A colourful coastal place to enjoy all year round
Things to do in Aldeburgh
Aldeburgh is a gently elegant, culture-rich, relaxed heritage town by the sea. With its shops, galleries, restaurants and venues, it’s full of colour and character, with everything you need for some breathe-in space or sociable time-out with family or friends on the Suffolk coast.
Enjoy Aldeburgh – On Every Level
There’s plenty to see and do in and around Aldeburgh, but no rush. No slot-machine arcades either. Nor bright red and yellow takeaway signs or endless ice-cream kiosks along the prom. Fairground rides are the reserve of Carnival time, and if you’re looking to be spoon-fed fun… well, just head for Aldeburgh’s restaurants, cafés and eateries.
What Aldeburgh does so well is set the scene for sharing, experiencing and making discoveries and memories together, the good old fashioned way.
Explore Aldeburgh on every level. Shoreline, seafront, High Street, ‘hill’ top – each layer parallel to the sea offers up its own activities and reveals hidden gems about the history and character of the place.
On the Beach
Relax, picnic or sunbathe in the shelter of the shingle banks. Have a kick around with the kids, or get the kite out and soar with the seagulls. Stroll along the shoreline past painted boats and fishermen’s huts and see what shells catch you eye. There’s certainly one you won’t miss.
Listen to the waves. Have your own conversation with the sea, with the breeze and with friends. It’s what composers and artists have done here for centuries, including Sir Benjamin Britten, co-founder of Aldeburgh’s world-famous festival of music and the arts.
Along the Seafront
Crag Path’s got a great line up! Pop in to Moot Hall Museum. Say hello to ‘Snooks’ and watch sailboats tacking around the model yacht pond. Peer in to the lifeboat station, look out for the look outs, or stop for refreshing pint or delicious cream tea on a seaview terrace.
And beyond the world of colourful villa-fronts, there’s so much more. Wilder maybe, but beautiful too. Walk south to discover Martello Tower CC, the saltings and full-sized yachts on the River Alde at Slaughden. Or follow the footpath north to discover ‘Scallop’ and RSPB North Warren on the way to Thorpeness.
In & Around the High Street
Bustling with independent shops, browse-worthy galleries and all sorts of alfresco dining opportunities, Aldeburgh High Street is a real attraction in itself. There’s a fab selection of cafés, including family and dog-friendly eating experiences. You’ll even find a few big name stores tucked into tastefully Aldeburgh-sized premises.
Aldeburgh’s historic cinema is on the High Street too, with Jubilee Hall conveniently sandwiched between the seafront and the shops.
Shop Eat & Drink StayOn the Hill Top
It’s no coincidence that Aldeburgh’s churches – along with its beacons and windmills in former times – where constructed relatively out of the way of the waves, on ‘Fir Tree Hill’. It’s also where Victorian entrepreneur, Newson Garrett, decided to build his ‘new town’.
Climb the town steps to The Terrace to explore, or walk up Victoria Road to the beautiful medieval parish Church of St Peter & St Paul.
Heritage Walks Newson Garrett
Arts, Events & Entertainment
From pop-up summer exhibitions to permanent galleries, family-focused films and full-blown festivals, Aldeburgh and arts offerings go hand-in-hand.
Check out venue programmes and the aldeburghsuffolk.com calendar for upcoming arts and community events where everyone is welcome.
Venues Upcoming EventsFestivals & Annual Events
Aldeburgh maybe a small east coast seaside town, but its reputation for world-class arts offerings is as big as those wrap-around Suffolk skies! It’s colourful carnival weekend as well as the annual regatta at nearby Thorpeness are traditional family fun at its finest.
Over the years, Aldeburgh’s festivals have become increasingly broad and above all, inclusive, with programmed family-friendly concerts and events, and local community engagement. There really is something for everyone – why not try something new?
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A World Class Concert Hall & Arts Complex
Snape Maltings is a place to find space and inspiration, to view, to shop, to dine, to wander, to take a boat trip along the River Alde… The maltings at Snape Bridge may be a little way upriver, across the marshes and about 5 miles up the road, but it’s linked with Aldeburgh by so much more than routes and waterways.
