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City in Essex, England
Photo: Andrew Walker (walker44), CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Colchester is a city in Essex, East Anglia. Home to the University of Essex, the Colchester Institute and an Army Garrison, and with its attractive old buildings, Roman wall, castle and proximity to Constable country, Colchester is an interesting place to visit.
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The largest Norman keep in Britain, build on the foundations of the Roman temple to Claudius it has the city centre on one side and landscaped gardens on the other. The museum covers the extensive history of Britain's oldest recorded town, from pre-Roman times, Boudicca's rebellion, the Norman invasion, medieval witch hunts, the civil war and up to the present day. Guided tours of the Roman foundations and Norman roof take place at set times throughout the day for a small fee. There is a restaurant and gift shop.
A fairly large park in the grounds of Colchester castle. Annual events held there include cricket matches (there is a cricket week every year when Essex CC play visiting counties), music festivals and a fireworks display in November.
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40 m high square imposing Victorian water tower.
Colchester Castle
Colchester Castle is the largest Norman Keep in Europe. Archaeological collections of international quality covering 2,500 years of history are beautifully showcased, including some of the most important Roman finds in Britain. Colchester Castle offers an engaging experience with interactive displays and standout exhibits, including the Colchester Gladiator Vase and the Fenwick Hoard of Roman treasure. Visitors can try building a Norman archway, dressing as an Iron Age Briton, steering a Roman chariot, or firing a replica ballista at the east wall. Daily tours, led by expert guides, provide the opportunity to explore the Roman vaults and enjoy views from the Castle roof.
Hollytrees Mansion
A beautiful Georgian building presenting domestic life and childhood in Colchester over the past 300 years. Find out about the origin of the famous nursery rhyme "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", which was written in Colchester!
A fascinating chance to get closer to nature. Find out about wildlife habitats, biodiversity and climate change.
The Minories is Colchester's oldest art gallery, opening its doors to the public in 1956. It shows a diverse range of contemporary art and design by artists and makers from the eastern region as well as historic work that relates to Colchester. It has a beautiful walled garden (perhaps Colchester's best kept secret) and a cafe serving good quality homemade local produce.
Contemporary visual arts centre with exhibitions and workshops located in a new building. Also a restaurant.
Makes an interesting day out for the family. With some of the best cat and primate collections in Europe. It was once named the 'Large Visitor Attraction of the Year' by Visit Britain. It's well worth a visit.
Picturesque watermill with working waterwheel. A delightful piece of late Elizabethan playfulness. Built for banquets and converted into a mill in the 19th century. Just a mile south of Colchester sits Bourne Mill, a grade 1 listed building steeped in history. It was built as a fishing lodge in 1591, converted to a fulling mill around 1640 and then converted to a corn mill in about 1840, which continued working until the 1930s. It is well worth a visit for all the family. Bourne Mill is set in tranquil grounds, next to a millpond and babbling stream. The mill still has a working waterwheel and the grounds give plenty of scope for family fun. The grounds have a pond, wetlands and woods and are home to a variety of wildlife including birds, bats, waterfowl, bugs and beetles. Refreshments, shop, limited on-site parking
On one level it's simply a large garden centre, but the draw is the extensive show gardens, inspiration for all sorts of tricky corners and habitats. One neat example is the gravel garden, which never needs watering.
A series of structured gardens over 20 acres (8 hectares): seaside, Japanese, woodland, gravel.
Full and varied program of mainly performances (music, drama)
Roller Skating Rink
Fine dining. Accepts reservations.
Restaurant
Free Wi-Fi.
Restaurant
Free Wi-Fi.
Pizza & Pasta Restaurant & Take-away
Free Wi-Fi.
Free Wi-Fi.
set in an old wood-beamed house in comfortable gardens in the town centre
Free Wi-Fi.
Pub & Food
Provides excellent real ale.
Provides excellent real ale.
A Wetherspoon pub.
formerly Ramada
Ramada hotel with 50 non-smoking rooms and 100 on-site parking spaces. Each room includes bath and/or shower, work desk, flat screen freeview TV and complimentary Wi-Fi. Some rooms have been adapted to allow for easier access.
Pub with rooms in bucolic Suffolk countryside.
Atmospheric inn with rooms in 15th C building, comfy with good dining.
Cosy hotel in manor house with extensive gardens. Airy clean rooms in barn conversions, holds residential art classes.
behind 6 high classical columns
Supermarket
Cafe.
Supermarket
Petrol station (different hours). Pharmacy (different hours).
Supermarket
By bus
The two main operators in the city are First Essex and Network Colchester, with Konectbuses (services from Sudbury and from surrounding areas) and Beestons (services from Dedham).
By coach
National Express coaches serve the bus station (and various other stops) on route 484 between London Victoria and Clacton-on-Sea (three journeys daily), 350 between Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield,…
By car
Colchester can be reached by car either via the A12, which links up with the M25 from the south, the A14, which links up with the M1/M6 from the North or the A120, which connects to the M11.
By bicycle
The city is on National Cycle Route 1 from Ipswich, Norwich and on to the Shetland Islands to the north and to Chelmsford, London and on to Dover to the south.
By car
Driving around Colchester isn't too much hassle, although traffic tends to come to a standstill during the rush-hours.e. no more than 20 minutes) meaning that you will need to use a public car park.
By bus
Local buses have limited use to the average visitor as almost everything is within walking distance, although they can be useful to reach further-afield attractions such as Wivenhoe, the university,…
By bicycle
Colchester is an attractive place to cycle, and two National Cycle Routes pass through the city.
By taxi
Metered taxis are a little hard to find although they can usually be picked up from taxi ranks on the High Street or outside North Station (north exit).
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London, Essex · International · STN
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