Hertfordshire

Cities

• St Albans – county town with a magnificent cathedral

Towns

• – county town

• Baldock
• Bishop's Stortford
• Buntingford
• Harpenden
• – home of Hatfield House, childhood home of Queen Elizabeth I
• Hemel Hempstead
• Letchworth Garden City
• Rickmansworth
• – Wimpole hall and Farm
• Stevenage
• – and the Natural History Museum
• Ware

Villages

• Abbots Langley
• Knebworth
• Pirton
• Welwyn Garden City

The county is situated just north of London. The area is quite suburban in character and has the third highest population density for a non-metropolitan county after Surrey and Berkshire which are similarly suburban in nature. The Hertfordshire district of Hertsmere has the highest percentage of Jewish residents (11% but much larger in certain towns such as Radlett) of any English district outside London.

By train

Hertfordshire is to the north of London and is easily accessible by train. The train lines running north to south Hertfordshire. The main train lines serving Hertfordshire are:

• London Northwestern - from London Euston to Birmingham, the North West and Bedford (with stops in Hertfordshire including Watford Junction, Hemel Hempstead and Tring)
• Virgin Trains - from London Euston to the North West (with stop at Watford Junction)
• Thameslink - from Brighton, Sutton and Rainham via London St Pancras to Bedford (with stops in Hertfordshire including Elstree and Borehamwood, Radlett, St Albans City Station and Harpenden) Serves London Luton Airport (Luton Airport Parkway)
• East Midlands Trains - runs through Hertfordshire from St Pancras Station but does not stop in Hertfordshire
• LNER - runs from Kings Cross to Yorkshire and Scotland (with stop at Stevenage)
• Great Northern - runs from Kings Cross to Peterborough & Kings Lynn (with stops including Hatfield, Stevenage, Hertford North and Hitchin)
• Greater Anglia - runs from Liverpool Street to Cambridge (with stops in Hertfordshire including Cheshunt, Broxbourne and Hertford East) Serves Stansted Airport
• London Overground from London Euston to Watford Junction and from London Euston to Cheshunt (with stops in Hertfordshire including Bushey, Watford Junction and Cheshunt)
• London Underground / Metropolitan Line (with stops in Hertfordshire at Croxley and Watford)

By car

Any of the major roads heading north out of London will pass through Hertfordshire. Hertfordshire is served by three motorways M1, A1M and M25.
Hertfordshire is served by Greenline and National Express coaches. The main coach station is Hemel Hempstead. The coach services provide good links to airports and major cities.

• 370 (National Express) Southend to Liverpool calls at Bishops Stortford in Hertfortshire (also serves Stansted & Manchester Airport)
• 707 (National Express) Gatwick Airport to Northampton service calls at Hemel Hempstead (also serves Heathrow & Luton Airports)
• 737 (National Express) Oxford to Stansted Airport service calls at Hemel Hempstead & Hatfield in Hertfordshire (also serves Luton Airport)
• 758 (Greenline) Central London to Hemel Hempstead
• 757 (Greenline) Central London to Luton calls at Bricket Wood in Hertfordshire (also serves Luton Airport).
• 758 (Greenline) Central London to Hemel Hempstead
• 777 (National Express) Stansted Airport to Birmingham calls at Standon, Stevenage & Hitchin in Hertfordshire (also serves Luton & Birmingham Airports)
• 787 (National Express) Heathrow Airport to Cambridge service calls at Hemel Hempstead, Hitchin, Letchworth, Baldock & Royston in Hertfordshire (also serves Luton Airport)

By plane

Hertfordshire is served by two main airports that are on its borders. London Stansted just over the border in Essex and London Luton Airport just over the border in Luton. Good connections to Hertfordshire are available from London Heathrow and London Gatwick Airports.

• (STN) is London's third airport, and is dominated by the two low-cost airlines EasyJet and Ryanair, connects to many international destinations and to the train services offering connections to London or Cambridge.
• London Luton Airport (LTN) is London's fourth airport. It's a major hub for easyJet, Ryanair, Wizz Air and TUI. The vast majority of routes served are within Europe, although there are some charter and scheduled routes to destinations in Northern Africa and Asia.

Located in Hertfordshire is London Elstree Aerodrome (ICAO: EGTR) which is a general aviation aerodrome located in Elstree, and is situated 2.6 nautical miles (4.8 km; 3.0 mi) east of Watford. Elstree Aerodrome has a CAA Ordinary Licence number P486 which allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction.

Rail links, as mentioned, run north-south but there are no services running east-west across the county so the alternative is bus/coach travel or car

• The Henry Moore Studios and Gardens

  phone: +44 1279 843333
  address: Perry Green, Much Hadham, Hertfordshire SG10 6EE
  The former home and studios of the great British sculptor. Includes the artist's restored home, and its flower garden, his studios, and over 70 acres of less formal gardens and fields containing many of his monumental sculptures. The grounds also feature the Sheep Field Barn gallery with changing exhibititions, and the medieval Aisled Barn with a display of nine large colourful tapestries based on his drawings.

Hertfordshire is the second safest county in the U.K. The chances of you being attacked/robbed at night are slim, and in the daytime basically none. The only crime you may encounter is at closing time in the larger urban areas (Watford, St. Albans, Hatfield and Stevenage) around clubs/pubs. Theft or interference with cars may occur, but only if left in the more unpleasant areas overnight.
Usual instructions apply, if a crime/emergency is in progress call 999 or 112 and ask for Police/Fire/Ambulance as needed. There are three main police stations (Open Mon/Thurs 8am - 11pm, Fri/Sat 8am - Midnight and Sun 10am to 8pm) in Watford, Hatfield and Stevenage. A police counter service is available at Abbots Langley and Rickmansworth police stations.

Hospitals

• Stevenage (Lister Hospital) with 24h A&E
• Watford (Watford General) with 24h A&E
• Hemel Hempstead (Hemel Hempstead Hospital) with Urgent Care Centre open 8am to 10pm. No A&E
• Welwyn Garden City (QEII) with 24h Urgent Care Centre. No A&E
• St Albans (St Albans City Hospital) with a Minor Injuries Unit (MIU) open every day of the week from 9am to 8pm. No A&E
• Northwood (Mount Vernon Cancer Centre) with Minor Injuries Unit (MIU) open every day 9am to 8pm (except Christmas Day). No A&E
• Bishop's Stortford (Herts and Essex Hospital) with Minor Injuries Unit (MIU) open Mon - Fri 9am to 4:30pm. No A&E
• Cheshunt (Cheshunt Community Hospital) with a Minor Injuries Unit (MIU) open every day of the week from 8am to 8pm. No A&E

• Whipsnade Zoo, just outside Dunstable.