Perfect day trips from London: 10 of the prettiest seaside towns and villages, within two hours of the capital
These coastal day trip delights are easily reachable from London and offer beautiful beaches, fish and chips and lovely places to stay
MikeTyes
As temperatures are set to soar again this weekend, Londoners will no doubt be dreaming of cooling sea breezes and an escape to the seaside. Fleeing to Kent, Sussex and Essex by rail has never been easier, with many direct trains routes to some of the UK’s prettiest coastal towns, all within a two-hour train journey.
For those in search of a nostalgia-stirring, retro day out, you can’t beat Broadstairs for simple, bucket and spade pleasures (plus, a 1950s ice-cream parlour that knocks up the finest knickerbocker glory). Wildlife enthusiasts should head to Walton-on-the-Naze to visit the 250-strong grey seal colony, and for those who enjoy a sprinkling of history with their fish & chips, need look no further than Sandwich (one of the UK’s best preserved Medieval towns), Deal (with its castle built by Henry VIII in the shape of a Tudor Rose) or Hastings (ever synonymous with a certain battle).
While picture-perfect Rye is perhaps the prettiest of the lot, Deal has an elegance that is hard to beat, and Whitstable offers a timeless scene. Decisions. Decisions. Whichever you choose, just don’t forget your suncream…
Read more: The best beach hotels in the UK for 2025
1. Deal, Kent
Just eight miles from the white cliffs of Dover, the lovely town of Deal is one of the UK’s most stylish coastal getaways. Take a stroll along the prom, past 1930s seafront shelters that look like flying saucers, to a Brutalist concrete pier with Deal Pier Kitchen at the end, offering views to France on a clear day.
The glistening pebble beach is lined with a rainbow of pastel-shaded 17th-century fishermen’s cottages and grand Victorian abodes, and the award-winning High Street is chock full of interesting restaurants, shops and delis. Picnic-wise, fish and chips from Middle Street Fish Bar are a must, or for something fancier pick up a gourmet spread (think ciabatta with mackerel and house pickled cucumber) from grocers Arno & Co.
Don’t miss a snoop around Deal’s bijoux castle, built in the shape of a Tudor Rose during Henry VIII’s reign.
How to get there
Direct Southeastern trains from London St Pancras take 1 hour 30 minutes.
Where to stay
The Rose is located at the heart of the high street, has a fantastic restaurant (booking essential) and rooms decorated with rich tones, some with clawfoot baths.
2. Sandwich, Kent
One of the UK’s finest Medieval towns, Sandwich maintains a seaside atmosphere even though it’s two miles from the coast (once beside the sea, the Wantsum Channel silted up in the 16th century leaving only a thin stretch of the River Stour). Take a walk along Strand Street past top-heavy, half-timbered Medieval and Jacobean houses, keeping eyes gazing upwards and peeled for Sandwich Weavers, Long House and Kings’ Lodging, which dates from 1400, where Henry VIII and Elizabeth I both stayed.
From the quay, hop on a seal spotting trip bound to the sea purslane and samphire-rich seascape of Pegwell Bay nature reserve, home to a large colony of grey seals. The deckchair strewn gardens of St Peter’s church are a popular spot for enjoying a French-inspired picnic from No Name Deli (their warm-from-the-oven baked baguette goes a treat with chilli jam and camembert).
How to get there
Direct trains from London St Pancras take 1 hour, 35 minutes.
Where to stay
The Bell Hotel overlooks the River Stour and is set in a grand Edwardian red brick building
Read more: The best hotels with swimming pools in the UK
3. Broadstairs, Kent
Full of charm, Broadstairs ticks all boxes for a retro seaside day out. Family-owned Morelli’s Gelato has preserved its original 1950s ‘flying carpet’ steel canopy, soda fountain and jukebox. Slip into a leatherette booth here to enjoy a knickerbocker glory, then spiral even further back in time at the nearby Dickens House Museum, dedicated to the writer’s frequent stays over two decades from 1837. The grand house on the cliffs is Fort House, the inspiration for the novel Bleak House.
