The best things to do in St Albans with families

The city of St. Albans is probably not the first place you would think of when looking for a weekend away. We ended up there as much by chance as anything when we arranged to visit Harry Potter World. Purley because we had early morning tickets and it was the closest Premier Inn. But I am so glad we did. It turns out that we got up to so much during our visit to St Albans. We spent a wonderful Saturday exploring the old city full of historic buildings. There is a lot to do for kids and really helped us to make a weekend of our visit. It is a great place for a day trip with lots of tourist attractions and full of local history.

READ MORE – Premier Inn near Harry Potter World

Arriving late on Friday we decided to head out to find somewhere to eat. I was surprised by just how many restaurants and pubs are located in the city centre. The next morning fuelled by the premier inn breakfast we went out exploring. 

Our visit to St Albans – The best things to do in St Albans with families

St Albans Market 

Our first stop was the market which runs every Saturday along the high street. I doubted whether it would entertain the kids but since it was on route to the museum we took a look. The kids loved it. There were several fruit and veg sands which had very impressive displays. In fact, we would have brought our weeks shopping had we not been away. The boys could not resist some giant strawberries which we brought and ate as we wandered along. Goes to show we can get decent fruit and veg in this country if you know where to look. There were other artisan food stalls, bakeries, bread and cheese. Along with selling gifts. It was difficult to encourage them away at some points.

Towards the bottom end of the market, there is a street market with a number of food stalls. Lots of choice of various delicacies. The market place runs until around 4.30 pm in the afternoon with the food stalls operating from late morning onwards. 

St Albans Clock Tower

At the bottom of the high street is the clock tower. There is seating outside and pubs on both sides. A good place to stop if you are tempted by any of the food stalls. When we visited people were already sitting on the wooden benches eating. You could not go into the tower but there is a rather appropriate door which I could not resist taking a photo of Harry underneath. The clock tower itself is steeped in history. It is the only medieval town belfry and is unique in England. It contains a large Curfew bell dating from 1335. I could not get over how much history there is in the city.

Verulamium Museum

To get to the museum you need to walk past the Cathedral and through the Verulamium Park. We just decided to head to the museum first as the boys were still fresh. Plus the park always serves as good bribery for Harry. One of the best ways to get around is by foot. Everything we visited during our visit was within a short walk from each other.

Charlie is studying the Romans at school next term so it was a good opportunity to visit the museum. To learn about Roman times. St Albans museum houses many of the Roman artefacts that were recovered from digs in and around St Albans. The settlement and later town was known as the Roman city of Verulamium which is where the museum gets its name. 

It was by far one of the best things we did during our visit. There are lots to see in this little museum, including some amazing mosaics. There is a room with original painted plaster rescued from one of the digs. To have so much still in good enough shape to move and the display is amazing. There are also lots of gold coins, which we of great interest to my little magpies. And of course the usual pottery, bones and intricate bronze models. 

There are talks and several interactive displays to keep the kids entertained and that really brings Roman Britain to life. We spent around two hours in the museum. I am not surprised it is named one of the top things to do in St Albans for families. You can read more about our visit below

READ MORE – Our trip to Verulamium and the Roman Theatre in St Albans

Roman Theatre of Verulamium

Just round the corner from the museum across the main road is an example of a Roman Amphitheatre. The only one in the UK is located in what was the site of Verulamium. Many of the artefacts in the museum were recovered from the shops located next to the theatre. We brought a combined ticket with the museum, which cost £19 for a family of four. There are several information plaques around the flit structure which give you an idea of the different areas. Along with what it may have looked like. We stayed around fifteen minutes in total.

When we left we told the lady at the kiosk Charlie was studying Roman’s for school. She gave him some information which showed how the theatre would have looked. It was very kind of her. We brought a little guidebook too so he can take it to school and tell the class about his visit to the only Roman amphitheatre in the UK. 

Verulamium Park

Whenever we go on a city break with the kids we try and find a park. Green open spaces for them to run off some steam. So we were pleased when we discovered that St Albans has a huge one. In fact its spread over several different areas.

There are a lot of fun things to do in the park and I can see why it is one of the main attractions of the city for families. With acres of parkland to explore. It has a large lake that has a pathway through it which is home to a variety of birds to spot. When we visited many of them were nesting. There is also a large play area and a cafe serving hot and cold food. Plus the chance to see what is left of the Roman wall. Plenty of places to kick a ball and have a picnic. It is also home to a very special Roman artefact. 

READ MORE – Things to do at Verulamium Park St Albans

Roman Mosaic and Hypocaust

Also housed within the park and free to visit is the Hypocaust Mosaic. Unlike those on display in the museum, the Hypocaust Mosaic was left where it was found. This was to make sure that the heating channels underneath the mosaic floor were preserved. It is the best example of a Roman heating system in the UK and one of the finest Roman mosaics.

I was impressed to find that you did not have to pay to enter. Housed undercover you can walk the whole way around the mosaic. It was nice to see that it had been looked after with little graffiti. The mosaic itself is lit up so you can see the hundreds of intricate little squares. And also clearly see the heating channels. One of which is located under a glass floor panel, showing where the fire was set to create the hot air to warm the floors. There are also information panels on the walls which show how the technology works. Another of our highlights in our visit to St Albans. 

St Albans Cathedral

Famous for having the longest Nave in the country a visit to the historic Cathedral is a must. It is also free to enter. We only had time for a whistle stop tour. When we visited the Bach Choir was practising for a recital that evening. They were down one end of the We did manage to locate the Shine of Saint Albans the first known martyr in the UK. He hid a Catholic Priest from the Romans and was beheaded because of it. The shrine to the priest who was eventually found also stands close by. 

The oldest pub in England?

Close to both the park and the cathedral is a pub called ye olde fighting cocks. It claims to be one of the oldest pubs in the UK. We had planned to visit for dinner only to find that it was undergoing a refurb. So no idea who I booked with! It looks like a lovely pub from the outside with tables overlooking the river. But there are many old pubs in St Albans so plenty of choices. We visited the Boot instead which is right next to the Clock Tower and managed to get a table inside. Turned out to be one of the best places to sit and watch the world go by.

Harry Potter World

St Albans is only around a fifteen-minute drive from the Harry Potter Studio Tour. The tour itself is amazing and was the highlight of our weekend. Especially as Charlie is a big Harry Potter fan. Staying close by really helped as it meant we could get tickets for when it opened and beat the crowds. Getting close to everything we wanted to see and getting those special pictures with lots of other people in them. Also visiting early is surprisingly important since we spent the best part of six hours exploring the attraction. Which just would not have been possible if we had not had early morning tickets. 

You can read more about our visit below:

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READ MORE – Harry Potter Experience. 

Conculsions – Our visit to St Albans

The city of St. Albans is definitely worth visiting with so many great things to do in close proximity to each other. We had a great day in St Albans and I would highly recommend it for a weekend getaway. Even if Harry Potter isn’t your thing then this should not stop you visit St Albans. As there are several different attractions in the surrounding area. Including Hatfield House and Willows Activity Farm. Both of which we hope to visit in the coming months. 

Have you been? What were your favourite bits? I would love to hear about them in the comments below. 

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