Visit Colchester

Visit Colchester Official Tourism Service for the Colchester City Council area.

Contact us for the best advice on where to go, things to do, where to watch, listen, join in, eat, drink, stay and enjoy in and around Colchester

The centre offers hands on advice and information resource.
- Access to wheelchair users and people with disabilities as well as pushchairs.
- A large retail area for local souvenirs, gifts and treats.
- A range of gifts, souvenirs and treats made by l

ocal companies, artists and craftspeople under the 'Colchester Collection' name - unique to the information centre.
- New electronic information services.
- Ideas on things to do and places to visit locally.
- Tickets for local events.
- Bookings for guided tours.
- Help with your travel plans.

📅It was on this very day, some 377 years ago, when George Lisle and Colcestrian Charles Lucas lead their Royalist Army, ...
12/06/2025

📅It was on this very day, some 377 years ago, when George Lisle and Colcestrian Charles Lucas lead their Royalist Army, entered Colchester. Little did they know that Parliamentary forces were hot-on-their-heels, lead by Thomas Fairfax. A grim and bloody 11 week siege lay before them 😦

This Siege was a huge turning point in the city's history and you can see evidence of cannon-fire damage💥and "battle wounds" from this dramatic time throughout Colchester today.

Pick up our self guided Siege of Colchester walking map for £1 from our Visitor Information Centre or even download this map for FREE from the link below to learn more about this fascinating time in Colchester's history ⬇

https://www.visitcolchester.com/listing/the-siege-of-colchester-walking-trail/137232101/

11/06/2025

What an honour 🇬🇧 We’re thrilled to be hosting a spectacular 21-gun salute in Colchester’s Castle Park this Saturday, to mark His Majesty The King’s Official Birthday. Everyone’s warmly invited to come along and enjoy the display 🎉.

📍 Castle Park is one of just 12 royal saluting stations across the UK - and the only one in East Anglia. It’s a real source of pride for our city, and we’ve been busy preparing the park to ensure everything is in place for this prestigious event 👑.

🎺 A brass quintet from The Band and Bugles of The Rifles - the Army’s only band to feature bugles - will take to the bandstand from 11:15am, with some suitable tunes for the occasion.

💥 Then, at midday, the 21-gun Royal Salute will be fired in Lower Castle Park by G Parachute Battery (Mercer’s Troop), 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery. Based locally at Merville Barracks, they’re yet another reason Colchester can take pride in its deep military roots.

We look forward to welcoming you.

📅 Saturday 14 June, from 11:15am
📍 Castle Park, Colchester

Happy Birthday to one of our area's leading artistic lights! 🥳 Although he would be 249 years old today, John Constable ...
11/06/2025

Happy Birthday to one of our area's leading artistic lights! 🥳 Although he would be 249 years old today, John Constable still remains at the forefront of the British art scene with his timeless artworks immortalising an idyllic vision of Colchester and beyond 🌳

🖼Why not celebrate John Constable's birthday with a trip to the countryside that inspired him, Dedham Vale and its surrounding landscape, now recognised as an Outstanding Area of Natural Beauty and also affectionately known as Constable Country! Here you'll find quaint cafes, picturesque spots for lunch and a fantastic selection of walks and countryside trails 🚶

Plan your trip now on our website https://www.visitcolchester.com/explore/coast-and-countryside/dedham-vale/

🎉Don't let the birthday fun stop there! St Botolphs Priory (the 900 year old Augustinian Priory in Colchester City Centre), Wivenhoe House (a beautiful countryside hotel) and Colchester Castle (a fantastic Norman Keep built on Roman Temple remains) have all been the focus of Constable's handiwork and can also be visited in Colchester today 👨‍🎨

📸credit: Visit Colchester, Colchester Museums, Dedham Vale National Landscape

The Roman & Medieval Festival may well be over but Colchester has another fantastic event on the horizon for this weeken...
10/06/2025

The Roman & Medieval Festival may well be over but Colchester has another fantastic event on the horizon for this weekend 🤗

Enter stage-left, Colchester Roman Circus Visitor Centre Open Day on Saturday 14th June! 🏛

Enjoy this brilliant site, showcasing Roman Colchester and the location of the only discovered Roman chariot racing track in all of Britain as well as recent host to acclaimed Classicist, Dame Mary Beard during her trip to Colchester! Entry will be £5 for adults and FREE for under 11s on this day from 10am to 4pm as part of a series of Open Days throughout the Summer months. A great opportunity to learn more about Britain's first Roman City!

