23 of the loveliest things to do in Rye, East Sussex

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Here are a few things to do in Rye, an unbelievably pretty town in East Sussex. I recently got to know Rye on a long weekend and couldn’t wait to write about it on the blog. The town is just my cup of tea. It’s full of steep cobbled streets lined with beautiful half-timbered Tudor buildings, set on a hillside overlooking the River Rother and begging to be explored.

Rye has a great foodie scene, with some excellent pubs (including a haunted one!), cafés and restaurants. It also has plenty of history, fantastic art galleries and most importantly (for me), lots of quirky independent shops to browse. I don’t know about you but this ticks every box for what I want in a UK getaway.

If this sounds like your kind of thing, read on for some things to do in Rye, East Sussex, that I personally recommend…

Disclaimer: I visited Rye as part of a sponsored press trip at a lovely cottage with Classic Cottages. However, the cottage stay did not influence my itinerary. I did all my own research for this little East Sussex trip, as I always do, and I was under no obligation to do anything (other than stay in the cottage!). All Rye recommendations, ideas and words are 100% my own.  

Things to do in Rye, East Sussex

1. Explore the pretty cobbled streets – especially the iconic Mermaid Street

Even if you know nothing about Rye or East Sussex, you’ll likely have seen THAT shot of the quaint and cobbled Mermaid Street at some point in your life. It’s apparently one of the most-photographed streets in England and has graced postcards and chocolate boxes for years. And Mermaid Street in real life does not disappoint. It really is that perfect.

The name Mermaid Street harks back to the time when Rye was a port town, directly on the sea. There are lots of maritime references around the town, even though these days it’s about two miles from the English Channel due to the water silting up and the sea retreating over time. Mermaid Street was a haunt (upcoming pun intended) for all the smuggling gangs that abounded in that era. And the wonderful Mermaid Inn is where some of their souls are said to still linger… Cue spooky music. More on the Mermaid Inn later, though. 

Mermaid Street is also home to some of the most wonderfully named houses. Look out for ‘The House Opposite’, ‘The House with Two Front Doors’ and ‘The House with the Seat’. They all do what they say on the tin.

Top tip: If you find that Mermaid Street is too full of people getting in the way of your photo skills, head over to either Watchbell Lane or The Mint. Both of these beautiful streets are excellent photo spots too, but they don’t have half the footfall.

2. Visit the Rye Castle Museum: Ypres Tower and East Street

Rye Castle Museum is all one thing but spread over two sites: Ypres Tower and the main museum on East Street. I was rather baffled when doing my research on Rye about where was where and what was what, so hopefully this saves my readers any confusion too. Anyway, this is one of the best things to do in Rye if you’re wanting to learn more about its history. 

When Rye was a port town, it was part of a group of harbours in South East England known as the Cinque Ports. Although this is Italian for ‘five ports’, there were about 40 of them in it at some point. All of them were fortified to protect East Sussex from French invasion. Rye still has some of that fortification left in the form of Ypres Tower, which was commissioned by Henry III. If you climb up the tower, you can see the excellent views it would have had across the port. The view is now of the estuary mainly, but you can glimpse the sea in the distance. The tower later became the town prison, and the smaller Women’s Tower in the garden was the first women’s prison in the country. Lots of interesting history here.

Similarly, the museum on East Street is full of intriguing stuff. Look out for the dolls’ house complete with mildly creepy dolls (their eyes DEFINITELY watch you around the room), some medieval pottery, and a feature on Captain Pugwash cartoons (written by a Rye author).

Check the Rye Castle Museum website for opening times as they do vary throughout the year. Ypres Tower is £4 to get in and East Street is free.

3. See some wading birds at Rye Harbour Nature Reserve

Whenever I do a weekend away in a UK town or city, I like to make sure that I don’t spend all my time in the town/city itself. For example, if I go to Edinburgh I always make time to get out to the seaside at North Berwick. Rye is far from being a big busy city that you need to escape from for a bit, but it can be quite bustling in the summer and I’d really recommend getting out for a walk at Rye Harbour. You can easily get there on the number 313 bus from by the railway station. It takes less than 10 minutes and costs a few quid for a return ticket.

