England · United Kingdom
Where to stay in Watford
Watford is a city in England, United Kingdom, home to about 90,000 people. This guide covers 1 hotel in Watford, with about 97 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
- LHR21 km · London Heathrow Airport
- Currency
- GBPpound sterling
- Time zone
- Europe/London
- Language
- Cornish, English, Irish
About
About Watford
Watford ( ) is a town and non-metropolitan district with borough status in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles (24 km) northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne.
Cassio is listed in the 1086 Domesday Book. It lent its names to one of Hertfordshire's historic hundreds and lends its name today to Cassiobury Park, named after a former mansion. In the 12th century, the Abbot of St Albans who owned the land was given permission for a weekly market near the River Colne, where it was held until 1928. The town developed rapidly in the late-18th century. Construction began on the Grand Union Canal in 1793, and the waterway reached Watford by 1797 (and Birmingham by 1805). The railway opened in 1837. The town became its own urban district in 1922.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Watford
See
- Warner Bros. Studio Tour
- Watford Palace Theatre
- Watford Museum
Do
There are plenty of things to do in Watford. For example, visit the Warner Bros Studios in north Watford, shop in the town centre, stroll through Cassiobury Park, play golf at Watford TopGolf or even visit Woodside Leisure Park, home of Vue cinema, indoor play areas and some restaurants. Watford is also home to many leisure centres, for sporting activities, including a running and athletics track in Garston. Watford Colosseum hosts many comedy shows and live music concerts, check out their website for upcoming shows.
- Watford FC
- Watford Colosseum
- Watford Topgolf
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
The best-rated places to stay in Watford
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 Watford Central hotel | 97 | 4.1/5 963 reviews |
Schematic: the city centre in orange, each place to stay as a dot, distance rings in kilometres.
Where to stay
More hotels in Watford
8 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 |
|---|---|---|
| The Grove | 3.7 km | |
| Hunton Park | 4.7 km | |
| Red Lion Inn | 9.1 km | |
| The Bedford Arms | 9.4 km | |
| The Wellington Arms | 0.7 km | |
| Hilton London Watford | 1972 | 2.6 km |
| Holiday Inn London Watford Junction | 0.9 km | |
| OYO Livin’ Serviced Apartments OYO Rooms | 0.8 km |
When to go
The best time to visit Watford
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Watford are June to September. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 23 °C; October is the wettest, with about 72 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 Watford: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is London Heathrow Airport (LHR), about 21 km from the city centre in a straight line; London Luton Airport (LTN, 25 km) and London City Airport (LCY, 35 km) are also within reach.
Getting in
Today, Watford lies at the junction between the M1 and M25 motorways. There are car parks throughout Watford town centre, including at the Atria shopping centre, Avenue Car Park and behind the Town Hall.
Getting around
Most attractions in Watford are within walking distance of each other and do not require buses or trains. All Hertfordshire buses offer an 'Explorer' ticket which permits a maximum of 2 adults, 2 adults and 2 children or 1 adult with 3 children to unlimited travel for £7. It is often worth doing as it can save money even if you are on your own.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
LHR · London Heathrow Airport
LTN · London Luton Airport
LCY · London City Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Watford
Eat
There are many choices. For restaurants, there is Middletons Steakhouse and Grill, Flower Drum (Chinese), Flame (Chinese buffet), various Pizza restaurants (Pizza et pizza, Zinco, Ask, Pizza Hut, Pizza Express), Caribbean, Japanese (Hanko)... Fast food - Two McDonald's (with an extra 2 in the north of the town), Five Guys, two Subways, various pizza takeaway places (Domino's, Pizza Hut, Pizza Express and various kebab shops. Roosters Peri Peri Chicken is halal and serves very inexpensive but absolutely delicious chicken meals, including wraps, burgers, etc., and even apple pies and ice cream in the summer. Try the chicken burger meal. Yum.
Drink
Watford Town Centre comes alive at night particularly on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays. The bars and clubs are practically all positioned next to each other up the High Street. As a general rule the music is louder, the drinks are more expensive and the atmosphere is more lively the further up the High Street you go, though there are exceptions. A flyover divides the strip into the 'High Street' and 'The Parade'.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Good to know
Accessibility, parking and families in Watford
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
Watford: questions travellers ask
What are the best-rated hotels in Watford?
By published guest score: Travelodge Watford Central (4.1 / 5 · 963 reviews · www.travelodge.co.uk (operator's own guest score)).
When is the best time to visit Watford?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Watford are June to September. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 23 °C; October is the wettest, with about 72 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Watford?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is London Heathrow Airport (LHR), about 21 km from the city centre in a straight line; London Luton Airport (LTN, 25 km) and London City Airport (LCY, 35 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in Watford?
pound sterling (GBP).
Nearby
Destinations near Watford
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.