Transport
Fastest train to London: 25 mins
Nearest Airport: Luton (30 mins drive) Stansted (40 mins drive)
Travel Costs:
Full year season rail ticket: £4,224
Monthly rail ticket for 2 days per week: £183
Intro
Stevenage isn’t as famous as London, but it has a lot to offer for locals!
A great selection of shops, restaurants and leisure places allows everyone to enjoy. There’s also fantastic parks and outdoor spaces to explore during your visit.
Here are just a few of the best things there are to do in Stevenage:
House Prices
Stevenage is an affordable town for first time buyers.
The average house price of £330,000 is much more affordable than neighbouring towns. A terraced house costs £290,000 with many flats costing under £200,000.
During the COVID lockdown period the area saw house prices grow 11% per year, indicating the preference for many to live in more rural towns where green spaces and peacefulness can provide a fantastic break from a busy city.
Stevenage Town Centre Tour
The local authority of Stevenage has also put together a walking tour guide for visitors. This covers a wide range of activities such as the town square, sculptures and notable buildings in the area.
Old Town, New Town
Stevenage has a unique setup with two very different parts of the town.
Old Town
Old Town is a picturesque district full of period homes (think of Victorian and Edwardian style) dating back to the 17th century. Around the areas are tasteful pubs, small merchant shops and generally pretty buildings. A key sight is the St Nicholas Church – a grade 1 listing. Some of the best roads in Old Town include Rectory Lane and Chancellor’s Park.
One of the most notable attractions in the Old Town is the Holy Trinity Church, which was built in the 14th century and is still in use today. The church features beautiful stained glass windows and a peaceful atmosphere, making it an ideal spot for quiet reflection.
The Old Town is also home to several interesting museums, including the Stevenage Museum, which offers an insight into the town’s rich history.
New Town
New Town is a different place. It was built recently after the second world war, so it has more of a concrete feel to it. This allows the high streets to be bigger here, and it gives developers more room to build housing. So properties in the New Town tend to be more affordable than Old Town buildings.
The billion pound regeneration
Stevenage council is in the process of starting a huge regeneration project for the town square and for Queensway. The cost is expected to reach £1bn and will be spread over 20 years.
The aim of this project is to provide a better and healthier environment for all residents and visitors to Stevenage. One of the main objectives of the plan was to make it easier for people to walk around the town centre without cars having to block their way. They also want to create more green space and playgrounds that will be safe for children.
Housing
7,300 new homes are due to be built by 2028.
Queensway
The Queensway section is due to get a £50m upgrade, introducing new retail, residential and commercial facilities, a 24-hour gym, office space and 94 new homes.
Town Square
The town square development will provide a new cinema, restaurants and coffee shops. This will greatly improve the public space in Stevenage town centre for residents to enjoy while encouraging more people into the area.
Night time Economy
A big aim for the regeneration is to transform Stevenage from a place where people simply live and commute into London, to a enjoyable town centre on its own. The town wants to move away from the traditional 9 – 5 shopping times.
The council also want Stevenage to be a place that commuters dine out in and enjoy, even when commuting back from London. They want to create a more vibrant and active town centre that all the local people can enjoy.
Ski Slopes
Stevenage is also close to one of the UK’s largest ski centres in Gosling, open all year round, so you can visit even in the summer.
If you’re a beginner there’s also flatter slopes where you can practice your technique.
If you’d prefer to watch the family falling over the snow instead, they serve hot drinks and snacks in the centre.
Alternatively you can try out any of the other facilities in the sports park including a gymnastics hall, trampoline park, tennis courts or spa centre.
Parks
Stevenage has managed to preserve key green spaces despite developing as a town:
Fairlands Valley Sailing Lake
Within the centre of Stevenage lies an 11 acre lake. The site is perfect for canoeing, sailing, kayaking, windsurfing, powerboat courses, angling and lots more. Whether it’s fund for a happy couple or a full day out with the family, a trip to the lake in the Summer will cheer many up.
If you are looking for a location that is more rural than Stevenage with larger green spaces you may want to consider Arseley as a town to live. If so you should check out our location guide on Arseley.
Golf Clubs
Golf enthusiasts will be delighted to know that Stevenage has 2 golf courses within a short drive of the town centre.
Knebworth Golf Club
Knebworth Golf Club is an exquisite 18 hole golf course. It is the only Golf Clubhouse designed by the famous British Architect Sir Edwin Lutyens. The building itself has listed status.
Stevenage Golf Centre
Stevenage golf centre also has an 18 hole golf course. But the facilities also extend to a 9 hole pitch and putt course for warm ups. If you’d prefer to practice instead, the zone also has a 22 bay floodlight driving range – perfect when the weather is poor.
