Serviced Apartments in Hemel Hempstead

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

Gadebridge Park
Gadebridge Park is Hemel Hempstead’s largest green space, popular for its wide lawns, woodland walks, children’s play areas, BMX/skate facilities and sports pitches. It hosts the weekly parkrun and seasonal community events, making it a hub for outdoor recreation and family activity. Its accessibility from the town centre and regular events drive local footfall to nearby cafes and shops, support small businesses (coaches, sports clubs) and provide volunteering and wellbeing benefits to residents.

Boxmoor Trust and Boxmoor Meadows (Grand Union Canal towpath)
The Boxmoor Trust preserves and manages extensive riverside meadows, canal-side habitats and historic open land along the Grand Union Canal. It’s prized for wildlife, tranquil walks, angling and links to the canal heritage (towpaths, old mills). The trust’s conservation work, education programmes and volunteering opportunities strengthen local stewardship of green space, attract nature-focused visitors from the region and help sustain nearby hospitality and leisure enterprises.

The Snow Centre
The Snow Centre is a year‑round indoor real‑snow facility offering skiing, snowboarding lessons, children’s courses and events for beginners through to advanced riders. It draws families, school groups and sport enthusiasts from across Hertfordshire and beyond, boosting overnight/restaurant trade and creating specialist jobs in sports instruction, retail and hospitality while raising the town’s profile as a leisure destination.

The Marlowes & Hemel Hempstead Old Town (shopping and dining)
The Marlowes shopping area and the contrasting Old Town together offer mainstream retailers, local independents, cafes, pubs and canalside restaurants. The Old Town’s historic streets and canal-side outlets give the town distinctive character, while The Marlowes provides a retail core for everyday shopping. Together they generate significant local employment, sustain independent entrepreneurs, and act as focal points for events and increased visitor spending in the town centre.

Local heritage and cultural events (Dacorum Heritage initiatives, Old Town festivals and markets)
Hemel Hempstead’s cultural life is anchored by local heritage initiatives (run by organisations such as the Dacorum Heritage Trust), seasonal markets, the Old Town festival and festive events like the Christmas market. These celebrate the town’s New Town history and Old Town character, engage schools and volunteers, and draw day visitors. Cultural programming raises civic pride, supports creative and hospitality sectors, and encourages spending in shops, galleries and cafes while preserving local history.

Explore the diverse transport options available in Hemel Hempstead, 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 (Hemel Hempstead & Apsley stations) - Regular regional rail services on the West Coast Main Line corridor provide direct connections to London Euston and to destinations northwest (via London Northwestern Railway); Hemel Hempstead and nearby Apsley stations are the main rail hubs serving commuters and regional travelers.
- Local Bus Network - A town-centre bus interchange and multiple local routes link residential neighbourhoods, business parks and surrounding towns (Watford, St Albans, Berkhamsted, and local villages), offering frequent daytime services and reduced evening services; services are operated by regional bus companies under Hertfordshire network arrangements.
- Park-and-Ride / Park-and-Rail options - Several station car parks and town-centre car parks support commuting by rail and bus; motorists commonly use these facilities to transfer to trains for longer-distance travel into London and the Midlands.
- Long-distance Coach Services - Coach and interurban bus services are available from nearby stops for longer journeys (national coach networks and airport links accessible via connections), giving options for travel beyond the rail network.

Major Highways
- M1 - Major north–south motorway lying close to Hemel Hempstead, providing fast access to London (south) and the Midlands/north (north).
- M25 - London orbital motorway within easy reach via connecting roads, offering connections around Greater London and to other motorways (M1, M4, M11).
- A41 - Primary trunk route running by/through Hemel Hempstead that links the town with Watford and Aylesbury and provides a key radial road for local and regional traffic.
- A414 - Important A-road serving east–west movements in Hertfordshire that connects Hemel Hempstead with other county centres and offers links to the M1 and M25 via connecting routes.

Cycling Infrastructure
- Cycle network and routes - A mixed provision of on‑road cycle lanes, traffic-calmed residential streets, off-road shared-use paths (including towpaths along the Grand Union Canal) and signed local cycle routes link neighbourhoods, the town centre, schools and railway stations; Hertfordshire/Dacorum councils promote cycling through local route maps, cycle parking at stations and targeted improvements under active-travel initiatives.

Recent and Upcoming Improvements
- Hemel Garden Communities regeneration - A large-scale regeneration and growth programme for Hemel Hempstead that includes transport elements: proposals for improved junctions, enhanced walking and cycling links, strengthened bus services and measures to integrate new housing/employment areas with existing transport networks.
- Station accessibility and capacity work - Recent and planned works at local stations focus on accessibility improvements, better pedestrian/cycle access and enhanced passenger facilities and parking to support commuting demand.
- Active travel and cycling investments - Ongoing local schemes and funding bids (county and borough level) have delivered and proposed new cycle lanes, improved signage, upgraded shared paths and small-scale junction treatments to make short local journeys safer by bike or on foot.
- Local highway and junction upgrades - Targeted highway improvements and junction upgrades around key corridors and industrial/commercial areas aim to relieve congestion, improve bus journey times and support new development traffic from regeneration sites.
- Public transport service enhancements - Timetable adjustments, rolling-stock and service reliability investments on the West Coast corridor and incremental bus network changes have been implemented or planned to improve frequency, punctuality and connectivity for commuters and regional travellers.