Away days: Watford
As the Swans get set to face Watford on Saturday, we bring you a fan's guide to Vicarage Road to improve your matchday experience.
Watford
Saturday, December 30, 2017 - 3pm
Address: Vicarage Road, Watford, WD18 0ER
Telephone: 01923 496000 Website: www.watfordfc.com
WHAT’S IT LIKE? Swans fans are in the Vicarage Road Stand behind the goal. There is plenty of leg room and normally a great atmosphere. Food available in the ground includes pies, pasties, sausage rolls and hot dogs, but there is no alcohol.
The concourses are very small and can get easily crowded, but there is a bookmaker for those who fancy a flutter and there are up to three headsets available for fans with visual problems.
VISITING WATFORD Watford has plenty of ethnic restaurants, pubs, art galleries and a museum to explore. The Pump House Theatre & Arts Centre (WD17 2JP) is closed over the Christmas period, but there is a New Year’s Eve Ball at Watford Colosseum (WD17 3JN), which includes a three-course meal with tickets available at £59.
The biggest tourist attraction nearby is the Warner Brothers Studio tour. This is one of the places where the Harry Potter series was filmed.
For more info and to plan your visit, go to https://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk/ but please note it is closed Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
For other ideas, go to http://www.visitlondon.com/discover-london/london-areas/places/watford.
There are several chain hotels near Watford, including Hilton, Mercure, Holiday Inn Express and Jurys Inn, as well as independent hotels, too.
PUBS AND GRUB The Oddfellows (WD18 0RD) is a two-minute walk from the stadium and has a barbecue in the beer garden. Another popular choice is the Moon under Water (WD17 2BS), which is 10 minutes away. Also on High Street are Walkabout, Revolution, The One Crown, Bar Bodega, The Reflex and Kandi Klub.
PARKING There are matchday car parks at some industrial units near the stadium as well as Vicarage Road Girls School (WD18 0AE), where you can park for £10.
The ground is near the town centre and there are a number of car parks within walking distance.
The Church multi-storey car park (WD18 0JD) costs £1 per hour but can be busy when leaving after the game, while the Harlequin multi-storey (WD17 2UB) costs the same and is easier to make a swift exit.
The Gade multi-storey car park (WD18 0JX), a 20-minute walk from Vicarage Road, is the same price and would make for an easier getaway.
TRAIN Watford High Street station is a 10-minute walk from the stadium, but most trains come into Watford Junction, which is 20 minutes away.
From there, you can either get a train to Watford High Street or leave the station and walk down the main road directly opposite (Clarendon Road) all the way (over Ring Road at lights) up to High Street.
You then turn left past the Moon under Water on the way to Market Street before turning left at Ebb-Tide (WD18 0PT), a recommended chip shop, and Vicarage Road is the next right turn.
Watford also has a tube station on the Metropolitan Line, which is under a mile from Vicarage Road, but trains from London are normally quicker.
Trains from Swansea to Watford High Street leave for the four-and-a-half-hour journey at 7.29am, 8.29am and 9.29am.
Meanwhile, the return trains leave at 5.24pm, 6.24pm and 7.24pm getting in at 9.43pm, 10.44pm and 12.03am respectively. Tube travel is required between Paddington and Queens Park and vice versa.
