Sussex Tourist Information
Sussex in South East England with its wonderful warm climate is home to spectacular beaches, funky seaside city break Brighton and some of England's most famous heritage sites including Hastings Castle and the Battle of Hastings Battlefield site. Offering a superb mix of countryside and coast, Sussex holidays cater for all tastes and styles. Explore the old Cinque Port of medieval Rye or classic seaside resorts and beaches at Eastbourne, Hastings and Bexhill. The chalk white cliffs from Beachy Head to the Seven Sisters is one of Britain's designated heritage coastlines.
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Offering a premier nightlife and iconic seaside attractions like Brighton Pier and the Royal Pavilion, Brighton is a cosmopolitan seaside city resort that competes on an international stage. West Sussex Coastal resorts are at Worthing, Littlehampton and Bognor Regis, with both Littlehampton and Bognor Regis offering a host of family holiday attractions. Roman city Chichester boasts a cathedral, award winning art gallery and the acclaimed Chichester Festival Theatre. Alongside some of Britain's best seaside resorts, inland Sussex contains two designated Areas of Outstanding Beauty, the South Downs and the High Weald. Pending final discussions on boundaries, the South Downs is soon to officially become one of Britain's National Parks.
Brighton & Hove Holidays
A favourite seaside holiday resort in the South East, Brighton is one of Britain's great bohemian seaside cities with a fantastic nightlife, top vintage shopping and best Sussex museums and galleries. An early riser amongst British seaside resorts, Brighton's Royal Pavilion designed by the great Georgian architect John Nash led the way in a particular British Seaside architectural style that was to be evident in the many piers, pavilions and palaces to appear around British seaside resorts through the Victorian and Edwardian eras.
Brighton's Regency architecture is one of Britain's most spectacular, second only to Bath. Great majestic Regency crescents and squares overlooking the sea at Brighton give this elegant and chic Sussex seaside resort a real edge. Offering a choice of museums and galleries alongside world famous shopping district The Lanes and a full programme of festivals and events including the outstanding Brighton Pride, Brighton is a seaside city break hard to beat.Around Brighton a host of attractions and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty await. To the north of the city sits the South Downs AONB, to the east the great drama of the chalky white cliffs at the Seven Sisters Country Park and to the West more spectacular Regency architecture at Hove around Brunswick Square and beyond the Adur District and stunning estuary and mudflats at Shoreham-by-sea.
East Sussex Coast
Family holiday resorts mingle with famous heritage attractions on the Eas Sussex coast. William the Conqueror first landed at Pevensey Castle before he headed inland to meet King Harold and his English forces for Britain's most famous Battle on British soil, the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Pevensey Castle is essential viewing on the 1066 trail as is Hastings Castle on West Hill. To the far east medieval Rye and Winchelsea are further East Sussex coast historic locations, once mighty Cinque Port centres. Both Rye and Winchelsea contain a superb selection of specialist shops, restaurants, tearooms and historic inns.
Top Sussex family seaside holidays are at both Camber Sands with its award winning sand dune backed beach and at family favourite Hastings where the Pelham Beach seafront is lined with funfair rides, family museums and aquariums. Bexhill-on-Sea and Eastbourne offer a more leisurely pace. Spectacular seaside heritage architecture and glorious beachfront promenades are in both these East Sussex resorts. Heritage architectural highlights include the beautifully renovated De La Warr Pavilion at Bexhill and Eastbourne's heritage Victorian Pier and Victorian architecture in the Devonshire area and lining Eastbourne Promenade.
head to Eastbourne Marina for a host of fun watersports and outdoor activities. Eastbourne is also perfectly placed for spectacular coastal walking along the South Downs Way taking in iconic site the Beachy Head chalk cliffs and Beachy Head lighthouse. The South Downs Way National Trail commences at Eastbourne and runs right along the cliff edge at Beachy Head en-route to the Seven Sisters Country Park.
Inland East Sussex
Two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty can be found in Inland East Sussex. The High Weald is home to the famous Mid-Sussex gardens whilst the beautifully gentle Sussex South Downs are a mecca for walkers. A large chunk of the Sussex High Weald is in the east which includes the stunning lowland heath areas in Ashdown Forest famously associated with Winnie-the-Pooh and author A.A.Milne. Walking trails in the Sussex Weald include the Weald Way and the High Weald Landscape Trail. idyllic Wealden centres including Crowborough, Heathfield, Uckfield, Battle and Hailsham are superb bases from which to explore the Sussex High Weald area. Attractions across the Weald feature stunning castles at Bodiam and Herstmonceux as well as heritage steam railways, vineyards and family farm parks, stunning Weald gardens and stately homes such as famous Batemans, once home to Rudyard Kipling.
