East Anglia is the only UK location in a list of thirty that Lonely Planet have announced as their Best in Travel 2025 – in other words their choices for the must-visit places around the world.
And one of Lonely Planet’s key reasons is East Anglia’s fabulous coastline where they praise the region’s unique experiences, topicality, ‘wow’ factor’, true taste of old England, commitment to sustainability, and lesser-known gems offering ‘amazing experiences all-year round’…
VISIT EAST ANGLIA BY TRAIN
As Lonely Planet say, ‘Use the city of Norwich as a springboard to reach the Suffolk and Norfolk coastline, where you’ll feel the pace of life ease tangibly as you step off the train – an increasingly rare experience in this crowded island’.
‘It’s a coastline studded with beaches and bird reserves that echo with the boom of bitterns every Spring.’
Here’s top 10 ten things to do on the coast, given the thumbs up by Lonely Planet.
10 The A149 north coast road
‘Explore this coastline between King’s Lynn and Cromer on local buses, stopping for bird reserves, beaches, handsome Holkham Hall and East Anglia’s best seafood,’ says Lonely Planet. The hop-on, hop-off CoastHopper bus service goes along this stretch. We’d recommend doing it in chunks and maybe spending a night in Wells-next-the-Sea, Blakeney or Cley-next-the-Sea.
9 Seafood and shellfish
‘Munch fish fresh off the boats and crisp chips in the charming coastal towns. What you’ll notice everywhere are dishes leaning towards the sea,’ says Lonely Planet.
‘Thanks to the protected fisheries of The Wash, East Anglia never lost its taste for seafood, as other regions did when British fishing declined during World War II. Menus are alive with oysters and mussels, dressed crab, smoked fish, potted shrimp and more – even chip shops are getting in on the action, with lobster and chips and moules mariniere popping up amongst the usual favourites.’
Says it all!
8 Lively coastal towns
Great Yarmouth is a coastal resort that Gen Z adores for its kitsch, sentimental throwback to the childhoods of their grandparents: the freshly-made donuts you can’t eat without licking your lips, the penny arcades where you’ve only ever transacted with a bank app, the ironic postcards you send to friends because you’ve not posted anything except humble brags on your Snapchat streak (Gt Yarmouth’s good for that too!) and the rides that are quaint and innocent compared to the nerve-shredding rollercoasters of Alton Towers. Snails at Joyland… you have to do them. Oh, and the Hippodrome Circus!
7 Birdwatching
‘Listen as the wind amongst the reeds creates a soul-soothing soundtrack at birding hotspots such as RSPB Minsmere and Cley Marshes,’ says Lonely Planet.
It’s true, East Anglia has more Premier League birdwatching nature reserves than any other region, found in two areas of National Landscapes, the Norfolk Coast and Suffolk Coast and Heaths, and the coastline bordering the Broads National Park.
The birdwatching is impressive year-round, but particularly spectacular over Winter and into Spring when East Anglia receives hundreds of thousands of migrating birds, including geese and swans from the Arctic.
6 Great beaches
We have a varied coastline of tidal saltmarshes and estuaries, shingle spits and cliffs, as well as incredible stretches of pristine sand.
The conjoined beaches at Holkham and Wells-next-the-Sea are regularly voted amongst the best in the UK – the former you might remember from the closing shots of Shakespeare in Love with Gwyneth Paltrow’s character shipwrecked in Virginia and the latter is famous for its 200 higgledy-piggledy, multi-coloured beach huts.
There are lesser-known sandy beaches between Cromer and Great Yarmouth, including Winterton-on-Sea with its smuggling vibe, Horsey, Eccles and Cart Gap, all backed by low-lying, Marran grass-topped dunes, as is Walberswick further down the coast where you also have excellent crabbing in the tidal river tributaries.
5 True taste of England
If that’s what you’re looking for, then head to Southwold, Aldeburgh or Sheringham, seaside towns that look as if they were set in aspic in 1953. It’s a trip down memory. At Southwold take a walk on the Victorian Pier and don’t miss the Under The Pier arcade of wacky amusements. At Sheringham you can even take the steam North Norfolk Railway on a nostalgic trip along the coast then inland to Georgian market town Holt.
4 Commitment to sustainability
The Holkham Estate has a target of becoming the most sustainable estate in the UK in the next few years – get a feel for how they’re doing in the interactive museum. It’s very impressive! You’ll also discover how they helped invent the bowler hat. Yes, really!
3 A different pace of life
Yes, it’s true, there is a different pace of life in East Anglia. Interestingly, the University of East Anglia has the largest percentage of students of any UK uni who stay in the locality after graduation. This is also a place where people return to live and raise families after spending time on their careers in bustling cities elsewhere.
A lot of that is proximity to the coast where you can get your Vitamin Sea (you see what we did there?).
2 The ‘Wow factor’
The East Anglian coast won’t disappoint with its stunning views, not least spectacular sunsets at Hunstanton. The reason? ‘Sunny Hunny’ as we know it is the only east coast resort that faces west! That land across the water? Try telling someone it’s Holland. There’s always someone who falls for it. It’s actually Lincolnshire.
1 Lesser-known gems
You’ll have read about quite in few in this piece, but we can’t forget to mention Thorpeness, a trip back to Merrie England with its half-timbered Jacobean cottages, medieval hall, the House in the Clouds (it was a water tower, now converted to a holiday let), golf club and hotel and amazing Mere, 40 acres of shallow water dotted with Peter Pan-inspired islands – take a picnic and row a boat out to one just for you!
VISIT EAST ANGLIA BY TRAIN
Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2025 hardback book features stunning photography, local advice and essential experiences for each of the destinations on this year’s list. It can be purchased from shop.lonelyplanet.com or where all good books are sold at £14.99. For more information on Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2025 visit: lonelyplanet.com/best-in-travel: lonelyplanet.com/best-in-travel.