Ipswich is one of the oldest towns in the United Kingdom. It has a beloved waterfront that comes alive with high-end restaurants, bars and hotels, but the town has plenty of other exceptional foodie experiences in the surrounding areas. There was a settlement here in Roman times, but the origins of the modern town are Anglo-Saxon. In Medieval times, Ipswich was a Kontor, a foreign trading post for the Hanseatic League, and later, in the 17th century the town was the embarkation point for emigrants to colonies in New England.