Eloise Feilden

In 2026, the UK’s coastline is more in the spotlight than it has been in a long, long time. The opening of the long-awaited King Charles III Coastal Path means that the entire coasts of England, Wales and Scotland are now fully walkable – giving you even more of a reason to visit this nation’s extraordinary roster of seaside towns. Of course, being an island nation, the UK has no shortage of coastal spots. Prim, proper, picture-postcard-worthy idylls? Check. Remote, blustery retreats from stormy seas?  Yep, plenty of that. Thrill-packed resort spots with something for everyone? Britain has all of the above and much more. If you’re on the hunt for British seaside towns that are worth checking out right now – the ones that should be on your radar specifically in 2026 – that’s what we’re here for. Time Out assembled our UK travel experts to pick out the country’s most exciting seaside, port, harbour and resort towns to visit this year. RECOMMENDED: 🏖️ The best beaches in the UK.📍 The best places to visit in Britain in 2026.🇬🇧 The best new things to do in the UK in 2026.  

A red sandstone amphitheatre. An ancient woodland on the English coast. A teeny tiny island with a black sand beach. Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes – luckily, the world isn’t held to the same rigid beauty standards as humans are – and we’ve curated this list to celebrate that.  It goes without saying that Time Out’s ranking of the world’s most beautiful places is entirely subjective and by no means exhaustive, but what we can guarantee is real-life experience. Every single beach, lake, city and valley on this list has been visited and vetted by our globetrotting network of travel writers. In short, they’re all well worth making the journey to see for yourself (no social media fakery here).We update this list regularly, ensuring we’re including the big-hitters while considering the impact of overtourism and spotlighting lesser-known beauty spots. So here it is: Time Out’s guide to the most beautiful places on planet Earth. Happy travels!Updated March 2026: There are seven new additions to the list this year, including a terracotta-coloured Old Town in Italy, an opulent Renaissance-style library in New York and a compact mountain range in northern Spain.Grace Beard is Time Out’s travel editor, based in London. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. RECOMMENDED:⛰️ The most beautiful UNESCO World Heritage Sites🗺 The most underrated travel destinations i

There’s a heck of a lot to get excited about in Britain over the next 12 months or so. Between now and 2027 Brits will gobble down platefuls of new restaurants’ grub, slurp tasty bevs in fresh bars, get cultural fixes at museum exhibitions, spectate at globally-renowned sport events and even witness moments of proper historic importance. In 2026 the UK will see the return of the Bayeux Tapestry (not seen on these isles in 900 years) and the completion of the nation-spanning King Charles III Coastal Path. Among the likes of new music festivals and theme parks will be the world’s biggest Irish cultural event, the premiere of one of this century’s most highly anticipated stage musicals and centenery celebrations for a globally-loved children’s character.  And that’s just the stuff that’s planned – who knows what else will define the year? Without further ado, here are the 16 best new things to do in the UK in 2026, chosen by Time Out editors and contributors. RECOMMENDED: 📍 The 14 best places to visit in the UK in 2026.🏛️ The 26 best new things to do in London in 2026.🌍 The best new things to do in the world in 2026.

Sure, if you’re searching for picture-perfect white dunes and crystal clear waters, you may have to hop on a plane and head off somewhere tropical. But if you want to feel the sand between your toes tout suite, Britain’s beaches will more than do. The UK has a wealth of pretty coastlines, offering everything from chalky cliffs to pebbled shores, rock pools and great surf spots.   Here at Time Out, we’re big fans of a local seaside getaway. Which is why, when we heard that new research had been done to find the UK’s sunniest seaside destinations, we immediately reached for our swimming cozzies.  Solar energy firm Sunsave has dug into Met Office data between 1990 and 2020 to find the places in the UK with the most sunshine hours per year. Based on the results, we’ve picked out the nearest beaches where you can soak up that all-important vitamin D. As for the sunniest spots, Weymouth Beach, located halfway along the Jurassic Coast, ranked in fifth place with 1,904 hours of sunshine per year. The Dorset town was also named among the best beaches in Europe this year, applauded for its great fish and chips, the spotlessness of the beach and its calm waves. RECOMMENDED: The best seaside towns in the UK to visit in 2026. Photograph: Shutterstock Hastings in East Sussex came in fourth place. Best known for battle-related reasons, the historic fishing village's beach has an impressive 1,915 hours of annual sun. Plus, the town is a hotspot of modern art, great restaurants and a calend