Invest in a bucket and spade and get happily making sandcastles on sheltered Viking Bay, with its gentle incline into the sea that makes it perfect for paddling. Located just above the harbour, enjoy lunch with a sea view on the terrace of Jetty (try their posh prawn cocktail or crispy Kentish pork belly), then walk it off on the undercliff path in the direction of Ramsgate.
How to get there
Direct trains from London St Pancras take 1 hour, 26 minutes
Where to stay
Belvidere Place is a Grade II-listed Georgian townhouse with just five stylish rooms, a courtyard garden and an acclaimed restaurant.
4. Whitstable, Kent
Not much beats a plate of salty, freshly shucked oysters from The Whitstable Oyster Company, with origins in the 1400s, and you’ll find plenty of stalls selling these as you stroll the town’s seafront, lined with wooden fisherman huts dating from the late 1800s, many now reimagined as holiday cottages.
The scene here feels timeless, with children dangling crabbing lines over weathered wooden beach breakwaters, and oystermen out to sea tending to their nurseries. On the quay, amid the winkle, crab, and seafood stalls, browse the work of local makers at the Harbour Market, before wandering along Harbour Street with its glut of independent shops (of these, don’t miss Conway & Sons Coastal for all things tastefully seaside themed).
On High Street, pop into Wheelers, established in 1832, for a picnic of crab and prawn tartlets, and seafood arancini. Round the day off with a pint of Whitstable Bay at the town’s oldest pub, Old Neptune, which sits on the pebbles with views to the Isle of Sheppey.
How to get there
Direct trains from London Victoria take one hour 30 minutes
Where to stay
Whitstable Fisherman’s Huts are simple, white-washed accommodations located right on the beach with a view of the boats and oyster beds.
Read more: The best hotels in Cornwall
5. Rye, Sussex
Once a hub for rum runners, this picturesque town sits two miles upriver from the English Channel. It gets its coastal charm from seagulls blown inland on sea breezes, its excellent fish & chip shops (Marino’s Fish Bar considered the best in town), boats bobbing in the harbour, and the alluringly named Mermaid Street, which, steep, cobbled and winding, is one of Britain’s most photographed. Flanked with wonky medieval and Georgian architecture, it sets the bar for the rest of this small town, peppered with stylish independent galleries, restaurants and shops such as McCulley & Crane, Rye Pottery, with its origins in the 1700s, and The Paper Place, seller of Indian hand printed paper made from recycled cotton and wool, recently given a makeover in the TV series, Interior Design Masters. With a focus on seasonal, healthy food (try the flat bread with halloumi and spiced aubergine) The Fig is exceptional.
Take a walk through the idyllic Rye Harbour Nature Reserve, that runs adjacent to the river, for sightings of Oystercatchers and Little egrets in the saltmarshes. It takes around an hour to walk to the vast expanse of Camber Sands.
How to get there
Direct trains from St. Pancras with one change at Ashford International. Average journey takes 1 hour, 39 minutes.
Where to stay
The George is a convivial pub with rooms designed by a former set designer. The restaurant attracts a crowd, especially at the weekend, so make sure to book ahead.
Read more: Why a weekend in medieval Rye is the perfect British seaside escape
6. Hastings, Sussex
Over the last decade or so, this historic coastal town has shrugged off its reputation as Brighton’s uncool little sister and is enjoying a renaissance. Below its famous castle (established by William the Conqueror in 1066), the town is bordered by a wide pebble beach lined with striped beach huts and amusements (think happy hours playing mini golf and pushing pennies into slots in the arcades).
Cliffs flank Rock-a-Nore Beach, while The Stade’s shingle beach is perfect for picking up a pot of winkles from one of its many seafood stalls. Beyond the seafront, you’ll find plenty of antique shops, bookshops, and independent shops (don’t miss A G Hendy & Co for vintage homewares and antique jewellery and curios at Omega Studio) in the cobbled streets of Old Town. For a thirst-quenching pint, head to Hastings’ cosiest pub, The Crown.
How to get there
Direct trains from either London Bridge or Charing Cross take 1 hour, 23 minutes.
Where to stay
Moore House has seven guest rooms and is set in the centre of Hastings.
