As someone who has lived the majority of my life working in hotels and restaurants in the lovely market town of Bury St Edmunds, I thought I would share with you some of my experiences and insights. In this post, I will recommend some of the best hotels in Bury St Edmunds so you can make the right choice for your visit.
Bury St Edmunds is a lovely market town at the heart of the Suffolk countryside in the United Kingdom. Some of the town highlights include the Abbey Gardens, Greene King Brewery, St Edmundsbury Cathedral, Moyses Hall Museum, and the bi-weekly market held every Wednesday and Saturday. There are also two playhouses in the town, the historic theatre royal and the modern Apex, which boasts some of the best acoustics in the world.
It’s worth stating early on that all of the hotels in this list have free parking facilities, one of the benefits of small towns over large cities, so don’t worry about parking your car. If you are looking for a hotel in Bury St Edmunds with a swimming pool and gym facilities. unfortunately, there is not one in the town centre, the closet would be All Saints Hotel, but more on that later on.
Also, it’s worth noting, there are not many cheap hotels in Bury St Edmunds. You can find some good deals if you travel at quieter times, but usually, the rooms are quite expensive.
If you would like to read more about what to do in the town, be sure to check out my other post about things to do in Bury St Edmunds, in this post, we will be focusing on where you can stay in the town.
Coming your way in this post - click to expand ->
Note: The links in this post point to Booking.com; if you book a room using the link, I will make a small commission at zero cost. I chose to recommend Booking.com because it is the hotel booking platform I prefer to use myself. I often find it offers the best price, and I love that it offers free cancellation on many hotels up until 24 hours before your arrival.
The Quick Picks – My top three Hotels in Bury St Edmunds
- Best value rooms: The Fox Inn
- Best Overall if money isn’t a consideration: One of the better rooms in The Angel Hotel
- Best budget accommodation: Premier Inn Bury St Edmunds
All three of these options are within what I would consider the historic core of the town centre, so let’s take a closer look at each of them.
Beat places to stay in Bury St Edmunds
The Fox Inn
The Fox Inn is a lovely 15th-century coaching inn, and I can honestly say these are some of the most delightful rooms you will find in Bury at an affordable price. I actually worked in The Fox Inn when the rooms were first opened and know how much painstaking work went into finding quality room furnishings all from local suppliers. Every detail was sourced locally and ethically from the wooden floors made from reclaimed timber to the locally made iron door handles.
Recently The Fox Inn has changed hands and is now run by Greene King, the towns local brewery, so the attached restaurant has gone from quality gastropub to your standard Green King chain pub menu, but the rooms are still lovely. If you stay here, I’d recommend wandering into the town and finding one of the many tempting restaurants.
It will take a few minutes to walk to Angel Hill and the cathedral and about 10-15 minutes to The Apex.
Price-wise, as with all hotels these days, the price will vary depending on demand, you can expect to pay between £100-£150 for 2 people per night.
Perfect for: The Abbey Gardens, The Cathedral, Theatre Royal
The Angel Hotel Bury St Edmunds
The Angel is an iconic hotel in the town centre and has been home to many famous faces throughout the years. Waaay back, Charles Dickens was a resident at the hotel, he loved it so much he even included it in his book The Pickwick Paper. More recently famous faces have included Royalty, TV personalities, and even Hollywood superstars, I delivered popcorn to Angelina Jolie three times in one night. Who knew she loved popcorn that much. I like to think she just wanted to see me again 🙂
The rooms in the Angel Hotel vary a lot if you can try to book a forward-facing room as the hotel looks out over The Angel Hill onto The Abbey Gate and the cathedral. Some of the older rooms are a little small, so if you can afford it, I would spend a bit more for a nicer room.
Aside from rooms, the Angel has a lovely large lounge where you can enjoy afternoon tea and an atmospheric cocktail bar in the vaults, part of a network of underground tunnels that used to link various places together in the days of the abbey.
Overall I can comfortably say this is the best hotel in Bury St Edmunds, location, facilities, and service will all back this up. However, it does carry the price tag to match.
Great for – It’s located smack bang in the centre, great for anything in Bury St Edmunds town centre.
Shire Hall Premier Inn Bury St Edmunds Town Centre
This tends to be the first place I will check every time I visit Bury St Edmunds as it is possible to find a bargain. The rates fluctuate quite a lot, but I have been able to find deals there for £35 per night, which is of outstanding value. However, I’m pretty sure that was the exception rather than the rule, but anything around £70 per night is excellent. I have seen them as high as £120 before, at that price I’d be tempted to look elsewhere.
The rooms in the Premier Inn Bury St Edmunds are fantastic. They are spacious, and the beds certainly live up to the Premier Inn guarantee. There are TVs and tea coffee-making facilities in the room as well as shower gel available, but don’t expect it to be a luxury product.
