Colchester Town

University of Essex isn't that close to Colchester town itself - about an hour's walk - and there isn't much around the University itself. Colchester town has ok shopping, the usual shops such as Topshop, H&M, Superdrug, Boots etc; the highlights in terms of shopping are probably Fenwick and Superdry which are a bit less typical. Colchester also has many of the usual restaurants/cafés - Prezzo, Pizza Express, Nandos, Starbucks, Costa. There are a few more independent/smaller options but not loads. There are two cinemas in town, Odeon and Curzon. Odeon is fine, never any problems but tickets are usually quite expensive. I haven't been to Curzon but I've only heard good things from friends that have, and apparently they do good student deals so that's worth looking into. The most well known club is ATIK which generally has cheap entry and is ok but not always that clean, although this is usually the case with clubs hahah. The Wetherspoons is in an old theatre which is cool and close to most places in town, so convenient for pres.

Its a very small town but the short distance to London and Stansted makes you feel like you can go to pretty much anywhere in the world. Just take a coach and in 50 mins you are in Stansted. The university also has all the necessary services on campus so you dont feel like you are in a small town.

Plenty of lovely places to eat out. Also, good for shopping. All within walking distance of the town.

The location of the University of East London (Stratford) is ideal because it is in the middle of all amenities with many shops nearby as well as a populated area making it feel safe for students. This campus is easy to travel to as there is a Stratford tube station as well as find, making it less nerve racking for new students like me as not nervous about getting lost. There is is also a mini bus that goes between locations of campuses, which makes life easier for all and it is free which is great.

Colchester is pretty great. The clubs are good and the restaurants around are pretty nice. There’s quite a lot to do and so much to do elsewhere that’s no more than a 30 min drive away so you’ll never be bored.

It’s a really quiet town, with minimal, almost nonexistent nightlife. So people don’t really go out apart from going to the ATIK in town. Shopping isn’t comparable to shopping in London. We don’t even have a zara. The Next is like a shoebox, the Topshop is pretty much empty. But I like it just the way it is. It’s always calm and peaceful. I could always go to London if I wanted any of these things

Nice area with lots to do in the day and night, good restaurants (cheap and more expensive) loads of really nice shops.

The oldest town of England. And you can clearly see it. This town is full of old building with a middle age style but also many lovely Victorian’s. Home of the university of Essex is full of pubs, a couple of clubs, lovely restaurants and a shopping mall. The city is fullfilled with parks and surrounded by nature and cultivated camps. There is also a zoo and a golf patch. Although all of this, there is something “boring” of this town, maybe because of all this places half empty, closing very early. Personally the thing I love the most of Colchester is the distance from London, just 40 minutes by train! When buses works and trains too.

The university of Essex has a Spar shop, post office, 2 bars, multiple restaurants, and a nightclub on campus. Within walking distance there's a Domino's, Subway, Co-op and Tesco supermarket. The town also has 1 large nightclub, Atik, and Friday nights there are cheap and fun. Colchester has a wide variety of chain and independent restaurants for everyone, and all the basic clothing, book and food stores. There are regular buses from campus to town, and an annual pass is only £160. Taxis are reasonably priced however sometimes difficult to obtain. Overall Colchester suffices as a place to live, there is plenty of cheap student houses, however the university experience itself is excellent and not marred by being in a smaller town than most universities.

There's a lot to do during the day, shops, café's and restaurants. However slightly lacking in the nightlife!

There are a few fun bars to go to, although, they seem to geared towards young college students. It is bit less fun for mature students and post grads like myself. There is a decent amount of stuff to do though including shopping, eating out, movies, and parks.

Colchester has a good balance between a rural and urban vibe. The town has plenty of attractions: cinema, theatre, shops (department stores, clothes and supermarkets) and whilst also being tranquil enough to offer a different pace of life for those from London, there are plentiful surrounding villages close by to visit and seaside towns (clacton, southend). Transport is OK but if you're a uni student it can be a bit of a schlep to go to town - not easy access for those based on campus.

Night out in Colchester are great as you experience a different variety of music. It’s a mixture of both university students and locals. Food is pretty good and caters to every culture. Colchester has your main stores that you will need but would good if there was more. Value for money I would say is the same as London.

Colchester is a pretty bleak town, with not a lot to do. There is only one club in the whole town, which is full of essex lads trying to nonce you and girls that throw drinks on you and smear their fake tan on you when they walk past. The only gem would be twisters❤️ And of course you can’t go wrong wth a cheeky spoons

Colchester is a lovely historic town so has the beautiful castle and its grounds to see. Castle park is a nice place to just sit on a sunny day! The bars and clubs are good in Colchester town centre, most of them have student night deals and quirky deals - Twisters is fun and you can get a teapot cocktail with your friends!

Overall, it’s actually okay, pretty similar to London but quieter. Shops close relatively early 5:30/6pm but they’ve got a wide variety of shops so there’s nothing you’re missing out on. Nice people, haven’t had a bad encounter. Plus, the university people are cool too so you’re down to find people that re your cup of tea.

There is a lot of places to eat food which is great! Many pubs to get gigs and have a good time too! I wish there were more nightclubs, as the night scene seems a little outdated.

Boring, didn’t really offer anything. Transport was abysmal and most people were rude and racist. Nightlife was ok, kind of saw the same clubs for every event since there aren’t many. Also eating out was ok but again, not many to choose from especially if you were eating for a special occasion.

The oldest town in the UK. It's tiny, but lively. There are a lot of bars and clubs in the town. And full different kind of restaurants with reasonable price. The location is close to London, it takes only less than an hour by train.

There are plenty of restaurants from fast food to fine dining. However, Colchester is rather limited in terms of nightlife. This results in continuously going to the same clubs with the same people and this can become boring. There are a variety of basic high street shops including H&M, top shop and new look. Colchester also has a zoo, a rollar rink and a bowling ally.

The university is not as close to town as I would like. Plus there is not much activities to do in town either

Only one half decent club to go to, streets are not safe at night, travel to London is expensive, more recently food places have started opening up, not that many designer clothing shops, have had trouble with racism. Just a general rude town

Good places to go out clubbing at night we’re you can meet brilliant people there is many places to get lovely tasting food and a town with almost any shops you need

It is Britain’s oldest town, with cobbled streets and small shops. But has been developed to have popular shops such as new look, primark, apple, river island etc there are plenty of places to eat such as Nando’s, cafes, food stalls, mcdonalds, kfc, etc. My favourite is raj palace, my boyfriend and I go every month, they have the best service and deals. Plenty of places to drink: three wise monkeys, weatherspoons the playhouse, tiki bar for cocktails. And clubs to go afterwards: attik which is brand new, Missoula even open on a Sunday, Silk Road which always has guest stars. There is also plenty of activities in Colchester, such as the zoo, roller world, swimming, bowling, cinema etc. Colchester is a great town, a mix of the old and the new, providing beauty and fun. It is an hour walk from campus, a 15 minute run, 2 minute drive and 5 minute bus, costing only £3 return, or £5 for a cab after a night out.