What to do in Nottingham, England: One day three ways

Penny pinch

Grab a couple of crumpets at the Thea Caffea tea room (14a Low Pavement, $4) for breakfast, before heading to a network of man-made caves under central Nottingham. Tours at the City of Caves (cityofcaves.com) go into their former incarnations as leather tanneries, illegal bars, air raid shelters and slum housing. The $27 joint ticket also gets you into the Galleries of Justice (galleriesofjustice.org.uk), for a look at the spectacularly horrible application of law and order over the years. Actor-led mock trials and dungeon visits are all part of the entertaining education. In between the two, stop for a Cajun chicken panino at the Atlas delicatessen (atlasdeli.co.uk, $9). For dinner, nobly investigate the city's prime heritage site – Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem (triptojerusalem.com) is the oldest pub in Britain and serves up good $19 steak and ale pies. Stay at the quirky Igloo Backpackers (igloohostel.co.uk, doubles from $92).

TOTAL: $151

Take it easy

A hearty $15 "homemade works" breakfast at the colourful Homemade Café (homemadecafe.com) should set you up for exploring Nottingham Castle (nottinghamcity.gov.uk/Castle, $11). The main castle building has a ho-hum art and archaeology museum, but the secret tunnels and passageways are fascinating. Tours of them, complete with stories of coups and espionage, cost $8. Posh deli Delilah (delilahfinefoods.co.uk) does an excellent $19 porcini mushroom tagliatelle for lunch. Then take a number 30 bus ($7 for all day ticket) to Wollaton Hall (wollatonhall.org.uk). Tours of the Elizabethan mansion, which doubled as Wayne Manor in The Dark Knight Rises, cost $10. The surrounding deer park makes for wonderful sunshine strolling too. In the evening, try the seasonal, modern British concoctions at the Larder On Goosegate (thelarderongoosegate.co.uk, $32 mains) and stay at the historic, red-brick Hilton (placeshilton.com/Nottingham, $154) – where the 20m pool is a handy bonus.

TOTAL: $256

Splash out

Get a privately guided overview of the city's highlights, including the castle, caves, the Lace Market area and key historic buildings, with the two hour Heroes and Villains of Nottingham tour (toursofnottingham.co.uk, $152). Splurge on the Derbyshire roast beef fillet ($50) for lunch at private members' club-esque World Service (worldservicerestaurant.com). The outdoor terrace/garden is tremendous on a sunny day. Embrace your inner geek for the afternoon at the newly-opened National Videogame Arcade (gamecity.org, $16). It's part museum, part classic games to play and part inventive installations designed to offer different perspectives on game playing and making. Go for globe-spanning tapas under vaulted roofs at Iberico (ibericotapas.com, about $42) for dinner. Decidedly non-standard small dish options include pheasant wellington and salmon miso. Stay in a plush suite at the design-focused Hart's (hartsnottingham.co.uk, $432 including breakfast) for superb views out over the city.

TOTAL: $692

The writer travelled at his own expense.