The Time Out London blog team

A couple of hours spent on the coast can really revive a person. There’s just something about the salty sea air and the sound of waves rolling in and out that magically breathes life into even the most burned-out of urbanites. Plus, it’s hard not to be charmed by the pretty rows of pastel houses, retro arcades, proper fish ‘n chip shops and bustling harbours that are exclusive to Britain’s seaside towns.   In London, we’re blessed with easy access to some of the finest coastal towns in the country. In fact, nearly half of the entries on our newly updated list of the UK’s best seaside towns are within easy reach of the capital. So, for the next time you’re in the mood to be beside the seaside, here’s a breakdown of all the places on the southeast coast that made the cut.   RECOMMENDED: The best beaches near London for a sandy escape.  The best seaside towns near London in 2026 Image: Time Out The highest ranked seaside destination near London is the sister towns of Hastings and St Leonards. Yes, we know that’s technically two places, but being so close together (just a 20 minute walk between them), it would be wrong to visit one without visiting the other. Some of our favourite things to do across the two towns include exploring Hastings Contemporary, eating at Heist Market, drinking at Crown and shopping for vintage treasures in Hastings Old Town.  Taking third place is Southsea, which you can get to from London in an hour and a half on the train. Go there for...

The jewel in the crown of the National Theatre’s 2026 schedule is Electra/Persona – a mash up of the Ancient Greek tragedy of Electra with Ingmar Bergman’s classic 1966 thriller Persona, adapted and directed by Aussie hotshot Benedict Andrews. That’s not the reason it’s such a big deal, though: it has a sensational cast headed by Tár co-stars Nina Hoss and Cate Blanchett. The presence of the latter means it’s all but guaranteed to sell out its two-month run immediately, so don’t miss out on your chance to buy tickets. The show was announced some time ago, but we do finally have the full information about it: it’ll run August 19 to October 10, with public booking opening at noon on Thursday May 21. Electra/Persona will also be going on sale to members the week before – although it won’t sell out on the pre-sale, membership will more or less guarantee you can get a ticket in an unhurried fashion (if you have an Amex card you should also get a couple of days’ advance sale access). Failing that, £10 Rush Tickets will be released every Friday throughout the run. Image: National Theatre‘Electra/Persona’ poster Electra/Persona is the biggest NT show to go on sale May 21, but not the only one. It’ll be joined by an eagerly anticipated revival of Caryl Churchill’s landmark Cloud No 9 (Nov 2 2026-Jan 13 2027), the first time the legendary avant-garde playwright’s breakthrough play has been staged in London in decades. There’s a one-week run for radical Portuguese play Catarina and...

Chessington World of Adventure is definitely the most old fashioned of the big London-adjacent theme parks. There’s something endearingly last century about the random bits of zoo you still find scattered around. It has, nonetheless, been investing in some very modern IP of late. Okay, 2023’s World of Jumanji area was relatively low stakes, given there probably isn’t such a thing as a rabid Jumanji fan. But it set the template for a rapid period of expansion that takes in two staggering thematic coups. Next summer Chessington will open the world’s first Minecraft-based theme park zone. And before that it’s done the same with a possibly even more successful franchise. If you are somehow unfamiliar with the phenomenon that is PAW Patrol, it’s a cartoon about a group of talking puppies who fight petty crime in Adventure Bay, a San Francisco-alike town populated by harmless oddballs who get into minor scrapes that inevitably require a ‘ruff ruff rescue’ from the pups and their absurdly OTT vehicles (bankrolled by Ryder, an incredibly wealthy 10-year-old child). Anyway, it is absolutely enormous with the under-fives, and now it has its own Chessington zone in the shape of World of PAW Patrol, which takes in four rides, a gift shop, a play area and themed snacks. Me and my kids went down to the press preview just before it opened and here are some thoughts. To get the slight negative out of the way first, the thing to bear in mind is that it’s a Chessington zone on a Chessington...