Colchester: how to get there and around
Airports, stations, ports, where the hotels are and what the numbers say, from public data rather than a brochure.
Colchester is a city of 130,245 people in United Kingdom (England), 29 m (95 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is London Stansted Airport (STN), 46 km (29 mi) from the centre. It has 1 railway station on record, including Colchester railway station.
Key facts
Open Colchester in Google Maps
Daylight in Colchester runs from about 7 h 50 min a day in late December to 16 h 47 min in late June (computed for 51.89° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
Colchester is served by 5 airports with scheduled flights within 100 km. The closest large one is London Stansted Airport (STN), 46 km (29 mi) from the centre, whose 10,003-ft runway is long enough for long-haul wide-body aircraft. The alternatives are London Luton Airport (LTN, 87 km), London Southend Airport (SEN, 38 km), London City Airport (LCY, 72 km), Norwich Airport (NWI, 91 km).
Flights to Colchester: every airport, routes and times
By rail: stations on record include Colchester railway station. Trains to Colchester
Buses to Colchester · Driving and car hire
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- London, 83 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Paris, 353 km (France) — flights · trains · buses · car rental
- Birmingham, 202 km — flights · tours
- Brussels, 266 km (Belgium) — flights · tours
- Rotterdam, 245 km (The Netherlands) — flights · tours
- Amsterdam, 277 km (The Netherlands) — tours
- Manchester, 276 km — tours
- Sheffield, 231 km
- Leeds, 268 km
- Antwerp, 253 km (Belgium)
Twin towns and sister cities: Wetzlar, Avignon, Imola, Yangzhou.
Common questions
Which airport serves Colchester?
London Stansted Airport (STN), 46 km (29 mi) from the centre, plus 4 other airports with scheduled flights within 100 km.
How big is Colchester?
About 130,245 people live in Colchester (GeoNames).
What time zone is Colchester in?
Europe/London, currently UTC+1.
What currency is used in Colchester?
The Pound (GBP). Traffic drives on the left.
Which cities are near Colchester?
London (83 km), Paris (353 km), Birmingham (202 km), Brussels (266 km), Rotterdam (245 km).
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 14 September 2026. Hotel and hostel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.