Serviced Apartments in Chelmsford

Discover the best activities and attractions Chelmsford has to offer, and find out what makes this city a vibrant and exciting place to live or visit.

Hylands Park & Hylands House
Hylands Park is a sweeping Grade II* listed parkland with an elegant neo-classical Hylands House at its heart; together they host large-scale summer concerts, community events, weddings, and seasonal activities. The estate is a major draw for residents and visitors alike — its festivals and concerts attract thousands, supporting local hospitality, temporary event staffing and visitor spending, while the grounds provide regular leisure space for families, sports groups and volunteer conservation projects that boost community wellbeing.

RHS Garden Hyde Hall
RHS Garden Hyde Hall, just a short drive from Chelmsford, is one of the Royal Horticultural Society’s flagship gardens, showcasing distinct planting zones, trials, and seasonal festivals. It brings horticultural tourism to the area year-round, offers educational programmes and volunteer opportunities, and supports the local economy through visitor spending on cafes, shops and nearby accommodation, while promoting biodiversity and gardening skills across the community.

Chelmsford Museum (local history & Marconi heritage)
Chelmsford Museum, housed in an attractive historic building, presents the city’s story — from Roman archaeology and local industry to Chelmsford’s globally important Marconi and radio history. As a free or low-cost cultural asset it enriches local identity, supports school learning and tourism, and helps sustain nearby cafes, shops and cultural partnerships; special exhibitions and events also bring paying visitors and stimulate interest in the city’s industrial heritage.

Bond Street / High Chelmer / The Meadows — Shopping & Riverside Dining
Chelmsford’s city-centre shopping quarter (Bond Street pedestrian area and the High Chelmer/The Meadows centres) combined with riverside restaurants and independent cafés creates a lively retail and food scene. This cluster is central to everyday life and city-centre employment — it attracts shoppers from across Essex, supports dozens of small businesses and hospitality outlets, and anchors evening-economy spending that helps fund local services and keeps the centre vibrant.

Civic cultural venues & annual events (Chelmsford Cathedral, Civic Theatre, festivals at Hylands Park)
Chelmsford’s cultural life centers on venues such as Chelmsford Cathedral and the Civic Theatre, plus signature events — summer concert series and large festivals at Hylands Park, seasonal markets and food & drink events. These provide accessible arts and entertainment, create creative-sector jobs, encourage volunteerism, and bring significant visitor numbers that spill over into retail, accommodation and transport sectors; culturally they strengthen civic pride and give residents regular opportunities to engage with arts, faith and community programming.

Explore the diverse transport options available in Chelmsford, from efficient public transportation systems to convenient road networks. Whether you're commuting to work or exploring the city, this section will give you an overall look at the available transportation systems.

Public Transit System
- Rail (Chelmsford railway station / Great Eastern Main Line) - Chelmsford is served by a busy station on the Great Eastern Main Line operated by Greater Anglia, with frequent fast services to London Liverpool Street (typically around 30–40 minutes off-peak on the fastest trains) and regular regional services toward Colchester, Ipswich and Norwich; the station is the main hub for longer-distance commuting and regional travel.
- Local and Regional Buses - A network of local and regional bus services links the city centre, suburbs and nearby towns; main operators include large regional companies alongside smaller local operators and community transport services, providing frequent routes into the city centre, to hospitals and outlying villages.
- Park & Ride - Chelmsford operates park & ride services from out-of-town sites into the city centre (notably Chelmer Valley and Sandon), aimed at reducing central congestion by offering car parking plus frequent shuttle buses.
- Taxis and Ride-hailing - Licensed local taxi firms, private hire vehicles and app-based ride-hailing services operate across the city for on-demand door-to-door travel, including airport transfers.
- Coaches and Long‑Distance Services - Interurban coach services connect Chelmsford with other towns and cities; National Express and regional coach providers operate occasional direct routes, and rail remains the dominant option for long-distance travel.

Major Highways
- A12 - Main dual carriageway linking Chelmsford northeast to Colchester and the east coast and southwest towards the M25 and London; primary trunk route for road access.
- A130 - Important regional route connecting Chelmsford southwards towards the A127/A13 corridor and providing connections to the south Essex coast.
- A414 - Regional east–west route providing links toward Harlow, the M11 corridor and to other parts of Essex and Hertfordshire.
- M25 (via A12) - London orbital motorway accessible from Chelmsford via the A12, providing connections to the national motorway network and north/south routes around London.
- M11 (via connecting roads) - Motorway access toward Cambridge and the Midlands reachable via regional A‑roads and junctions off the A12/A120 corridors.

Cycling Infrastructure
- Cycle network and routes - Chelmsford has a growing network of on‑road cycle lanes, signed routes and traffic-calmed streets within the city, plus riverside and park routes (Chelmer Valley and city waterfront paths) and improved secure cycle parking at key locations such as the railway station; the council is progressively expanding cycle provision and connecting quieter streets and green corridors to encourage commuter and leisure cycling.

Recent and Upcoming Improvements
- Elizabeth Line (Crossrail to Shenfield) and rail capacity changes - The opening of the Elizabeth Line services to Shenfield (completed in phased stages, full service established in 2022) has altered passenger flows and released some capacity on the Great Eastern Main Line, improving resilience and commuter options for Chelmsford travellers who connect via Shenfield for central London routes.
- Chelmsford station and forecourt upgrades - Recent investment has improved accessibility, passenger facilities, cycle parking and the station forecourt to ease interchange between trains, buses, taxis and cars; ongoing small-scale upgrades continue to target step-free access, waiting areas and ticket facilities.
- Bus service and Park & Ride enhancements - Local authority and operators have been adjusting frequencies and routes, and investing in fleet improvements and timetable coordination to improve links between park & ride sites, suburbs and the city centre.
- Active travel and cycle scheme rollouts - Essex County Council and Chelmsford City Council have been implementing local active travel schemes: new and upgraded cycle lanes, improved junction safety for cyclists and pedestrians, and traffic-calming measures aimed at encouraging walking and cycling for short journeys.
- Highway junction and safety improvements - Targeted carriageway, junction and drainage works on the A12 corridor and major approaches to Chelmsford have been completed or planned to reduce congestion and improve reliability for road users; further local highway maintenance and targeted capacity works continue under council programmes.
- Local transport strategy and planning-linked projects - As part of growth and housing plans, the city and county authorities are progressing transport planning to integrate new residential developments with sustainable travel options (bus priority, active travel links and local road improvements), with staged projects tied to development timelines.

In Chelmsford, finding the right furnished rental apartment for short term or long term rental can be challenging - especially with affordable rates all year round in Chelmsford. That is where we help companies find the right serviced apartment to stay when working away from home. Our accommodation offers you the perfect self-catering, furnished rental properties in central Chelmsford and easy-access locations nearby. Whether it be one week, one month or one year, we have flexible terms to suit you.