Nottingham Forest – The City Ground

Complete Away Day Travel Guide

🔴 ABOUT THE CITY GROUND

The City Ground is one of English football’s most historic and atmospheric stadiums, home to Nottingham Forest since 1898. Located on the banks of the River Trent, just south of Nottingham city centre, this 30,445-capacity ground enjoys a spectacular setting with the river on one side and Trent Bridge cricket ground as its neighbour.

The City Ground has witnessed some of European football’s greatest moments, particularly during Brian Clough’s legendary era when Forest won back-to-back European Cups in 1979 and 1980 – one of football’s most remarkable achievements. The stadium features four distinctive stands – the Brian Clough Stand (main stand), Bridgford Stand (away section), Trent End, and Peter Taylor Stand. The intimate riverside setting creates a brilliant atmosphere, and on matchdays, the walk across Trent Bridge towards the ground with the river flowing below is genuinely special. This is proper football heritage.

Nottingham Forest – The Reds or The Garibaldi – is one of English football’s most famous clubs, founded in 1865 and among the oldest professional football clubs in the world. Forest have won the English top-flight championship once (1977-78), the FA Cup twice (1898, 1959), the League Cup four times, and, incredibly, won the European Cup/Champions League twice in consecutive years (1979, 1980) under legendary manager Brian Clough.

Winning back-to-back European Cups remains one of football’s greatest achievements – only Real Madrid, Ajax, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, AC Milan, Inter Milan, and Nottingham Forest have achieved this. The famous Garibaldi red shirts date back to the club’s founding. Clough’s team, featuring Peter Shilton, Viv Anderson, John Robertson, Trevor Francis (Britain’s first £1m player), and Kenny Burns, is regarded as one of the greatest in football history. The East Midlands derby against Derby County and matches against Leicester create intense local rivalries. Nottingham Forest represents football royalty and European glory that few clubs can match.

📊 STADIUM SPECIFICATIONS

🚗 GETTING TO THE CITY GROUND

The City Ground is located on the south bank of the River Trent, approximately 1 mile south of Nottingham city centre. Nottingham Station has excellent rail connections from across the UK. The ground is accessible by tram (NET), bus, taxi, or on foot from the station and the city centre. The scenic walk across Trent Bridge is highly recommended on decent weather days.

🗺️ STADIUM LOCATION MAP

City Ground Address: Pavilion Road, West Bridgford, Nottingham, NG2 5FJ

🚂 BY TRAIN – The Recommended Choice

Why Trains Work: Nottingham Station has excellent connections from across the UK. From the station, The City Ground is approximately 1 mile – either a pleasant 20-25 minute walk through the city centre and across the iconic Trent Bridge (highly recommended!), a 10-minute tram ride on the NET, or a 10-minute taxi journey. The walk across Trent Bridge with the river flowing below and City Ground ahead is one of English football’s most scenic stadium approaches!

Journey Times to Nottingham Station:

Getting from Nottingham Station to the City Ground

💡 Top Tip: Arrive at Nottingham Station 3-4 hours before kick-off. Nottingham is a brilliant city – explore the Market Square and Old Market Square (one of the UK’s largest public squares!), Visit Nottingham Castle, grab lunch in one of Nottingham’s excellent restaurants, have drinks in city centre pubs, then take the scenic 20-25 minute walk across Trent Bridge to City Ground around 90 minutes before kick-off. The walk is genuinely beautiful and one of football’s great stadium approaches!

🔗 Train Times & Tickets: nationalrail.co.uk | thetrainline.com

🔗 NET Tram: thetram.net

🔗 Nottingham Forest Official Site: nottinghamforest.co.uk

🚗 BY CAR – Challenging Parking

⚠️ Parking Warning: Parking around City Ground is challenging with limited official facilities, and most surrounding streets in West Bridgford are residents-only on matchdays. The walk from Nottingham Station across Trent Bridge (20-25 mins) or tram (10 mins) is genuinely easier and more pleasant. Traffic congestion around the ground can be severe on matchdays.

If You Must Drive:

• Directions: From M1 Junction 24, take A453 towards Nottingham, then A52 towards West Bridgford. Follow signs to City Ground/Trent Bridge
• Limited Official Parking: Very limited official stadium parking, reserved for members/season ticket holders. Not available for away fans
• West Bridgford Streets: Residents-only on matchdays with strict enforcement. Do NOT attempt street parking near the ground – you WILL get a ticket
• Trent Bridge Cricket Ground: Sometimes offers parking for football matches (£10-£15) – check in advance, limited availability
• City Centre Car Parks: Park in Nottingham city centre (Broadmarsh, Victoria Centre – £8-£12) then walk/tram to the ground. Much easier exit after the match!
• Park & Walk: Some fans park further out in West Bridgford (15-20 min walk), but spaces are limited and fill early
• Private Driveways: Very limited – book well in advance at yourparkingspace.co.uk (£15-£25!)

