Lady’s Hastings Day Trip Guide

Today I want to share my guide to taking a Hastings day trip with you. This seaside town in East Sussex, England is a great place to escape to the coast for a day of waterfront fun.

Hastings Day Trip

Before I planned my day trip to Hastings, I’d never really had the town on my radar screen.

This was in spite of the fact that it shares coastline with famous spots like Brighton, Dover, and East Sussex beaches like Camber Sands.

I was remiss to overlook it. Famous for its connections to William the Conqueror, who came from Normandy in 1066 and defeated English King Harold in the Battle of Hastings in nearby Battle, Hastings has a long history.

That means it’s not only home to hilltop castle ruins, but also beautiful historic streets. Add to that beaches, a pleasure pier, and lots of fish and chips, and a Hastings day trip is a must on a sunny day.

How to Get to Hastings

It’s easy to get to Hastings from London on the train. Direct rail services depart from stations like Charing Cross and London Bridge, and the journey takes just over an hour and 15 minutes.

Driving to Hastings is an option, too. It takes around 2 hours to drive to Hastings from London, and there’s parking in town.

Things to Do in Hastings

Once in East Sussex, there’s a wealth of things to do in Hastings. From historic sites to beachfront entertainment, there’s something for everyone on a Hastings day trip.

Restaurants in Hastings

I start my visit with a walk from the train station to the waterfront, where I tuck into a healthy portion of fish and chips at one of the many seaside restaurants on Rock-a-Nore Road.

This British classic is everywhere in Hastings, and it seems like a mandatory part of a visit. A delicious one, too.

East Hill in Hastings

Appetite taken care of, I continued my Hastings day trip by walking up to the top of the East Hill Lift, a funicular railway that opened in the early 19th century.

When I reach the summit, I’m rewarded with spectacular views of Hastings and the English Channel. The cascading rooftops of the old town and Rock-a-Nore are beautiful against the backdrop of the sea.

Behind me is Hastings Country Park Nature Reserve, which has miles of clifftop walking paths. It reminds me of the Folkestone to Dover walk I once took farther down the coast.

Twittens in Hastings

I’d love to stay and do another country walk, but Hastings beckons. I walk back down to sea level through the network of twittens in Hastings.

What are twittens, you ask? Twittens are skinny stairways and passages that connect the historic streets in this part of the Hastings old town.

Streets like Old Humphrey Avenue remind me so much of the stairways in San Francisco that I have to keep reminding myself I’m in Sussex, not SF.

The twittens are lined with beautiful historic homes, colorful facades, and pretty much everything I love about side streets in England. I can’t stop photographing them.

Hastings Old Town

When I emerge from the lanes, I fall in love with the larger streets in the old town in Hastings.

I can’t get enough of the half-timbered houses and Tudor facades on All Saints Street. The history here is amazing, and the number of heritage buildings impresses.

Equally lovely is the High Street, which runs parallel to All Saints Street in Hastings. It has more pretty houses and raised walkways to admire, and great shops to go with them.

From home goods stores to vintage shops and bakeries, there’s a lot to admire here.

George Street is also a delight. This pedestrianized lane is packed with pubs, cafes, and shops, all fronted by historic facades.

To the west of the old town is another tangle of narrow lanes leading up to West Hill. They have more colorful doors and stone churches to admire, and I get lost in them for as long as I can. I could spend my entire Hastings day trip here.

West Hill

Speaking of West Hill, there’s a lot to take in here as well. I walk through the skinny alleys to get to the top, where I spot everything from the West Hill Lift (yes, there are two funiculars in Hastings) to the ruins of Hastings Castle.

I walk over to the latter, admiring the crumbling towers from the hillside before entering through the gates to see it up close.

Hastings Castle was established by William the Conqueror in 1066 while he was making his way from Normandy to Battle at the beginning of the Norman Conquest.

Originally a wooden motte-and-bailey castle, it evolved over time to be a stone fortress of strategic importance. While today it’s in ruins, there’s enough left for my imagination to complete a picture of the impressive complex.

Leaving Hastings Castle, I pass by the Smugglers Adventure, an attraction hidden away in St Clements Caves. It tells the story of smuggling on the south coast of England with life-size characters, interactive displays, and dramatic light and sound effects.

Hastings Beaches

Back down on the waterfront, I continue my Hastings day trip by taking in the town’s beaches. Starting in the east, I peer out over Rock-A-Nore Beach. It’s stunning with the dramatic cliffs in the background.

Continuing west, I walk along The Stade, a shingle beach lined with colorful fishing boats, nets, and stalls selling all kinds of fresh fish and seafood.

From The Stade I make my way to Hastings Beach, a big stretch of pebble shoreline punctuated by Hastings Pier.

I walk over the pebbles, admiring the striped beach huts as I make my way to the pier. It has the usual mix of amusement park rides, cafes, shops, and more beach huts. There are great views of the town from its railings, too.

Back on land, I walk along the waterfront promenade above Hastings Beach and make my way back to the old town in the east. I pass by everything from miniature golf to a Ferris wheel on the way.

Hastings Net Huts

When I arrive, I’m struck by the rows of tall, narrow wooden buildings painted in black. Groups of them form courtyards full of colorful fishing boats.

As I look around, I discover that the huts were originally built to house fishing nets. They’re unique among the seaside structures I’ve seen on the East Sussex coast, and they add great character to the Hastings waterfront.

Hastings Museums

Not far from the Net Huts is a museum that dives deep into the maritime history of Hastings. The small Hastings Fishermen’s Museum has walls covered in photos relating to the town’s long-established fishing industry.

There are exhibits all around, and a 14-foot replica of a 16th-century ship in the middle. Free entry means its easy to pop in and take a look, and I enjoy learning about Hastings’ past as I go.

Not far from here, the Shipwreck Museum displays artifacts from ships that went down in the the English Channel, and the Blue Reef Aquarium shows off sea life with shark tunnels and other exhibits.

On the other side of the Hastings Fishermen’s Museum, the Hastings Miniature Railway is a pint-size train line that runs along the seafront. Opened in 1948, it’s been faithfully transporting passengers along the ancient cinque port ever since.

The Hastings Miniature Railway goes past the Hastings Contemporary, a gallery displaying contemporary British art in a sleek modern building that stands out on the waterfront.

It offers rotating temporary exhibitions and has a roof terrace cafe with sea views.

Elsewhere in the old town, The Flower Makers Museum in Hastings is hidden away in a high street shop that dates back to the 14th century.

On street level there’s a store selling artificial flowers, but the basement hides a museum dedicated to the art of flower making.

On the other side of town, the Hastings Museum & Art Gallery is dedicated to town history and natural history, and has collections of international art and cultural objects.

Not far away, the True CRIME Museum in Hastings features displays with forensic evidence from serial killings and other criminal activities.

Where to Stay in Hastings

There’s so much to do in town that a Hastings day trip hasn’t felt like nearly enough time to see everything I want to see.

Hastings is much bigger than I imagined, and there are lots of shops, historic pubs, and pretty cafes I want to spend time in. I’d love to take some country walks on the cliffs, too.

If I could do it over again, I’d stay a night or two at one of the many Hastings hotels and apartments in town.

Day Trip to Hastings

Alas, my Hastings day trip must come to an end. I walk back to Hastings train station and hop on a service to London.

As my train trundles through the East Sussex countryside, I decide Hastings is one of the best places to go to the seaside near London.

If you get a chance to spend a day in Hastings (or longer), I hope you discover as much to see and do here as I have.

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