Sussex packs an extraordinary amount into a small county: the pier-and-pavilion fun of Brighton, the chalk cliffs of the Seven Sisters and Beachy Head, the rolling South Downs, and the castles and battlefield of 1066 country, where the Norman Conquest was decided. It is a county of the sea and the Downs, with some of the loveliest walking and the most storied history in the south. This is a guide to the best of it, grouped by area, with an honest note on access at each stop.
Every place here carries an access note. The seaside towns and grand houses vary from largely step-free to historic and stepped, and the Downs and cliffs are open country — glorious, but not always easy underfoot. Where we haven't confirmed a detail we say "not yet checked". This guide grows as we add places.
The Sussex coast
Brighton's pavilion and lanes, the white drama of the Seven Sisters and Beachy Head, and the old towns of Rye and Hastings.
Brighton Royal Pavilion
The extravagant Indo-Saracenic pleasure palace built for the Prince Regent, all domes and minarets.
Nothing prepares you for the Royal Pavilion — George IV's oriental fantasy of onion domes outside and dazzling Chinese-inspired interiors within, set in its own gardens in the middle of Brighton.
Our tip The Banqueting Room and Music Room interiors are the jaw-droppers — don't rush them.
Access
Partial wheelchair access Accessible toilets
For blind & low-vision visitors An exotic palace with largely level, accessible ground-floor state rooms (some with a lift) and rich, tactile, ornate interiors; a purely visual spectacle best with a describer.
Sensory A busy, popular central attraction that can be crowded; the ornate rooms are calm within, the surrounding gardens and Lanes lively.
Access last checked 5 Jul 2026 — always confirm with the venue.
Worth watching
- Brighton by wheelchair — the Lanes, i360 & Royal Pavilion Pippa Stacey
- Brighton by wheelchair — Royal Pavilion, Pier & seafront Beauty is my Duty
More Official site · Wikipedia
Brighton Seafront & Lanes
A lively shingle seafront of the Palace Pier, the i360 tower and the maze-like shopping Lanes.
Brighton is the seaside at its most joyful — the Victorian Palace Pier, the soaring i360 viewing tower, beach bars along the shingle and the tangled Lanes of independent shops behind.
Our tip Wander the North Laine and the Lanes for the shops, then finish on the pier at dusk.
Access
Step-free / wheelchair access
For blind & low-vision visitors A long, flat, defined seafront promenade - easy to follow - with the pebble beach and open sea below and the busy, narrow Lanes behind.
Sensory A vibrant, buzzing, sometimes crowded seafront of amusements, gulls and crowds; the beach and prom are open, the Lanes intense and lively.
Access last checked 5 Jul 2026 — always confirm with the venue.
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Seven Sisters
A famous sequence of undulating white chalk cliffs above the sea near Cuckmere Haven.
The Seven Sisters' switchback of dazzling chalk cliffs, ending at the Birling Gap, forms one of the most iconic stretches of English coast, protected within the South Downs National Park.
Our tip The classic view is from Cuckmere Haven at Seaford; Birling Gap has the café and beach steps.
Access
For blind & low-vision visitors Iconic chalk cliffs seen from open, uneven clifftop grass with sheer, unfenced drops to the sea - hazardous for VI visitors; the Cuckmere valley path below is firmer and safer.
Sensory A wild, exposed, windswept chalk coast of gulls and surf; the valley and visitor centre calmer, the cliffs breezy.
Access last checked 6 Jul 2026 — always confirm with the venue.
Worth watching
More Wikipedia
Beachy Head
The towering chalk headland above a red-and-white lighthouse, with vast Channel views.
At over 160 metres, Beachy Head is the highest chalk sea cliff in Britain, its green clifftop falling sheer to the candy-striped lighthouse below and the sea beyond — bracing, beautiful and vast.
Our tip Keep well back from the unfenced cliff edge, which is undercut and crumbling.
Access
For blind & low-vision visitors England's highest chalk sea cliff, on open, uneven grass with sheer, unfenced drops - hazardous; keep well back from the edge, a guide essential.
Sensory A vast, exposed, windswept clifftop of huge sky and sea - elemental and airy, with a sombre reputation; the pub and viewpoint busier.
Access last checked 6 Jul 2026 — always confirm with the venue.
Worth watching
More Wikipedia
Eastbourne
An elegant seaside town of a pier, bandstand and flower-lined promenade below the Downs.
Eastbourne keeps its Victorian dignity — a graceful pier, a famous bandstand, carpet gardens along the seafront and the South Downs rising to Beachy Head at its western end.
Our tip Stroll the flat promenade to the foot of the Downs; the bandstand still hosts summer concerts.
Access
For blind & low-vision visitors A genteel resort with a long, flat, defined Victorian promenade and gardens - easy to follow - with a shingle beach and pier alongside.
