Visit Colchester: more than Britain’s oldest recorded town

Some of the most important events in British history have taken place in and around Colchester over the past 2000 years. The Romans, Saxons, Normans and Victorians have all left their mark here which you can discover today. But it’s not just history. Colchester today is a modern and fast growing town with many award-winning places to visit and eat. People love the shopping here too with its excellent range of small, specialist shops alongside all the big-name stores in a compact town centre bordered by the most complete Roman wall in the country.

Poised at the gateway to East Anglia with its picturesque villages yet only minutes away from the coast, Colchester is the perfect destination for a well-deserved short break or day trip.

Colchester is known for its history but it’s also a really modern place with loads of award-winning places to visit and eat. With many specialist shops alongside all the big-name stores in a compact town centre surrounded by the Roman wall people love the shopping here too.

Walking through Colchester is a walk through 2000 years of Britain’s eventful past. If history’s your thing then it’s easy to discover the people, places and finds which make Colchester the place it is today.

But it’s not all heritage. The mix of long history, art, artists and architecture plus a cosmopolitan range of cafés, bars and restaurants in and around the town means there’s more than enough things to do for three or four days.

And there’s serious money being spent on making your visit even better than ever before. The town boasts one of the top 50 museum collections in the country as well as one of the country’s leading contemporary art galleries at Firstsite. The award-winning Castle Museum is an absolute must-see, there’s the town’s much-loved department store, Fenwicks, and Castle Park provides a perfect escape just off the High Street.

Why not take a lesson from the Romans and make Colchester your base for a longer stay? And with a great range of accommodation you'll be ideally placed for exploring the surrounding picturesque villages and wide skies of East Anglia, walking in the footsteps of John Constable and enjoying the fruits of the sea at nearby Mersea Island.

If history’s your thing then it’s easy to discover the people, places and finds which make Colchester the place it is today. But it’s not all heritage. The mix of long history, art, artists and architecture plus a cosmopolitan range of cafés, bars and restaurants in and around Colchester means there’s more than enough to do for three or four days. So, why not take a lesson from the Romans and make Colchester your base for a longer stay? You will be ideally placed for exploring the surrounding countryside and the picturesque Constable Country and enjoying the fruits of the sea at nearby Mersea Island.