There is a bar and a restaurant on-site, and while breakfast is OK, I wouldn’t recommend staying for dinner unless you are feeling super lazy. There are many dining options, just a short walk away.
Ideal for – Abbey Gardens, Theatre Royal, Greene King Brewery
Accommodation in Bury St Edmunds mapped out
Booking.comOther Bury St Edmunds hotels in the town centre
The centre of the town It is quite compact and offers a few options for accommodation. All of these hotels are within easy walking distance of all of the towns main attractions.
The Dog & Partridge
A lovely little pub with rooms next to the Greene King Brewery. The pub offers good pub food, the atmosphere is excellent, and the beer is always top-notch.
Great for – Green King Brewery, Theatre Royal, Cathedral and Abbey Gardens
The Chantry Hotel
A small privately-owned hotel tucked away on a small side road. If you don’t know the Bury St Edmunds one-way system, this could be a little tricky to find, and you can easily miss it, but when you get there, a warm welcome awaits.
Great for – Green King Brewery, Theatre Royal, Cathedral and Abbey Gardens
The Northgate
I have to say I don’t have the first-hand experience of The Northgate as when I left Bury to move to Madrid, it was just on the cust of opening. however, a friend of mine did work there for a while and was glowing about the luxury that awaits inside.
The Northgate is a contemporary hotel in the setting of a grand old townhouse. It is certainly at the top end of the price range, but if you are looking to treat yourself, this could certainly be an option.
Great for – St Edmunds Cathedral, Abbey Gardens, a romantic weekend break
Hotels on the fringe of Bury St Edmunds
These hotels are a little further away from the town centre, but still walkable.
Best Western Priory Hotel
It’s been a little while since I have visited The Priory Hotel, but I don’t have any reason to believe much has changed. It is a nice place with a lovely garden to relax and enjoy a drink in after a days sightseeing.
If The Priory Hotel were located a little closer to the town centre then it would probably get a better score, but it is just on the edge of what I would consider a comfortable walk. But not only that, the path itself is not really pleasant, there is not much to see.
Great for – Weddings and events
Premier Inn Bury St Edmunds North (A14) hotel
This is now the 2nd Premier Inn in Bury St Edmunds. It started off life as a Travelodge and is a good option if you are looking for a cheap hotel. I stayed here a year or so ago and it is exactly as you would expect, a good room with no frills but a cheap night’s sleep with room rates usually between £50 – £70 per night. It is located just off the A14, so has excellent links to the main road to Ipswich or Cambridge and is about a 10-minute walk from the town centre. it is also close to the Bury St Edmunds train station, just about a 5-minute walk.
Great for – Train Station, Sugar Beet Factory, A14 access
The Abbey Hotel
The Abbey Hotel is a warm, family-run B&B on the fringes of the town centre, not too far away from the Greene King Brewery and the Theatre Royal. There aren’t many rooms, but the ones that are there are fine, and the breakfast is tasty.
Great for – Theatre Royal, Greene King Brewery
Hotels in Bury St Edmunds area
There are a few hotels and B&Bs a little further out, but these will require a car to get in and out of the town centre comfortably. As these are a little further out and offer more than just accommodation and food, I have not added my rating.
The Ickworth Hotel
Set in 1,800 acres of beautiful parkland, on the edge of the National Trust Property of Ickworth House, this is a luxurious hotel that is perfect for romantic getaways and also welcomes families. If you are looking for a place to get away from everything, this could be a great option. The on-site spa offers relaxing treatments, and the fine dining restaurant is one of the best in the area.
Ravenwood Hall
The Ravenwood is another country house hotel which is often used for extravagant weddings and celebrations. The on-site dining room offers excellent local produce, and the rooms are comfortable.
All Saints Hotel Bury St Edmunds
I stayed in the All Saint Hotel recently when back in my home town on work-related business. The room was huge and very modern, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.
As well as a hotel, All Saints is also a spa and wellness centre, so there are some great gym facilities and a swimming pool you can access too.
What I loved most, though, was the views from the restaurant. As the name suggests, All Saints is also a golf club, and the restaurant has been designed to overlook the well-manicured greens. Sitting there, enjoying a well-prepared breakfast was a lovely way to spend my mornings … before having to go to work.
Final thoughts on accommodation in Bury St Edmunds
The above suggestions are a place I have visited (unless stated) and would happily recommend to any of my friends an family. If you choose any of them to spend your stay in my town, you will be making the right choice. That’s not to say the places I haven’t mentioned aren’t worth staying in. A couple of honourable mentions should also go to the Old Cannon Brewery and The Bushell, two other lovely pubs with rooms.
Have you ever visited Bury St Edmunds? If so, where did you stay, and what did you think? Let others know by telling us in the comments.