The essential guide to the best places to shop, eat and relax in Chester. Find the best restaurants, cinemas and nightlife spots along with general need-to-know information including shopping hours and going out tips.

Chester's high-street stores cluster along the main streets which form The Cross at the heart of the city centre - Northgate, Watergate Street, Eastgate and Bridge Street. Parts of these are lined by Chester's famous Rows - galleried black-and-white timber-framed buildings dating back to the 13th century. Marks & Spencer, Boots and HMV are all on Foregate Street.

Specialist shops (fashion boutiques, crafts) can be found on Godstall Lane, Rufus Court, along the timber-fronted Rows and in St Michael's Arcade. Watergate Street is a wise choice for antiques and gifts.

Shopping hours are 9am-5pm Monday to Saturday, 10am-5pm Sunday.

The Mall Grosvenor is the city's main covered shopping complex with H&M, River Island, Topshop and Dorothy Perkins. Head to Chester’s Cartoon Gallery for framed prints of cartoons by famous artists and watch a cartoonist at work on Watergate Street. Liberty Bell has quilting fabrics and gifts, while the Japanese Shop is great for unusual Japanese gifts.

Window-shop around The Cross, find designer bargains in McArthur Glen

Since central Chester is pedestrian friendly, the city lends itself to bar-hopping. The Pied Bull Inn claims to be the oldest inn in Chester (built 1473) and serves a variety of real ales. Other historic inns include the Boot Inn on Eastgate Row, the Falcon on Lower Bridge Street and the Bear and Billet on Bridge Street. The Watergate's Wine Bar on Watergate Street, which serves decent meals and has a good wine list, is housed in a medieval crypt and sharing this street are a number of other nice bars including Amber Lounge, Fiesta Havana and Bar Lounge (which has a pleasant al fresco drinking area when it's warm).

Live music comes to Alexander's in Rufus Court and Telford's Warehouse in Tower Wharf. There are two cinemas, a six-screen UCG in the Greyhound Retail Park (also home to Ten-Pin Bowling) and a five-screen Odeon on Northgate Street.

Chester has one club, RBs on Northgate Street, which stays open until 2am. A number of other bars have late licences including Loaf on Music Hall Passage, Room on Watergate Row and Living Room on Watergate Street.

Real ales in cosy pubs, warm welcomes in historic settings

Chester's diverse restaurants cluster on Northgate and Watergate streets and along Lower Bridge Street near the Mall Grosvenor. Cuisines range from Italian (Vito's, Bella Pasta, Pastarazzi) to Chinese (Cherry Valley Chinese Eatery), Mexican (Dos Americas) and French (Francs).

Waterside dining is also popular - the Blue Moon Café on the Groves faces the River Dee and serves home-made cakes, wines and coffees. Or go one step further and dine on the river itself - the Mill Hotel on Milton Street organises dinner cruises, as do Bithells Boats and Canal on the Canal. Make an occasion of it by dining at the Green Bough Hotel just outside Chester (winner of the Best Small Hotel in England award) or relax Chez Jules in Chester itself.

Expect to pay around £10 for a curry/pizza and around £30-£40 per head for a three-course meal with wine somewhere more upmarket. Restaurants usually open daily and serve between 12pm-2pm and 5pm-10.30pm. Many restaurants do early-evening specials before 7pm.

Chester's only Michelin-starred eatery is housed in the Grosvenor Hotel. With 600 bins in the cellar and only the finest local ingredients used to create the French-influenced gourmet menu, this is the smartest place in town.

Hearty, authentic Franco-Belgian cuisine (fruity beers, freshly sourced mussels and great chips) is served at this bar/rotisserie/grill which has a sleek and modern feel.

9am-5pm Monday to Friday

Tourism, retail and financial services

City centre (tourism, retail), Chester Business Park (financial services), Sealand Road (Leisure & Mixed Industrial), Chester West (Mixed Industrial), Chester Gates (Retail & Commercial)