England · United Kingdom
Where to stay in Chelmsford
Chelmsford is a city in England, United Kingdom, home to about 115,000 people. This guide covers 1 hotel in Chelmsford, with about 86 rooms between them. Every one carries a published guest score, and the list below is ordered by it.
- Places to stay in this guide
- 1
- Best months
- June to September
- Nearest airport
- SEN24 km · London Southend Airport
- Currency
- GBPpound sterling
- Time zone
- Europe/London
- Language
- Cornish, English, Irish
About
About Chelmsford
Chelmsford () is a city in Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Colchester and Southend-on-Sea.
Famous as the birthplace of radio, Chelmsford is the county town of Essex, England. It lies 30 miles (48.5 km) northeast of Liverpool Street, London, approximately halfway between there and Colchester. It is almost exactly in the centre of the county and it has been the county town of Essex since 1215. It is also the seat of the Borough of Chelmsford, which covers a wider area than the city, including the new (ca. 1970s) settlement of South Woodham Ferrers on the banks of the River Crouch. Chelmsford was made a city on the Queen's diamond jubilee in March 2012.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Chelmsford
See
- Chelmsford Cathedral
- Hylands House and Park
- The Shire Hall
- Essex Police Museum
- Chelmsford Museum
- Essex Regiment Museum
- RHS Gardens at Hyde Hall
Do
- Riverside Ice & Leisure
- Radical Bikes
- Blackwater Boats
- County Ground
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
The best-rated places to stay in Chelmsford
Ordered by guest score as each operator publishes it, weighted by the number of reviews so a handful of perfect scores does not outrank thousands of very good ones. Scores are shown on their own scale.
| # | Place to stay | Rooms | Guest score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Travelodge Chelmsford hotel | 86 | 4.5/5 87 reviews |
Schematic: the city centre in orange, each place to stay as a dot, distance rings in kilometres.
Where to stay
More hotels in Chelmsford
17 hotels within 25 km of the centre, as recorded in Wikidata. Each name links to its encyclopedia article where there is one.
| Hotel | Opened | From centre |
|---|---|---|
| Bear Inn | 8.5 km | |
| Ship Inn | 6.7 km | |
| The Angel Inn | 3.0 km | |
| The Cock Inn | 8.5 km | |
| The Crown Inn | 3.8 km | |
| The Green Man Inn | 8.0 km | |
| The Kings Arms Inn | 3.4 km | |
| The Red Lion Inn | 7.4 km | |
| The Saracen's Head Hotel | 0.5 km | |
| The Spread Eagle Inn | 6.5 km | |
| White Hart Inn | 6.0 km | |
| White Horse Inn | 2.7 km | |
| Channels Hotel | 4.3 km | |
| County Hotel Chelmsford | 1.1 km | |
| Rose And Crown Inn | 6.1 km | |
| Six Bells Inn | 6.6 km | |
| The Chequers Inn | 6.8 km |
All 18 hotels in Chelmsford, with their history and operators
When to go
The best time to visit Chelmsford
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Chelmsford are June to September. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 23 °C; October is the wettest, with about 64 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Chelmsford: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is London Southend Airport (SEN), about 24 km from the city centre in a straight line; London Stansted Airport (STN, 24 km) and London City Airport (LCY, 39 km) are also within reach.
Getting around
The town centre is easily navigated on foot. The high street is fully pedestrianised and the two largest shopping malls have no vehicle access. Chelmsford benefits from being fairly flat and there are also good provisions for the disabled. Access into Chelmsford is very good although be prepared to wait in queues in the centre of town, particularly along Victoria Road and Parkway. Rush hour is between 7-10AM and again from 4:30-7PM. The Park and Ride service has helped things, although on occasion it can take a while, especially in the late afternoon, to leave the town.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
SEN · London Southend Airport
STN · London Stansted Airport
LCY · London City Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Chelmsford
Eat
Chelmsford's situation means that there are not any foods considered 'local cuisine', however there are countless restaurants and food outlets from street vendors and take away shops to Michelin Star restaurants to satisfy any gastro-hungry traveller.
Drink
Chelmsford has a vibrant nightlife scene with many nightclubs, pubs, wine bars and restaurants in the town centre area, particularly in Duke Street and Moulsham Street. Its central Essex location and good public transport links make the town ideal for revellers to visit from surrounding areas. Though there is a wide range of bars and pubs in the town center, there is a large antisocial behavior problem as the only form of entertainment in Chelmsford is cheap drinks and loud music, resulting in the town centre becoming a no-go area after 10PM on the weekend.
Stay safe
Out of all of the large towns in Essex, Chelmsford is probably the safest and easiest for the traveller to feel comfortable in. The majority of the locals will be helpful and happy to point out directions or places of interest. While violent crime is fairly low, walking the streets at night should be done with great caution, and it is ill-advised to confront gangs of youths however insulting they may be. Central Park and West Park should be avoided at night - it is big, dark, fairly deserted and the only other people around will probably be the sort you don't want to meet and also avoid any large groups.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Good to know
Accessibility, parking and families in Chelmsford
How many places to stay in this guide offer each, in their operators' own words.
of 1 place
of 1 place
of 1 place
Questions
Chelmsford: questions travellers ask
What are the best-rated hotels in Chelmsford?
By published guest score: Travelodge Chelmsford (4.5 / 5 · 87 reviews · www.travelodge.co.uk (operator's own guest score)).
When is the best time to visit Chelmsford?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Chelmsford are June to September. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 23 °C; October is the wettest, with about 64 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Chelmsford?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is London Southend Airport (SEN), about 24 km from the city centre in a straight line; London Stansted Airport (STN, 24 km) and London City Airport (LCY, 39 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in Chelmsford?
pound sterling (GBP).
Nearby
Destinations near Chelmsford
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.