Ipswich (England) get around · Get around Ipswich (England)
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Get around Ipswich (England)
Get around Ipswich (England)
By Bus
Local urban bus services are provided by Ipswich Buses and First Eastern Counties and radiate from the Tower Ramparts Bus Station. The green and white Ipswich buses cover most urban routes and link to surrounding suburbs and retail parks. Most services run every 10-20 minutes during the day time and every 30-60 minutes in the early morning and late evening - most services start around 5:30am and finish around 11:00pm. There's a flat fare of GBP1.70 which is paid into the farebox next to the driver - if you don't have exact change you'll be issued with a voucher that can be used as part-payment on your next journey or can be refunded at the Ipswich Buses customer service office at Tower Ramparts bus station. Day passes, weekly and monthly tickets are available, as well as a rechargable smart-card for regular travellers. First Eastern Counties services are less frequent except for #66 which runs every 15 minutes between Bourne Bridge and Martlesham and runs 24 hours a day. Fares on First buses are charged by distance and return tickets are available - change is also given but drivers are reluctant to change anything bigger than a GBP5.00 note. Tickets are not interchangeable between operators.
A useful service for tourists is the #38 which loops the town centre and is free of charge - useful for getting to know your way around. An open-top sightseeing bus runs a circuit of nearby tourist attractions during the summer months.
By car
Driving around Ipswich is not recommended - traffic is often heavy, the rabbit-warren of one-way streets is confusing and parking can be expensive. However, a car is more useful if you're staying in the suburbs or plan on travelling to some more remote attractions away from the town.
By taxi
Taxis in Ipswich are cheap by British standards. Metered taxis can be found at taxi-stands outside the train station, the Old Cattle Market bus station and on a side-street beside Debenhams just off Crown Street - hailing a taxi in the street is not recommended as most taxi drivers will wait in a taxi rank rather than cruise for passengers. Phone-booked minicabs are cheaper and will take you to more inaccessible locations, but can be hard to book late on Friday and Saturday nights. Note that if you want to travel by taxi to a nearby town such as Felixstowe or Stowmarket, local minicabs in those towns will usually be cheaper than those in Ipswich.
On Foot
Ipswich town centre is very compact and much of the town-centre is pedestrianised so walking is often the fastest and most pleasant way of getting around. However, walking at night is not so fun - walking beyond the town centre usually involves passing some unpleasant areas and walking through the public underpasses that cross the 'inner ring' or along by the river can sometimes be unsafe - take a taxi instead.
By bicycle
Ipswich Borough Council has gone to great lengths in recent years to make the town more cycle-friendly, and most major routes into the town centre have cycle or bus lanes, although they are often ignored by motorists, many of whom are not happy with sharing the road with cyclists, so it helps to have a good level of confidence in urban cycling. Alternatively, there are several signposted cycle routes taking in quiet residential streets, traffic free trails through the towns many parks and contraflow cycle lanes that allow cyclists to travel in both directions on a one way street. National Cycle Network routes 1 and 51 pass though Ipswich, and the borough council produces a free cycle map.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Ipswich (England)
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Ipswich (England) - updated May 2024
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Ipswich (England) Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.