Please note! Although this is an Open Day, it is still a paid entry event: Adults £5, under 11s FREE!

Image credit: Visit Colchester / Colchester Roman Society

09/06/2025

The Rowhedge Regatta is BACK!🛥🩵

This Saturday (14th June 2025, 12-6pm), the hugely popular celebration of maritime heritage returns to the picturesque riverside village of Rowhedge, just minutes from Colchester⛵️💙

Expect sailing, songs, food and fun for all the family! Visit the Rowhedge Regatta Association page for the most up-to-date schedule ⚓️

Love GREAT Britain VisitEngland Visit Essex

EDIT: COMPETITION NOW CLOSED AND ALL WINNERS CONTACTED🚨COMPETITION TIME! 🚨In a few short weeks, the Food and Drink Festi...
06/06/2025

EDIT: COMPETITION NOW CLOSED AND ALL WINNERS CONTACTED

🚨COMPETITION TIME! 🚨

In a few short weeks, the Food and Drink Festival returns to Castle Park! With old favourites and new additions, this event promises live music, kids activities and plenty of local produce - and, courtesy of our friends over at The Colchester Food and Drink Festival, we're giving away a pair of VIP tickets (worth £60!) AND 3 pairs of Adult Tickets!🍽

Enjoy a day of delicious food, artisan drinks, chef demos, and live entertainment with an Adult Ticket or - if you're our lucky VIP winner! - indulge in an exclusive private cooking demonstration, a personal meet and greet with celebrity chef John Paul Alberti and access to the VIP Lounge 🤩👨‍🍳

To be in with a chance of winning these tickets, let us know your favourite restaurant in Colchester in the comments below🎟👇This competition closes Thursday 12th June, so comment today to be in with a chance of winning!⏳

You can learn more about this fantastic event and book your own VIP Tickets today: https://www.visitcolchester.com/event/food-and-drink-festival-2025/234472101/

❗️Remember, we will NEVER ask you for any sort of payment, or reply to your comments with a link or request personal information via a link. Do NOT click on any links in any replies to your comment, they won't be from us or Colchester Roman & Medieval Festival, and could be fraudulent❗️

Terms & Conditions:
1. Eligibility: Entry is open to individuals aged 18 and over who are residents of UK. Employees of FOOD AND DRINK FESTIVALS UK, its affiliates, and their immediate families are not eligible to enter.
2. Tickets are non-transferable and must be accepted as awarded.
3. No Cash Alternative: Festival tickets have no monetary value and cannot be exchanged for cash or any other prize, whether in whole or in part
4. Liability: FOOD AND DRINK FESTIVALS UK is not responsible for any travel, accommodation, or incidental expenses related to attending the festival. The organiser is not liable for any injury, loss, or damage incurred as a result of attending the event.
5. Changes and Cancellation: The organiser reserves the right to modify, suspend, or cancel the competition at any time without notice if circumstances arise outside of its control.
6. Acceptance of Terms: By entering the competition, participants agree to be bound by these Terms & Conditions.

👣We have four fabulous themed tours for you to enjoy this Summer! Each tour covers a unique aspect to Colchester life a...
05/06/2025

👣We have four fabulous themed tours for you to enjoy this Summer!

Each tour covers a unique aspect to Colchester life and its surrounding history. All tours are perfectly placed for refreshment at local pubs, cafes or restaurants after! ☕🧁

🌳Midsummer in Castle Park: Discover it’s history, it’s landscape and the wildlife which calls it home. Perhaps you could even round off your tour with a picnic in the park! 🧺

✨Delightful Dedham: Pull on your walking boots to explore beautiful Dedham the village at the heart of Constable Country. Discover the village architecture, links to John Constable, and it's magnificent "wool" church ⛪️

🍃 Leafy Lexden: It was the Lexden Hundred, but now is it a suburb or a village? Join your guide to explore this unique part of Colchester. A beautiful part of the city to explore in the summer months 😎

⛵Wivenhoe Wander: On the banks of the River Colne, Wivenhoe is now home to many artists, but it also has a long history of ship building and fishing, which you will be able to discover on this tour along the river bank and through the lanes of the town!

You can book any of the following ways!
☎️ Call us on 01206 282920
💻 Visit our website (a link for each tour is in the comments section below 👇)
🙋‍♀️ Visit us at Colchester Visitor Information (at our HQ, Hollytrees Museum) to book in person!

