Leamington Spa

Royal Leamington Spa (or Leamington Spa or simply Leamington) is a spa town of 51,000 people (2021) in the West Midlands region of England, close to the cities of Coventry and Birmingham.

Understand
Leamington Spa is an attractive spa town notable for its fine Regency architecture and parks. Like Bath and Cheltenham, Leamington owes much of its grandeur to its development as a fashionable resort in the early 19th century, catering for those who believed its spring waters could cure or ease their ailments.

Leamington was laid out as a new town in the early to mid-19th century, with features characteristic of modern planned towns including wide streets based predominantly on a north/south aligned grid. It was built on the site of a much smaller and older village called Leamington Priors, from which 2 buildings remain, just east of the parish church.

Modern Leamington serves primarily as a commuter town for Coventry and Birmingham, with its population boosted during term time by students from the nearby University of Warwick.


 * Royal Leamington Spa visitor information

By plane
is about 10 miles or 20 minutes journey by car. It received no commercial flights as of Apr 2020.

, is larger and not too far away and serves the region with frequent domestic and international flights. There are several direct arrivals a day from all major UK and European destinations, and one or two from more far-flung places such as Delhi, Dubai (twice daily), Islamabad, Luxor, New York and Toronto.

By train
is on the line between London Marylebone and Birmingham, and is a relatively short distance from Coventry, which is on the main line between London Euston and Birmingham New Street. It is also on the Cross Country Bournemouth to Scotland/Northern England line giving it good North/South connections.

By bus
Leamington Spa is well served by buses. The No. 12 bus travels between Sydenham-Leamington Spa-Kenilworth-Coventry, including Coventry City Centre, Coventry Rail Station, the University of Warwick and Kenilworth on its route.

By car
From the centre of Leamington, it is only 3 miles to the M40 motorway which links the town to Birmingham (north) and London (south-east). There is also the A46 road close by, which links Leamington to Coventry and Stratford-upon-Avon.

Get around
The centre of Leamington is compact and easily walkable, but the Parade in particular is well served by local buses.

See

 * Art Gallery and Museum. Open Tu W F Sa 10:30AM-5PM; Th 1:30-8PM; Su 11AM-4PM; M closed. Free admission.
 * Cafe. Open M-Sa 9:30AM-5PM, Su 10AM-5PM. Self-service cafe with a terrace.
 * Leamington Library, . Open M 9:30AM-8PM, Tu 10AM-8PM, W 9:30AM-5PM, Th 9:30AM-8PM, F 9:30AM-5PM, Sa 9:30AM-4PM, Su 10AM-2PM. Once the large swimming hall of the baths, this part of the building is now home to a modern library.
 * Tourist Information Centre. Open M-Sa 9:30AM-5PM, Su noon-4PM.
 * Tourist Information Centre. Open M-Sa 9:30AM-5PM, Su noon-4PM.

Do
Jephson Gardens is well worth a visit. There is a large pond, ducks, geese, a cafe, a restaurant, boating and lots of flowers and trees. You could combine it with a walk past the library, through the pump room gardens, over the bridge and into Victoria Park.

Buy
Leamington's shopping area is focused on the Parade and consists mostly of the same retail chains found on any other British high street. The elegant facades of the Parade on the eastern side at the northern end conceal Royal Priors, a smart modern indoor shopping centre, with lots of brand name shops.

There is are shops between the Town Hall and the Travelodge Hotel. On the other side of the Town Hall there is a tree-lined avenue with shops, cafes and restaurants.

Park Street and Regent Street have many small independent shops and it is well worth having a wonder round to find out some hidden gems. Also, Bedford Street is home to several small fashion stores.

Eat
Leamington has a good choice of moderately priced upmarket restaurants, including a wide choice of British Indian restaurants
 *  The Restaurant in the Park in Jephsons Gardens
 *  The Restaurant in the Park in Jephsons Gardens
 *  The Restaurant in the Park in Jephsons Gardens
 *  The Restaurant in the Park in Jephsons Gardens
 *  The Restaurant in the Park in Jephsons Gardens
 *  The Restaurant in the Park in Jephsons Gardens
 *  The Restaurant in the Park in Jephsons Gardens
 *  The Restaurant in the Park in Jephsons Gardens

Drink
Leamington has a small but vibrant nightlife scene. There are many pubs and bars and 3 small nightclubs. Most of the bars are around Bedford Street and Warwick/Regent street.

Bars and pubs

 * Tavistock Inn, Tavistock Street.
 * TJ's Bar & Bistro & TJ's Sports Bar, 45-47 Bath Street,.
 * Robbins' Well, a Scream Bar associated student pub opposite the Parish Church at the bottom of town, overlooking the river, notable for its impressive high-ceilinged interior.
 * The Benjamin Satchwell the local Wetherspoons, in the centre of the parade.
 * The Old Library, beside the Parish Church at the bottom of town.
 * The Clarendon.
 * The Benjamin Satchwell the local Wetherspoons, in the centre of the parade.
 * The Old Library, beside the Parish Church at the bottom of town.
 * The Clarendon.
 * The Clarendon.

Sleep
There are Bed and Breakfasts in Leamington, many clustered together in Warwick less than 2 miles away on Coten End/Emscote Road (the same road).

Connect
As of May 2024, Leamington Spa and its approach roads have 4G from Vodafone, and 5G from EE, O2 and Three.

Go next
Trains leave regularly from the station at the bottom of town and go direct to Birmingham, London, (and Edinburgh a few times a day). Anywhere else and your best bet is to go to Birmingham or London (depending on whether you're going north or south) and get a train from there

Take a bus to Warwick and visit Warwick Castle