Colchester is one of four towns that claims to be the oldest in Britain - the other three are Abingdon in Oxfordshire, Marazion in Cornwall and Louth in Lincolnshire.
The easiest way to get in/out of Colchester is either by Rail or Coach. All travel timetables both into and around Colchester can be found from the [http://www.essexcc.gov.uk/vip8/ecc/ECCWebsite/display/channels/public_transport_channel_416012_Travelling/index.jsp County Council Website]
Trains operated by [http://www.nationalexpresseastanglia.com/ 'National Express (East Anglia), formerly One Railway'] run frequently, approximately every 10 minutes south to London Liverpool Street and every 30 minutes north as far as Norwich. Colchester has two three stations, known as Colchester North, being the main station, Colchester Town, which is near the town centre and Hythe, which is close to the university.
The two main operators in the town are [http://www.firstgroup.com First Essex] and [http://www.networkcolchester.co.uk Network Colchester], with [http://www.chamberscoaches.co.uk Chambers Coaches] and [http://www.hedingham.co.uk/ Hedingham Omnibuses] among others providing services to surrounding towns and villages.
[http://www.firstgroup.com First Essex] operate the daily/round-the-clock coach service X22 from Colchester Bus Station, the University of Essex and Colchester North Rail Station to Braintree and Stansted Airport.
[http://www.nationalexpress.com National Express] coaches serve the bus station (and various other stops) on route 484 between London Victoria and Clacton-on-Sea.
Colchester can be reached by car either via the A12, which links up with the M25 from the south, or the A14, which links up with the M1/M6 from the North.
The easiest way to get around Colchester itself is by car or bus. Full bus timetables are available from the [http://www.essexcc.gov.uk/vip8/ecc/ECCWebsite/display/channels/public_transport_channel_416012_Travelling/index.jsp County Council Website].
There is an extensive bus service operated by Network Colchester and First Essex. Most routes run every 10-15 minutes between 6am and midnight. Fares depend on distance travelled but are usually between 1.30 and 1.80 for a one-way ticket or up to 2.80 for a return. There are also 1-day (GBP2.80) and 7-day (GBP11.00) passes available from the driver as well as multiple journey tickets (10 single rides for GBP11.00). The Colchester BoroughCard is a season ticket which is available from the travel centre on Queen Street and requires a passport photo. All fares are paid cash to the driver (change is given but it's always advisable to have plenty of change as most drivers are reluctant to change notes) - state your destination and ticket type and don't forget to take your receipt from the ticket machine as there will often be inspections. Return tickets, day passes etc must be checked by the driver upon boarding and may need to be stamped.
Note that many bus routes are cross-town services and don't terminate in the town centre so there is no central hub for local services. Buses heading north can be picked up along Head Street, eastbound services can be picked up from the High Street, southbound services can be picked up from the bus terminal on Queen Street and westbound services can be picked up from outside the multi-storey car park on Osborne Street or from St. Johns Street. All stops have timetables, route information and the main stops have digital displays.
The only suburban rail service is the hourly Colchester-Walton on the Naze service which serves Colchester North, Colchester Town, Hythe (for the university) and Wivenhoe - however buses are far more frequent, cheaper and often just as fast. Also note that Colchester Town and Hythe stations do not open on Sundays.
'''Castle Park''' is a fairly large park in the grounds of Colchester castle. A number of events are held there annually, including cricket matches (There is a cricket week every year when Essex C.C. play visiting counties), music festivals and a fireworks display in November.
'''Colchester Zoo''', [http://www.colchester-zoo.co.uk]. Makes an interesting day out for the family. With some of the best cat and primate collections in Europe, and recent winner of the 'Large Visitor Attraction of the Year' Award, it's well worth a visit.
'''Museums''' - Colchester is home to 4 museums, each one housed in a different beautiful old building and offering a different insight into the history behind Colchester:
There is also a theatre, the Mercury, for the theatrically inclined, which puts on shows throughout the year.
If you are looking for appropriate souvenirs of your stay, the shop in the Castle Museum has plenty to buy with a Roman theme. Alternatively you could get some world-famous Tiptree jam, which is made (surprise, surprise) in nearby Tiptree (or take a trip to visit the factory). http://www.tiptree.com/.
'''Mersea Island''' A small island located on the estuary of the River Blackwater. The northern end of the island is mostly made up of marshland but there are three settlements on the southern half - Barrow Hill (which consisits of several houses along a road), East Mersea (a small collection of farms, a post office, a pub, a couple of tacky holiday parks and an outdoor youth centre) and West Mersea, a small fishing town most notable for it's seafood, fish and chips, countless pubs, a few small independant shops and a Co-op supermarket. It is quite a pleasant place to wander around with many miles of beaches. The island can be reached by car along the B1029 from Colchester (approx 9 miles) and crossing the Strood causeway (originally built by the Romans) onto the island - note that during high tides the causeway is likely to flood which effectively cuts off the island from the rest of society as it is the only road access. Bus service 67 runs every 30 minutes from Colchester Bus Station to West Mersea High Street (some peak hour services also pick up/drop off at Colchester North rail station), although unfortunately as it is the only public transport option the fare is very high (roughly __4 single, __6 return), meaning that it is actually cheaper to travel to Chelmsford from Colchester by bus, which is roughly 3 times as far. Journey time is roughly 30-40 minutes depending on the route taken and the time of day. There are no buses to East Mersea other than school services. During the summer there is a ferry service from East Mersea to Point Clear and Brightlingsea on the Tendring peninsular.