1 day in St. Albans

How to spend 1 day in St Albans, a city so close to London (1 stop from West Hampstead!) and with so much to see and do (Roman ruins and more) that I've done a day trip from London by train several times. The city is so pretty, (part of) it was featured in The Crown twice!

If you're looking for an interesting but super easy day trip from London, St. Albans should be the top of your list. It's historic, compact, safe, and easy to get to (only 1 train stop from West Hampstead, or a direct train ride from St. Pancras International (only a 20 minutes journey) and London Bridge train station.

There is SO much to do in St. Albans:

• see the quaint historic buildings
• visit the cathedral- the site of longest continuous worship in England and the birthplace of England's 1st Christian martyr, Saint Alban. It has over 1700 years of history! It also has the longest nave (85m) in England.
• check out the Roman ruins (The Roman city, Verulamium, was located on this site.)
• and more!

St Albans cathedral is beautiful. Having said that, there are many beautiful cathedrals in England- 2 things that stood out were:

1. the free guided tour (we did make a voluntary donation at the end of the excellent tour conducted by Karen but I was surprised that it was totally optional. Many cathedrals charge you for entry these days!)
2. the many architectural styles one can see within the building

I HIGHLY recommend timing your visit to the cathedral around guided tour times- we heard many fun stories during the tour. For example, Pope Adrian (the 1st British Pope) apparently once applied to the St Albans monastery and was refused due to his lack of learning. Instead, he went to Rome, where he worked his way up the ladder and became the Pope!

Over time, some of the medieval paintings have obviously faded out of sight. On the tour, the guide will turn on a special light that allows you to better see what the original paintings look like.

There are also other interesting events such as free music recitals or fireworks night (ticketed) that you can try to time your visit around. For example, when we were there, there was a pet blessing service, and it was so fun to see the dogs of all shapes and sizes entering the church. (According to Karen, there is even a donkey during Palm Sunday!)

Fun fact: Season 2 of Netflix's “The Crown” featured the cathedral: first as a double for Westminster Abbey for Princess Margaret’s wedding, and again for the baptism of Edward.

A stone's throw from the cathedral is Verulamium Park, where you can find rolling green spaces, a large pond, and Roman ruins. It's a great place to get some fresh air and escape from London's hustle and bustle.

Historic Buildings

St. Albans has so many beautiful old buildings, such as Ye Olde Fighting Cocks, said to be one of the oldest pubs in England, and housed in a building that dates back to 793 AD.  Sitting next to the River Ver just outside Verulamium Park.  It was originally used as a pigeon house!

Medieval Clock Tower

This clock tower is the only medieval town belfry in England and has survived 600 years of use.

To be honest, if you didn't know the history beforehand, you might not have given the clock tower another glance. It sits quite unassumingly in front of a traffic light in the middle of St. Albans. (It's not super tall.)

St Albans Market

This market has been running for over 1,000 years- it was first held in 806 BC! It's England's 2nd oldest market- York's Shambles takes the 1st place- but is the OLDEST English street market still held at the original location.

A twice-weekly market located in the town centre, you'll find a mix of fresh produce, artisan goods, home wares and street foods here at St. Peter’s Street.

Roman Sites

For those interest in Roman history, check out:

• Verulamium Museum for Roman artefacts and mosaics
• St Albans Museum + Gallery for local history and exhibits of the town’s Roman roots
• ruins of a Roman theatre with a stage constructed in 140 AD

We had lunch at a nice gastropub Dylans at the Kings Arm. It's one of St Albans oldest pubs, housed in a 15th Tudor century building on George Street (part of St. Alban's Cathedral Quarter.

My Mom & I had Sunday lunch there- on Sundays, the menu revolves around Sunday roast options (there is a vegetarian roast option.) We both had the roast pork belly, which came with a Yorkshire pudding, roasted potatoes and cauliflower and cheese.

The Yorkshire puddings were impressively towering, and the roasted potatoes super crispy. Overall, it was a very solidly executed Sunday lunch but it didn't taste so amazing that I am dying to return (unlike the pie at Number Eight in Sevenoaks- I definitely want to return to Sevenoaks for that!)

The pub has 2 parts: a pub area (dog-friendly) and a restaurant area. They have the same menu, but there are some specials that you can only order if sitting inside at the restaurant.

Note: you'll need to book if you want to dine at the restaurant as it's pretty busy on the weekend.

To get the most out of your visit to St. Albans, time your trip with 1 of the history tours. (Schedule shown above.)

You can get to St. Albans from several London train stations by direct Thameslink train. It's only 1 stop from West Hampstead and St. Pancras International (depending on which train you take- different trains can have different routes, some bypassing certain stations.)

It's a short 10 minute walk from the train station to St. Albans High Street- the walk isn't the prettiest but it isn't as dodgy as some of the the other train station areas we see on London day trips. (Thinking of you, Tonbridge and Gloucester.)

My Mom is almost 80 years old, and very concerned about safety and at no point did she feel unsafe or unwelcome in St. Albans. (Having said that, one should always be careful! If you're a person of color who has traveled in the UK, you'll know that you unfortunately can't say the same of every British town/ city.)

All in all, I definitely think St. Albans is a hidden gem and am surprised it doesn't appear on more "top train trips from London" lists! On the weekend, it's bustling but not overcrowded with tourists, so you can still get a feel of real British life.

Any questions about spending a day in St. Albans from London? Let me know in the comments!