Fancy getting your hands on a 200-year-old ballroom-turned-artillery-museum-turned-boxing-ring? Well, you’re in luck, because the Rotunda in Woolwich Common has been listed on Rightmove. No, we’re not joking, the Greenwich landmark, currently owned by the Ministry of Defence, is actually up for grabs.  The Grade II listed building was designed in 1814 by legendary British architect John Nash, who also designed Buckingham Palace, Marble Arch and Brighton’s Royal Pavilion. Ok, that’s one impressive CV.  The Rotunda was originally a temporary structure built in Westminster to celebrate Napoleon’s defeat. In 1819 it was moved to its current location on Woolwich Common for use as a museum by the Royal Artillery, which only closed in 1999 – a staggering 180 years later. Most recently, the bell-tent-shaped ballroom has held a boxing gym, but it’s been on Historic England’s ‘Heritage at Risk’ register since 2007, in dire need of some TLC.   Photograph: @rotundatrust.org.uk Greenwich Council undertook a series of repairs in 2023, intended to prevent the building’s collapse, but it’s been empty since then.  Now, the building could get a new life. In March, The Rotunda Trust was formed to oversee its conservation. The charity, which will hold a secure long-term interest in the building, is now looking for a commercial partner to operate it, protecting ‘the heritage asset in perpetuity while allowing a sustainable commercial use’, the trust has said. The trust wants the Rotunda restore

If you tend not to venture west very often, your first thought when we say the words ‘Warwick Avenue’ might be Duffy’s 2008 break-up banger. God, what a throwback.  If your postcode starts with W, however, you’ll likely be familiar with, well, the actual road, and its tube station. Located between Maida Vale and Paddington, Warwick Avenue acts as the gateway to Little Venice. And it’s about to get a glow up, thanks to plans from Westminster City Council. A scheme to revamp the area surrounding the station, called the Warwick Avenue public realm project, was first proposed four years ago. It was publicly announced in February 2024 and now the plans have been approved by the council. So what can we expect from the new scheme? Well, its whole purpose is to make the area around Warwick Avenue station safer and more welcoming. To do that, it will create cleaner and safer pedestrian and cycle routes at Warwick Avenue and Warrington Crescent and add additional greenery to the neighbourhood, while still ‘preserving the existing character of the street’, the council said.  The project will also upgrade recycling facilities at the station and provide direct access to the Underground and facing St Saviour’s Church. Photograph: William Barton / Shutterstock.com The plan’s hefty price tag has ruffled some feathers with local councillors. It was originally supposed to cost just £1 million, but that has since been bumped up significantly. Plus, in a meeting on Monday (April 20), concerns

If you’ve never had the pleasure of sipping on a pint of Boddies, we’re gonna guess you’re not a true Manc (or you came of drinking age after the pint stopped being produced in the 2010s).  Boddingtons Bitter, also affectionately known as the Cream of Manchester, is the legendary beer created by Boddingtons Brewery, which also previously owned a bunch of pubs throughout the northwest. The brew is one of the most iconic products to come out of the Lancs capital – up there with Corrie and all-conquering footie teams. Despite its superstar status, the brew was discontinued in 2012 because of falling sales. That was until last September, when JW Lees Brewery, the city’s oldest beer maker, decided to breathe fresh life into the bitter. Now, The Black Friar in Salford, the oldest remaining Boddingtons pub, has announced ‘The Summer of Boddies’ to celebrate the return of the storied brew to its taps. Located just a short distance from the original Boddingtons brewing site, the Grade II-listed pub was originally built for Boddingtons’ own brewery workers to grab a bev after a hard day’s work. It was one of the first pubs to serve the cask ale once it relaunched in 2025, and is getting a glow up this April to prepare for its months-long celebration of the Cream of Manchester. The pub has been decked out with handcrafted sunflowers – including a whopping 10-footer – as well as a black and yellow worker bee themed design, courtesy of Cheshire artist Kelly Louise Chapman. Photograph: Th

The journey to the airport is stressful enough on a good day. The obligatory panic questions – What if I left the stove on? Did I remember to double lock the back door? Have I got my passport? – go through your head as you heave your luggage to one of London’s six major airports.  If you’re heading off on a break from London this week, the prospect of tube strikes organised by the RMT union is likely causing you even more of a headache. Strikes began on Tuesday April 21 and will continue until midday today, Friday April 24.  Luckily, the strikes’ impact has been less severe than previous walk outs in September. While the whole tube network will be affected, reduced services will be running on most lines until industrial action ends or is called off by the union. However, just to be safe we’d suggest finding alternative routes so you don’t run the risk of missing your flight.  Here’s everything you need to know about how this week’s industrial action will impact your trip to the airport. RECOMMENDED: ⛔️ London tube strikes Spring 2026: full list of dates and train services impacted by RMT train strikes in April, May and June 2026.🚇 London travel disruption to watch out for this weekend: tube and train closures on April 25-26. When are the tube strikes in April 2026? Tube drivers are seeing out one more 24-hour strike this week, which has impacted travel across two days: April 23 and 24. Strike action lasts from on April 23 at 12pm ’til April 24 at 11.59am. Even when the 24-ho

