Transport Travel Guide 

The Colchester & South Suffolk Coast region is easily reached from the UK and many overseas destinations.

To fly to the region, East Anglia’s international airports at Stansted and Norwich offer budget and schedule flights from many UK and European destinations. To fly to the region from outside Europe, connections can be made from one of the UK and European gateway airports such as Manchester or Amsterdam. Luton airport, 80 miles, 2 hours drive, away via the M25, has many cheap flights. Alternatively the major airports at Gatwick & Heathrow both lie approx 100 miles to the south of Colchester.

East Anglia’s sole port at Harwich, located to the south of Ipswich, is approximately 20 miles from Colchester and offers regular sailings from Denmark, Germany and Sweden. A twice daily service also operates to the Dutch port at The Hook of Holland.

A variety of rail operators provide good rail links within the Colchester & South Suffolk Coast area, with good connections to London and most UK towns and cities. Local Buses and express coaches provide excellent coverage throughout East Anglia.

Road travel offers quick and effective access into London via the A14, A12 and A120 which all link up with the M25. The town of Ipswich is situated on the South Suffolk Coast close to the mouth of the River Orwell. The A14 encapsulates Ipswich, connecting with the A12 which runs directly through Colchester and on to the M25 via Chelmsford. The A120 and A133 offer an eastern route from London and the M11 to the town of Clacton-on-sea, on the tip of the South Suffolk Coast, via the towns of Braintree, Coggeshall and Colchester.