Roman baths in a steel vault under the A1(M) for £6, 185 acres of free ancient woodland and an all-day country park for £1.20. Prices and opening days, checked this week.
The best-known day out around here costs £27 a head and is a Jacobean palace. The second best-known is a Roman bath house sealed in a steel vault under the A1(M), and that one is £6. Between them sit two big free woods, a lake with pedalos and a council-run cinema that shows films for a fiver.
Everything below was checked against the venue’s own website on 10 August 2026. Prices and opening days change, so confirm before you set off, particularly for the seasonal ones.
Welwyn Roman Baths
A third-century bath house preserved under the A1(M) embankment inside a steel vault, at Welwyn By Pass Road, AL6 9FG. It is a scheduled ancient monument and part of the Dicket Mead Roman villa complex, found in 1960 by Tony Rook and dug by the Welwyn Archaeological Society. The villa was built in the early third century and had gone out of use by the middle of the fourth.
- Open Saturdays, 10am to 4pm, in hourly sessions.
- £6 adult, £2 child aged 2 to 16. Card payment only, the site is cashless.
- The season runs to 28 November 2026 and reopens 6 March 2027.
- There is a bus stop directly outside, served by the 301 from St Albans and the 314 from Welwyn Garden City. Parking with accessible bays is on site.
Mill Green Museum and Watermill
A working eighteenth-century watermill with millers on hand to show you how it runs, plus museum galleries covering the borough, the Miller’s Tea Room and a shop. Mill Green, Bush Hall Lane, Hatfield AL9 5PD.
- Open Fridays and Sundays, 10am to 4pm.
- The season runs to 29 November 2026 and reopens 5 March 2027.
- Tickets are booked online through the museum’s own site.
The two council museums are run together, and the practical thing to know is that they are never open on the same day: Mill Green takes Fridays and Sundays, the Roman baths take Saturdays. They are one A1(M) junction apart, about fifteen minutes by car, and the 301 bus links them, so a two-museum weekend needs two trips.
Hatfield Park
The Jacobean house the Cecils have held for centuries, plus formal gardens, a park and woodland walks. It is the biggest paid attraction in the borough.
| Ticket | Adult | Child (3 to 15) | Family (2+4) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garden, park and woodland walks | £17.00 | £8.50 | £42.00 |
| Hatfield House, garden and park | £27.00 | £13.50 | £72.00 |
| The Old Palace tour | £8.50 | £8.50 | — |
| Half season ticket | £43.00 | £17.00 | — |
If you are likely to come back, the half season ticket is the one to look at. At £43 for an adult it pays for itself on the third visit to the garden and park, and £17 does the same for a child on the third. It does not cover the house itself, though holders can buy a discounted supplement at the kiosk, and it is valid between February half term and November half term on the days the park and garden open.
The house is open Thursday to Sunday and bank holidays, 11am to 5pm with last entry at 4pm; the gardens, park and woodland walks open Wednesday to Sunday and bank holidays, 10.30am to 5pm, with the East Garden open Wednesdays only. Parking is free, under-threes go free, carers with a valid card are admitted free and students get 25% off with ID. The ticket kiosks are cashless. The Stable Yard shops are free to walk into.
Stanborough Park
Two lakes on the Lea between the town and the A1(M), run by Better on the council’s behalf. The park itself is free to walk into; the activities and the car park are not.
- Splashlands, the outdoor splash pad, opens daily 10am to 4pm from April to September, weather permitting.
- Rowing boats and pedalos, 11am to 3pm, weekends, bank holidays and school holidays only, April to September. £12 a rowing boat, £17.50 a pedalo.
- Open water swimming, Wednesdays 5.30pm to 7.30pm and Saturdays 7am to 10.30am, £8.80.
- Go Paddle and Go Sail taster sessions, £13.50; paddle club and induction, £10.
- Parking is cashless: 20 minutes free, £1.50 an hour, £6 for three hours, £10 all day, with discounts for Blue Badge holders and registered local residents.
