Hertfordshire Travel Guide

St Albans Cathedral, Hertfordshire - © Michael Reeve

Introduction & Overview

The Hertfordshire Travel Guide looks at a range of local attractions, places of interest for visitors and offers useful tourist information for travellers. The area guide includes travel information on local transport and travel, events, facts & figures, entertainment, maps and accommodation providing an insight in to the county.

Hertfordshire is one of the home counties, located to the north of London, it is an affluent county and is a favourite for commuters who work in London due to its close proximity and good transport links to the capital.

The county is known for its parks and green spaces making it an attractive proposition and sought after area to live.

Historically the Herts towns of Welwyn, St Albans, Hertford and Stevenage were among the main towns known as the Roman city of Verulamium, at the time it was the second largest town in Roman Britain.

The major attractions in the county include St Albans Cathedral, Hertford House, Berkhamsted Castle and Shaw’s Corner among others.

Knebworth, has been home to the Lytton family for over 500 years. The house is located in over 250 acres of gardens and parkland. Knebworth has been used as the backdrop for films over the years, such as Batman and Jane Eyre.

Hertfordshire is a county that can boast several excellent gardens. These include St. Paul's Walden Bury, Benington Lordship Garden (a hilltop garden), and The Gardens of the Rose located close to St. Albans, where visitors will find one of the best collections of roses anywhere in the world.

Letchworth is in a rural scenic area and lays claim to being the country’s first garden city. The First Garden City Heritage Museum and the Letchworth Museum & Art Gallery both showcase the areas history back to Roman times.

The town of Hertford contains some beautiful architecture and a variety of specialist antique shops. The Saturday market, has many stalls all selling various goods, it’s a place where bargain hunters flock to in search of a bargain.

The Roman city of St Albans is a short trip by rail or road to London this makes it ideal for a day trip for Londoners. It has much to offer visitors, this historic and affluent market town is scenic and compact to travel around.

St Albans has a wide choice of up market shops, boutiques, and restaurants and a choice of bars and pubs, there are also real-ale pubs and festivals in the town for drinks connoisseurs to enjoy.

The town also has a Roman Theatre that is among the finest in the UK, there are the remains of a Roman town house, shop, and shrine help to create a picture of life in Roman Britain for visitors.

Local attractions include the historic 11th century St Albans Cathedral; the nave at 84 metres is the longest of any cathedral in England. Noted for its fine mixture of architectural styles and stained glass, guided tours are available.

The Museum of St Albans and Verulamium Museum showcases local history and Roman history.

St Albans hosts a street market on Saturdays and Wednesdays, shopping facilities include the Maltings and Christopher Place shopping centres along with a choice of shops and boutiques on George Street and Holywell Hill.

The town centre includes a choice of pubs, bars and restaurants offering a choice of cuisines, entertainment venues include the Alban Arena where visitors can find comedy, theatre and a choice of events.

Verulam Golf Course is located in St Albans is famous as the original home of the Ryder Cup. It was here that Sam Ryder, captain of the club developed the Ryder Cup competition. For golf aficionados there are golf courses located close by on the outskirts of St Albans and the surrounding areas.

Watford is the largest town in Hertfordshire located 20 miles from Hertford in the south of the county. Watford is located 20 miles from central London and has good transport links into the capital making it a favoured commuter town.

Local attractions include Watford Museum where visitors can find out more about the history of the town, housed in side the former Benskins Brewery Mansion. The Watford Palace Theatre hosts a range of dramas, family shows, pantomimes and workshops.

The Watford Colosseum is an entertainment venue that features a range of shows, live music and is a venue for events and weddings.

Cassiobury Park covers some 190 acres of woodland, greenery and natural beauty, there are tennis courts and a miniature railway. The park is a place where visitors can relax and enjoy a stroll in relaxing surroundings.

Vicarage Road in Watford is the largest stadium in Herts and is the home stadium of both Watford football club and the Saracens rugby club.

Watford includes a number of bars, pubs, nightclubs and entertainment venues offering a choice of venues for visitors making the area a popular place for nightlife.

Hemel Hempstead is located 20 miles from Hertford in the west of the county. Designated a ‘new town’ it was an agricultural market town known for its grain market and brick making and paper manufacturing industries.

The new town developed around the historic old town where visitors can fine some historic buildings and cottages dating back to the Tudor and Georgian era.

Hemel Hempstead is famous for the ‘Magic Roundabout’ (Moor End roundabout), located in the town centre where the traffic can go round the roundabout in both directions.

Local shopping can be found at the Marlowes Shopping Centre located close to the town centre. The market town still hosts markets notably an antiques markets on Wednesdays and a general market on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Entertainment and leisure facilities can be found at Jarman Park, facilities include a cinema, dry ski slope and a bowling alley.

Hertford is the county town of Hertfordshire, located in the east of the county. The town dates back to Saxon times and over the years grew as a prosperous market town.

Located at the confluence of four local rivers including the River Lee, it is navigatable down to the River Thames in London, narrowboats can be seen especially in summer and cruises are available.

The town is known for its pubs, bars, restaurants and entertainment venues offering a choice of eateries and entertainment options. Local attractions include Hertford Castle, a Norman castle and a former royal residence, currently the site is used as council offices.

Hertford Museum is located in a historic 17th century building and includes a Jacobean knot work garden. Visitors can find a number of exhibitions, events and local collections relating to archaeology, geology, natural history and more.

Welwyn Garden City is located 7 miles west of Hertford in central Hertfordshire. It was the second garden city founded in 1920 and one of the first new towns designated in 1948, this unique distinction means it attracts visitors for far and wide.

The local economy was historically agriculturally based today it has a number of industrial and business parks home to a range of companies.

The town centre includes some neo-Georgian architecture and is known for its fine shopping and leisure facilities, including the Howard Centre that includes a choice of shops. There are a choice of pubs, bars and restaurants in the town. For golf enthusiasts there are two golf courses in the town

Hertfordshire has some lovely scenery and rolling countryside, it makes for a rural feel and relaxed atmosphere when still in close proximity to London.

The good road and rail links mean it is only a short journey from London and with several motorways going to the area, it is easily assessable.

The county offers a relaxing place to visit and enjoy at your own pace, with plenty of history and heritage to discover and a range of attractions including parks and gardens, museums and wildlife parks.



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