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

Preston has two covered shopping centres - Fishergate (TK Maxx, Debenhams) and St George's (H&M, Morgan, New Look) along with four retail parks - Deepdale Retail Park to the north of the city centre, Capitol Centre to the south, Corporation Street off Ring Way, and Queens Retail Park in the town centre. The main shopping streets are Fishergate and pedestrianised Friargate. Marks & Spencer, Boots and HMV are all located on Fishergate along with all the big high-street names (Gap, Topshop, Miss Selfridge).

Gifts, crafts and boutiques line the glass-roofed, Victorian Miller Arcade which is modelled on London's Burlington Arcade. Preston's Antiques Centre on the Garstang Road (A6, 1 mile/1.6km from the city centre) is a treasure-trove of bargains with antique furniture, lamps, porcelain, bric-a-brac and decorative arts to browse. The Worden Arts and Crafts Centre in Leyland (7 miles/11.2km from the city centre) offers the chance to see craftspeople at work with ten workshops open to the public along with a gallery and café.

Preston's Outdoor Market is also bargain-hunting territory where traders sell everything from plants to clothes, furnishings to fresh vegetables (Mon, Wed, Fri and Sat). A flea market takes over the area on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Standard shopping hours are 9.30am-6pm. Some larger stores open on Sunday.

High-street fashion in Fishergate and Friargate, bargain antiques on Garstang Road

The University of Central Lancashire has over 25,000 students who give Preston's nightlife a lively edge. The city is a magnet for party people at weekends who pack the many city centre pubs on Friargate (The Grey Friar, the Lamb & It's a Scream) and Church Street (Hush, Reflex, Yates Wine Lodge and other chains). Pubs and clubs also cluster in the University District on Fylde Road.

The Guild Hall welcomes sport, ballet, drama, rock, pop and classical music events year round, while the Charter Theatre is known for its touring and homegrown theatre and ballet productions. The Playhouse and Worden Arts Centre are leading amateur drama venues. Preston has two cinemas, the UCI ten-screener on Riversway and the Warner Bros complex in The Capital Centre.

Pubs are subject to normal licensing hours. Beer and alcopops are the most popular choices at the bar.

Lively pubs in the centre, theatre and ballet at the Charter Theatre

Cafés and restaurants cluster on Fishergate and Friargate so this is a good place to wander in search of a bite or a good espresso coffee. The first ever KFC opened on Fishergate many years ago and it remains chain central. Cuisines on offer in the city centre include Indian, Italian, Mexican, Thai (Thai Orchid on Cannon Street) and Turkish (Totto's on Fleet Street). Restaurants on the Waterfront in Riversway include Deep Pan Pizza and McDonalds.

Expect to pay around £10 per head on a curry/pizza and up to £25-£35 per head for a three-course meal with wine in more upmarket joints. Most restaurants open daily. Prior booking at weekends and during the summer months is recommended. Dress code is casual except in very upmarket places where it is wise to dress up to fit in.

This newly refurbished restaurant is the former Simply Heathcotes. It serves British cuisine in a pleasant eating environment featuring wooden floors, open fire, and a mixture of antique and modern furniture.

A quality Hong-Kong-style Chinese restaurant where children are made very welcome.

9am-5pm Monday to Friday

Automotives, administration and education

Ringway industrial estates (automotives), city centre (administration, education)