Rye Harbour runs along the River Rother, leading out towards the sea across shingle and salt marshes. It’s home to the Rye Harbour Nature Reserve and thousands of different species of plants and animals. Spending a few hours walking and looking out for wildlife, flora and fauna is one of the nicest things to do in Rye if you’re into nature. It’s such a relaxing place.

Call in at the Discovery Centre, which has an exhibition about the area and what you’ll be able to spot there. There’s a board listing all the latest sightings in the area, from rare flowers to birds of prey. It has an excellent gift shop selling all those lovely nature books that have become so popular in recent years (I managed to resist buying any when I visited, but only because of limited luggage space!). And of course, it has a café. Any visitor centre or museum always has a good café in my experience and this one is no exception. Have a cup of tea in the huge windows, which give a great view of the marsh.

4. Have lunch/brunch at The Fig

It never takes long on this blog for me to start talking about food. Rye, like other towns in East Sussex, has a great foodie scene, especially for a fairly little place. Anyone turning up hungry is going to be spoilt for choice.

The Fig is my favourite spot in Rye for a delicious lunch or brunch. It’s a B&B and café with an excellent small menu featuring some brilliant veggie and vegan options. Everything is done with care and attention and is packed with flavour: no bland goat’s cheese tarts and salad here. This is one of those places you could go back to again and again and it doesn’t get boring. I recommend the halloumi flatbread with harissa and yoghurt (a strong 10/10) and the chickpea curry, both off the lunch menu. I’m still thinking about that halloumi weeks later.

The Fig is very stylish inside but it’s quite small and you can’t reserve in the daytime, so be prepared to hover around for a bit on a weekend. It’s open for tea in the evenings – or ‘dinner’ as they’d say down south – and you can reserve then. 

5. Climb up the bell tower of St Mary’s Church for views of Rye and across East Sussex

What’s a trip away without climbing up some kind of tower for a view? I think I’ve done this in almost everywhere I’ve ever been, whether in the UK or abroad. It’s like a rite of passage before you’re allowed to have a drink/cake/meal on the trip.

St Mary’s Church in Rye has a big turret you can haul yourself up for a stonker of a view. It also has a very niche claim to fame: the oldest functioning church turret clock in the country. I know, I know. I’ve been wondering where the oldest functioning church turret clock was for so long, too. We can finally sleep.

When you buy your £4 ticket to go up the turret, you’ll see a warning about the upcoming heights. Towers always have these warnings, and very rarely are they that scary IMO. But I did feel mild peril on the final climb up St Mary’s, which involves a wooden ladder that seems to get steeper as you get to the top. Not one for anyone with claustrophobia or vertigo, or indeed anyone who had a cocktail with their lunch.

You can see the famous clock mechanism at the top. More importantly, you can see perfect panoramic views across Rye, over its higgledy-piggledy rooftops, across the lush East Sussex countryside and out to sea. You can allegedly see across to France on a clear day, but I have to break it to you that I visited on a very clear day and couldn’t. It’s still a very good view.

6. Stay in one of the cute cottages near Rye, East Sussex

As mentioned in my disclaimer above, I visited Rye while doing a sponsored press trip at the charming and quirky 4 Roberts Row, a Classic Cottages cottage in the nearby village of Beckley.

Classic Cottages gave me a few options to choose from in the local area of East Sussex. But as soon as I saw 4 Roberts Row, I knew it had to be that one. Just look how quirky and cute it is.

Rye is full of these picture-perfect cottages, so it was an absolute dream to actually stay in one. And luckily this one has been done up posh: I bet some of them are a bit old and draughty inside. It’s like staying inside a copy of Ideal Home magazine. Every little detail is quaint and rustic, from the baby blue range cooker with traditional oak beams above it, to the trio of tiny iron mice in front of the wood-burning stove. 

