Colchester
Colchester is a city in north-eastern Essex, England.
At the 2021 census the built up area had a population of 130,245, making it the second-largest settlement in Essex, after Southend-on-Sea. It gives its name to the wider Colchester local government district which also covers an extensive surrounding area. The demonym is Colcestrian.
Getting to Colchester
Colchester is served by 5 train stations.
- 01Colchester Station
Known locally as North Station (local buses call it North Station on the schedules) is about 1 mile north of the city centre and is Colchester's main rail hub.
- 02Colchester Town Station
Botolphs road junction in the south-east of the city centre, it has a half-hourly shuttle to Colchester North as well as hourly services to Walton-on-the-Naze.
- 03Hythe
A small, unstaffed station in the eastern suburb of Hythe, close to the large Tesco superstore and within walking distance of the University of Essex.
- 04Wivenhoe
Serves the attractive riverside town of Wivenhoe and the University of Essex; it has hourly services to London and Clacton, and a local hourly service between Colchester and Walton.
Things to do
Colchester is served by two cinemas; the Odeon on Head Street and the newer Curzon on Queen Street. The Odeon is usually cheaper, but the Curzon is superior in terms of comfort, service, and variety of films. There is also a theatre, the Mercury, which puts on shows throughout the year.
- 01Colchester Arts Centre
Church St, Colchester, CO1 1NF, info@colchesterartscentre.com.
- 02Rollerworld
Getting around Colchester the local way
- Get aroundMany National Cycle Routes run off-road and are not suitable for certain bicycle types, e.g.
From Wikivoyage: Colchester, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see Commons), Wikimedia Commons.