The building and original trading world of Snape Maltings had a significant impact on the town through its owners and guardians – as it still does today. To visit one without visiting the other is to experience only half of the Aldeburgh story.
Find out moreA Place to Remember
Watchtowers and gun emplacements… memorials to the fallen and brave lifeboatmen… and out between the marshes and the golf course, the site of an early WWI aerodrome – Air Station Aldeburgh.
From a rare Martello Tower to suggestions of WWII Emergency Coastal Defences, Aldeburgh still has evidence of its role in the front lines.
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GET ACTIVE – ENJOY THE OUTDOORS
Aldeburgh’s town, river, coast and countryside lies in a designated area of outstanding natural beauty – the Suffolk & Essex Coast & Heaths National Landscape. Enjoy a great time out in the great outdoors – on the river, along the footpaths and bridleways, in the woodlands and forests, on the marshes or colourful heaths.
The awesome nature and landscape diversity on its doorstep make it a first class place for all sorts of activities from walking and off-road or on-lane cycling to golf, boating, sailing and so much more. What will you choose?
Nature Reserves & Birdwatching
You’ll find Aldeburgh firmly on the flightpath for migrating birds including rare geese and the area full of chirpy local residents from skylarks to tiny warblers.
Bring the binoculars and explore Sandlings heathland, River Alde marshes, mudflats and saltings, vegetated shingle coastline, and the Tunstall forests and commons beyond Snape. And if that’s not enough, RSPB Minsmere is only just up the coast too!
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Green Spaces & Play Places
Aldeburgh’s definitely got a sporty side! Its regular runs and triathlon events are always popular. There’s an impressive range of sports clubs and facilities in and around King’s Field, where there’s a play area for the little ones, plenty of space for a run-around, plus a fully equipped outdoor gym.
Adjacent Queen’s Field is home to Aldeburgh Rugby Club, and the Bowls Club and Tennis Club courts (a pay-as-you-go facility) are only a short walk away. Kemp’s Field (off Franklin Road) is another large recreation space with play equipment.
King's Field Kemp's FieldStay & Play… or Join the Club
From Aldeburgh Golf Club’s historic and prestigious championship course to the yacht or sailing club facilities, or the Moot Hall boules pitch by the beach, Aldeburgh has all sorts of sports most admirably covered.
Many club facilities such as the tennis courts and 18 and 9 hole golf courses welcome visitors (appropriate handicap certificate required for Championship course). Or if you’re moving in or staying a while, why not join the club and enjoy all the club social scene too?
Sports Facilities
Sail this Way
The model yacht pond is just one way to enjoy the wind in your sails! Aldeburgh Yacht club can arrange River Alde moorings for visiting craft and the joining up to the sailing club gives access to all sorts of activities, races and courses.
Prefer to row, paddle or punt? Just 2 miles up the coast, the 3ft deep Thorpeness Meare is the go-to Aldeburgh add-on for waterborne family fun. Ace for would-be explorers of all ages, it’s a wonderful way to get close to nature too.
Yacht Pond On the Water Thorpeness BoatingExplore More by Bike
It’s a flat and easy 2 mile ride to Thorpeness, where there’s access to off-road trails through the area of outstanding natural beauty’s colourful heaths and woodlands. Or enjoy a leisurely spin off along little lanes to discover picnic-perfect places, remote flint churches and picturesque villages.
Just a short detour from Regional Cycle Route 41, a visit to Aldeburgh can be linked up with enjoying the Suffolk Coastal Cycle Path or new Wolf Way.
Cycle Routes
Walks, Strolls & Right Ol’ Rambles
From heritage discovery trails around Aldeburgh to gentle circular walks combining town, coast and countryside, there’s such variety of things to discover on foot and so much to experience with all your senses.
Let the Sailors’ Path lead you through a medley of riverside landscapes for a pub lunch in Snape or visit to Snape Maltings. Take a simple saunter along the coast path to see ‘Scallop’ on the beach, or head out to walk sandy heathland and forest trails. With waymarked paths linking Aldeburgh via Snape with Saxmundham railway station, you can even leave the car behind and enjoy a right old ramble all the way to the coast!
Walks & Trails
Plan your Visit – Enjoy your Aldeburgh Stay