The garden is magical. You go out of a green stable door and down a narrow garden path, through an archway covered in pink roses, to a cosy little seating area strewn with bunting. I didn’t have time to sit out of an evening as I was too busy eating out in Rye (aka important blogging research) but it would be an idyllic spot on a warm summer night. I did have my breakfast out there one morning and can confirm it’s hidden enough that the neighbours can’t see you in your jimjams.

If you’re looking for somewhere cosy to stay, I’d definitely see if this cottage is free. You can get the 313 bus from just round the corner into Rye, and get a taxi back at night. The cottage comfortably sleeps two. It wouldn’t be suitable for anyone with mobility issues, though, as you have to climb a wooden ladder to get upstairs. If you need something bigger or more accessible, Classic Cottages has a few other options within ‘commuting’ distance of Rye, East Sussex, to have a nose at too.

7. Walk through the Landgate

Rye had four fortified gates around the town in the 14th century: the Landgate, the Strandgate, the Baddings Gate and the Postern Gate. All of them but the Landgate succumbed to weather and/or French invasion over the years.

Today, you can go and see the remaining Landgate, which was apparently built in 1329 and is still going strong. Cars can drive through it now, but back in the day it connected Rye with the (main)land as the town was on the sea. 

It’s a picturesque spot and worth seeing. Knoop’s, the hot chocolate place I mention further down this list, is right by it. So you could get a hot choc while you’re at it. It would be rude not to.

8. Have afternoon tea at The Cobbles Tea Room

Although most of my blog readers are from the UK, I know I’ve got quite a few American regulars too. So if you’re one of them, and you’re visiting the UK and end up going to Rye, you’ll probably want to try some quintessentially English tea and scones. And if you’re one of my UK readers, you’ll probably fancy some tea and scones too. Who doesn’t, tbh?

The best place in Rye for the perfect scone and a proper brew has to be The Cobbles Tea Room. It’s been going since 1953 when two sisters called Doris and Iris (brilliant names!) used to serve tea and cake in the front room of their cottage. How lovely is that? Today, it’s still very cottagey and cute, with floral chintzy wallpaper and sprigs of flowers on the tables. But if you’re lucky enough to visit East Sussex on a warm day, make the most of it and sit out in the small garden at the back. 

All of their cakes look spot on but I have to have the standard cream tea: a pot of tea with two scones and jam and cream. It’s only £7.20, which I think is a bargain, especially for down south. They also do bigger afternoon teas, all sorts of cakes, toasties and butties, teacakes, crumpets (which I have for breakfast every day so can’t imagine having in the afternoon but I know some people would love it!) and some traditional puddings like sticky toffee.

You can’t beat a good scone though, and these are excellent.

9. Treat yourself in Rye’s fantastic independent shops

One of my favourite things to do on a UK weekend away is to browse all the little gift shops and see what I ‘need’. Rye has an impressive amount of quirky, independent shops and boutiques. There are also some antique shops, which would be worth a rummage if that’s your bag.

Due to not having much room in my suitcase and being about to embark on a 3.5-month train journey, I managed to restrain myself from buying half the stuff I wanted and came away with just one little Rye fridge magnet. I could easily go wild, though.

