A day in St Albans

[ARainyNightInSoho]

I have never been to St Albans and have only just noticed that you get get there in under an hour from one of our local stations. Would it make a good day out without a car? I’d like a picturesque pedestrianised centre, nice cafes and something historical (gallery, museum?).

@peasyeasy9 thanks. I am quite happy to travel 2 hours by train to somewhere new. I find it really interesting and relaxing even if the destination isn’t amazing. I just enjoy seeing new places. Also, I’m semi retired and my kids have grown up so it’s not a palaver to get them out of the house or keep them entertained for the day. So, two hours travelling to a semi interesting place is fine for me as long as it’s reasonably attractive and there are places to eat and visit.

Places to visit: Verulamium Park, Verulamium Museum, the Cathedral and associated Visitor’s Centre, and have a wander on the roads between the park and St Alban’s School, past St Michael’s manor (very pretty). You can also sit in the Vintry Gardens, wander down the charming (but small) Arcade and go to the Clock Tower. The high street itself is not aesthetically pleasing, but is partially pedestrianised.

It has a nice cathedral which is worth a visit . I totally get the change of scene mini- adventure !

Yes, worth a visit- not the most amazing place but a nice high street, some good cafes / places to eat and the cathedral is worth a visit. I don’t think it would fill a day out though - 2-3 hours would probably be plenty of time of including eating.

Thanks for the responses. Another question. There seem to be two train stations; St Albans and St Akbar’s City. Which one is best for the historic centre?

I live near St Albans. I'd echo PPs, it's nice enough but I doubt there's enough to fill a day.

It may not be an option on the train but I love going to Henley. Nice shops and restaurants and it's lovely doing a long walk along the river (or you can do a boat tour).

I agree Henley is lovely and possible by train from where I am. I have been there before though, and possibly everywhere pretty within a couple of hours by train from SE London ie. Kent, Surrey, Sussex. The attraction of St Albans is that it’s not somewhere a SE Londoner usually goes to, Hertfordshire is completely unknown territory to me as it’s not usually accessible from this part of London. I am intrigued by the new route and the unknown 😀

The main station is St Albans City on the Thameslink line - it's then about a 15 minute walk into the town centre.

Re stations did you mean the Abbey?

I wouldn't recommend that one. It's a bit of a steep climb up into the town.

You want the mainline, City I think.

The Cathedral is lovely, and I only did Verulamium once as a child. But historically it's worth a visit.

The attraction of St Albans is that it’s not somewhere a SE Londoner usually goes to, Hertfordshire is completely unknown territory to me as it’s not usually accessible from this part.

Fair enough. Beaconsfield and Berkhamsted are also nice for shops and restaurants but there's even less to do than St Albans. Or there’s Windsor but you’ve probably been there too.

Personally I’d wait until the weather's warmer as Verulanium Park isn't that cheery in winter. There is a little Roman museum thing in the park and the cathedral is pretty. The town centre is more of a mixed bag, there's some nice shops but the high street itself isn't that charming.

How about doing a Treasure Trail while you are there? I always find these fun- you really slow down and look at things you would otherwise miss.

I grew up there. It's a nice place. Both stations have a walk up a hill (it's hilly). Just the Abbey one is steeper. The cathedral is beautiful (they filmed an Aha video there). Verulamium is good.
George street is very pretty, it has a nice town centre and a market. Lots of pubs...

@ARainyNightInSoho St Albans is historic and a great place to visit - I'm sure you can make a day of it. The cathedral is gorgeous, and has a cafe. Nice parks and lots of shops in the town. Plenty to see and do.

Or bus it from the station, plenty go straight into St Peter's St. I regularly get the bus there (about a 90min trip) and find enough for a 2/3hr wander. Dip in to the Maltings for a few more shops and in to the Museum and Gallery on the main road. Market Day is the best - not cheap but worth a ramble and gives the place a real buzz. Go for it.

It's nice.

St Albans City and St Albans Abbey stations are on 2 completely different lines - St Albans Abbey only services a short commuter train to/from Watford Junction and stopping at various small villages on the way - whereas St Albans City is the line that goes to/from London (and others).

There are 2 museums - one focused on the Roman history and one on more modern history. The park is lovely and well worth a walk through - you can see some remains of Roman buildings, there's a small lake and it's close to the Cathedral. Highly recommend the Waffle House as a place to eat as it's a bit more unique (savoury and sweet options) and very popular with the locals.

The town centre has lovely shops if you're a mooching kind of person - couple of bookshops (Waterstones and an Independent), lots of mid-range clothing and homeware shops. There's a nice street market too, though it doesn't run every day.

Oh I could spend a day there! I'm a wanderer 😂
Two museums, a park with Roman ruins, cafes. The water wheel I think was lovely?

I like it as a place to go so would recommend it. You can do a lot of walking. There's lots of places to eat too.
The trains to St Albans City on the Thameslink route are frequent but some between London and St A stop a lot which lengthens the journey. The fast ones from St Pancras only take about 20 minutes.

Read your on the Roman history in advance - it's historically important and the Roman stuff is well worth seeing.

I went there today! Thanks so much for all of your comments and suggestions. I can recommend St Albans as a day trip.

I live in SE London and have done all of my life (62 years). I really like it here but so enjoy trips to charming old towns. I have extensively visited places in London, Kent, Surrey and Sussex as well as a large number of places in every other continent around the world. But, I had never been to Hertfordshire 😀 so, it was intriguing to me.

I have an over 60s Oyster card so the journey was very cheap. I am fine with days out where the journey is longer than the time I spend in a place because I prefer to travel by train and like watching scenery unfold. So, if you are on a direct trainline to St Albans, enjoy train journeys and walking around old towns then it’s a great place to go. I just saw the cathedral, museum and art gallery, shops and cafes. There is plenty more (especially the Roman stuff) but it was cold today and I had to be back by 4. But, if you went in warm weather you wouldn’t be bored.

Glad you had a nice day!