Historic Aldeburgh on the wildlife-rich Suffolk Heritage Coast is just two hours’ drive from London, yet worlds apart.
A truly scenic and classy coast-and-culture favourite, it has a fantastic reputation for fine food and drink, including Aldeburgh’s famous fish and chips. It’s simply the perfect get-away-from-it-all place to visit, stay, sail, live and share all year round.
No wonder Aldeburgh has been fascinating folk and fuelling creative minds for centuries and is regularly ranked amongst the UK’s top seaside towns!
Explore a seafront full of colourful cottages and hilltop dotted with flamboyant villas. Walk along the haunting saltmarsh by misty River Alde creeks and a mightily impressive Martello tower. Stroll along the shingle beach to sit aloft the mighty ‘Scallop’ for your very own conversation with the sea.
Shop for something special in the galleries and gorgeous shops on the super-wide High Street. Watch little ones enjoy their first sailing adventures on the yacht pond. Weave along narrow lanes in search of blue plaques and celebrity haunts…
It’s all just a stone’s throw from the shingle beach and tar-black huts where fishermen sell their fresh salty catch.
From concerts, cinema and exhibitions to park runs, Aldeburgh has a fab range of cultural, fun and community events all year round.
Aldeburgh Suffolk’s 12 days of Christmas Giveaways 2025-6
Starting on Christmas Day, keep your eyes peeled for our very exclusive 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways! Each day, right through until 5th January 2026, one lucky person will win an amazing prize generously donated by a local Aldeburgh business. We wanted to give everyone something exciting to look forward to in the new year — so expect vouchers, gifts, experiences and much more!
Details
Aldeburgh: From Bustling Tudor Port to Seaside Gem
When you stroll along Aldeburgh’s shingle beach today, past fishermen’s huts and the iconic Scallop sculpture, it’s hard to imagine that this quiet Suffolk town was once a bustling hub of Tudor shipbuilding. Yet in the 16th century, Aldeburgh stood proudly as one of England’s important coastal ports.
Details
Travel information ahead of Tour of Britain cycling event on September 2nd 2025
Residents and businesses along the route of a major cycling event coming to East Suffolk on Tuesday 2nd September are advised to be aware of temporary road closures and parking suspensions in their area. Stage One of the Lloyds Tour of Britain Men takes place in East Suffolk on Tuesday 2nd September, starting in Woodbridge and finishing in Southwold. To ensure race safety, it will be necessary to close some roads, and to suspend parking in some of the towns and villages on the route.
Details
Suffolk & Essex Coast & Heaths: Explorer Guides
Aldeburgh is world-renowned thanks to its connection with composer Benjamin Britten, the founder of the Aldeburgh Festival, which takes place in June every year. A short walk along the coast, Thorpeness is a seaside village like no other, with the Meare at its heart, fairy-tale features and pretty mock Tudor houses.
Details
Aldeburgh’s Animal Antics Quiz
Writer Lindsay Want shares some Aldeburgh insights of the animal kind in this 'fact or fiction' quiz linked to the fab Aldeburgh Town Heritage Walk.
Details
Quick Guide to Aldeburgh Carnival
As anticipation mounts of this fabulously colourful Aldeburgh calendar event, check out the core info you'll need to know when planning your visit.
Details
Top 6 Birdwatching Spots near Aldeburgh
Don't forget the binoculars! Check out these Aldeburgh coast, Alde river and countryside reserves, and RSPB Minsmere!
Details
The Sunday Times – “Aldeburgh has a distinctly creative air, with public art, a top music venue, truly unusual places to stay — and the freshest seafood Suffolk can throw at you.”
The Guardian – “Spring is the perfect time to visit Aldeburgh. Its huge beach and even bigger skies still retain a mournful beauty and it’s not too cold or crowded either. On the colourful high street, shops and cafés are doing a brisk trade…”
The Independent – “Looking for a seaside break with lashings of lobster, English wines and an elegant sailing crowd? Look no further than this idyllic sliver of Suffolk coast…”
And on the horizon… Never-Neverland Thorpeness, with its House-in-the-Clouds
Go fishing for Aldeburgh history and its famous celebrity haunts. Stroll out in search of lost harbours or a land of make-believe just up the coast.
View colourful seafront cottages and brightly painted buildings from the great shingle stretch or take your binoculars birding by Britten’s Curlew River.
From sailing courses at Slaughden to kayak-hire at Iken and boat trips from Snape, the Alde is your oyster. Or why not push the boat out..?
Take a punt on Thorpeness Meare, and stop at the fishermen’s huts on the way home to buy lobster, crab or the freshest fish for supper!
Free public WiFi available
Along Aldeburgh seafront around the Moot Hall and in Aldeburgh High Street shopping area
Stylish Aldeburgh is just two hours’ from London on the stunning Suffolk Heritage Coast. The historic town combines get-away-from-it-all coast, countryside and culture with gentle seaside elegance, inviting shops and galleries, and a touch of foodie heaven. Popular with locals and less local folk alike, it is a fascinatingly inspirational place to visit, stay, live and enjoy all year round.
Located in an awesome Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, part of the Suffolk & Essex Coast & Heaths National Landscape, Aldeburgh is close to RSPB Minsmere, Snape Maltings International Concert Hall and the magical Edwardian village of Thorpeness.
Once home to thriving harbours, today historic Aldeburgh town still has popular sailing grounds in its creeks, rivers and nearby estuaries. Dunwich, Walberswick and Southwold are also a short journey up the nature-rich coast.
Just 2 hours travel time from London, Aldeburgh is easily accessible by road. It is served by the local bus network. The nearest train stations at Saxmundham and Darsham are served by Greater Anglia services on the East Coast Line and only a short bus or taxi ride away.
Aldeburgh is only a short detour from the new round-Suffolk cycle route, The Wolf Way, and Regional Cycle Route 41. This includes Snape, and connects to National Cycle Route 1 which crosses Suffolk from Felixstowe to Beccles via Halesworth. Suffolk’s stunning coastal must-sees all are accessible on foot from Aldeburgh along the fully waymarked Suffolk Coast Path.
Need to know Aldeburgh
About the Beach
Dogs are not permitted on Aldeburgh beach between May & September.
Campervan & Large Vehicle Parking (Aldeburgh & Suffolk Coast)
Transport in & around Aldeburgh
For maps, town centre trails, fun facts, local walks & more, download the…
