A mere twenty-minute train journey from St Pancras International, St Albans is one of the easiest day trips from London.
I’ve lived within ten miles of this Hertfordshire city for most of my life. I’ve learned its history as the Roman town of Verulamium, spent hours in St Albans Cathedral (the oldest site of continuous Christian worship in Britain) and shopped at its market more times than I can count.
It wears its history lightly, and it never feels like a museum piece. Here’s how to spend a day in St Albans.
Getting there and planning your day
Check train schedules and ticket prices here.
Below is a map of the route I’d suggest, based on my most recent visit. It works well as a self-guided walking tour, starting and finishing at St Albans City station. Click here to send it to your phone. It covers about 3½ miles.
St. Peter’s Church
On my last visit, I arrived at St Peter’s Church to the sound of piano music drifting through the door: a lunchtime concert rehearsal, as it turned out. I slipped into a pew and had a private recital to myself, sunlight coming through the stained glass and onto the stone floor.
Lunchtime concerts take place every Wednesday at 1 pm during term time. Although they are free, donations are welcome.
St Albans Market
I’m not one for shopping as a day out, but St Albans Market is worth making an exception. It’s one of Britain’s oldest continuous trading sites, with records going back to the 9th century.
Stalls line St Peter’s Street every Wednesday and Saturday, selling everything from farm produce to handmade jewellery.
Lunch in an old courtroom
St Albans has plenty of places to eat, but the café at St Albans Museum + Gallery is where I’d choose. It occupies the old courtroom, one of England’s few surviving pre-Victorian courtrooms, in use for 130 years until magistrates moved out in 1966.
I had quiche, salad and a decent coffee, then headed downstairs to the old holding cells. Some now house small art displays, though I found the graffiti left behind by former defendants more interesting than the art.
A quick history of St Albans
The museum is also the best place for a crash course on the city’s history.
St Albans began as Verulamium, one of Roman Britain’s most significant towns, and later took its name from Alban, Britain’s first Christian martyr, executed here in the 3rd or 4th century for sheltering a priest.
After the Norman Conquest, the cathedral was built from Roman brick and became a major pilgrimage site through the medieval period. Two battles of the Wars of the Roses were fought here in the 15th century.
Entry to the museum is free. Check opening hours here.
Crime, punishment and justice are built into the fabric of St Albans Museum + Gallery, and there are thought-provoking exhibitions on these themes. But this is also an excellent place to learn more about the city’s remarkable history.
Market Place to the Clock Tower
Walk along Market Place, past the cafes and shops, towards the Clock Tower. Finished in 1405, it’s the only medieval town belfry left in England. Climb it for a small fee and you’ll get a good view over the rooftops.
St Albans Cathedral
St Albans Cathedral is the city’s superstar, home to Britain’s longest cathedral nave (85 metres) and oldest tower, made from bricks from Verulanium between 1077 and 1088. I never tire of it.
I love the exceptionally carved nave screen and the carvings on its arches, many of which are of the original Romanesque round variety. The nave’s pillars are decorated with rare medieval wall paintings, dating from 1215.
Dating from 1484, the cathedral’s High Altar screen is also beautiful and above it, the wooden ceiling has eagles and lambs painted with gold.
There are shrines to St Albans and St Amphibalus, the priest whom Alban sheltered from persecution. Arches in the adjacent Lady Chapel, used by all Christian traditions for weddings and funerals, have exquisite carvings of flowers.
Roman Verulanium
Most of Roman Verulamium was demolished long ago, its stone reused to build the Norman abbey, so there’s little left to see beyond parts of the city walls and a hypocaust under a Roman floor panel. The largest surviving section is the Roman Theatre, open Fridays and Saturdays only.
For the full picture, head to Verulamium Museum. It’s a pleasant walk from the cathedral across Verulamium Park, with a detour possible via the hypocaust (I went for an ice cream instead). Between AD 50 and AD 450 this was the third largest settlement in Britain, and the museum’s finds, many from the Roman town and nearby estates, include some striking floor panels and restored wall paintings.
Back to the train station via Fishpool Street
For the walk back to the station, take a detour along Fishpool Street.
Lined with old town houses and former coaching inns, it was the first or last stop on the London to Manchester road for 900 years. Its buildings span the 16th to 19th centuries in a mix of Georgian, Tudor, Neo-Classical and Victorian styles.
Planning Your Own St Albans Day Trip
Trains from London are quick and frequent, the history goes back centuries and even as someone who isn’t much of a shopper, I’d rate the market highly.
One thing I’ve left out is Sopwell Nunnery. It’s not that it isn’t worth a visit, it’s just out on the southern edge of town and hard to fit in alongside everything else. That’s one for another trip.
About Bridget
Bridget Coleman has been a passionate traveller for more than 30 years. She has visited 70+ countries, most as a solo traveller.
Articles on this site reflect her first-hand experiences.
To get in touch, email her at hello@theflashpacker.net or follow her on social media.