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Gardens & Arboretums in Norwich

Norwich isn't overrun with formal gardens, but what's here has character. Grapes Hill Community Garden sits about a kilometre from the centre and costs nothing to get into, with wheelchair access and blue badge parking sorted, plus a family garden club, Tai Chi sessions and board games among the herbs and fruit you're welcome to pick. For something further afield, there's a longer trip out to Beccles for Henstead Exotic Gardens, a pocket of tropical planting in the Suffolk countryside from £1, open Sunday afternoons through summer with a gift shop to poke around before you leave. If you want free and easy with somewhere for kids to potter while you sit with the herbs, Grapes Hill is the one to pick, and it's close enough for a spontaneous afternoon. If you fancy making a proper day of it, Henstead suits a slower visit, best planned around its Sunday opening hours rather than a passing whim. Neither will drain your wallet, which makes choosing between them mostly about how far you fancy travelling.

✓ 2 places✦ 1 free to visit