Chichester
VW CAMPERVAN HIRE
Chichester
Head off from Portfield, Stockbridge, West Broyle or many other places within the cathedral city and experience our Chichester campervan hire service. Many Cicestrians have enjoyed our convenient hire location as they venture out of West Sussex to leave “Chiddister”, or “Chy”, behind for the weekend or longer. We offer campervan hire across Sussex so if you are looking to explore the county then one of our stunning vans is the perfect way to do it.
Chichester is a cathedral city and was established over 2000 years ago by the Romans, the market town of Noviomagus Reginorum eventually became known by the name we’re familiar with now – Chichester.
Location
This beautiful city is just over 30 miles from our VW Campervan hire facility in Southampton. Take a leisurely drive on the A27, in around 40 minutes you will find yourself in the beautiful city of Chichester.
For a small city, there is a lot to see and do in a day! It is a perfect place to visit when hiring a VW campervan and with unlimited mileage, you are free to explorer further afield.
Parking
Chichester may be a small city but there is certainly plenty to see and do, and most of it all within walking distance from the conveniently located long and short term car parks in the city.
We recommend the Cattle Market car park (PO19 1JW), a large long term car park situated just on the outskirts of the city.
Your campervan will be safe here whilst you go and explore the charms of Chichester.
Chichester Cathedral
After parking up the campervan, a ten minute walk through the city will bring you to Chichester cathedral. Being the only city in West Sussex, its Cathedral really stands out in the heart of the city centre with its Gothic style architecture. The building of the cathedral started in 1076 using Quarr stone from the Isle of Wight. It was finally completed and consecrated in 1108.
After a series of fires in the wooden roof, this was replaced with a stone vaulted roof and re-consecrated in 1199. At the beginning of the 14th Century, parts of the Cathedral were rebuilt including the cloisters, the spire and the medieval bell tower.
Most Cathedrals during this period were constructed with an adjoining bell tower making Chichester Cathedral truly unique in having the only remaining example of this free-standing structure, also known as a ‘campanile’. To this day, the campanile can be found at the Western end of the Cathedral.
This is just a taste of the history revolving around this magnificent piece of architecture. There are various tours to choose from, a drop-in tour is free, lasting around 45 minutes with no need to book, running Monday to Saturday.
With so much history, you may need a little longer to absorb all that the cathedral has to offer!
But that’s OK, you’ll be thankful that you made the smart decision to hire a camper van from us as your VW California is built for comfort and relaxation, so you can always return to it for a cuppa and a nap.
The Novium Museum
A stone’s throw from the cathedral you will find the Novium Museum. Built above the remains of a Roman public bathhouse, The Novium sets out on a journey across time and covers over 500,000 years of local history. Admission is free, and open every day mid June to mid September.
The museum is housed in a new building and is purpose-built around the display of the remains of Chichester’s Roman Bathhouse. With three floors of fantastic exhibitions, this local history journey through time is complemented by a wide variety of permanent, temporary and travelling exhibitions at the museum.
Shopping
The Romans certainly left their mark in Chichester, along with baths, walls and buildings, the four main shopping streets run north, south, east and west from the central market cross, a typical road layout for the Romans! These streets are home to a great variety of shops, both independent and high street brands, there is bound to be a little something for everyone.
If you find you have bought more than you’ve bargained for, don’t worry there is plenty of storage space in your campervan wardrobe if you wanted to hang your new purchases up!
FOOD AND DRINK
Along with the shops, Chichester has a farmers market on the 1st and 3rd Friday of every month. Fresh local produce is available from a variety of vendors including, meat, fish, fruit and vegetables. All stallholders are required to grow, rear, bake, and/or preserve all their own produce, so it doesn’t get much more local or fresh than that! You’ll be delighted with plenty of room in the 42l fridge of your campervan, to keep your purchases nice and fresh.
Why not use the fully equipped kitchen that your VW campervan has to offer? Buy some local produce and whip up a culinary delight! If you are looking for cooking inspiration, you’ll find the provided VW Campervan Cook Book in your vehicle, located in the door pocket. Just one of the little extra touches that you can expect when you use our campervan hire service.
However, if you don’t fancy cooking, we can thoroughly recommend Lemongrass Thai Cuisine. Authentic, fresh and oh-so-tasty! The staff are extremely helpful if you are having trouble deciding what to eat. They offer takeaway as well, so you could be sitting in the comforts of your campervan in a beautiful part of Chichester eating some authentic Thai food, sounds good to me!
For a more traditional take, why not try ‘The Fox Goes Free’ public house? This quaint village pub has been serving the local community for over 400 years and is well respected with an enviable reputation for serving the finest homemade food and handpicked fine wines, all topped off with genuine and friendly hospitality.
Chichester walks
Fancy some time outside? Chichester Canal is a leisure waterway which links Chichester to the sea.
A leisurely stroll along the canal as it passes through 4 miles of open farmland, the route takes you through a mixture of open farmland with benches available so you can rest, and take time out to appreciate the tranquillity of the local area and admire an abundance of wildlife.
Keen birdwatchers may be lucky to spot waterfowl such as moorhens, coots, mallards and swans, sharing the water with other birds, herons and kingfishers amongst others!
