Visit Doncaster - Yorkshire's newest city

Yorkshire’s newest city, Doncaster, is a thriving place, with much to see and discover. Stay a while and base a visit to beautiful South Yorkshire.

On 1 November, King Charles III officially signed a decree making Doncaster one of England’s newest cities. Until then, the large South Yorkshire population had been one of Yorkshire’s best large towns.


Discover Doncaster

At the heart of Doncaster is an historic market town where Norman castles, Regency buildings and a rich railway and horse racing heritage thrive.

But Doncaster has also evolved. Now a modern metropolis, it offers an exciting mix of green open spaces and nature reserves with spectacular shopping and nightlife too.

Doncaster launched a reopening campaign in 2020, to show how the town bounced back from the coronovirus pandemic.

There is much to see and do in the town and surrounding area.

In truth, there’s more than enough to fill two days, and you’ll likely leave wanting even more from Donnie in future!


Accommodation

Also see our Doncaster hotels page, or hotels close to Doncaster Sheffield airport.

The Wootton House

120 Zetland Road, Doncaster, DN2 5EJ, United Kingdom

Rossington Hall

Rossington Hall Great, Doncaster, DN11 0HR, United Kingdom

Mercure Doncaster Centre Danum Hotel

High Street, Doncaster, DN1 1DN, United Kingdom

Owston Hall Hotel

Owston, Doncaster, DN6 9JF, United Kingdom

Hilton Garden Inn Doncaster Racecourse

Doncaster Racecourse Leger Way, Doncaster, DN2 6BB , United Kingdom

Innkeeper’s Lodge Doncaster, Bessacarr

Bessacarr Toby Carvery, Bawtry Road, Doncaster, DN4 7BS, United Kingdom

Attractions in Doncaster

Doncaster Racecourse

Doncaster Racecourse, Leger Way, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, DN2 6BB, United Kingdom

Events in Doncaster

There’s always plenty of interesting events happening in and around Doncaster. A short selection of recently updated events are below:

Simon Brodkin: Screwed Up at Cast Doncaster, Doncaster

Waterdale, Doncaster, DN1 3BU

Date & Time:

November 5th, 2023 8:00pm

Supreme Queen 2023 – Tribute to the Legend at Doncaster Dome, Doncaster

Doncaster Lakeside, Doncaster, DN4 7PD

Date & Time:

September 3rd, 2023 7:30pm

England’s Strongest Man at Doncaster Dome, Doncaster

Doncaster Lakeside, Doncaster, DN4 7PD

Date & Time:

October 1st, 2023 1:00pm

You can view the full range of events in Doncaster at our dedicated page here.


Pictures from Doncaster


Doncaster on the Map

Doncaster is between Sheffield and Hull, closer to the former than the latter, and both Sheffield and Doncaster are the biggest settlements in South Yorkshire.


About Doncaster

Doncaster is a large town in South Yorkshire.

Situated near the River Don, Doncaster Minster has a tall tower, stained-glass windows and a Schulze organ, plus a Roman wall on its grounds.

Doncaster Market has hundreds of indoor and outdoor stands and stalls, including the Corn Exchange, a grand Victorian shopping center.

Exhibits at the Doncaster Museum and Art Gallery include a 1914 Cheswold car.

It is the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster and the second largest in South Yorkshire after Sheffield.

The town has a population of just short of 110,000 and the metropolitan borough has over 311,000 residents.


Notable People from Doncaster

Notable people from Doncaster include the following list:

  • Yungblud – singer, songwriter and musician.
  • Jeremy Clarkson – famous for being the former presenter of Top Gear and face of the show The Grand Tour.
  • Louis Tomlinson – former member of the band One Direction, currently a solo artist.
  • Kevin Keegan – football manager and former player.
  • Emma Chambers – actress, famous for her role of Alice Horton in The Vicar of Dibley and Honey Thacker in Notting Hill.
  • Sarah Stevenson – 2011 world champion of Taekwondo.
  • James Toseland – a former motocyclist, currently vocalist in a band with his own name.
  • Thomas Howes – famous for playing the role of William Mason in the British TV series Downton Abbey.
  • Roy Clarke – a writer, famous for his Last of the Summer Wine and Keeping Up Appearances.
  • Diana Rigg – actress
  • John McLaughlin – guitarist and frontman of Mahavishnu Orchestra
  • Tan France – one of the hosts of Queer Eye.
  • Andrew White – presenter and producer of Walks Around Britain and writer of The Walker Mysteries novels.
  • Danny Schofield – a professional football coach and a former player.

Doncaster FAQ’s

What is Doncaster famous for?

Doncaster is famous for horse racing. Doncaster is one of the oldest racecourses in the world. It hosts two famous horse races: The Doncaster Cup, which is the oldest horse race in the world, and the St Leger Stakes, which is the oldest classic horse race in the world.

Is Doncaster the largest town in England?

Doncaster used to be a large town, but now has city status.

Is Doncaster owned by Scotland?

Doncaster was given to Scotland during the 12th century (The Treaty of Durham). It was never officially reclaimed by England, making the area legally still part of Scotland.

Where next?

Visit more South Yorkshire locations here.