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A very friendly guy offered cost-free coffee.
In the 21st Century Guildford is a bustling English town, with an attractive High Street made of granite setts (frequently referred to as cobbled), numerous shops and department stores. There is a Tourist Information Office and several hotels including the historic Angel Hotel which long served as a coaching stop on the main London to Portsmouth stagecoach route. According to Channel Four Television's "The Best and Worst Places to Live in the UK" TV show Guildford is the 9th best place to live in Britain. Guildford is the most attractive and safe shopping destination in the UK, according to the Eve Prime Retail Survey 2004 and ranked 27th in the country overall.

There is a small museum in the town centre and the University of Surrey is situated to the north-west of the town centre, about ten minutes' walk from Guildford main line train station. Guildford Cathedral is adjacent to the university's main campus and the Royal Surrey County Hospital is nearby.

Guildford has the most visited Art Gallery in Surrey - Guildford House Gallery with over 120,000 visitors per annum. The Gallery is situated in the High Street, in a 17th Century Grade I Listed Town House and is run by Guildford Borough. It is open Tuesdays to Saturdays and admission is free. Its own art collection includes works of Guildford and the surrounding area, and work by Guildford Artists, most notably John Russell R.A.

The town's principal commercial theatre is the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre which often shows productions before (and after) they have spent time in London's West End. The Electric Theatre opened in 1997 to host performances by musicians and amateur drama groups. Guildford also has an Odeon cinema multiplex, which is as of June 2007 the only cinema in the world showing digital 4K films to the public.

A wide variety of cuisines are available in the many restaurants in Guildford. Additionally, there are numerous pubs and bars and several nightclubs.

Stoke Park is the venue for both the Guilfest music festival during the summer and the Surrey County Show (agricultural and general) on the last bank holiday Monday in May. Previous to 2007, the Ambient Picnic was held in Shalford Park, by the River Wey.

It is also home to several local radio stations including 96.4 The Eagle, County Sound Radio 1566 AM, GU2 Radio, and BBC Southern Counties Radio.

It is a market town with the market being held on Fridays and Saturdays. A farmers' market is usually held on the first Tuesday of each month.