Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Colchester – latest information and advice

Planning on visiting Colchester? Colchester is currently under national lockdown restrictions meaning travel to and from the area is not permitted unless necessary. Most attractions and non-essential shops are closed, and those that can open are intended to be used by the local population for excercise. For now, please stay at home! We'll see you all the sooner if the guidelines are followed.

The advice from Visit Britain on travel is as follows:

• People must not leave their home unless they have a reasonable excuse (for example, for work or education purposes). If people need to travel, they should stay local – meaning avoiding travelling outside of their village, town or the part of a city where you live – and look to reduce the number of journeys made overall.

• People can only travel internationally – or within the UK – where they first have a legally permitted reason to leave home. In addition, they should consider the public health advice in the country being visited.

• People cannot leave their home or the place where they are living for holidays or overnight stays unless you have a reasonable excuse for doing so. This means that holidays in the UK and abroad are not allowed. This includes staying in a second home or caravan, if that is not a primary residence.

For the full list of restrictions please refer to the official government advice. 

For localised advise on COVID-19 including any new restrictions please visit the borough council website

Visiting Colchester

The majority of the content on this website was written in a pre COVID-19 world and reflects a time without restrictions and precautions in place to stop the spread of Coronavirus. As everyone works hard to get back to a similar position we will endeavour to update the site as necessary, but for now we would always recommend double checking with attractions and venues before making plans or visiting for any additional measures in place that may affect your visit. You can also get in touch with us directly to query any information on the site.

Guided Tours

Guided walking tours have been temporarily suspended, with regular tours now unlikey to return in 2020, however it is possible to arrange a socially distaced private tour for small groups. Find our more on our Tours & Sightseeing page

We will update this page as more information becomes available

This page was last updated on 5th January 2021