[category]
[title]
Old ports, retro resorts, underrated gems and burgeoning up-and-comers, Time Out’s guide to Britain’s best seaside towns in 2026 has them all covered. And while the UK’s top coastal spots have a certain charm in the colder months, they’re best appreciated when they’re in their full glory during the summer.
Ever since the weather started getting warmer we’ve been going through our favourite coastal spots, from Southsea to Oban, one by one to tell you why they are so worth visiting. Next up is number 14 on the list: Whitstable.
Time Out writer Ella Doyle described Whitstable as ‘Margate’s prim-and-proper little sister’ and said that it makes a ‘perfect little break by the sea’. It’s packed with indie shops, pubs, restaurants and galleries but it’s compact enough that you can do all of its best bits in a day (though you will definitely leave wanting to come back for more).
As you mooch down the town’s high street, you’ll come across independent treasure troves like record stores Gatefield Sounds and Rock Bottom Records, clothes shops Ruskin, the Clothes Horse and Pink Flamingo and the excellent bookshop Harbour Books. For second-hand garb, Relate, Pilgrims Hospice and Demelza are the ones.
Of course, it would be a serious crime to go to a seaside town without spending some time actually by the sea. Here, you’re never more than five minutes from the pretty, hut-lined Whitstable Beach. And if you want to feel the sea breeze without getting your toes wet, pull up a stool at the Old Neptune which is about as close to the shoreline as a pub can get.
If you visit in September, you can’t miss the Whitstable Rocks Oyster Festival, which fills the entire town and brings a lively weekend of music, street food, parades, family activities and a Landing of the Oysters Ceremony. But if you’re here any other time of the year, get your oyster fill from The Forge, a charming little shack next to the beach, or at the pastel-pink Wheelers Oyster Bar on the high street.
Whitstable got even better in 2025 thanks to the arrival of by-the-slice pizza spot Stern Slices at Harbour Market and the Sea Scrub Sauna right on the beachfront (its cold plunge is a godsend in this heat). Build your perfect itinerary in Whitstable with help from Time Out’s full guide of the greatest things to do there.
Want more where that came from? These are all of the best UK seaside towns to visit in 2026.
ICYMI: UK Town of Culture 2028 shortlist and Time Out’s favourites to win.
Plus: None of the world’s ‘most liveable’ cities are in the UK, apparently.
Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out UK newsletter for the latest UK news and the best stuff happening across the country.