🚨 Our STRONG Advice: DO NOT drive to City Ground expecting to find parking easily. Take the train to Nottingham and walk across Trent Bridge (20-25 mins, scenic and lovely!) or take the tram. Driving means hours searching for parking, expensive charges, parking tickets, and severe post-match congestion. The walk across Trent Bridge is genuinely one of English football’s most pleasant stadium approaches – don’t miss it!

🍺 PUBS & DRINKS NEAR THE CITY GROUND

⚠️ IMPORTANT ADVICE: Pubs immediately around The City Ground in West Bridgford can be Forest strongholds, especially The Larwood & Voce next to the away end. The safest and most enjoyable approach is to drink in Nottingham city centre (1 mile from the stadium), which has hundreds of excellent pubs, bars, and restaurants, then walk or tram to the City Ground. Exercise discretion with away colours in West Bridgford, particularly for high-profile fixtures or the East Midlands derby.

🍺 City Centre Pubs (Safe for Away Fans)

🍺 Near the Stadium (Exercise Caution)

🍔 Food Options: Nottingham has an excellent food scene – the city centre has diverse restaurants from Indian and Chinese to Italian and British, brilliant street food, independent cafes, and all the major chains. Nottingham’s food scene has really improved in recent years. In West Bridgford, near the ground, there are some good restaurants and takeaways. Stadium concourses have pies, burgers, and hot food.

🏨 WHERE TO STAY IN NOTTINGHAM

Nottingham offers excellent accommodation across all price ranges. As a major city with two universities and thriving tourism, it has hundreds of hotels. Stay in the city centre for the best experience – nightlife, restaurants, attractions, and easy access to City Ground. Book well in advance for big fixtures.

💷 Budget Options (£50-£80 per night)

💷💷 Mid-Range Options (£80-£150 per night)

💷💷💷 Luxury Options (£150+ per night)

🎭 THINGS TO DO IN NOTTINGHAM

Nottingham is a vibrant city with fascinating Robin Hood heritage, brilliant nightlife, excellent shopping, a stunning castle and caves, and great cultural offerings. This combines Premier League football with a proper city break experience. Make a weekend of it!

🎭 NOTTINGHAM EXPERIENCE

⚽ MATCHDAY EXPERIENCE

💭 FINAL THOUGHTS

Visiting the City Ground is experiencing one of European football’s most legendary venues and romantic stories. This riverside stadium has witnessed genuine football greatness – winning back-to-back European Cups in 1979 and 1980 under Brian Clough remains one of football’s most remarkable achievements. From a provincial club in the East Midlands to conquerors of Europe, defeating the likes of Liverpool, beating Hamburg in Madrid, then beating Malmö in Munich – Forest’s story is genuinely incredible.

Only Real Madrid, Ajax, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, AC Milan, Inter Milan, and Nottingham Forest have won consecutive European Cups. That’s the company Forest keeps! The Brian Clough and Peter Taylor partnership created football magic with legends like Peter Shilton, Viv Anderson (England’s first black international), John Robertson, Trevor Francis (Britain’s first £1m player), and Kenny Burns. City Ground represents football romance.

But City Ground’s spectacular riverside setting on the banks of the River Trent is just the beginning of a brilliant Nottingham weekend. The walk across Trent Bridge to the ground with the river flowing below, the cricket ground on your right, and City Ground ahead is genuinely one of English football’s most scenic stadium approaches – don’t miss it! Nottingham itself is a vibrant city with the newly renovated castle (brilliant!), fascinating cave systems beneath the streets (unique!), Robin Hood heritage everywhere (touristy but fun!), excellent nightlife (60,000+ students!), and genuine character.

Nottingham Contemporary is a world-class free art gallery, the Lace Market quarter is beautiful, and Market Square is one of the UK’s largest. If you have time, Sherwood Forest (20 mins away) with the 1,000-year-old Major Oak is lovely. Nottingham combines football history with a proper city break.

The logistics work brilliantly – Nottingham Station has excellent connections from across the UK (London 1hr 45mins, Birmingham 1hr 10mins, Sheffield 50mins). From the station, take the scenic 20-25 minute walk through the city centre and across Trent Bridge to City Ground – genuinely one of football’s most pleasant stadium walks on decent weather days. Alternatively, take the NET tram (Green Line) to the Wilford Lane stop.

Our advice? Arrive early, explore Nottingham Castle and the caves, grab lunch in one of Nottingham’s many restaurants, have drinks in city centre pubs (Wetherspoons like The Last Post or historic Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem carved into the castle rock!), then walk across Trent Bridge to City Ground. The Larwood & Voce pub next to the away end generally accepts away fans. After the match, explore Nottingham’s brilliant nightlife – it’s genuinely excellent!

Take the train to Nottingham, explore this fascinating city, walk across the beautiful Trent Bridge, and experience City Ground, where European football royalty was achieved!

🔴🌳 You Reds! ⚽

📞 USEFUL CONTACTS

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