Scarborough

Scarborough's hotels fall into a few clear groups, shaped by the town's Victorian layout. The grandest properties sit along the Esplanade on South Cliff, purpose-built in the resort's Victorian heyday with sea views, function rooms and, in some cases, their own spa facilities - these suit visitors who want a full seaside-hotel experience with entertainment laid on. A step down in scale but still comfortable, the mid-range hotels dotted around South Bay and the town centre offer straightforward, well-run stays close to the harbour, the Spa and the shops, usually with parking and a restaurant on site, and tend to represent the best value for a short break.

Away from the hotel row, Scarborough has a strong run of independent B&Bs and guest houses, many in the same Victorian terraces but run on a smaller, more personal scale. The best of these have been renovated well beyond the fusty seaside-guest-house stereotype, with genuinely comfortable rooms, good breakfasts and, in several cases, sea views to rival the bigger hotels at a fraction of the price. A handful, particularly on South Cliff, now operate at a genuinely boutique level with rates to match.

For something with more space and grounds, a short drive out towards the edge of town brings a small number of country-house hotels set among woodland and gardens, better suited to a special-occasion stay or a base for walking than a classic seaside break. Wherever you choose, book ahead for July and August - Scarborough's accommodation fills up quickly around its summer events programme, and the best-value rooms on the South Cliff go first.

Scarborough rewards a couple of days on foot before you start driving further afield. These are the things worth building a visit around:

• Scarborough Castle - English Heritage's clifftop ruin sits on a headland that has been fortified since the Iron Age, with a Roman signal station beneath the medieval keep and views along both bays.
• Peasholm Park - a Japanese-themed Edwardian park with a boating lake, pagoda and, in summer, the long-running naval warfare re-enactments staged on the water with model warships.
• Scarborough Spa - the Victorian spa complex on South Bay still runs as a live entertainment venue, with a theatre, function suites and gardens looking out over the sea.
• The Stephen Joseph Theatre - a working theatre in a converted Art Deco cinema, long associated with playwright Alan Ayckbourn, who premiered dozens of his plays here.
• South Cliff Tramway - Britain's oldest operating funicular railway, running since 1875, carries visitors between the clifftop and the South Bay seafront in about thirty seconds.
• Scarborough Harbour - still a working fishing harbour, with boat trips, crab lines for hire and a cluster of seafood stalls selling the day's catch.
• Rotunda Museum - a small, distinctive geology museum housed in a purpose-built Georgian rotunda, one of the oldest purpose-built museums in the country.
• North Bay beach and Sea Life Scarborough - the quieter of the two beaches, with rockpools, a Blue Flag award in most years, and the North Yorkshire Sea Life centre nearby.

Fish and chips is close to compulsory in Scarborough, and the town takes it seriously - the Harbour Bar on Sandside is a listed 1945 ice cream parlour as much loved for its cod and chips as its knickerbocker glories, and there are several other long-standing chippies along the harbourfront worth queuing for. The harbour itself lands crab and lobster daily, sold straight off the boats or served in the seafood stalls and restaurants clustered around Sandside and Eastborough. Scarborough's indoor market, on St Helen's Square, is a good stop for local produce, baked goods and a cheaper lunch than the seafront cafes. Away from fish, the town has a growing run of independent cafes and bistros around Aberdeen Walk and the old town, doing everything from proper coffee to modern British small plates, alongside the traditional tearooms on the Esplanade that still do a full afternoon tea looking out over South Bay.

Scarborough sits close to some of the best touring country on the Yorkshire coast, and the campsites around the town reflect that: a mix of large, well-equipped holiday parks aimed at families, and smaller touring sites that put you closer to the coast path and the moors. Most sites are a short drive rather than a walk from the town centre, spread around Scalby, Burniston and Cayton to the north and south of Scarborough itself, with easy access back in for the beaches, the castle and the harbour.

Facilities vary a good deal between sites. The bigger holiday parks tend to have shops, bars, laundrettes and play areas built in, and often run a static caravan side alongside their touring pitches, which suits families wanting entertainment on site as well as easy beach access. Smaller touring-focused sites and the membership-club campsites are generally quieter, with a stronger emphasis on well-kept pitches, good shower blocks and reliable electric hook-up, rather than entertainment - a better fit if you are using Scarborough as a base for walking the Cleveland Way or exploring Forge Valley and the Moors.

Whichever type of site suits you, book ahead for the school summer holidays and bank holiday weekends, when the coastal parks around Scarborough fill quickly. Spring and early autumn are quieter and often better value, and give you the added benefit of the coast path and clifftop walks without the peak-season crowds.