Best seaside towns in England and Wales of 2025 named — find out if yours is on the list

If you're seeking the ultimate sunny seaside getaway, you'll want nothing but the best. To determine the absolute 'best' among England and Wales' numerous coastal towns, we've delved into the data.

We analysed everything from sunshine and beaches to fish and chips, nightlife and crime rates to pinpoint the top coastal towns for a summer holiday. Our list encompasses seaside towns across the nation - any location boasting a beach that has received either a Blue Flag or Seaside Award this year. Despite the North of England being home to fantastic seaside towns with high-quality beaches (like Tynemouth), excellent fish and chips (Whitby) and vibrant nightlife (Blackpool), they all fall short on one crucial factor - sunshine.

The superior weather in the south means that the top five seaside towns on our list are all located in the southern regions of England and Wales.

Taking the top spot for its splendid weather, ambience, cuisine and overall charm is Southend-on-Sea.

This Essex coastal town boasts three Blue Flag beaches and an average of 28 hot summer days per year.

The Kentish town of Broadstairs ranks second overall, followed by Porthcawl in Wales, then jointly by Margate, Westgate-on-Sea (both in Kent), and Christchurch (Devon) to round off the top five.

To compile the rankings, we considered six key factors that people take into account when planning a seaside trip.

A preliminary list of 114 seaside towns was created based on those that had been awarded either a Blue Flag or a Seaside Award for their beaches this year.

For each town, data was gathered on the number of hot days, summer rainfall, Google Reviews ratings of all seafront fish and chip shops, the number of pubs, and the amount of antisocial behaviour crimes recorded last summer.

You can see how each seaside town compares by entering a postcode for your area or searching the map below:

Each seaside town was then ranked based on these factors, and then given an overall ranking to reveal the best places to visit.

Southend is a paradise for beach lovers, boasting three Blue Flag winners for visitors to enjoy - Shoebury Common, East Beach Shoeburyness, and Three Shells Beach. If that wasn't enough, there are a further five beaches which have received a Seaside Award - Thorpe Bay Beach, Bell Wharf Beach, Chalkwell Beach, Jubilee Beach, and Westcliff Bay.

The Essex town also boasts some of the best weather in the country.

Southend enjoys an average of 28 'Summer days' a year, defined as those where the maximum daily temperature exceeds 25°C. That's the joint highest number of any seaside towns in our study.

Southend also receives an average of just 1.4mm of rain per day during the summer months, one of the lowest levels.

However, Southend's fish and chips quality leaves something to be desired.

The town's fish and chip establishments achieve a modest average Google Reviews rating of just 4.0.

This places it in 69th position within our rankings.

However, it's not entirely without quality chippies, with Lena's Fish and Chips boasting a rating of 4.9, Fish and Wish earning 4.8, whilst The Boat House Fish and Chips and Bella John's Fish and Chips both achieve 4.6 at the time of writing.

Southend performed well regarding pub availability, featuring 40 establishments within a mile radius of the town centre.

However, it recorded the poorest crime statistics, with 226 anti-social behaviour incidents within a mile of the city centre during June, July and August last year, according to official police data.

The "jewel in Thanet's crown", Broadstairs secures the runner-up position in our rankings.

It features two Blue Flag beaches at Joss Bay and Botany Bay alongside three Seaside Award beaches - Louisa Bay, Stone Bay and Viking Bay.

Whilst it experiences marginally fewer hot summer days than Southend on average (21), it enjoys identical low rainfall levels (1.4mm).

Broadstairs performs superior for fish and chips with average ratings of 4.2.

Star of the Sea and The Mermaid emerge as the leading establishments at 4.4 each.

The Welsh coastal resort of Porthcawl features two Blue Flag beaches within its boundaries - Rest Bay, and Trecco Bay - whilst also securing a Blue Flag for its marina.

With an average rating of 4.5, its fish and chip outlets rank amongst the finest of any seaside destination in England and Wales. Families seeking entertainment can head to Coney Beach Park, an amusement park situated directly on the seafront.

Not to be confused with its more famous namesake in New Zealand, Christchurch sits on the Dorset coastline adjacent to Bournemouth. Indeed, it's positioned so close to Bournemouth that both towns share a council alongside neighbouring Poole.

The resort performed strongly for beaches (three Blue Flag winners this year) and climate (19 scorching summer days and merely 1.4mm average summer precipitation). However, it struggled with fish and chips, as local establishments achieved an average rating of only 3.8 on Google.

For countless people nationwide, Margate will be fondly recalled as the setting for "The Jolly Boys' Outing", the Only Fools and Horses Christmas special from 1989. A beloved seaside destination for over 250 years, Margate boasts no shortage of attractions for tourists, including the Dreamland Margate theme park which appeared in the Only Fools special.

Margate performed admirably in our data examination for beaches (two Blue Flag, three Seaside Awards), climate (20 sweltering days annually), and evening entertainment (42 pubs within a mile radius of the town centre).

Fish and chips proved average with a rating of 4.1, whilst crime levels were elevated with 305 antisocial behaviour offences within a mile of the town centre.

A stone's throw from Margate, narrowly avoided being grouped together with its neighbour in this study.

With one Blue Flag Beach, favourable weather, low crime rates and fewer pubs, it may appeal to visitors seeking a quieter spot.

North East

National rank. Seaside town

25. Tynemouth

36. Sunderland

68. Seaton Carew

79. Redcar

79. South Shields

93. Blyth

102. Whitley Bay

North West

79. Lytham St Annes

93. Blackpool

102. Morecambe

107. Cleveleys

110. Fleetwood

Yorkshire and the Humber

57. Hornsea

57. Whitby

79. Withernsea

79. Bridlington

79. Scarborough

79. Robin Hoods Bay

107. Saltburn

113. Sandsend

113. Runswick Bay

East Midlands

25. Skegness

25. Mablethorpe

36. Sutton on Sea

Wales

49. Penarth

49. Swansea

57. Aberporth

57. New Quay

57. Morfa Borth

68. Newton

68. Port Talbot

68. Broadhaven

79. Barry

79. Port Eynon

79. Aberystwyth

79. Rhyl

93. Llantwit Major

93. Cardigan

93. Tresaith

93. Clarach

110. Llangrannog

South East

2. Broadstairs

4. Margate

4. Westgate-on-Sea

7. Sheerness-on-Sea

10. Birchington-on-Sea

12. Ramsgate

19. Bexhill-on-Sea

19. St Leonards-on-Sea

19. Hastings

25. Hayling Island

25. Whitstable

36. Swanage

36. West Wittering

36. Winchelsea

36. Camber

36. Leysdown-on-Sea

49. Sandown

49. Nettlestone and Seaview

49. Brighton and Hove

57. Minster on Sea

68. Saltdean

68. Rottingdean

68. Herne Bay

93. Normans Bay

South East

4. Christchurch

7. Bournemouth

12. Dawlish

12. Budleigh Salterton

19. Torquay

19. Weymouth

25. Paignton

25. Seaton

25. Bude

36. Brixham

36. Shaldon

36. Westward Ho!

49. Portreath

49. Exmouth

49. Sidmouth

57. Carbis Bay

68. Falmouth

68. Challaborough

68. Beer

79. St Ives

79. Porthtowan

79. Widemouth Bay

93. Trevone

93. Croyde

102. Sennen Cove

102. Blackpool (Devon)

102. Newquay

107. Polzeath

110. Crackington Haven