Westminster locals, avid Time Out readers and racket sport enthusiasts may remember when, in 2024, we revealed the local council’s proposals for a £42 million glow up of Marylebone’s Seymour Centre. Plans to do up the 1930s leisure centre included an upgraded sports hall, a new café and a permanent home for the Marylebone Library.  Those of you with a sharp memory may also remember that the works were set to be completed by early 2026. But as we near the end of April, the leisure centre is still far from reopening. In fact, it turns out the renovations will take almost a year longer and cost quite a bit more than expected. Willmott Dixon, the construction company responsible for the renovations, has extended the project’s deadline four times since works began, which it has chalked up to unexpected issues at the site. Asbestos was found in the ceiling – yep, that stuff that used to be used for insulation, until someone realised it can cause some nasty diseases including lung cancer and aptly-named asbestosis. Yikes.  Issues with some of the Grade II-listed leisure centre’s heritage windows pushed construction back even further.  ‘Seymour Leisure Centre is a listed building, and the council’s priority is to restore the building while respecting its listed status and historic character,’ a Westminster City Council spokesperson said at a recent meeting about the delays.  ‘A number of unexpected issues came to light once works had started, which meant we had to carry out additiona

You may have thought it impossible, but Mayfair is about to get even posher thanks to a new project by swanky restaurant The Wolseley. That’s right, darling, the celeb dining spot is turning a former bank and office building (yawn) into its first ever London hotel (ooh la la). The WestDill Mayfair Hotel will occupy the Grade II listed building on the corner of Piccadilly and Albemarle Street designed back in the 1920s by architect and lawyer Sir William Curtis Green, whose work also included The Dorchester and the building which houses the flagship Wolseley restaurant, located just across the road. A two minute walk from Green Park tube station, the building was formerly the NatWest bank and offices. Photograph: The Wolseley Hospitality Group If anyone can turn a financial building into six-floors of glamorous suites and 50 guest rooms, it’s The Wolseley. Its Piccadilly original opened in 2003 in what was once a 1920s marble car showroom. Its second site, The Wolseley City, which launched two decades later, was once the Monument branch of House of Fraser. The five-star hotel’s doors will swing wide before the close of the year, when it’ll also debut a restaurant and bar. Details on the food and drinks set to be on offer haven’t been announced yet, but we’ll be keeping an eye on any developments, particularly when it comes to what’s in store for the bank vault… Photograph: The Wolseley Hospitality Group Bobby Hiranandani, co-chair of Royal Group of Companies, which owns Th

Picture this: there you are, powering across Tower Bridge, surrounded by cheering crowds, with thousands of other runners plodding alongside you. Suddenly, you spot a familiar face out of the corner of your eye. It’s Cynthia Erivo – and she’s overtaking you. If you’re one of the more than 50,000 courageous souls gearing up to race the London Marathon this weekend, this could actually be about to happen to you. And Elphaba the green witch isn’t the only celeb running the 26.2 miles across our great city, either.  From stars of stage and screen to sports icons and social media personalities, the list of famous faces hoping to cross the finish line in 2026 is well and truly stacked. Whether you’re currently getting in your last few taper runs or, alternatively, are planning to cheer on friends or family along the barriers, here are all the VIPs taking on the challenge on Sunday. Recommended:🛍️ All the best freebies and perks that London Marathon runners can claim for completing this year’s race.👟 London Marathon 2026: your winning guide to dates and timings.‼️ The London Marathon could be a two day event in 2027. Which celebrities are running the 2026 London Marathon? Here are all the slebs confirmed to be running on Sunday, with – where applicable – the charity they’re running for.  Aaron Ramsey – Former Arsenal footballer Adrian Sanderson – MAFS star running for Marie Curie Aimee Fuller – Former Winter Olympian snowboarder and TV presenter AJ Pritchard – Dancer and TV perso

Sure, a ’Spoons probably isn’t the most appropriate venue for, say, a romantic date or a milestone birthday, but its affordable drinks and greasy fry-ups certainly have a time and a place – even more so if you’re a student on a tight budget. Which is why, if you’re one of the nearly 45,000 people studying at the University of Birmingham, you’re in luck. The pub behemoth is opening a new venue in the city next month, and it’s located inside the students’ union. Yep, Wetherspoons has actually collabed with Brum uni’s Guild of Students to take over its bar and restaurant, Joe’s.  Joe’s has gone under an extensive refurb ahead of its grand reopening. But don’t worry, it’s still the same venue and will continue to be run by the students’ guild, just with a new look. Joe’s is named after the Joseph Chamberlain Memorial Clock Tower (pictured below), affectionately referred to as ‘old Joe’, which was built in the early 20th century and remains the tallest clock tower in the UK. Photograph: Anna Jastrzebska / Shutterstock.com The new pub, which opens on Tuesday May 26, will be around 3,000 square feet and joins the other 23 JD Wetherspoon branches across the city of a thousand trades.  We’re still waiting to hear exactly what will be on the menu, but we can confirm that it’ll be serving up Spoons staples like its weekly club meals and Thursday Curry Club. Joe’s is just one of 12 venues the affordable pub chain is working on at the moment. Check out the full list of new boozers here.