Read more: These neighbouring East Sussex seaside towns are billed as the ‘new Margate’
7. St Leonards-on-Sea, Sussex
With a deserved arty reputation, St Leonards offers a great blend of culture and classic seaside pleasures. This is a town where you can catch the latest exhibition at the Big Yin gallery or Lucy Bell Gallery, find treasure in one of the town’s many charity or vintage shops, then jump in for a swim by the pier at high tide. Brimming with Regency architecture (although the Art Deco Marine Court is also a knock-out), it’s the vast array of affordable, independent businesses that sets the town apart. Don’t miss Sleeper’s tasty hand-rolled bagels (their motto is ‘freshly baked before the seagulls wake’) or Calneva on Kings Street for 1950s and 60s memorabilia.
The spot best for a sundowner is Goat Ledge on Lower Promenade, a beach hut bar/café, where fish finger baps taste even better with a local Brewing Brothers beer in hand.
How to get there
Direct trains from London Bridge & Charring Cross take one hour, 20 minutes.
Where to stay
The Knowle is housed in an Arts and Crafts villa set above the town
Read more: The best hotels in the Cotswolds
8. Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex
Being less well-known than other seaside spots in Essex only adds to the appeal of this family-friendly town. Enjoy an amusement-packed stroll down the UK’s second-longest pier at 793 metres (only Southend pips it), then laze on golden sands below the brightly coloured beach huts that pepper the hillside.
Only a handful of grey seals called Walton home in the 1980s, but the colony is now 250 strong, and seal-spotting boat trips into the backwaters of Hamford Water Nature Reserve depart regularly. Strike out along the headland, armed with binoculars, and you’re likely to spot plenty of birds such as Curlew, Sandpiper and Gannet. Be sure to pop into the extraordinary 26-metre-high Naze Tower (originally built as a navigational tower), which operates these days as an art gallery.
Round the day off with a seafood platter supper (think peppered mackerel, roll mops, cockles, and prawns), grab a seat on the terrace of Harbour Lights in Titchmarsh Marina.
How to get there
Trains from Liverpool Street with one change at Ashford International. The average journey takes 1 hour, 43 minutes.
Where to stay
Short on great hotels, so best to book an Airbnb
9. Leigh-on-Sea, Essex
For a quintessential English day out, tiny Leigh-on-Sea delivers. Wind your way through Old Leigh, calling in at Old Leigh Studios Gallery for bright, bold ceramics from potter Richard Baxter, and the charming independent bookshop of Read on Sea, to a seafront famous for its cockle sheds, where views are to working vessels chugging along the Thames Estuary.
There’s a postage stamp of a beach when the tide is out (more suitable for making mudpies rather than golden sandcastles). Walk through ancient woodland, more than 1,000 years old at Belfair’s Nature Park, then tuck into a lavish afternoon tea (all cakes and scones homemade) in Sara’s Tea Garden.
How to get there: Direct trains from Fenchurch Street take 1 hour, 10 minutes.
Where to stay: The Ship Hotel is a dog-friendly bolthole with a nautical theme.
Read more: The best hotels in the Lake District
10. Manningtree, Essex
The smallest town in England has bags of charm (if you ignore that it was once famous for its witch hunts), sitting pretty on the River Stour, a designated area of natural beauty. With a glut of attractive Georgian architecture, you’ll find lots of quirky independent shops and cafés, including Manningtree Emporium (where vintage treasure ranges from a WW2 morse code tapper to lava lamps), and Maiz, a Mexican-inspired café (try the smoked salmon tostada with lime mayo).
Catch the train to Wrabness (just a 9-minute journey) to gawp at the extraordinary ‘House for Essex’. Designed by Grayson Perry, it’s a joyous piece of architecture, reminiscent of a gingerbread house, Russian chapel, and Battenburg cake, and increases in size from front to back like an opened telescope (must be seen to be believed). For supper back in Manningtree, The Mistley Thorn (a coaching inn circa 1723) can’t be beaten for moules, frites, and local cider.
How to get there
Direct trains from Liverpool Street take 1 hour.
Where to stay
The Mistley Thorn Hotel was featured in The Good Food Guide 2025 and is just a two-minute walk from Mistley train station.
