| The University of Warwick.
The university is located in the outskirts of Coventry, UK. (In particular, it is not located in the nearby town of Warwick!) Its central campus is also easily accessible from Kenilworth and Leamington Spa, and members of the university often live in one of these towns. Larger cities such as London and Birmingham can be reached by train in about 75 and 30 minutes, respectively. Major universities near Warwick include the University of Birmingham and Oxford University.
Below you will find pictures of CS Building and Zeeman Building (Maths) and of the Mathematical Sciences Building (right). These buildings are connected, and visitors stay at CS or Mathematical Sciences.
Here is a link to Warwick Campus Map (Central Campus).
| Restaurants, coffee shops, and other services on campus.
For coffee and pastries, you can try Pret A Manger, or the closer Red Rocket.
For lunch, we often go to University House Cafe. There is also a food market roughly twice a month.
If you're staying on campus, an option for dinner is Canopy. For late dinner (before 11pm), you can try Varsity Pub.
A webpage with information about some restaurants located on campus can be found here. Note that there is a supermarket at the nearby Cannon Park Centre, and a smaller grocery store at Warwick Students' Union. You can also find a post office, pharmacy, and many other services on campus.
| Travel information.
If you're flying from Europe, Birmingham airport (BHX) is very convenient. There are train connections to Coventry and Leamington Spa, and a trip takes about 20 minutes.
For long distance flights, you will probably use London airports, such as Heathrow (LHR) and Gatwick (LGW). Gatwick is more easily reached by train, while for Heathrow I often travel Heathrow-Oxford by bus, then Oxford-Warwick by train. While there are buses from Heathrow to Coventry, the schedule is not so flexible.
For local transportation, take bus 11 from Kenilworth to the university, and buses U1, U2, or 11 in case you're staying in Leamington Spa. If you're commuting from Coventry, you can take a few different buses depending on your location. It is also possible to use Uber near Warwick.
| Accommodation for short-term visitors.
If you prefer to stay on campus, most often there are rooms available at Radcliffe, Scarman, or Arden (all managed by Warwick Conferences), which are conveniently located within a 5-min walk to the department. Otherwise, I recommend staying close to Parade in Leamington Spa. Leamington has excellent train connections to London, Oxford, and Birmingham, and offers a variety of cafes and restaurants. Another option is to book a place in Kenilworth around the area of Kenilworth Library. While it has fewer restaurants and cafes, it offers a faster commute to Warwick. Check for airbnbs and hotels in these areas.
| Things to do near Warwick.
Here is a partial list of things you might want to try during your visit or stay at the University of Warwick.
- Explore Warwick Castle and the ruins of Kenilworth Castle.
- Visit Shakespeare's town Stratford-upon-Avon and watch one the plays.
- Try some nice restaurants and cafes in Leamington Spa and Kenilworth.
- Visit Bletchley Park and learn more about code-breaking operations.
- Check out the concerts, expositions, and other events at Warwick Arts Centre.
- Visit the Transport Museum in Coventry, and learn more about its history.
- Spend a day in Oxford or in Birmingham, in case you haven't visited these places before, or travel to London if the area surrounding Warwick is too small for you. I recommend that you travel by train.
| Housing information for long-term visitors.
If you don't have a car, you might want to find a place to live in Coventry, Leamington Spa, or Kenilworth, as these places have reasonable bus connections to the university. See also my comments on short-term accommodation appearing above. The best website to look for houses and flats to rent is rightmove.co.uk. If you're interested in renting a room, spareroom.co.uk is one of the most widely used websites.
Interesting facts about Leamington Spa and some places to eat.