Looking for a weekend to remember? Choose Newmarket. There’s lots to do and see and great places to eat, drink and stay the night. While horse-racing fans can watch top sporting action, there’s more to discover, too, from fascinating history tours and world-class art to some thrilling outdoor fun. Here’s how to create a memory-making weekend break in the home of horse-racing.
You’ll find a cosy bed for the night in Newmarket, whatever your budget. Whether you prefer a boutique spa hotel or a stylish apartment, a friendly guesthouse or outdoor cabin lodge, there are plenty of options for rest and relaxation.
Bedford Lodge Hotel with its ‘5 bubble’ rated spa, complete with rooftop hot tub and hydrotherapy pool, is a luxurious and peaceful retreat. Alternatively, step back in time at the Jockey Club Rooms. A former private members club, royalty, statesmen and the rich and famous have stayed here for more than 250 years. Now you can browse its historic interiors, which feature an unparalleled collection of British racing memorabilia, and book a night within its hallowed walls.
The Jockey Club Rooms are in the heart of Newmarket, close to the National Horse Racing Museum. Good-value Heath Court Hotel is also centrally located and just around the corner from the famous Gallops, where you can see some of the world’s top thoroughbreds put through their paces each morning.
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Nowhere beats Newmarket when it comes to exploring the horseracing scene, past and present. During the racing season, cheer on the runners and riders at the Rowley Mile, and, in the summer months, the July Racecourse. Take one of Discover Newmarket guided tours where you can go behind the scenes – even into the commentators’ box and weighing room.
Their expert guides are on hand for numerous other tours, showcasing the home of horseracing and all it has to offer. See the mares with their foals at The National Stud and meet retired champion stallions, including the newest resident, the legendary Stradivarius. Witness the bids mount as some of the best thoroughbreds in the world are paraded around the magnificent ring at auctioneer Tattersalls.
You can enjoy the award-winning National Horse Racing Museum at your own pace, where the fun and interactive exhibits include a racehorse simulator. The museum is also home to some equine masterpieces, in the Packard Galleries of Sporting Art, and you can meet some of the horses being cared for here at the flagship home of the charity Retraining of Racehorses.
Beyond the turf, test your go-karting and quad bike skills at the Wild Tracks Activity Park. Hire a bike and tackle the jumps and drops at the Phoenix Cycleworks Bike Park. Or just stroll along the High Street with its mix of inviting shops and boutiques.
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Did you know Newmarket has its very own sausage – by royal appointment. It’s also the home of an award winning gin named after the town. Sample them both – as well as a world of different cuisines – at Newmarket’s hotels, restaurants, pubs, and cafes.
The buffet at Bertie’s Restaurant at the Heath Court Hotel is a renowned breakfast stop, while late risers might prefer to brunch on eggs on sourdough within the traditional setting of Nancy’s Teashop. For lunch, the Tack Room at the National Horse Racing Museum is gaining a reputation for serving up the best of British, and The Pantry stands out for its steaks cooked over coals and for delicious deli platters try The Graze Kitchen.
Book a table for dinner at Montaz to try an authentic curry from northern India, or sample fine pub grub to tuck into at The Three Blackbirds, just outside town, where Suffolk brews from Adnams, Aspall and Woodfordes are on draught. For a special occasion, book a table at Bedford Lodge’s 2 AA Rosette dining room, Squires Restaurant.
A new interpretation board and commemorative plaque have been unveiled at Newmarket railway station, marking the town’s rich railway heritage as part of the national Railway 200 celebrations.
Ely Cathedral is delighted to announce the return of peregrine falcons to its historic West Tower, marking another exciting chapter in the life of one of the region’s most iconic landmarks.
As generations of fine-limbed thoroughbreds pranced on and off the trains at Newmarket’s original railway station, almost unnoticed, their working class cousins were shifting around the waggons which carried them to racecourses all over the country.
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The tourism body Discover Newmarket is launching a new initiative with Newmarket Racecourses, extending a warm welcome to the first 100 new residents to move into the town this spring by offering an all-access, behind the scenes tour of the town’s historic racing landmarks.
As we celebrate International Women’s Day (8th March 2025), we’re taking the opportunity to look back at a definitive time in history when Ellen Chaloner, a trailblazing trainer became the first woman to be given a permit to train horses by the Jockey Club in 1886.
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