Sussex Tourism - Coastal

Visitor Guides

Itineraries

Itineraries:

Coastal

The East Sussex coast offers a range of resorts, each with its own distinctive character. In the course of a short break, a family could sample the delights of several of them.

Day one

Brighton Marina, with its peaceful boatscapes and wide open spaces, has a quayside shopping centre and an exciting choice of cafés, restaurants and bars, and a range of outdoor and indoor activities including strolling along the harbour walkways and breakwaters, fishing, sightseeing by boat, sailing, bowling and watching the latest blockbuster in the 8-screen Virgin cinema. Visit the Sea Life Centre and explore the mysterious world of the sea. The town itself is cosmopolitan and dynamic, offering visitors plenty of fun, shopping and entertainment.

Day two

Eastbourne is a delightful place to spend a day - or more. Developed in the 19th century as a seaside resort for the fashionable, Eastbourne is well known for its broad boulevards and extremely elegant hotels. It has a charming pier and magnificent lawns and flowerbeds in the best English seaside tradition. The Guide Friday bus will enable you to see all the major sights and attractions. Feel the sea spray in your face as you splash through the waves aboard the Allchorn Pleasure Boat, running trips from the Pier to Beachy Head and the Seven Sisters (-the famous chalk cliffs where the South Downs meet the sea). If you prefer a faster pace, take an action-packed 007 speedboat ride which also runs from the Pier.

The town is noted for its shops, and for attractions such as the Museum of Shops in Cornfield Road, which brings to life more than 100,000 exhibits dating from the 1850's to the 1950's, displaying them in authentic settings.

Day three

Hastings & St Leonards offers two resorts for the price of one. St Leonards has all the charm and elegance that the Victorian middle-classes expected of a seaside resort; while Hastings is a fascinating mixture of historical curiosities and modern entertainment. Hastings & St Leonards has 3 miles of beaches, where low tide reveals acres of sand to play on and rock pools to explore. At the eastern end, you can watch Hastings fishermen working on their boats drawn up on to the shingle, while seagulls wheel around the famous 'netshops', unique to the town. On the seafront you will find crazy golf and go-karting, all the fun of the fair in the Stade Amusements Park, and traditional seaside fare such as fish and chips, jellied eels, candy floss and seaside rock. In the 'Smugglers Adventure', Hairy Jack, the ghost of a long-dead smuggler, tells visitors the story of the huge local trade in contraband in days gone by, as he leads them through the labyrinth of caves. History is brought to life through interactive displays, film and video, dramatic sound and eerie lighting.