Sensory A calm, traditional, genteel seaside resort - pleasant and gently busy, quieter than its neighbours, with sea sounds.
Access last checked 6 Jul 2026 — always confirm with the venue.
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Rye
A hilltop huddle of timbered and Georgian houses on cobbled lanes, once a Cinque Port by the sea.
Once perched above the sea (now two miles inland), Rye is impossibly pretty — cobbled Mermaid Street of leaning medieval houses, a church tower to climb, smuggling history and artistic connections at every turn.
Our tip Mermaid Street and the church tower view are the essentials; the cobbles are steep.
Access
For blind & low-vision visitors A steep, cobbled medieval hill town of famously uneven Mermaid Street and stepped lanes - charming but hard underfoot; a guide helps on the cobbles.
Sensory A calm, picturesque, artsy old town - peaceful and atmospheric, busier with visitors on fine weekends, quiet in the back lanes.
Access last checked 6 Jul 2026 — always confirm with the venue.
Worth watching
- Is Rye Harbour Nature Reserve disabled-friendly? Not Retired Day Tripper
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Hastings Old Town
A characterful old town of tall net-drying huts and Europe's largest beach-launched fishing fleet.
Hastings' Old Town keeps its salty character — the tall black net shops on the shingle, boats hauled up the beach, twisting lanes of antique shops, and funicular railways up the East and West Hills.
Our tip Ride the West Hill Cliff Railway up for the castle ruins and the wide bay view.
Access
Accessible toilets
For blind & low-vision visitors An old fishing town of steep, narrow lanes and a shingle beach with net huts; the seafront is largely level, the old town hilly and uneven.
Sensory A characterful, bohemian old town and working beach - lively around the front and net huts, calmer in the twittens (alleys).
Access last checked 5 Jul 2026 — always confirm with the venue.
More Wikipedia
The South Downs
England's newest national park — chalk hills, big views and the gardens of Wakehurst.
Chichester
An elegant cathedral city on a Roman grid, with a spire visible far across the coastal plain.
Chichester's Norman cathedral — its spire a landmark for sailors — sits at the crossing of a Roman street plan, surrounded by Georgian streets, good theatre and, nearby, the mosaics of Fishbourne Roman Palace.
Our tip Combine the cathedral with Fishbourne Roman Palace, England's largest, just outside the city.
Access
Step-free / wheelchair access Accessible toilets
For blind & low-vision visitors A cathedral city with a largely level, walkable Roman-plan centre and an accessible cathedral with grand echoing space and modern art within.
Sensory A calm, genteel cathedral city - gently busy, with the quiet cathedral close and gardens as refuges; choral music at services.
Access last checked 5 Jul 2026 — always confirm with the venue.
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Devil's Dyke
A dramatic dry chalk valley on the South Downs with one of the finest views in England.
The deepest dry valley in Britain, Devil's Dyke draws walkers and kite-flyers to its whaleback ridge for a panorama over the Weald that painters have flocked to for two centuries; easily reached above Brighton.
Our tip There's a car park and pub right at the top — the view needs no long walk.
Access
For blind & low-vision visitors A dramatic Downland valley and viewpoint on open, uneven, sloping grass with steep sides and wide, exposed views; the viewpoint by the pub is firmer.
Sensory A breezy, open Downland viewpoint of huge views and wind - calm and airy, popular with families and paragliders on fine days.
Access last checked 6 Jul 2026 — always confirm with the venue.
More Wikipedia
Wakehurst
Kew's country estate of botanic gardens, ancient woods and the Millennium Seed Bank.
Wakehurst pairs 500 acres of botanic gardens, ornamental lakes and ancient woodland with Kew's Millennium Seed Bank, safeguarding the world's wild plant seeds — beautiful in every season.
Our tip Autumn colour and the seed-bank exhibition are highlights; allow a full afternoon.
Access
For blind & low-vision visitors Kew's 'wild botanic garden' with firm main paths but sloping, uneven woodland and lakeside areas; strong seasonal scent, birdsong and the Millennium Seed Bank.
Sensory A calm, green, spacious garden of birdsong and seasonal colour - peaceful and immersive, busier in autumn and at events.
Access last checked 6 Jul 2026 — always confirm with the venue.
More Official site · Wikipedia
Castles and houses
Fairy-tale Arundel, moated Bodiam, the 1066 battlefield at Battle, and the treasures of Petworth.
Arundel Castle
A magnificent, still-lived-in medieval castle and gardens towering above the town of Arundel.
Seat of the Dukes of Norfolk for 850 years, Arundel Castle rises in restored grandeur above its town and the Arun valley, with sumptuous rooms, a keep to climb and the acclaimed Collector Earl's Garden.
