The Quadram Institute in Norwich, UK is host for the 21st International Symposium on Problems of Listeria and Listeriosis (ISOPOL), and members of the local organising committee and the Centre for Microbial Interactions are pleased to provide some key information to ISOPOL delegates as guide to our fine city!
Norwich, the City of Stories, is a magnificent medieval city that is a short distance from London (two hours by train) and Amsterdam (one hour by air). Participants of ISOPOL will surely be charmed by this historic city set amongst the beautiful landscapes of Norfolk and the surrounding coastal regions.
Interactive maps
- Conference venues – for a guide and a walking and cycling maps between venues at the University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, and the Norwich city centre and train station. Please bookmark the link for easy access.
- Our Best of Norwich sights, eats and drinks – for a guide to local activities, attractions, restaurants, pubs (with a pub crawl!), and some local trails. Please bookmark the link for easy access.
Heritage Open Days including at the Quadram Institute
Heritage Open Days are happening at the same time as ISOPOL. Heritage Open Days is England’s largest festival of history and culture and in Norfolk hundreds of participating venues, organisations, private homes and gardens throw open their doors for FREE to reveal and celebrate the very best of the county’s rich history and heritage.
On 14 September, the Saturday directly following the close of ISOPOL, the Quadram Institute will be hosting an Open Day. So for those ISOPOL delegates staying on and who didn’t visit the host institute, please do come by.
Norwich Historical Tour – an optional early arrivals activity on the morning of 10 September
For those wanting to learn about the history and culture of Norwich, we have arranged an optional City of Centuries Tour for delegates on the morning of 10 September, starting at approximately 10am.
Led by a Blue Badge or City of Norwich Tourist Guide, you will journey around Norwich’s historic landmarks, nip through Norman Norwich and weave your way through the wealth of the city that was once second only to London. The tour lasts around 1 hr 45 min and is wheelchair accessible. Spots on the tour are limited, and please contact the Chair of the 21st ISOPOL, Dr Matthew Gilmour to arrange your spot.
Hire buses for conference arrivals and evening events
As a component of ISOPOL delegate registration, and to help support movement between key ISOPOL venues, we have arranged on:
Tuesday 10 September
- Arrivals – 11am and 1pm (timing to be confirmed) – one bus each for around 50 delegates from the Norwich Train Station to the University of East Anglia (UEA)
- 18:30 – Buses for all delegates to travel from the UEA to the Norwich Cathedral for the Welcome Reception
- 21:00 – Return buses for all delegates with accommodation at the UEA (from the Cathedral to the UEA)
Wednesday 11 September
- 8:00 – one bus each for ~50 delegates with accommodations in the City Centre needing support to commute to ISOPOL / UEA (exact pickup location to be confirmed)
- 18:00 – Buses for all delegates to travel from the UEA to the Assembly House for the Evening Event
- 22:00 – Return buses for all delegates with accommodation at the UEA (from the Assembly House to the UEA)
Thursday 12 September
- 8:00 – one bus for around 50 delegates with accommodations in the City Centre needing support to commute to ISOPOL / UEA (exact pickup location to be confirmed)
- 18:00 – Buses for all delegates to travel from the UEA to the city centre for a free evening
- 22:00 – Return buses for all delegates with accommodation at the UEA (from the city centre to the UEA)
Friday 13 September
- 8:00 – one bus each for around 50 delegates with accommodations in the City Centre needing support to commute to ISOPOL / UEA (exact pickup location to be confirmed)
- Around 2pm – one bus from the UEA to the train station for those departing immediately after ISOPOL (to be confirmed)
How to use Norwich buses and public transportation to get to UEA and the Quadram Institute
The UEA campus and the New Science Building are easily accessible by bus from the city centre through local service of First Bus. You can catch a Blue line bus 25 up to every 7 minutes in the daytime and every 15 minutes in the evenings from Red Lion street (right outside of Barclays bank). The journey takes around 20-25 minutes, and the bus stops outside of the New Science building (bus stop Annexe (Stop F), Chancellors Drive). Alternatively, Blue line bus 26; 26A stops at the Main UEA bus stop (Stop A), which is a 5-minute walk to the New Science Building down the Chancellors Drive. To get from the UEA campus back to the Norwich city centre you can take bus 25 from the bus stop outside of the New Science Building. The timetable can be found on the First Bus app. Tickets can be purchased directly on the bus or on the First Bus app. A single journey is £2 and the Norwich day pass is £6.
Additionally, to travel to Quadram from the city centre:
- First Bus (11/12, 26/26A, 21/22) & Konectbus (3, 4) operate routes to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.