Here are a few shops in Rye that I recommend browsing…

• Ethel Loves Me – A very unusual shop selling all kinds of artisan things. Art prints, furniture, soap, cushions, decorative little houses, picture frames and perfume (including Eden Perfume, the vegan and cruelty-free perfume I always order online. Never seen it IRL before!).
• Simply Rye – This is where I got my Rye fridge magnet. They do gifts, homeware and a few clothes/accessories, but the Rye-themed stuff is the best. Plenty of prints, mugs, teatowels and the like.
• Rye Pottery – A beautiful shop selling local pottery (since 1793!). Most of it is out of my price range sadly, but I couldn’t have got it in my suitcase safely so perhaps that’s for the best! My favourite thing is their retro stripy jugs. They’d look great with flowers in on a kitchen windowsill. They also make these cute pigs in different patterns, known as ‘Sussex pigs’. which people collect. Definitely worth a visit.
• Café Des Fleurs – If you like succulents and other houseplants, this florist/plant shop/coffee house is excellent. It’s right by the railway station so you could buy a plant just before you leave so it doesn’t get damaged while you’re wandering round. They also do greeting cards and candles and whatnot.
• Rae Lifestyle – I LOVE this shop. It does very chic and Scandi homewares, including eco stuff and some gorgeous ceramics. Very much my style and I think my regular readers would love it too.
• Rye Deli – I always like a food-based souvenir. They also make good Christmas presents for family when you’ve run out of ideas. Preserves, jams, kimchi, gin, or whatever condiment of your choice can be found at Rye Deli. They also do fresh food, which is handy if you’re after a picnic or if you’re staying in a self-catering cottage and want to get some nice bits in.

10. Drink a pint in a haunted pub: the Mermaid Inn

Despite its obvious aesthetic appeal, Rye isn’t all about postcard-worthy cottages and quaint tearooms. Oh no. It has a long history of smuggling, featuring some notorious gangs like the Hawkhurst Gang, who made use of secret passages to conduct their dodgy dealings around the town. And some of the interesting characters from Rye’s past are said to still haunt the town today (cue spooky music)…

The Mermaid Inn on Mermaid Street is said to be one of the most haunted pubs in England. It’s even featured on Most Haunted, the TV series, where they spent a lot of time looking at orbs in one of the rooms (it’s not just a pub – you can stay there). Some guests have reported being awoken by a ghostly duel going on in their room and a barman left because of bottles leaping off the bar. Now, I technically don’t believe in ghosts but I love a good ghost story and find it all fascinating. And obviously I would completely cr*p myself if I stayed over in this inn.

The Mermaid Inn has cellars dating back to 1156 but the inn itself is from 1420. You can stay in any of its beautiful old rooms and get a chance to meet the Lady in White or another of the resident ghosts (their website has plenty of stories that I will not be reading alone at night). The inn also has a ginormous fireplace with a secret passageway (used by smugglers) and lots of winding staircases complete with creaky floorboards. The perfect setting to freak yourself out at every tiny noise. I loved visiting and sat right next to the huge fireplace with a very fine pint of local beer. 

11. Visit Lamb House – one of the best things to do in Rye for history lovers

Another key ingredient in any UK weekend away? The inevitable visit to a National Trust property.

Lamb House is bang in the centre of Rye. It was once home to the authors Henry James and EF Benson, but at different times. The former is famous for his novels The Turn of the Screw and An Awkward Age and the latter for his Mapp and Lucia series (more on that later). Lamb House was also the film set for the Mallards, Lucia Mapp’s house in the Mapp and Lucia TV series.

Just to briefly revisit our ghostly pals, it’s worth noting that James and Benson both wrote ghost stories while living at Lamb House and there’s also a supernatural novel set there, The Haunting of Lamb House by local Rye author Joan Aiken.

Ghost stuff aside, it’s a small but interesting National Trust property. There are only a handful of rooms but they’re all done beautifully. I particularly like the blue-and-white tiled fireplace in the telephone room. It reminded me of Portuguese azulejos.

The garden is the best bit, though. If you’re there towards the end of summer, look out for the huge pumpkins and gourds in the vegetable garden. One pumpkin was an absolute whopper when I visited in September. Also keep an eye out for the sweet little dog graveyard, featuring headstones for doggy residents of yesteryear such as Taffy, Tim and of course Nick. What an excellent name for a dog.

Check the NT website for opening times and prices.

12. Go for fish and chips at Marino’s Fish Bar

Every town has one legendary chippy, and Marino’s Fish Bar is apparently the one in Rye. Or at least that’s what a local woman assured me. And I can confirm that the fish, chips and mushy peas are excellent.

