Harwich is a compact port town in the district of Tendring, Essex, England, sitting at the mouth of the rivers Stour and Orwell where they meet the North Sea. Its location, opposite the Shotley peninsula and within sight of the container port at Felixstowe, has long made it a strategic harbour and given it a windswept, maritime character.
Today the town mixes working port activity - centred on Harwich International Port at Parkeston with ferry links across the North Sea to Hook of Holland - with a strong sense of heritage: Georgian and Victorian seafaring buildings, Napoleonic defences such as the Harwich Redoubt and nearby Martello towers, and a small local tourism and fishing economy. Good rail and road links, including the Mayflower Line, keep it connected to Colchester and the wider region while local museums and events underline its long maritime story.
Postcode districts covering Harwich
Most populated places nearby
- Ipswich 9 miles14.5 km
- Colchester 15.9 miles25.5 km
- Clacton-on-Sea 10.1 miles16.3 km
- Felixstowe 4.1 miles6.6 km
- Sudbury 23.1 miles37.1 km
- Stowmarket 20.6 miles33.1 km
- Walton-on-the-Naze 5.7 miles9.1 km
- Frinton-on-Sea 6.9 miles11.1 km
- Woodbridge 11.3 miles18.2 km
- Kesgrave 8.8 miles14.2 km
Neighbouring places
- Dovercourt All Saints Ward 0.4 miles0.6 km
- Dovercourt Vines & Parkeston Ward 0.5 miles0.8 km
- Parkeston Built-up area 0.7 miles1.1 km
- Dovercourt Tollgate Ward 0.7 miles1.1 km
- Dovercourt Bay Ward 0.9 miles1.4 km
- Harwich & Kingsway Ward 1.4 miles2.2 km
- Ramsey and Parkeston Parish 1.6 miles2.5 km
- Little Oakley Built-up area 1.7 miles2.8 km
- Shotley Gate Built-up area 1.8 miles2.9 km
- Shotley Built-up area 2.4 miles3.9 km
- Ganges Ward 2.6 miles4.1 km
- Arwarton Parish 2.6 miles4.2 km
Example postcodes in Harwich
CO12 4RP, CO12 4GL, CO12 9AT, CO12 4UA, CO12 3SW, CO12 4XG, CO12 5EH, CO12 4JU, CO12 4XB … See all
Transport links
- London Southend Airport 34.6 miles55.7 km
- Stansted Airport 43.5 miles70.1 km
- Harwich International Railway Station 0.9 miles1.4 km
- Dovercourt Railway Station 1.2 miles1.9 km
Hotels near Harwich Ad
- The Pier Hotel 4 1.7 miles2.7 km
- Tulip Hotel Harwich 0.6 miles0.9 km
- Hotel Coco 4 4.4 miles7.1 km
- Holiday Inn Ipswich Orwell 4 6.6 miles10.7 km
- Salthouse Harbour Hotel 4 9 miles14.6 km
- Lifehouse Spa & Hotel 4 6.8 miles10.9 km
- The Orwell Hotel 3 4.8 miles7.8 km
- B&B Hotel Ipswich 3 9.5 miles15.2 km
- Novotel Ipswich Centre 4 9.3 miles14.9 km
- Milsoms Kesgrave Hall 4 9.4 miles15.2 km
Schools in Harwich
- All Saints' C of E Voluntary Aided Primary School, Dovercourt Primary
- Chase Lane Primary School and Nursery Primary
- Harwich and Dovercourt High School Secondary
- Spring Meadow Primary School & Nursery Primary
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Primary
- The Mayflower Primary School Primary
Local points of interest
- Harwich International Ferry Terminal Harbour 1 mile1.5 km
- Felixstowe Trinity Terminal Harbour 2.6 miles4.2 km
- Harwich Harbor Harbour 2.8 miles4.6 km
- Pedlars Wood Forest 6.4 miles10.4 km
- Newbourne Springs Nature reserve 7.9 miles12.7 km
- Foxall Stadium Stadium 8.4 miles13.5 km
- Suffolk College University 9.1 miles14.7 km
- Portman Road Stadium 9.5 miles15.3 km
- Sutton Hoo Archaeological site 11.6 miles18.7 km
- University of Essex University 13.5 miles21.8 km
- Colchester Community Stadium Stadium 15.1 miles24.3 km
- Roman Circus visitor centre Museum 15.6 miles25.1 km