😀Please note, the guide will not be able to take cash or card payment on the day. All bookings must be made in advance via telephone, email or the online booking system.

04/06/2025

A lovely showcase from our friends at VisitEngland! Start planning your trip to our beautiful, historic city today: visitcolchester.com😍

What links each of these venues? 🔗 Why, they're all hosts for this month's First Thursdays event of course! 🤩Yes, First...
03/06/2025

What links each of these venues? 🔗 Why, they're all hosts for this month's First Thursdays event of course!

🤩Yes, First Thursdays is back THIS Thursday!

The free arts festival run by Creative Colchester is a monthly celebration of creative flair and talent in the area and sees local venues throwing open their doors with fantastic performances, workshops and interactive experiences!

For this month's live music takeover 👨‍🎤🎶 musicians will be playing across the city centre with some of Colchester's fantastic venues such as Roots & Grooves Cafe, Popina Courtyard in Lion Walk Shopping Centre, Best Days Vintage, Three Wise Monkeys Colchester and Coda Colchester all playing host!

Make the most and plan your evening by checking out timings for each event at on our Visit Colchester events page! https://www.visitcolchester.com/whats-on/

🚨WHAT'S ON IN COLCHESTER THIS MONTH🚨It's a busy June here in Colchester, so here's a roundup of some of the TOP events t...
02/06/2025

🚨WHAT'S ON IN COLCHESTER THIS MONTH🚨

It's a busy June here in Colchester, so here's a roundup of some of the TOP events to add to your itinerary:

📌 Roman and Medieval Fest - returning for another year, the Roman and Medieval Fest combines local history with hog roasts - and that's just the beginning! (7th - 8th June)
📌 Open Farm Sunday - fancy riding a tractor? Maybe a bouncy castle is more your speed? Local farms and international producers open up their doors to welcome you in for one day only! (8th June)
📌 Essex Book Festival - from writing workshops to explorations of food and culture, there are a huge array of author events, walks, talks, exhibitions to enjoy as part of this festival. (1st - 29th June)
📌 Rowhedge Regatta - a FREE family-friendly day celebrating the village's maritime history - expect street entertainment and their famous boat races (14th June)
📌 Pipes in the Park - Scotland comes to Colchester in this annual event. Expect food, drink, dancing and plenty of bagpipes! (15th June)
📌 The Essex Summer Opera Festival 2025 - gather friends and family to enjoy captivating and enchanting opera in the surroundings of Layer Marney Tower, one of Essex’s most beautiful historic homes (performances from 17th - 22nd June)
📌 Castle Park Theatre - Twelfth Night - Shakespeare in the Park returns to Castle Park Theatre in the Lower Bowls Green with our annual celebration of the great outdoors, great food and drink, and - of course - great theatre! (10th - 21st June)

Want to learn more about the unmissable events in Colchester this June? Visit our 'What's On' page today: https://www.visitcolchester.com/whats-on/

📸Photo credit: Colchester City Council

The Colchester Food and Drink Festival Wild Arts

Set to be Colchester's biggest festival EVER, the ALB Festival 2025 has just released their FULL line-up for this year's...
31/05/2025

Set to be Colchester's biggest festival EVER, the ALB Festival 2025 has just released their FULL line-up for this year's event 🚨📣

Huge names like Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Pixie Lott and Tinchy Stryder grace the stage on Saturday 13th September, while fantastic tribute bands and a 40-piece live orchestra round off the weekend on Sunday 14th!🎻 Free activities, family entertainment, food, drink and more are all included in your ticket.

Every ticket sold directly supports ALB's incredible work in the community, helping to transform lives in Colchester, from every walk of life. Tickets for this fantastic event are available for purchase now - with instalment plans available too - so don't miss out on a day of family-friendly fun!

You can find out more about this incredible event on the ALB Festival page or on our website: https://www.visitcolchester.com/event/colchester-anti-loo-roll-festival/227952101/!🎶

📍Lower Castle Park, Colchester
⏰Sat 13th and Sun 14th September 2025

Address

Hollytrees Museum, High Street
Colchester
CO1IUG

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5pm
Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm

Telephone

+441206282920

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Welcome to Visit Colchester

Visit Colchester is the official tourism site for Colchester providing up-to-date information on attractions, accomodation, events and more for the Borough of Colchester. Follow us on Facebook and other social media channels for daily updates on things to do and see in Colchester, visit our website at www.visitcolchester.com for a more comprehensive guide, or pop into our HQ in Hollytrees Museum to visit us in person.