Your Colchester Guidebook
Sightseeing
Built in 1076 on the foundations of the Roman Temple of Claudius, England’s largest surviving Norman keep is bigger than that of the Tower of London. Over the centuries it’s been a royal residence, a prison and home to the Witchfinder General. An imaginative £4-million restoration has added a cracking son et lumière which recreates lost internal structures.
Other highlights include the 'Fenwick Hoard' of Roman gold and silver jewellery, and guided tours onto the castle roof (adult/child £3/1.50, booking required).
80 personas del lugar lo recomiendan
Museo del Castillo
Castle ParkBuilt in 1076 on the foundations of the Roman Temple of Claudius, England’s largest surviving Norman keep is bigger than that of the Tower of London. Over the centuries it’s been a royal residence, a prison and home to the Witchfinder General. An imaginative £4-million restoration has added a cracking son et lumière which recreates lost internal structures.
Other highlights include the 'Fenwick Hoard' of Roman gold and silver jewellery, and guided tours onto the castle roof (adult/child £3/1.50, booking required).
The best of the city's half-timbered houses and rickety roof lines are clustered together in this Tudor enclave just a short stroll north of High St. The area remains as a testament to the 16th-century Protestant weavers who fled here from Holland
The Dutch Quarter
West Stockwell StreetThe best of the city's half-timbered houses and rickety roof lines are clustered together in this Tudor enclave just a short stroll north of High St. The area remains as a testament to the 16th-century Protestant weavers who fled here from Holland
With over 260 species of animals, Colchester Zoo is one of the best zoos in the country. There are a wide range of habitats and zones, including the Orangutan Forest and the Kingdom of the Wild, where you can encounter rhinos, giraffes, ostrich and zebra. The zoo is very interactive, offering you the opportunity to feed the elephants and giraffes, and walk through a glade of exotic butterflies and plants. Colchester Zoo is also home to a number of species rarely seen in the UK, including sun bears and the Colombian black spider monkey.
132 personas del lugar lo recomiendan
Zoológico de Colchester
Maldon RoadWith over 260 species of animals, Colchester Zoo is one of the best zoos in the country. There are a wide range of habitats and zones, including the Orangutan Forest and the Kingdom of the Wild, where you can encounter rhinos, giraffes, ostrich and zebra. The zoo is very interactive, offering you the opportunity to feed the elephants and giraffes, and walk through a glade of exotic butterflies and plants. Colchester Zoo is also home to a number of species rarely seen in the UK, including sun bears and the Colombian black spider monkey.
Colchester's Castle Park provides a perfect setting for a huge range of events including shows, festivals and concerts.
The park not only encompasses much of Colchester's rich heritage within its boundaries but is much loved and used as a part of present day life. It boasts over 1 million visitors a year. Providing a green oasis in the town centre, you can sit, walk, enjoy music, play games, or picnic amongst wonderful flowers and trees.
Free to explore, the park includes historical sites including the Roman Wall, Victorian Bandstand, and the Castle itself. Hollytrees Museum sits within it's grounds and tells a social history of the town. You'll discover a fish pond and boating lake at opposite ends of the grounds and the river Colne flows through the Northern end of the site.
7 personas del lugar lo recomiendan
Castle Park
Colchester's Castle Park provides a perfect setting for a huge range of events including shows, festivals and concerts.
The park not only encompasses much of Colchester's rich heritage within its boundaries but is much loved and used as a part of present day life. It boasts over 1 million visitors a year. Providing a green oasis in the town centre, you can sit, walk, enjoy music, play games, or picnic amongst wonderful flowers and trees.
Free to explore, the park includes historical sites including the Roman Wall, Victorian Bandstand, and the Castle itself. Hollytrees Museum sits within it's grounds and tells a social history of the town. You'll discover a fish pond and boating lake at opposite ends of the grounds and the river Colne flows through the Northern end of the site.
Food scene
Bring your own bread and wine to this seaside shack to tuck into mussels, oysters, prawns, lobster, jellied eels, smoked fish or their signature seafood platter. It's all courtesy of the Howard family, eighth-generation oyster-harvesters. The shed is on Mersea Island, 9 miles south of Colchester. Check the times of high water – it's not accessible on particularly high tides.
