Royal Leamington Spa

Set on the banks of the River Leam, in the very heart of Warwickshire, Royal Leamington Spa is one of those towns that stops you mid-stride and makes you look up. True to its heritage as a fashionable spa resort in the late 18th century, it is now a thriving town of culture, leisure, gastronomy and wellbeing, all elegantly combined with a distinctive shopping experience. The Parade, the main thoroughfare running through the heart of town, was built in stages from 1808 onwards and is lined with creamy stucco frontages and columned facades, giving an immediate sense of why Leamington attracted Regency-era wealth and royal patronage in equal measure.

Plus, Royal Leamington Spa has beautiful green spaces with parks and riverside walks.

Royal Leamington Spa's highlights

The Parade and independent shopping

Well known as a shopping destination, Royal Leamington Spa boasts dramatic Regency architecture and has a fantastic range of independent local retailers as well as familiar high street brands. Make sure you walk along Park Street, Regent Street and Warwick Street too. The food and drink scene is equally strong, with restaurants, bistros and independent cafés lining the streets in every direction.

The Royal Pump Rooms

The Royal Pump Rooms occupy a handsome building dating from 1814, originally constructed to serve the booming spa trade. Water can still be sampled from a fountain inside, though the building now houses an art gallery, museum and the town's library. Make sure you browse the collection covering local history from the spa's Georgian heyday through to the present. It’s useful to know that the Visitor Information Centre is also located here - the team has a wealth of knowledge and are on hand to share top tips.

Jephson Gardens

Cross the road and you are in Jephson Gardens, where the River Leam, ornamental planting, a glasshouse and the iconic Hitchman Fountain combine to make it an enjoyable space to unwind and relax.

Newbold Comyn and the Leam Valley Nature Reserve

Newbold Comyn is a beautiful 300 acre country park on the outskirts of Leamington Spa. With walking trails, cycle trails, and play areas. Beyond it, the Leam Valley Local Nature Reserve stretches along the river, offering riverbank paths rich in dragonflies, damselflies, kingfishers and a remarkable variety of fish in the deep waters of the Leam. A peaceful green escape, barely five minutes from the town centre.

The Food and Drink Festival and events calendar

Leamington's events calendar is well renowned. The annual Leamington Food and Drink Festival draws thousands of food lovers to the Pump Room Gardens each September, while the Lights of Leamington festival illuminates Jephson Gardens each February. The Leamington Lantern Parade, Christmas lights switch-on and a packed programme of outdoor events fill the rest of the year.

A royal spa town with Georgian roots

Leamington's mineral springs had been known since the Middle Ages, so when the water of one of the springs was beneficial to health, the town attracted tourists coming from all over the UK and even from Europe. The legacy of that extraordinary growth lives on in the uniformity and elegance of the Regency townscape that surrounds you today. The future Queen Victoria visited the spa in 1830, and in 1838, after becoming Queen, she agreed to the town's application to become known as Royal Leamington Spa.

Insider tips

Taste the saline water from the fountain outside the Royal Pump Rooms - most people are surprised by just how salty it is.
Look closely at the Queen Victoria statue outside the Town Hall on the Parade, sculpted by Albert Toft to find the plaque commemorating the fact that a German bomb blast in a 1940 air raid shifted it slightly on its plinth.
Head to the Mill Gardens on the south bank of the Leam for a quieter alternative to Jephson Gardens - the view back across the river is one of the loveliest in the town.
Take a riverside and canalside walk from the town centre towards Warwick. It’s a flat, peaceful walk with Warwick just 3.5 miles away.
Climb Observation Hill at Newbold Comyn for good views.

Getting here

By rail

Leamington Spa railway station is a major stop with direct services to Birmingham, Coventry, London and Stratford-upon-Avon. The train station is under 10 minutes walk to the main central area of town.

By bus

Regular bus routes connect Royal Leamington Spa with Warwick, Kenilworth, Coventry, Stratford-upon-Avon and the surrounding villages, making it easy to explore the wider county without a car.

By car

Royal Leamington Spa sits on the A46 between Warwick and Coventry, and is positioned centrally within Warwickshire with the M40 just a short drive away, giving easy access from Birmingham, London and the wider Midlands. Substantial car parking is available at the railway station and in several town centre car parks.

Walking and cycling

The parks, riverside paths and canal towpaths of Royal Leamington Spa offer a peaceful surrounding to this regency town. The Grand Union Canal and River Leam both provide easy, largely flat routes out into the surrounding countryside, while longer trails connect the town to the wider county beyond. The following walking routes pass through or start from Royal Leamington Spa:

Millennium Way

The Millennium Way passes through Royal Leamington Spa on a circular town walk that can be completed in under two hours - though it is better to take at least a half day to explore the monuments and historical sites along the way. The 100-mile trail continues both north towards Kenilworth and south along the canal towards Warwick.

Warwickshire Centenary Way

The sixth section of the Warwickshire Centenary Way begins at Royal Leamington Spa and heads south to the Burton Dassett hills, passing through Warwickshire villages on a varied and rewarding stretch that trades the town's Regency elegance for open rolling farmland and wide Warwickshire skies. Heading west from the town, the Centenary Way also connects to Warwick, where Warwick Castle and further riverside paths await.

Lias Line

Nestled in the heart of Warwickshire, the Lias Line Greenway offers an exceptional route for cyclists and walkers on this traffic-free route. This greenway features smooth and accessible paths stretching to Long Itchington - a gateway to a wider network of low trafficked lanes and with a connection to the Grand Union Canal towpath. The Lias Line forms part of a 15km network of high-quality, accessible paths, supported by Warwickshire County Council and Sustrans and forms part of a planned longer Route 41.

Grand Union Canal Towpath

The towpath of the Grand Union Canal provides a fantastic, mostly flat walking and cycling route through and beyond Royal Leamington Spa, Head westward towards the famous flight of 21 Hatton Locks and on to Warwick, or eastward through quiet countryside towards Long Itchington and beyond. With the full canal stretching 37.5 miles from Birmingham to Napton Junction for those wanting to venture further afield.

Discover more

To discover more things to do and explore in and around Leamington, take a look at the Royal Leamington Spa website.