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Harwich
Town is worthwhile to visit in its own right.
If you have a cruise, taking a hotel the night before, you have
the ingredients for a very satisfying short stay.
Harwich Old Town itself is at the end of a peninsular. It has very
few shops or commerce not connected to the port. There is a strong
port atmosphere as you wander the historical streets. Lack of commerce
and traffic make its a very pleasant place to visit. The town is
a historically important port which has provided a sheltered anchorage
for shipping through the ages. The old town of Harwich is a conservation
area containing many historic buildings right up until the recent
world wars.
There is an interesting
Harwich Maritime Heritage Trail - you can pick up a leaflet
covering the route at many places including the cruise terminal
itself. Included are several small museums, fortifications and other
places of interest.
For American Visitors, Harwich was the home of Christopher Jones,
captain of the Mayflower that brought the Pilgrims to North America.
There is a small free Mayflower museum and you can view (from the
outside) the home of Christopher Jones a short walk away.
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The'High'
Lighthouse at Harwich |
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The
focus for visitors to the Old Town is the pier, called Hapenny Pier.
You get very good views from the pier of river traffic and you can
see the cruise terminal downstream.
From the pier there is a ferry service to the other side of the
river and pleasure cruises.
The Mayflower Museum is also sited on the pier
Just south of the Old Town is Dovercourt. This is the main beach
resort and is where you will find many of the hotels and shops providing
basic needs.
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Getting
Around
The rail service from Cruise & Ferry Terminals at the International
Port is broadly hourly and makes the short journey into Harwich, stopping
at Dovercourt and the terminus at Harwich (Old) Town.
This is supplemented by a local bus service with a couple of routes
connecting Harwich, Dovercourt and the International Port. These buses
run every 30 minutes but do not run on Sundays and do not start until
after 09:00 and stop running early evening. |
Harwich
Local Bus |
The
number 20 bus connects Harwich Town Railway Station, Dovercourt and
the International Port.
It goes past the Premier Inn Harwich, the only modern chain hotel
in town and the out of town supermarket (Morrisons) before turning
around at the port area of Parkeston.
Taxi cabs are also freely available. |
Accommodation
There are no large 4 star chain hotels in Harwich. The nearest is
the Premier Inn Harwich, a new purpose built example of the popular
budget chain. It has a good pub/restaurant adjacent.
Other hotels are available mostly in Dovercourt, once a family holiday
resort. |
Premier
Inn Harwich
Situated
on the outskirts of Harwich midway between Old Town and International
Port, Just over a mile from both.
Comfortable rooms with Kings Size beds, family rooms available. 24
hour reception.
Popular pub restaurant serving steaks, chicken and typical pub food.
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Continental
Hotel Harwich
A
small independent hotel overlooking the sea at Dovercourt Bay, minutes
by car from Harwich International Port.
The hotel serves food throughout the day and evening. On demand you
can choose from bar snacks or a la carte.
A wide range of room formats available.
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Tower
Hotel Harwich
Built
in 1885, in the Italian style, as a private residence. Situated in
the centre of Dovercourt near train station and beach.
Rooms are named after prominent people in the history of Harwich and
Dovercourt.
A wide range of room formats available.
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