You can do the usual takeaway but you can also eat in, which is what I did on my visit a few weeks ago. I was laden with luggage but the staff were dead nice and let me shove it in the corner out of the way. After an epic 4.5-hour train journey to Rye, I was dying of hunger and a chippy tea was 100% what was needed.

I highly recommend it… And it could only be improved if they had gravy on the menu rather than just curry sauce. Apparently chippies down south don’t do chips and gravy?! Come on, East Sussex – give it a go.

But they do have a gluten-free batter option, which is a rare sight on a chippy menu, so we’ll let them off. 

13. Have a drink at the Waterworks Micropub

I’m always on the lookout for a craft beer bar and Rye has the wonderful Waterworks Micropub. It not only does modern, hoppy cask ale poured directly from the cask but it also has different flavours of cider. I’m not normally a cider drinker but thought ‘when in Rye’ and tried both elderflower and rhubarb flavours. They were both superb. I also loved the Three Legs Brewing Company’s Pale.

Other than the drinks being good, the Waterworks also has an excellent atmosphere and unique setting. It’s both a pub and an antique shop. You and your beer will be surrounded by all sorts of curiosities, from horse brasses to domino sets. And everything is for sale and has a price tag on it, even the tables and chairs you’re sitting at. It’s unique.

I was really impressed with how talkative and friendly everyone is in there. It’s not one of those pubs you go to where everyone keeps to themselves: people will say hello and strike up a conversation with other tables. I think the landlord plays a part in keeping that lovely communal atmosphere as he’s very friendly and chats to everyone. A gem of a place.

14. Browse the many local art galleries

Rye is a proper arty little town, something it has in common with my favourite town in the UK, Kirkcudbright. It has a similarly brilliant array of small art galleries full of local pieces, from paintings to photography to pottery and sculptures. 

Unsurprisingly, I recommend starting at Rye Art Gallery. This is the biggest one, set across two houses on the High Street. It features a permanent collection as well as temporary exhibitions that change regularly. Then call in at the Purdie Gallery, which shows work by local photographer David Purdie. There’s also the Ryebank Gallery, which is on two floors and has some really quirky pieces. I particularly enjoyed this disgruntled owl lady by artist Fiona Morley, as shown in the collage below. 

If you keep wandering around Rye, you’ll find even more galleries as you go. It’s a real haven for art lovers and browsing them all is one of my favourite things to do in Rye.

15. Find the places mentioned in the Mapp & Lucia books – one of the best things to do in Rye for book lovers

As I mentioned earlier, the Mapp and Lucia series of novels by EF Benson was set in Rye (renamed ‘Tilling’) and Lamb House (‘Mallards’).

Benson used a lot of real-life locations from Rye and East Sussex in both the novels and the subsequent TV series, so if you’re a fan then you should hunt some of them out. You can find Major Benjy’s house, ‘The Links’, Grebe and more. For details, have a look at the website dedicated to Mapp and Lucia’s Rye, run by the EF Benson Society’s secretary. He offers guided tours of the locations as well (£9; email to book).

16. Eat scallops and other local seafood from Rye Bay

When I visited Rye recently, it wasn’t the season for Rye Bay scallops. Gutted. But if you’re there in winter/spring, they’re a must-do. There’s even a Rye Bay Scallop Festival in February. But even if scallops aren’t in season, there’s plenty of other tasty local seafood from Rye Bay to try.

Here are a few options for where to eat local seafood in Rye:

• The Standard Inn – A B&B as well as a pub, this cosy inn serves the local catch of the day and you can wash it down with a beer from the excellent Three Legs Brewing Company.
• Landgate Bistro – For a bit of a posher option, the Landgate Bistro does modern British food featuring plenty of local fish. The menu is really good and has some creative veggie options if you don’t eat fish.
• The Globe Inn – This is where I ate on the last night of my recent long weekend in Rye: the local fish of the day, of course. It’s very quirky inside. You sit in little booths and it’s full of nautical lamps and cushions everywhere. 

17. See a film at the independent cinema, Kino

If you’re looking for things to do in Rye on a rainy day, it’s worth knowing that the town has its very own boutique cinema.

