Lifestyle

Lifestyle

• Retail Therapy
• Relaxing
• Countryside

Retail Therapy

A billion pound retail development will soon double the size of the shopping and leisure offer in Coventry city centre. International master planners Jerde are working on the biggest transformation in the city for fifty years. IKEA has its first city centre store in Coventry and across the city there are many district shopping centres and retail parks, home to all the major fashion, electrical and home retailers. Venturing out of Coventry, you can choose from relaxed and exclusive shopping in Leamington Spa and Stratford-upon-Avon, antiques and gift shops in Warwick and just 20 minutes away by train is the shopping paradise of Birmingham. Many of the Warwickshire towns hold weekly produce markets.

Relaxing

The choice of leisure activities is long and varied. Coventry's international Jazz Festival attracts artists from all over the world, while the city's Godiva Festival is the biggest of its kind in England. Alongside the newly re-opened Belgrade Theatre and Warwick Arts Centre, the city's alternative music scene is thriving at a host of venues - from intimate bars to large nightclubs. The city centre Skydome complex is a mix of bars and clubs, with an ice rink and eight-screen cinema thrown in. Leamington Spa is very popular for its trendy nightlife, Warwick and Kenilworth have some great wining and dining experiences, while Stratford has the Royal Shakespeare Theatres.

Countryside

Coventry is one of the greenest industrial cities in the country, with more woodland than almost any other and many Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Its War Memorial Park, just a stone's throw from the city centre, hosts many events, including the Godiva Festival, and is soon to undergo a multi-million pound transformation. Coombe Abbey Country Park, just outside the city, extends to 400 acres and is made up of parkland, gardens, wood and lakeside walks. And beyond lie the rolling landscapes of Warwickshire, one of England's most leafy counties.