On footThe town centre is easily walkable and much of it is pedestrianised. The town core is encircled by High Street, Queen Street, Osbourne Street, St Johns Street and Head Street. Castle Park covers much of the north-eastern town centre and makes for a pleasant traffic-free stroll out of the town centre.
By CarDriving around Colchester isn't too much hassle, although traffic tends to come to a standstill during the rush-hours. Within the town-centre, parking on the street is illegal, or at least limited to short-stay i.e. no more than 20 minutes meaning that you will need to use a public car park. When approaching the town centre, digital displays on the road-side will tell you the availability of parking spaces in each parking building, saving you from having to search hard for a space. Generally, surface car parks such as Vineyard Street or the Britannia Building are the cheapest about GBP1.50 per hour, Colchester Borough Council multi-storey parking buildings are a little more expensive about GBP2.20 an hour and are open 24 hours, whilst NCP parking buildings are the most expensive. In most cases you will be given a ticket upon entry from the automatic barrier, and the fee should be paid at the payment machine before returning to your car in order to exit the car park. Parking on residential streets close to the town centre requires a residents parking permit, so it's not advisable to park there as you may incur a parking penalty.
By BusLocal buses have limited use to the average visitor as almost everything is whithin walking distance, although they can be useful to reach further-afield attractions such as Wivenhoe, the university, Highwoods Country Park, Colchester Zoo etc. All buses serve the town centre via the inner one-way system, which can be confusing e.g. if you enter the town centre from the rail station, you will alight on High-Street this is the first stop in the town centre, however to return to the station you have to board in Head Street. It's advisable to always check the schedule available from the bus information centre on Queen Street to make sure you don't board in the wrong place and head off in the opposite direction.Most routes run at 10-30 minute intervals from 5:00am-6:00pm and run less frequently in the evening up to 11:00pm. Fares start at around GBP1.50 for a single ticket or GBP2.50 for a return although if you plan to make more than a couple of journeys, a GBP3.00 day rover ticket is a useful investment as it gives you unlimited journeys for 1 day. Change is usually available but drivers will usually be reluctant to change anything bigger than a GBP5.00 bill. Useful routes are:-61/62: Both serve the University and Wivenhoe.75: Goes to Colchester Zoo.65: Goes to Highwoods Country Park67/67A: Goes to West Mersea.
By bicycleColchester is an attractive place to cycle, and 2 National Cycle Routes pass through the town. Due to heavy traffic and narrow roads, cycling in the town centre is a little hairy and there is little in the way of cycle-lanes, however there are plenty of cycle-paths away from the main roads when you get away from the town centre. Some bike stores such as Colchester Cycle Stores on St John's Street may allow you to rent a bicycle.Note that many National Cycle Routes run off-road and are not suitable for certain bicycle types e.g. road bikes.
By TaxiMetered taxis are a little hard to find although they can usually be picked up from taxi ranks on the High Street or outside North Station north exit. However, it's usually cheaper and more convenient to call for a minicab - the most usefull operators include:-Five Sevens:- 01206 577777Hawaii 5-0 Taxis:- 01206 543210Towncar Minicabs:- 01206 515515