Kino is one of those bougie little cinemas with armchairs, where you can have a G&T in style while watching the film. I have a similar one near where I live in Cheshire. It makes you want to never return to a generic and overpriced Odeon in your life.

Kino is only small so you do have to book for anything new and popular, but if it’s rainy then you could try to see what you can get into on the day. There’s a very popular café/restaurant on site too, which I haven’t tried but has excellent reviews. I had it on my list of backups in case any of the others were full, and I fully intend to try it next time. Let me know if you go.

18. Treat yourself to a hot chocolate from Knoop’s

Everyone I know who’s been to Rye told me I HAVE to get a hot chocolate at Knoop’s, which is right by the Landgate. Seeing as it seemed to be the law, I duly did so on my recent visit. I was expecting it to be a bit overhyped and I’m not a huge hot chocolate drinker at all. But if all hot chocolate tasted like this, I would be. Probably for the best it doesn’t or I’d be the size of the Landgate.

Knoop’s does a whole menu of different strengths of hot chocolate. It’s a bit like looking at a craft beer menu with the % of alcohol in the drinks, only this is the % of cocoa. I tried a 28% white chocolate one and a really strong 85% one that was fully vegan. Both were simultaneously the best hot chocolate I’d ever had.

If you’re with a friend or your partner, do what we did and get two small ones that are very different so you can swap halfway through and thus get to try two. I still don’t think I could choose which was superior. Might have to go back and sample again, for research purposes.

19. Have an organic and delicious lunch at Hayden’s

I wish Hayden’s Café and B&B would open a branch near me. Its lunch menu is brilliant: bagels, rarebits, omelettes, salads, jacket potatoes… the sort of fare you’d get at a National Trust café only much nicer and all homemade.

Everything is local and organic if possible. I don’t eat meat but their meat is all free-range, which is so rare to see. They have a couple of vegan options: I had the jacket potato with hummus and avocado, which was excellent. The breakfast menu looks excellent too: if you were staying in their B&B you’d probably put on a stone.

Although it has seats out on the street, the main bit of the café is in a conservatory with a small balcony at the back. If you’re lucky enough to spot the table on the balcony free, go and nab it. Elbow all the other customers out of the way if needs be. It’s got a really pretty view across the Rye countryside and is the best seat in the house.

20. Walk down the passageway next to St Mary’s 

When researching Rye and East Sussex, I found a lot of people raving about the beautiful ‘Barbie pink’ house next to St Mary’s. It sounded right up my street. Who doesn’t love a bright pink house?! Of course, when I visited, it was covered in scaffolding. Typical.

However, the street next to St Mary’s is a charming spot and worth visiting anyway. Look out for St Mary’s House, which has a gorgeous front garden, and the sweet little gift shop Forget Me Not Rye at the other end.

And maybe when you visit, the pink house won’t be 90% scaffolding and you can take a nice photo of it.

21. Go on a ghost tour of the town – one of the best things to do in Rye on a winter’s night…

I made it almost five minutes without mentioning Rye’s ghosts but here we are again. Clearly, I’m smitten with them and need to go back soon to try to see one.

I’d love to get into the spirit (ha) of things and do some organised ghost-hunting on one of Rye’s official ghost tours. Unfortunately, this is something I didn’t manage to do on my recent visit because there wasn’t a tour running while I was there. But it’s 100% on the list for next time.

The ghost tours start outside the town hall and last 2 hours. Check on their website that I just linked to for what dates they’re running but it’s usually a Saturday night. You book your tickets online and it’s £15 each. 

22. Visit the beach, Camber Sands – one of the best things to do in Rye with dogs

Camber Sands is a stretch of pale golden sand, set against a backdrop of pretty sand dunes. I grew up in Formby near Liverpool, which is also known for its excellent dunes and beach. Camber isn’t dissimilar, so I felt rather at home there. It’s a nice trip out if you’re staying in Rye long enough to warrant a beach afternoon. It can be quite windy, so check the weather forecast before setting off and bring a hair bobble.

