Ricoh Arena

A large complex that houses a 32,609-seater stadium, casino, hotel and exhibition centre, the Ricoh Arena is one of Coventry’s main focal points. Home to the city’s football team and since 2014, where Wasps play their rugby, the stadium has also hosted some big-name gigs during its time.

A huge concrete monolith, the Ricoh Arena is one of the best-equipped stadiums in the country. At over 40 acres, the site has two restaurants, a Tesco hypermarket and is conveniently located just off the M6 and A444. Home to Coventry City since being built in 2005, the stadium hasn’t seen much football glory in recent times – they did have an EFL cup run in 2017 which was countered by relegation to the bottom tier of English football. More successful in recent times are the Wasps, who moved from their London home to Coventry in 2014 and were runners-up in the league for the 2016/17 season.

There are over 2,000 parking spaces at the ground spread over three car parks. These need to be pre-booked via the Ricoh Arena website. There’s a strict no parking rule for 2km surrounding the arena, putting the on-site spaces at a premium. There are several park and ride schemes operating to the stadium, including the Coventrians RFC site. Train users can stop at the Coventry Arena station, with one train per hour on football and rugby match days. The arena is a 10- to 15-minute drive from the city centre train station or you can catch any of the 5, 20, 20A and 20E bus services which stop outside the ground.

There aren’t many pubs, cafés and restaurants nearby, but the large on-site Grosvenor Casino is well-equipped and very welcoming to home and away fans, while you can grab some food, snacks and drinks on the go at the huge Tesco. You can get a full matchday meal at Faradays and the Mill Bar and Brasserie, or opt for coffee and cake from The Mill and Costa, with a wide range of takeaway options on match days including hot dogs, pizzas, burgers, and burritos.

Aside from the main stadium, which has hosted big bands such as Muse and Kings of Leon, the stadium has a number of smaller spaces, including the Ericsson Indoor Arena and Hall 5. These have seen a diverse range of events, ranging from the likes of Florence and the Machine to the Champion of Champions snooker exhibitions and Davis Cup tennis.