5 reasons to live in St Albans

St Albans is a small city just 20 minutes from London and is the perfect place for those looking for a compromise between urban and country living. One of Britain’s oldest cities with a pretty historic centre to match, The Sunday Times recently named it as the best place in the South East to live, and its popularity has firmly established it as the gold standard of commuter belt hotspots.

It’s the ideal place for a balanced lifestyle, whether you’re relocating to start a family, looking for more space for the existing one, or quite simply want somewhere with the benefits of London without so much of the noise and cost.

We explore 5 reasons why St Albans is one of the best towns to live in the UK.

1. The location

Set in the heart of the Home Counties, Hertfordshire is conveniently placed north of Greater London, nestled between Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the North, and Buckinghamshire and Essex either side. Wonderfully green, the Chiltern Hills stretch across the county.

Weekends are easy to fill, with only a short drive to local towns such as Hemel Hempstead, Rickmansworth and Harpenden, all offering great spots for a coffee and brunch.

Just a few miles West of St Albans is Hatfield, where The University of Hertfordshire offers a range of undergraduate, postgraduate and short courses if you’re looking to retrain or fill your evenings with something new. Hatfield is also home to some employers such as Ocado.

2. The property market is a safe investment

In short, property in St Albans is on the pricey side, but is a safe investment. Being such a quick and easy commute to London places St Albans firmly in the middle-class territory when it comes to the property market, and it’s often somewhere people move to raise a family once they have established themselves in their career.

It's easy to see why as they're often drawn by the easy commute, great schools, friendly community, and pretty location close to countryside beauty spots. As a result, detached houses in St Albans or smaller townhouses will easily reach over £500,000, usually closer to £800,000.

If this is in your budget though, property will be a good investment, with prices consistently rising since the financial crash of 2008.

Rental prices are less expensive than in London, but not by much. A three-bed house will usually cost around £2,000 per month.

3. There's plenty to do at the weekends

...Culture vultures

Those interested in history and culture couldn’t ask for more - the rich history of St Albans has left it with unique and beautiful sites, such as the cathedral (shrine to Britain’s first saint and the oldest places of continuous Christian worship in the country!), the only visible Roman theatre, stately homes such as Hatfield House (where The Favourite, starring Olivia Coleman, was filmed), and museums ranging from the Romans to aircraft.

There is also easy access to beauty spots such as Heartwood Forest and the Wheathampstead Heritage trail, a country walk that features some of the best in the region’s natural beauty, historical architecture and fascinating stories.

For the more cosmopolitan, the Odyssey is an independent arthouse cinema that’s certainly one of the jewels in the cultural crown, and excellent historical pubs fit snugly alongside trendy bars, fine dining, a bustling cafe culture, and atmospheric food and street festivals. For the kids, the Warner Bros Studio Tour – The Making of Harry Potter isn’t far away in Watford.

...Shopping

Excellent and varied shopping is a major draw for St Albans, with a traditional market widely regarded as one of the best in the country running twice a week and a city centre full of popular high street names as well as independent boutiques. The Maltings shopping centre is open seven days a week with some of the country’s biggest brands, while the cobbled streets are best searched for unique and bespoke jewellery, fashion and art.

4. There are plenty of school options

St Albans itself is home to schools rated outstanding, including St Albans Girls School, Loreto College (girls) and Beaumont School (mixed).

The county of Hertfordshire has an excellent range of secondary schools available too. For example, Roundwood Park School in Harpenden, which appeared in 2021’s Sunday Times School Guide.

Primary schools in St Albans are also plentiful, with those rated outstanding by Ofstead including Cunningham Hill Junior School and Fleetville Junior School.

5. The commute - unrivaled transport links

St Albans is a paradise of a commuter town when it comes to travel, with two train stations and quick routes into London. Multiple direct trains per hour travel into London St Pancras and take just over 20 minutes. Naturally, this comes at a cost - a monthly train ticket to London will set you back £387, or £459 when including a tube pass.

There are also other good rail links to the Capital, with London Bridge only a 40 minute journey and Euston 45 mins, which means it's a particularly appealing option for professional couples who may need to commute to different parts of London.

Road links are also excellent. St Albans is located conveniently for the M1 and M25, which means that Heathrow is only a 30 minute drive away and Luton airport is only 5 miles away.

So overall, St Albans scores extremely highly on the transport links chart!

Example Commutes

  London Bridge       

Operator: Thameslink
Service starts: Bedford
St Albans City (board) |   Hendon |   West Hampstead Thameslink |   Kentish Town |   London St Pancras |   Farringdon LT |   City Thameslink |   Blackfriar |    London Bridge (37 min journey)

  St Pancras       

Operator: Thameslink
Service starts: Bedford
St Albans City (board) |   Hendon |   West Hampstead Thameslink |   Kentish Town |    London St Pancras (21 min journey)