If you don’t fancy a walk, why not try a canal cruise? I particularly like the sound of the afternoon tea cruise! Two hours of floating around the canals, taking in the beautiful scenery whilst tucking into sandwiches, scones and tea, just perfect!
For the more energetic, you can hire a small rowing boat or canoe and take yourself off on your very own canal cruise! Full details of all the attractions and facilities available at Chichester Canal can be found here.
We love dogs, and they are welcome to come along and join in the adventure too in our dog-friendly campervans. The ‘Centurion Way’ dog walk is sure to keep your pooch both energised and interested.
There are lots of opportunities for dog swimming too in the River Lavant and for muddy adventures, you have been warned! You’ll be thankful for the clever campervan features at the end of this walk to treat yourself to a mug of hot fresh tea or the conveniently located shower attachment to rinse off those muddy paws.
Picking up the trail in West Dean near Chichester in West Sussex, it’s a 3 mile gentle walk with stunning views. The walk begins with an uphill section but then quickly starts to level off and is flat for the rest of the way.
There is the chance that sheep might be nearby during walkies so be sure to be ready to have some on-lead time. The trail was once part of the Chichester railway line and has easy access trails making this a relaxing stroll. Off-road parking is available, set your sat nav to PO18 0QY to find it.
Chichester Harbour
The South Downs creates an impressive vista with the jewel of Chichester nestled below it, with its breathtaking scenery and coastal location it’s hardly surprising that Chichester Harbours draws so much attention. It’s one of the areas most popular places for cyclists and walkers alike.
There are many cycle routes and rambling walks that meander through this delightful area. Nature lovers are definitely catered for. With its varied species of bird and wildlife its small wonder that this spot is officially labelled as an “Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty".
Bring your binoculars and catch a glimpse of the nesting birds that chose to make their homes near the harbour waters.
ADD A BIKE RACK TO YOUR HIRE
If you are keen cyclists, don’t forget we have bike racks for hire that can be attached securely to the campervan, you just need to specify these when completing your booking.
Outstanding Natural Beauty
The Harbour also has some of the loveliest villages in the area, as well as it being an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. There are year-round programmes including guided walks and activities throughout Chichester Harbour, and you can even take a trip on a solar-powered boat or a Victorian oyster boat.
After all the excitement, why not chill with a glass of something cold at Chichester Marina (parking is free to visitors) taking in the expensive boats and watching them go through the lock.
Chichester Events
Festival of Chichester
With a full range of musical tastes, performance, dance and catered for, the annual Festival of Chichester is definitely worth a visit.
The “Festival of Chichester” is a four-week long celebration of local Cicestrian talent as well as neighbouring areas. There is something for everyone here; for music buffs, there is a wide range of genres catered for including Jazz, Blues, Folk and Rock. Theatre performances throughout the celebration, spoken-word presentations, dance performances as well as an array of arts and crafts to keep you entertained and enthralled with the many talented performers. Find out more about this year’s acts at the official website.
Festival of Speed
Quite possibly the most famous and anticipated event near Chichester is the annual ‘Festival of Speed’. A celebration of everything motorsport from across the decades.
Well known for its live events such as the hill climb or the forest rally, this festival is sure to get the adrenaline pumping.
But please, no entering your VW Campervan into the events, they are built for pleasure and not speed!
There are plenty of vehicles on show for you to enjoy and learn a little about the history of motorsport and the effects that the internal combustion engine has had on our lives. For a more relaxing take, there are plenty of spots for fine dining or just enjoying the 12,000 acres of beautiful grounds of The Duke of Richmond and Gordon estate, which hosts the event.
Overnight camping
Overnight camping is available at the festival with pitches offering electric hook-up if required. Not that we think you’ll need it. Your campervan comes equipped with two dedicated leisure batteries, plenty of juice to run everything for up to 4 days ‘off grid’, including the fridge! Here’s how to book your camping pitch.
Just a tiny taste of what the South coast has to offer. Quite possibly one of the best coastlines to visit in a VW Campervan! We know you won’t be disappointed!
Nearby Campsites
Lakeside Holiday Park
With more water than land, this holiday park has 10 large fishing lakes and 150 acres of beautiful Chichester countryside. Situated just 15 minutes from the major Cicestrain points of interest.
Stubcroft Farm
This award-winning, small, traditional, family-run site is close to sandy beaches, dunes and Chichester’s pretty harbour. Sheltered by trees and hedges offering a welcoming atmosphere.
Concierge Camping
AA Campsite of the year and overall England Winner 2018-2019 this beautiful and luxurious campsite is ideally located for wide-ranging coastal and countryside pursuits.
BOOKING AVAILABILITY
We have made booking your Chichester VW campervan hire experience simple. To use our hire service you can see our up to the minute availability by visiting our website or call us about your campervan rental needs. Chichester is easy to get to, with only two main roads to travel from our base, the M27 and then the A27.
WHERE WE ARE BASED
Our base in Southampton is only 32 miles away from Chichester, and we are conveniently located near to Junction 3 of the M27. Within a few minutes of leaving the motorway, you could be at our HQ picking up the keys to your campervan and heading off on your very own road-trip.