Which? Travel trusted travel advice
Who to book with, how to get the best deals and inspiring destination ideas from the experts. £4.99 a month, or £49 annually
Join Which? TravelCancel anytime.
By clicking a retailer link you consent to third-party cookies that track your onward journey. This enables W? to receive an affiliate commission if you make a purchase, which supports our mission to be the UK's consumer champion.
The closest beach to London (and the best)
Our annual seaside survey saw 3,000 visitors rank more than 100 towns and villages, but only one beach near London got the full five stars
Rory lived abroad in several countries as a travel guidebook writer for more than ten years. He edits Which? Travel magazine, and our online travel journalism
Southend-on-Sea is usually cited as the closest beach to London, but spend an extra 30 minutes on the train and you'll reach one of the best-rated beaches in the UK.
Ignoring the small tidal beaches of the Thames and Thorney Bay on Canvey Island (because it takes longer to reach by public transport), the closest beach to London for most residents is Southend-on-Sea in Essex. And getting there is easy due to frequent and fast connections from London.
Southend's long stretches of beach are mostly a mix of shingle and sand, although you can find some sandier stretches. This is also one of the sunniest, driest parts of the UK. However, Southend was rated poorly by visitors in our survey of the UK’s best and worst seaside towns. Of more than 100 destinations rated, Southend finished fourth from bottom with an overall destination score of just 43%. Visitors rated the beach just one star and the seafront two stars.
Another beach a similar distance away from London by rail is Sunny Sands beach, around a 25 minute walk from Folkestone in Kent. It's sandy shore is great for building sandcastles, but at high tide the beach disappears – so check tide times. Folkestone wasn't one of the best-rated seaside towns in our survey. Visitors awarded it three stars for beaches - but four for its beachfront and pier.
For more independent travel advice and recommendations, subscribe to Which? Travel
The best beach near London
Luckily, you don't need to travel much further to get to the best-rated beach near London. Which? members ranked Frinton-on-Sea, Essex, highly with a destination score of 73%, four stars for its beach and five stars for peace and quiet. It's also the best British beach town to visit, if you want sun.
Developed as an elegant resort by Sir Richard Powell Cooper to attract ‘a better sort’ of resident, ‘vulgar’ attractions such as arcades and piers were banned in Frinton. Due to by-laws dating from the 1890s, nothing much goes on here. This has been flouted more recently with the opening of a fish and chip shop (1996) and pub (2000), but the town keeps a restrained air.
You can reach Frinton-on-Sea in about 90 minutes from Liverpool Street, including a change of trains in Thorpe-le-Soken.
Which train stations in London connect to Southend-on-Sea?
From London Fenchurch Street you can get to Southend Central station in less than an hour. Alternatively, jump on at London Liverpool Street and you'll get to Southend Victoria in just over an hour. You can walk to the seaside from both of these Southend stations.
Which train stations in London connect to Folkestone?
The quickest route to Folkestone is from London St Pancras International and it takes 55 minutes. Alternatively, you can board a train from Charing Cross, but the journey is around 1 hour 40 minutes.
What are the next closest beaches to London by train?
As mentioned above, Southend-on-Sea and Folkestone are some of the closest seaside towns when travelling from the capital. Some other beaches and seaside towns not too far include:
- Brighton, Sussex 58 minutes from Victoria, or 1h3 from London Bridge by train
- Whitstable, Kent 1hour 19 minutes from Victoria train station by train
- Eastbourne, Sussex 1 hour 23 minutes from Victoria by train
- Broadstairs, Kent 1 hour 25 minutes from St Pancras International by train.
Note just because they are close to London by train, doesn't mean they were well-rated as seaside towns in our survey. Check out how they fared in our seaside town survey results.
Broadstairs, Kent
The Kent coastline is within easy reach of London. The county's best-rated beach in our survey was Broadstairs. Charles Dickens' favourite holiday spot garnered four stars for its sandy beach. There are several beach options here, but the closest to the town is Viking Bay. Walk along the coast and you’ll find lots of smaller secluded bays that you can enjoy to yourself.
Dungeness, further north in the county, was also highly rated - although more for its scenery (four stars) and peace and quiet (five stars) than for its shingle beach.