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Harpenden is a picturesque and lively Hertfordshire town situated 5 miles north of the historic town of St Albans. Harpenden has good transport links, an abundance of shopping with lots of little boutiques, leisure and restaurant facilities and many green open spaces of which the Green Flag award winning Harpenden Common is the largest.
Harpenden common hosts the car show classics on the common every year.
Harpenden has a selection of hotels, guest houses and B&Bs to choose from all providing excellent accommodation. Most of them are situated within walking distance of the town centre with all its amenities as well as being close to the park and common

Situated in the picturesque countryside of Hertfordshire, Harpenden is a fairly large town within the affluent London commuter belt. Harpenden is a beautiful place, with its period buildings, surrounding countryside and the numerous immaculately kept green spaces in the town centre.

Although attractive, there isnt much to do in Harpenden itself apart from walks in the countryside (ruled out on a rain day like today) and a spot of shopping. There are plenty of shops in the centre, many of which are independent but there are a few mainstream chain shops dotted around. Unfortunately the three supermarkets available seem to cater for the wealthy London commuters which populate the town making food/ living costs here expensive. Marks and Spensers Simply Food supermarket and Waitrose are equally expensive; however, there is a Sainsburys in town which is marginally more affordable.

Similarly, there are many places to eat here but the majority are rather expensive, targeting the rich young London commuter families and the elderly retired folk. Having said this, London is 30-40mins (maximum) away by train as well as Luton and St. Albans which are both nearby with more high street shops making it cheaper to buy food and other products in these towns than in Harpenden.

Overall, Harpenden is a lovely place to visit as it is surrounded by gorgeous countryside and being so close to London with great transports links it is easy to get into the capital to find fun things to do.

A brilliant town, right on the commuter belt, you can get a fast train which arrives at King Cross International in about 25 minutes. There is a very friendly atmosphere and a great selection of restaurants, bars, supermarkets and shops to keep you occupied. However, this is certainly not the sort of place you would come and visit especially; it is relatively small in size and has no historical sites or places of interest particularly. However for easy access to London, a safe and pleasant place to live or a quick stop on your way somewhere else it is fantastic. There are also two absolutely superb restaurants, one a michelin starred place called The Bean Tree, and the other owned by the famous chef Jean Christoph Novelli, The White Horse.

There are several country walks around the outskirts of the town and the Nickey Line stretches through Harpenden to Redbourn and beyond; it is an excellent place to walk or go jogging. If it is raining there is rather little to do, other than sit and have coffee in one of the various cafes which is shame. It is relatively easy to get the train to nearby cities such as St. Albans however where there is a greater choice of shops and things to do.

In terms of shopping there are several womens fashion boutiques. There are a few chains such as phase eight but nothing notable for young people or really for men, other than a suit shop at the far end of the high street. For gift and charity shops however, there is a great selection, with almost every other shop being one or the other.
For young people, there are lots of great pubs and a few lively bars to go to in the evening but there are no clubs so you may need to go elsewhere. It is possible to go out in London as the last train to Harpenden from London leaves at about 1:30ish.

Overall a great place to live if you are a professional, most probably with a family due to nearby connections. However it is not really worth coming a long way for a day trip.