Visit Eastbourne Seafront to delight in clean seas, shingle beaches and waterfront trails. Explore an avenue lined with grand buildings, spend time in museums and have fun at a theme park. Relax in the beachfront parks of Eastbourne Seafront and enjoy colorful annual festivals.
Eastbourne Promenade frames the beachfront and offers views of an impressive townscape and across the English Channel. Spend a day building sandcastles, picnicking and rock-pooling on Main Resort Beach and Marine Parade Beach. Join locals for a refreshing swim on a warm summer’s day. The beaches are great locations for watching the acrobatic air displays of August’s Eastbourne Airbourne Airshow.
British seaside traditions await at the Victorian-era Eastbourne Pier. Try scones with clotted cream and jam at a teahouse, feast on fish and chips, purchase souvenirs and enjoy sweeping coastal views. Attend performances by big bands, classical orchestras and tribute bands at Eastbourne Bandstand. Housed inside a former boathouse, Eastbourne Lifeboat Museum celebrates the work of the town’s branch of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
Stroll along Grand Parade, which has elegant Victorian houses on one side and the promenade and pretty gardens on the other. The Carpet Gardens dazzles with its seasonally changing flowerbeds and topiary displays. Western Lawns’ lush green spaces slope toward the beach and feature the 19th-century Wish Tower defensive tower and lookout. Find a children’s playground, boules court, mini golf course and ice cream kiosks at cliffside Helen Garden.
Don’t miss a tour of the 200-year-old Eastbourne Redoubt, a circular fortress used as a defense during the Napoleonic and world wars. Children will enjoy the pirate-themed attractions at Treasure Island Adventure Park. Browse boutiques, dine at waterfront restaurants and embark on a boat tour at Sovereign Harbour.
Eastbourne Seafront is located 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) from Eastbourne train station. It’s about a 45-minute walk from the fortress to Helen Garden via the promenade. In summer, catch a ride on the hop-on hop-off toy train.