Welwyn Garden City
Welwyn Garden City is a great location to visit for a day trip. The city was only built in 1920 and combines the benefits of city and countryside.
Tree lined boulevards and a Georgian town centre make a perfect location for a few holiday snaps. The town centre revolves around one main street so it’s easy to find your way around even if you get lost.
It’s worth visiting St Andrews Church (built over 100 years ago but still looks new today due its traditional Victorian architecture).
The local pub called ‘the Railway’ is great too, especially if you fancy a Sunday roast.
You can get to Welwyn from Stevenage in under 15 minutes by either train or car.
Train connections from Stevenage to London
Stevenage is very well-connected to London. There are three trains that depart every hour, the journey takes an average of just under 90 minutes.
The fastest train service is the Thameslink, which operates every half hour. But there are other operators that run the same route including Great Northern and London North Eastern Railway.
Stevenage recently finished a fifth platform for the station which will allow train services to run through Hertford on the way to London – putting more destinations within the reach of Stevenage.
Cost
Season tickets for trains are more reasonable in Stevenage than for other commuter stations. A monthly rail ticket costs £390, but a more flexible ticket would only be £180 (commuting 2 days a week into London).
When you consider that a monthly season ticket for the London underground from zones 1-4 will cost more than the flexible Stevenage ticket, living in Stevenage is sure to give you more value for your money.
Travel to the North
Stevenage has great train links to York and Leeds. Both journeys take about one hour to get there. This means it’s possible to visit other major UK cities on a day off or over a weekend – great for breaking long weeks where work and other priorities get in the way of relaxing.
Car use in Stevenage
It’s easy to drive around Stevenage. Being a rural town, space does not tend to be an issue and you can usually find places to park.
There are several car parks around Stevenage where you can park your vehicle safely and securely when exploring local businesses.
Although Stevenage does has a good public transport system of buses and trains, there are some benefits to having a car – especially if you live further out of the city centre. Stevenage is built by the A1 motorway, which lets you set off on a fast route to anywhere in the UK.
Stevenage Culture
The council have announced a 10 year culture strategy for Stevenage.
The plan includes:
- Creating new cultural sites across the town to increase participation
- Ensure everyone is actively encouraged to access cultural opportunities, irrespective of background, social or economic circumstances, health issues, or any disability
- Celebrating the heritage of Stevenage
- Improve health and wellbeing
An increased focus on culture for the area is sure to improve wellbeing for its residents.
Gordon Craig Theatre
The Gordon Craig theatre is in the heart of the town, with a large performance area that can seat over 500 people. This makes it one of the largest theatres in Hertfordshire.
Knebworth House
Knebworth has a terrific grade 2 listed country house that has plenty to do for the whole family. Ponds, dinosaur walks and the maze are enjoyable for children, with the pergola, tea rooms, herb gardens and historic house perfect for adults.
The wider grounds also host large concerts, with famous starts such as Liam Gallagher singing in sold out events.
Cycle Network in Stevenage
Stevenage is one of the best towns in the UK for travelling by bicycle. The town was designed with cycling in mind, so they have smooth surfaces and few sharp turns. Stevenage has a large network of cycle paths that are separated from the roads – improving safety.
The town is mainly divided into four cycling ‘Quarters’.
#1 North Stevenage
This starts at the railway station and stretches out to meet Bramfield on one side and Knebworth on the other. It is made up of mostly residential roads and has a cafe, pub and allotment at the end to provide amenities for cyclists in this area.
#2 Roundabout Way
This serves as an entrance to Stevenage via three large roundabouts: Church Green North, Church Green South and Woodfield which all converge onto Town Square near the centre of the town.
#3 Garden City
This contains a large number of local amenities such as schools, pubs and shops.
#4 Stevenage Old Town
This has reasonably wide pavements for cycling with one way roads to navigate through easily without worrying about traffic too much.
FAQs
Yes! Currently Stevenage is much more affordable than living in London. The average Stevenage house price is £330,000 whilst London is sitting at £525,000. Even when comparing prices of flats the Stevenage region is much lower at £262,000 compared to Outer London of £337,000 and Inner London of £548,000.
Stevenage is known for its fast train times into London. Thameslink provides a fast journey in under 25 mins into King’s Cross. You can get on pretty much any tube line from this station within 10 minutes.
Like many busy town centres in the UK, crime rates tend to be higher in places of high commuting and business activity. Stevenage does have challenges with crimes, but the local area takes a positive stance against crime by running a community partnership called SoSafe.
It’s over 800 years old – so old enough! The Mallard is one of the oldest pubs in the area (originally called The Railway Inn) going back to 1910.
Stevenage is not typically considered a “posh” or exclusive town. While there are certainly affluent areas in Stevenage, particularly in the newer parts of town, it is generally considered a more middle-class and working-class area.
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