If you have dogs with you, they’ll love this beach. Endless sniffing, paddling and lolloping around opportunities. Just note that there’s a section that dogs aren’t allowed in between May and September (the local council has a PDF map). But even during that period, there’s plenty of beach they can go on.

You can walk from Rye to Camber Sands, starting near the railway station. It’s a 3-mile walk, mainly on a coastal cycle path. Check the GPS route for details. It didn’t look that picturesque a walk when I looked into it (not bad, just not amazing), so I opted to get the bus, which saves a lot of time if you’re only in Rye for a few nights. Bus 102 from Rye gets you to Camber Sands in 20 minutes. Sorted.

23. Look out for maritime features around the town

Everywhere you look in Rye, nautical-themed things adorn the streets and houses. Maritime door knockers are a firm favourite and some of them are really ornate and unusual. I spotted a potential gold smuggler one, complete with a pirate sword knocking thingy.

Look out for this gal, ‘Jane Owen’. She’s a replica of the figurehead off a schooner that was shipwrecked in 1889. Everyone was saved, so maybe she brings luck.

There’s also a horse with a ridiculously large bit but no bridle further along the same road (The Strand), who also looks like he might be off a ship but I couldn’t find anything about him online. As a horse person, I think he deserves his own little plaque too.

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Further information on things to do in Rye, East Sussex

Right, that’s the end of rather a long guide to visiting Rye, East Sussex. Well done if you got this far!

I obviously haven’t included every single possible thing to do in Rye here… That’d be impossible and I never attempt it for anywhere I write about.

But if you’ve visited Rye and there was something you loved that I didn’t mention here, please let me know in the comments. I’d love to go back soon. I also didn’t cover the surrounding areas – partly because I wanted to focus on Rye itself but also because I’m not a driver, and you would likely need a car for that kind of caper. So anything to do/see nearby that’s doable by bus would also be welcome. Ta.

Things to do in Rye, East Sussex – useful information for your trip

Where to stay in Rye, East Sussex

As mentioned in #6 in this list, I stayed at the incredibly cute 4 Roberts Row, Beckley, East Sussex, as a press trip with Classic Cottages. If you need something bigger or more accessible, Classic Cottages has a few other options around East Sussex to have a nose at too.

How to get to Rye, East Sussex (and around the town)

Depending on where you live, you most likely need to get the train down to London, then go from St Pancras to Ashford International to Rye. The only downside to Rye for me is that it involves 4 changes on the train (including across London) and takes 4.5 hours from where I live. But it’s worth it. And at least Rye has a railway station and a fairly regular train service. This is too often not the case for other quaint little towns. Anyway, trains to/from London/Rye run regularly. 

Once you’re in Rye, there’s a bus stop near the train station. But everywhere in the town is walkable. There are also some handy local taxi services. You’ll need to book ahead, as is usual with rural taxis. I recommend Kris Duda or Shaun at All The 7s.

When to go to Rye, East Sussex

Like most UK destinations, I recommend avoiding summer/school holiday time. September to early October tends to be the best mixture of weather and quietness. Rye would, however, also be great in later autumn or even winter as it’s got so many snug old pubs and cafés to get cosy in.

Save and share: some lovely things to do in Rye, East Sussex

If you enjoyed this blog post on some nice things to do in Rye, East Sussex, why not pin it to your Pinterest board? 

You might also like my other UK-based posts:

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• 18 lovely things to do in Skipton: a pretty market town in North Yorkshire
• A guide to things to do in Kirkby Lonsdale, Cumbria
• Things to do in Stockport: a local’s guide ft. vintage and vegan treats
• The best day trips from Edinburgh by train or bus
• 20 things to do in beautiful North Berwick, Scotland
• A guide to Circus Lane, Edinburgh’s prettiest photo spot
• The best places to visit in Dumfries and Galloway.

If you’ve used one of my travel guides and enjoyed it, you can also buy me a drink. Cheers. 

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