see if you are in Wells. We loved how crooked all of the buildings seemed, and how short the doorways were, a sign that these ancient vicars were probably pretty short.

Vicars Close Wells England

Vicars' Close Wells

Wells Houses

Wells UK

Wander Around the Bishop’s Palace and Gardens

The Bishop’s Palace, home to the bishops of Bath and Wells for ages, is quite a sight and worth a visit. But in our opinion, the main attraction was the swans. The palace is surrounded by peaceful, charming ponds and the swans who live there have become quite famous. We had a lovely time wandering around the gardens here and taking in the ancient moat, drawbridge and ramparts.

Bishops Palace Wells

The Bishops Palace Wells

Bishop Palace Garden Wells

Buy Local Goods at the Wells Market 

In the center of town, aptly called Market Place, there is a twice-weekly market on Wednesdays and Saturdays. We happened to be there during the market, and it was wonderful to be able to visit all the various booths selling local goods and produce. 

Eat at The Crown at Wells Restaurant

When in the UK, eat Indian. When good Indian isn’t available, I guess eat at a traditional British pub. We ate a lovely dinner at the Crown at Wells, partaking in the local fare of fish and chips and Somerset ham.

Wells Palace Gardens