Eastbourne

Where to base yourself in Eastbourne depends largely on what you want from the trip. The seafront hotels along Grand Parade and the Western Lawns put you within steps of the pier, the bandstand and the town's flower gardens, and suit anyone who wants a traditional seaside stay with sea views from the room and no need for a car once you have arrived. This stretch holds the town's grandest and most historic properties, several dating from Eastbourne's Victorian heyday, and works particularly well for couples and older visitors drawn to the town's classic resort character.

Further along the coast, Sovereign Harbour offers a more contemporary alternative, with modern hotels and self-catering apartments set around the marina, well suited to families or anyone who wants restaurants, a cinema and waterside walks close by, plus easier parking than the central seafront. The Old Town and Meads, both set back from the promenade, suit visitors prioritising quiet streets and quick access to the South Downs Way over sea views, and tend to offer better value than the seafront proper, particularly at smaller guest houses and B&Bs. Budget-conscious travellers and walkers passing through on the South Downs Way will find simpler guest houses clustered around the station and in the streets just behind the seafront, a short walk from everything but at noticeably lower rates in peak season. Whichever area you choose, Eastbourne is compact enough that nothing is more than a twenty-minute walk away, so the decision comes down to atmosphere and budget rather than practicality. Booking ahead matters most around the Eastbourne International tennis in June and the Airbourne airshow in August, when seafront rooms sell out weeks in advance and prices rise accordingly.

Eastbourne rewards a slow visit as much as a busy one, with plenty to fill a long weekend on the seafront and beyond.

• Beachy Head is the highest chalk sea cliff in Britain, reached by a clifftop walk or a short drive, with sweeping views along the coast and a lighthouse standing offshore below.
• Eastbourne Pier is a restored Victorian pleasure pier with a domed pavilion, kiosks and an amusement arcade, and remains the visual anchor of the seafront.
• Towner Eastbourne is an award-winning contemporary art gallery on Devonshire Park, holding a notable Eric Ravilious collection alongside changing exhibitions.
• The Seven Sisters and Cuckmere Haven, a short drive west, offer one of the most photographed stretches of English coastline, with chalk cliffs rippling along the shore above a meandering river valley.
• Devonshire Park hosts the Eastbourne International tennis tournament each June, a traditional Wimbledon warm-up, as well as a Victorian theatre and winter garden.
• Sovereign Harbour Marina, at the eastern end of town, is one of the largest marinas on the south coast, with restaurants, a cinema and moorings to wander around.
• The Redoubt Fortress is a circular Napoleonic-era fort near the seafront, now home to military history displays and a walkable rampart.
• Airbourne, Eastbourne's free airshow held over several days each August, draws large crowds to the seafront for Red Arrows and historic aircraft displays.

Fresh Channel seafood is the obvious local speciality, with fish and chips a seafront staple and several independent fishmongers still trading near the harbour. Fusciardi's, a long-established ice cream parlour on the seafront, has been serving Italian-style ice cream to generations of visitors and remains a fixture of any walk along the promenade.

Sussex ales from breweries such as Harveys of Lewes and Long Man, brewed a short drive from the town, feature widely in Eastbourne's pubs, alongside a growing number of independent coffee shops in the Old Town and around Terminus Road. A regular farmers' market brings Sussex produce, cheeses and baked goods into the town centre, and the restaurants around Sovereign Harbour marina cater well to an evening out by the water.

Eastbourne itself has no campsites within the town, but the surrounding East Sussex countryside, particularly the villages tucked into the South Downs to the north and west, offers a good spread of options for anyone wanting to camp near the coast rather than in it. The terrain shifts quickly from Eastbourne's flat seafront into the folded chalk downland that carries the South Downs Way, so most nearby sites sit in sheltered valleys or on farmland just below the ridgeline, a short drive or bus ride from the town and the beach at Beachy Head or Cuckmere Haven.

The South Downs' exposed, chalky ground and thin soil mean sites here drain well after rain, though the open downland itself can be windy and there is little tree cover on the highest sections, so a sturdy tent and warm layers are worth packing even in summer. Wild camping is not legally permitted anywhere in East Sussex, including on National Trust and South Downs National Park land around Eastbourne, so a proper booked site is the only lawful option; landowners and rangers do enforce this on the more popular stretches of downland near Beachy Head and the Seven Sisters. The best months to camp near Eastbourne run from late May to mid-September, when the downland is driest and evenings stay light long enough for a walk up from the tent; April, May and September can also be pleasant and considerably quieter, though nights turn cold once the sun goes down over open ground. Given the coastal location, it is worth checking forecasts for Channel weather systems, which can bring sudden wind and rain even when inland forecasts look settled.