Sherrardspark Wood
185 acres of ancient oak and hornbeam woodland on the north west edge of Welwyn Garden City, and the best free thing to do in the town. It was notified as a Site of Special Scientific Interest in 1986 and made a Local Nature Reserve in 1998, one of eight the borough council owns and manages. It is walkable from the town centre, so no car park charge applies.
Northaw Great Wood
A country park in the south of the borough, on The Ridgeway (B157) at EN6 4BQ. Entry is free; the car park charges £1.20 for the whole day in a payment box by the toilet block, and is open 8am to 6pm every day. An annual season ticket is £35, valid from 7 April 2026. There is a 2.1m height restriction on the car park entrance.
Campus West
The council’s entertainment complex on Campus West in Welwyn Garden City, opposite John Lewis and a few minutes from the shops. It holds:
- A three-screen cinema showing new releases on the day of national release, plus Films for a Fiver, Monday Night Classics, event cinema, subtitled screenings, parent and baby showings and SEND screenings.
- Roller City, roller skating with public sessions and parties, running summer holiday sessions now.
- Soft Play City, with zones for ages 0 to 8.
- Live on Stage, the theatre programme, with the pantomime Dick Whittington booking for 2026.
- Pier Pressure escape rooms and Humphrey’s café and bar.
The Zebra card is free to join and gives up to 50% off entertainment, food and soft drinks across the venue, which is worth five minutes if you are going more than once.
The Galleria, Hatfield
An outlet centre beside the A1(M) in Hatfield, with an Odeon cinema, Get Wild soft play and the UK’s largest Entertainer store. Open 10am to 8pm. Parking is free Monday to Friday between 10.30am and 1pm and paid at other times, which is a useful window if you are combining a film with lunch.
A rainy Tuesday, and what is open
Two things worth planning around. Neither council museum opens on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, and Hatfield House is shut on Mondays and Tuesdays. On a wet weekday in term time the reliable options are Campus West, The Galleria and the two woods.
Frequently asked questions
What is there to do in Welwyn Garden City for free?
Sherrardspark Wood, 185 acres of ancient woodland and a Local Nature Reserve, is free and walkable from the town centre. Stanborough Park is free to walk into, though its car park and activities are charged. Council car parks in both towns are free on Sundays and bank holidays.
How much are the Welwyn Roman Baths?
£6 for an adult and £2 for a child aged 2 to 16. The site opens Saturdays, 10am to 4pm, in hourly sessions, and takes card payment only.
How much does Hatfield House cost?
£27 for an adult for the house, garden and park, or £17 for the garden, park and woodland without the house. A family ticket for two adults and four children is £72 for the full combination. Parking is free.
What is there to do with children on a rainy day?
Campus West in Welwyn Garden City has soft play for under-eights, roller skating and a cinema under one roof. The Galleria in Hatfield has an Odeon, Get Wild soft play and shops. Both are indoors and open all week.
Is Stanborough Park’s splash pad open?
Splashlands opens daily, 10am to 4pm, April to September, weather permitting. Rowing boats and pedalos run 11am to 3pm but only at weekends, on bank holidays and during school holidays.
Can I visit both Welwyn Hatfield museums in one day?
No. Mill Green Museum opens Fridays and Sundays and Welwyn Roman Baths opens Saturdays, so the two are never open together. They are one A1(M) junction apart and the 301 bus runs between them.
Sources
- Welwyn Roman Baths, Welwyn Hatfield Museums for the site’s history, opening days, season dates, transport and cashless policy, and its general admission page for prices.
- Mill Green Museum and Watermill for opening days and season dates.
- Hatfield Park opening times and prices for all admission prices and opening days.
- Better, Stanborough Park Water Sports Centre and its prices page for activity charges, session times and parking.
- Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council, Sherrardspark Wood and Northaw Great Wood car park for the woodland designations and car park charges.
- Campus West for the cinema, Roller City, Soft Play City, Live on Stage and Zebra card.
- The Galleria, Hatfield for tenants, opening hours and free parking window.
Getting there and parking is covered on Welwyn Garden City roadworks, parking and travel. Trains from London are on Welwyn Garden City train times to London.
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