Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
St. Michael's St.
&
01727/751810.
www.stalbansmuseums.org.uk. Admission £3.80 adults, £2 seniors
and children 5-16, free for children 4 and under, £10 family ticket. Mon-Sat 10am-5:30pm, Sun
2-5:30pm. Closed Dec 24-Jan 2. By car, Verulamium is 15-20 min. from junction 21A on the M25; it is
also accessible from Junction 9 or 6 on the M1; follow the signs for St. Albans and the Roman Verula-
mium. St. Albans City Station is 2 miles from the museum.
Where to Eat
Freddie's
CONTINENTAL This elegant, modern restaurant attracts a loyal
clientele of locals and visitors. The menu is fun, eclectic, and sure to please everyone
in your group. The seared monkfish fillet is always good, but there are also solid meat
dishes to savor: English lamb shank with its own jus, herb mash potato and broccoli,
and duck breast with banana chutney. Save room for the delectable dark rum crème
brulée or baked-apple-and-blackberry crumble with hot custard.
52-56 Adelaide St.
&
01727/811889.
www.freddies.org.uk. Reservations highly recommended. Main
courses £11-£22; set lunch from £15. AE, DC, MC, V. Daily noon-2:30pm and 6-10pm.
La Costa Nostra
ITALIAN This family-run trattoria, just a short walk from the
center or train station, knocks out authentic Italian food,. It's especially good for two
items: exquisite pizzas and freshly made calzones, stuffed with tomato, mozzarella, ham,
mushrooms, and artichokes. Though it's essentially a pizza and pasta specialist, a sea-
sonal menu of heavier steaks and fish is also offered, as is a range of
gelati
for dessert.
62 Lattimore Rd.
&
01727/832658.
www.lacosanostraltd.co.uk. Reservations recommended. Main
courses £8.95-£20; pasta from £6.90, pizza from £6.60. MC, V. Mon-Fri noon-2:30pm and 6-10:30pm,
Sat 6-11pm.
Shopping
The twice-weekly
street market,
held every Wednesday and Saturday along St.
Peters Street, features over 170 stalls, a mixture of discounted factory merchandise,
fruit and vegetable sellers, and upmarket purveyors of everything from merino-wool
blankets to artisan cheese. The excellent
Farmers' Market
runs on the second
Sunday of each month, from 8am to 2pm, in tandem with a flea market inside the
Old Town Hall (admission 20p). A better bet for genuine arts and crafts is the
St.
Albans Artisans, Arts & Crafts Market,
held the second Saturday of every month
(10am-4pm), also in the Old Town Hall.
You'll find a selection of intriguing shops amid the quieter streets and lanes clus-
tered around the cathedral. For antiques and local crafts, visit
By George
Craft
Arcade,
23 George St. (
&
01727/853032
), St. Albans's largest antiques and craft
center. The building also houses a tearoom and crafts arcade. It's open Monday to
Saturday 9:30am to 5pm and Sunday 1 to 5pm.
Little Wonders,
10 Holywell Hill (
&
01727/863800
), is an award-winning toy
store guaranteed to astound little ones; it sells ethically made traditional wooden toys
and games. Fans of the graphic novel should check out
Chaos City Comics
(
&
01727/838719;
www.chaoscitycomics.com), at 20 Heritage Close. Check out
www.shopstalbans.co.uk for more shopping ideas.
Entertainment & Nightlife
St. Albans's nightlife centers on a thriving pub scene and a small but healthy roster
of provincial theatre. The Company of Ten, with its base at the
Abbey Theatre,
Westminster Lodge, Holywell Hill (
&
01727/857861;
www.abbeytheatre2.org.uk),
is one of the leading amateur dramatic companies in Britain. The troupe presents 10
5