You can't book; arrive early (by 11.30am in the summer) to be sure of a meal. If you want lobster or crab, call them 24 hours in advance.
129 Coast Rd, West Mersea
01206-382700
Visit website
Hours:
9am-4pm Tue-Sat, from 10am Sun
Price:
mains £6-18
34 personas del lugar lo recomiendan
The Company Shed
129 Coast RdBring your own bread and wine to this seaside shack to tuck into mussels, oysters, prawns, lobster, jellied eels, smoked fish or their signature seafood platter. It's all courtesy of the Howard family, eighth-generation oyster-harvesters. The shed is on Mersea Island, 9 miles south of Colchester. Check the times of high water – it's not accessible on particularly high tides.
You can't book; arrive early (by 11.30am in the summer) to be sure of a meal. If you want lobster or crab, call them 24 hours in advance.
129 Coast Rd, West Mersea
01206-382700
Visit website
Hours:
9am-4pm Tue-Sat, from 10am Sun
Price:
mains £6-18
Tucked away in the heart of The Hythe, Colchester, only one minute away from the apartment is Bambu. It is a family run Vietnamese Restaurant offering an array of fresh tasting culinary from scrumptious small eats and salads, to heart-warming bowls of “Pho”. You will find the delightful true flavours of street food, as well as the humble way of Vietnamese living as reflected through the comforting, rustic décor.
6 personas del lugar lo recomiendan
Bambu Vietnamese
95 Quayside DrTucked away in the heart of The Hythe, Colchester, only one minute away from the apartment is Bambu. It is a family run Vietnamese Restaurant offering an array of fresh tasting culinary from scrumptious small eats and salads, to heart-warming bowls of “Pho”. You will find the delightful true flavours of street food, as well as the humble way of Vietnamese living as reflected through the comforting, rustic décor.
Activities
A short walk away from the Castle grounds is Firstsite, a contemporary visual arts organisation. The impressively designed building is home to a varied programme of exhibitions, commissions, residencies and screenings from a range of national and international artists. Firstsite also has a wide range of creative events and activities for the whole family, including art and craft courses, live theatre, opera and ballet and workshops and talks.
35 personas del lugar lo recomiendan
Firstsite
A short walk away from the Castle grounds is Firstsite, a contemporary visual arts organisation. The impressively designed building is home to a varied programme of exhibitions, commissions, residencies and screenings from a range of national and international artists. Firstsite also has a wide range of creative events and activities for the whole family, including art and craft courses, live theatre, opera and ballet and workshops and talks.
A half hour drive to the southeast of Colchester will take you to Mersea Island. Joined to the mainland by a causeway, the island has long attracted holidaymakers to its sandy shores and colourful beach huts. Mersea Island is well-known for its seafood, which is caught fresh off the coast. The oysters are particularly sought out, and were a staple for the Romans. Watersports such as sailing, kitesurfing and stand up paddling are a popular activity here, as the waters are calm and shallow.
41 personas del lugar lo recomiendan
Mersea Island
A half hour drive to the southeast of Colchester will take you to Mersea Island. Joined to the mainland by a causeway, the island has long attracted holidaymakers to its sandy shores and colourful beach huts. Mersea Island is well-known for its seafood, which is caught fresh off the coast. The oysters are particularly sought out, and were a staple for the Romans. Watersports such as sailing, kitesurfing and stand up paddling are a popular activity here, as the waters are calm and shallow.
Colchester is a fantastic place to shop. For big name brands, head to Culver Square and Lion Walk, the town’s two largest indoor shopping centres. For fresh local produce, meats and cheese, fashion, jewellery and lots more, visit Colchester Market, held every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. If you prefer something a little different, Colchester is the place to be. Find handmade candles and bath products, unique gifts, retro buys, traditional toys, home decor and antique goods at the many independent shops dotted around the town.
Lion Walk
Lion WalkColchester is a fantastic place to shop. For big name brands, head to Culver Square and Lion Walk, the town’s two largest indoor shopping centres. For fresh local produce, meats and cheese, fashion, jewellery and lots more, visit Colchester Market, held every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. If you prefer something a little different, Colchester is the place to be. Find handmade candles and bath products, unique gifts, retro buys, traditional toys, home decor and antique goods at the many independent shops dotted around the town.