- From the Rail Station, you can catch Frist Bus number 26 (Blue Line, every 30 min).
- From the City Centre, you can catch First Bus number 11/12 (Pink Line, every 15 min) from Castle Meadow stop CV (NR1 3JU).
How to use Beryl hire bikes
Norwich has over 800 bikes, e-bikes and e-scooters to hire. Before you hire you will need to open an account with Beryl via the app and verify your payment method. If you wish to hire an e-scooter you will also have to verify your driving licence. The app has maps of where bike stations are located and how to use the bikes and scooters.
How to use taxis
Pre-booking a taxi is recommended, with companies including ABC taxis, Courtesy, or Goldstar. Taxis in Norwich will generally not pick up fares unless booked directly through their central system. Exceptions can be found at the taxi rank on the northside of the Norwich Market.
How to travel to Sheringham on the North Norfolk coast by train on 13 September
Norwich enjoys easy access to some of the UK’s most picturesque towns along the Norfolk coast. One of which is Sheringham – a traditional seaside town with an award-winning family friendly beach, heritage steam railway, shops selling local produce and fantastic coastal and countryside walks.
The train journey from Norwich to Sheringham is roughly 1 hour. Outward trains depart from Norwich every hour at XX:45, return trains leave Sheringham roughly every hour. The last train back would be the 22:17. Please confirm schedules (and purchase tickets) directly with Greater Anglia or using Trainline. If staying on Norwich on the 13 September (the final day of the conference) this information should be valid for the Friday but schedules often change, and will be different during the weekend.
It’s recommended to get an ‘off-peak’ return ticket, this is typically under £12 and allows you flexibility in what trains you can use.
Travel to Norwich by train
Within the UK, Norwich is easily accessible from London Liverpool Street Station (2 hours, direct), from London Kings Cross Station (2.5 hours, via Cambridge), and from the train station at London Stansted Airport (1.5 hours, often direct). Other routes are possible from the west (e.g. from Manchester, Cambridge, Nottingham, Peterborough) and we suggest for all train journeys to book on the Trainline website or app, as rail travel in the UK is often easiest using ‘tap and go’ from QR codes on your smartphone.
It is possible to buy train tickets on the day of arrival, however it is cheaper and more flexible to pre-purchase an ‘open ticket’ for the day of travel (‘off peak open’ tickets are the cheapest, allowing you to get on any train outside of the ~8am and ~6pm rush hours).
If arriving internationally by rail on the Eurostar to London St Pancras Station, connections to Norwich are possible from London Liverpool Street Station (20 minutes by tube) or from London Kings Cross Station (a very short walk from St Pancras).
Once arriving at the Norwich train station, hotels in the city centre may be within walking distance if travelling light. Otherwise, or if staying at the University of East Anglia campus, a taxi is suggested. Pre-booking a taxi is recommended, with companies including ABC taxis, Courtesy, or Goldstar.
If connecting through London and if using the London Underground (tube), please note that travel is easiest by using a chip-enabled debit or credit card to ‘tap and go’ (i.e. tap to enter a station; tap out at the exit of your destination). Before you travel to ISOPOL, please ensure your card supports international payments. Purchase of tube tickets is also possible within stations.
Travel to Norwich by air
Norwich has a small international airport that is part of the KLM network, providing quick connections from Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. The Norwich city centre or the University of East Anglia are then accessible by taxi. Pre-booking a taxi is recommended, with companies including ABC, Courtesy, or Goldstar.
Norwich is easily accessible by direct rail service from London Stansted airport (approx. 1.5 hours), which is a major hub for lower-cost airlines that service much of continental Europe. As noted in ‘Norwich by Train’ above, connecting rail tickets can be pre-booked on the Trainline website or app.
London Heathrow may be a preferred arrival option for some ISOPOL delegates. From Heathrow, a suggested option is to use the new Elizabeth line tube to London Liverpool Street station, and then connect to Norwich by train as described above. The Piccadilly tube line can also be used, albeit slower than the Elizabeth line, and providing a direct connection to London Kings Cross station or a change on the tube to London Liverpool Street Station. Another way to travel from Heathrow would be buy a more expensive ‘Heathrow Express’ ticket, however this only gets you into London Paddington station, and you’d need to find a taxi or tube ride over to London Liverpool Street or Kings Cross.
If connecting through London and if using the London Underground (tube), please note that travel is easiest by using a chip-enabled debit or credit card to ‘tap and go’ (i.e. tap to enter a station; tap out at the exit of your destination). Before you travel to ISOPOL, please ensure your card supports international payments. Purchase of tube tickets is also possible within stations.