The East Sussex South Downs AONB contains famous Sussex beauty spots such as the deep dry valley at Devil's Dyke and the nature reserve at Ditchling Beacon. The iconic Sussex Downs chalk engravings are here in the east around Alfriston and the Cuckmere Valley including the Long Man of Wilmington and the Litlington White Horse. Popular East Sussex Downs centres include medieval Alfriston and Poynings, both of which straddle the South Downs Way National Trail. East Sussex is 1066 Country and here in the heart of the High Weald sits one of England's most historic sites, Battle Abbey and the Battle of Hastings 1066 Battlefield site. Lewes in East Sussex is the area's great heritage centre, home to the spectacular elevated Norman Lewis Castle, the 15th century Wealden Anne of Cleves House and a host of medieval architecture, specialist shops and fine restaurants and inns. Famous literary names also herald from the East Sussex Downs. English Novelist Virginia Woolf lived at Monk's House south of Lewes at Rodmell until her death in 1963. Also around Lewes is the country retreat of the Bloomsbury set of artists and writers at Charleston Farmhouse with nearby Glyndebourne standing as a major centre for opera in the UK.
Inland West Sussex
Inland West Sussex is home to ancient Sussex Weald market town jewels like East Grinstead and Horsham, both of which offer fantastic local produce Sussex Markets. The stunning South Downs AONB west of Steyning is popular for walking and outdoor activities holidays in Sussex and the Iron Age hillforts of Cissbury and Chanctonbury towards East Hampshire are essential visiting and famous prehistoric sites in Sussex.
London Gatwick Airport is Britain's second busiest airport located on the northern edge of West Sussex near Crawley on the Surrey border. Gatwick Airport is surrounded by a selection of pretty villages and towns including Horley, Crawley Down, Charlwood and Tinsley Green all of which contains great Gatwick B&Bs within easy reach of Gatwick Airport.
The best of the Sussex Gardens are in this most rural of Sussex regions including the stunning Mid-Sussex gardens Nymans, Wakehurst Place, Leonardslee, Borde Hill and High Beeches. Alongside gardens find some of Sussex's most elegant stately homes in the area including Petworth House & Gardens, Parham and Uppark. The landscape gardens of Petworth Park are the work of Britain's best landscape gardener Capability Brown who is also responsible for the outstanding gardens at Sheffield Park near Haywards Heath. Outstanding family attractions include the Bluebell Railway near Haywards Heath and Fishers Farm Park near Billingshurst.
Beautiful Arundel on the edge of the Downs boasts a spectacular castle and cathedral and is home to one of Britain's most beautiful wetlands alongside the River Arun. Some of the best of Sussex horse racing is also in this part of Sussex including the family friendly Fontwell Park Racecourse near Arundel, Plumpton and Hickstead near Burgess Hill and Lingfield Park Racecourse just over the Surrey border near Gatwick Airport.
West Sussex Coast
Discover best family seaside holiday resorts on the West Sussex Coast including family favourites Bognor Regis and Littlehampton. Award winning beaches are at both these family seaside resorts as well as popular family attractions such as the seafront Butlins holiday park and Harbour Park Amusements and funfair rides on Littlehampton's seafront.
Beautiful heritage Worthing on the West Sussex Coast with its pretty gardens, wonderful heritage pier and pavilion also contains charming shops and its fair share of Regency and heritage seaside architecture including the spectacular Edwardian Dome Cinema makes for a relaxing seaside holiday break. Worthing is also a top West Sussex location for theatre with a choice of theatre venues including the deco fronted Connaught Theatre and glorious Worthing Pavilion at the pier entrance.
The Witterings on the West Sussex coast are famous windsurfing and watersports hotspots whilst beautiful Chichester Harbour is a mecca for sailing. Selsey is a great coastla Chichester holiday base whilst charming Sussex centre like Lancing are within easy reach of Brighton and Worthing, plus boast great family friendly beaches of their own.