As British cocktail bars go, it’s fair to say Passing Fancies is up there with the greats. In 2023, less than 12 months after its debut, it was named New Bar of the Year at the Class Bar Awards. A year later it was awarded a pin by The Pinnacle Guide, a Michelin-style award for the world’s best drinks spots. Plus, last year it ranked seventh on a list of the country’s top 50 – pretty good going for a neighbourhood joint serving drinks out of a Brum parking lot. But since the summer, Birmingham has had a Passing Fancies-shaped hole in its drinks scene. The cocktail spot shut its original Digbeth’s Custard Factory site on July 31, with owners Matt Arnold and Eve Green saying ‘there’s only so much you can do making drinks in an old car park’. Photograph: Passing Fancies Since then, it’s been kept afloat through pop ups, guest shifts and residencies, including collaborations with 24 Stories, Selfridges and Saint Paul’s Market. The team also took a trip up to The Morris in Manchester for a month-long residency. They even managed to squeeze into 16th place on Franklin & Sons top 50 list despite being between venues. Luckily, in just a few days Passing Fancies will officially be back between four solid walls. The bar took to Insta to confirm its return with a brand new venue, this time at The Goodsyard in the city’s Jewellery Quarter. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Goodsyard (@thegoodsyard_jq) Opening on Friday April 24, the new space is spl

If you’re anything like us, as soon as the sun comes out you start itching to feel the sand between your toes. The only problem, if you hadn’t noticed, is that the Big Smoke isn’t exactly a coastal city. Bar sunbathing on the banks of the Thames (no thanks) or spending a couple of hours on a train to the seaside, us Londoners have limited access to natural dunes. Which is why the brainy brewers at Big Penny Social bring sandy shores to east London every summer. The Walthamstow playa has already welcomed 20,000 guests over the years, and is returning in 2026, this time with an upgrade and a new name.  The artist formerly known as Walthamstow-on-Sea will hereby be the Big Penny Beach Club. Opening on May 22, it will deck the E17 brewery’s outdoor space with a new retro beach club aesthetic, featuring beach volleyball and bookable cabanas. Photograph: Big Penny Social A day at the seaside is obviously not complete without an ice cream. East London locals Hackney Gelato will be serving up 12 flavours at the on-site gelateria. Alongside Big Penny Social’s usual menu, fresh fish and chips will have you believing you can hear the sound of crashing waves nearby.  As for drinks, expect Aperol Spritz on tap and frozen cocktails at the outside bar. A lifeguard hut stage is set to host DJ sets and live entertainment so you can shake a leg with your shoes off. Big Penny Beach Club will be open on weekends from Friday May 22 to the close of summer on Sunday August 30. Entry costs £5 per

If you’re a big comedy fan, you’ll no doubt be mulling over whether to make the annual trip up to the Fringe in August. But, as is also tradition, you may be gearing up to baulk at travel and accommodation prices for a week or two in Auld Reekie. Well, laugh-loving Londoners, we have good news for you. This summer, the Scottish capital won’t be the only place awash with giggles, because the Roundhouse Comedy Festival is back for its second edition. The aptly-named circular venue and Camden landmark hosted its first programme dedicated solely to comedy in 2023, in partnership with production company Berk’s Nest. After a two-year hiatus, this year’s event promises more shows and more comedians. Roundhouse Comedy Festival 2026 kicks off on Saturday August 1 and will run until August 18. Hosted by Saturday Night Live UK star Paddy Young, it has expanded the selection of stand-up, live podcasts, theatrical comedy and interactive shows on offer. Photograph: Olivia Hemingway We can expect headline sets from big names including Joe Lycett, Katherine Ryan, Frank Skinner, Last One Laughing’s Sam Campbell and Off Menu podcast host Ed Gamble. Sara Pascoe and Vittorio Angelone will each host ‘& Friends’ nights, bringing together hand-picked line-ups of performers. Stand-up won’t be the only thing on offer to get your shoulders shaking, either. Jack Rooke, who won a BAFTA for his TV series Big Boys, will be revisiting his show Good Grief a decade after its debut, as part of a wider UK to