Our tip The gardens are spectacular in tulip season; the keep gives the best views over the Arun valley.
Access
For blind & low-vision visitors A great restored castle with some level access and a lift, but cobbled baileys, spiral stairs and steep, terraced gardens; atmospheric but uneven.
Sensory A grand, imposing castle and gardens above a pretty town - busier on event days, with calm garden and cathedral corners.
Access last checked 6 Jul 2026 — always confirm with the venue.
More Official site · Wikipedia
Bodiam Castle
A picture-book 14th-century castle rising from a wide, lily-fringed moat.
Everyone's idea of a castle, Bodiam's rounded towers and battlements reflect perfectly in its broad moat, though behind the walls it is a romantic shell — a wonderful place for families to explore. National Trust.
Our tip Climb the spiral stairs to the battlements for the view down into the moat and countryside.
Access
Step-free / wheelchair access
For blind & low-vision visitors A moated ruin reached across a bridge; inside is open uneven ground and grass with spiral stair towers and unguarded drops - a guide advisable within.
Sensory A calm, iconic moated ruin of birdsong and water - peaceful and photogenic, busier with families in holidays.
Access last checked 5 Jul 2026 — always confirm with the venue.
Worth watching
- Sandhurst to Bodiam Castle — 26km by electric wheelchair Chaircam Videos
- Bodiam Castle to Robertsbridge — 26km by electric wheelchair Chaircam Videos
More Official site · Wikipedia
Also featured in Great British castles
Battle Abbey & 1066 Battlefield
The abbey and battlefield where William the Conqueror defeated King Harold in 1066.
Here, in 1066, the course of English history turned; William built Battle Abbey on the very spot where Harold fell, and English Heritage's site lets you walk the battlefield and climb the great gatehouse.
Our tip Take the battlefield audio walk — it brings the events of that October day vividly to life.
Access
Partial wheelchair access
For blind & low-vision visitors The 1066 battlefield and abbey ruins are on largely level but uneven, open grass with some steps; an accessible visitor centre and audio-led battlefield walk.
Sensory A calm, open, historic battlefield and abbey of birdsong and wide fields - peaceful and reflective, busier on re-enactment days.
Access last checked 5 Jul 2026 — always confirm with the venue.
More Official site · Wikipedia
Lewes
A characterful county town of a Norman castle, steep twittens and famous Bonfire traditions.
Draped over a gap in the Downs, Lewes packs in a Norman castle with sweeping views, the timber-framed Anne of Cleves House, independent shops and England's most spectacular Bonfire Night celebrations.
Our tip Climb the castle for the Downs panorama; explore the narrow 'twittens' (alleyways) below.
Access
For blind & low-vision visitors A steep, historic county town of narrow, cobbled 'twittens' and a hilltop castle reached by uneven steps; the centre is walkable but sloping.
Sensory A calm, characterful, independent-minded town - gently busy, famously lively on Bonfire Night (Nov 5), quiet in the twittens.
Access last checked 6 Jul 2026 — always confirm with the venue.
More Official site · Wikipedia
Petworth House & Park
A grand mansion of a renowned art collection, set in a deer park landscaped by Capability Brown.
Petworth holds one of the National Trust's finest art collections — Turners (he painted here), Van Dycks and Reynolds — while outside, Capability Brown's serene deer park sweeps to the horizon.
Our tip The 700-acre deer park is free to roam and gloriously Turner-esque at dawn and dusk.
Access
Step-free / wheelchair access
For blind & low-vision visitors A great house with largely level state rooms (a renowned art collection) reached with some access provision, set in a vast deer park with firm and uneven areas.
Sensory A calm, grand house and expansive deer park - peaceful and open, the house busier, the park wide and quiet.
Access last checked 5 Jul 2026 — always confirm with the venue.
More Official site · Wikipedia
Sheffield Park Garden
A sublime Capability Brown landscape garden of cascading lakes, blazing in autumn colour.
Four linked lakes reflect a tapestry of trees and shrubs across this Grade I garden begun by Capability Brown; spring rhododendrons and spectacular autumn colour are the highlights, with the Bluebell Railway steaming nearby. National Trust.
Our tip Come for autumn colour, then ride the neighbouring Bluebell Railway steam line.
Access
For blind & low-vision visitors A landscape garden of lakes and firm main paths but slopes, steps and uneven areas; strong seasonal colour, scent and water as cues.
Sensory A calm, beautiful lakeside garden of birdsong and reflections - peaceful and spacious, busier (and glorious) in autumn.
Access last checked 6 Jul 2026 — always confirm with the venue.
More Official site · Wikipedia
Before you go
Sussex is an easy escape from London and its coast is busy in summer, so time Brighton and the Seven Sisters for the quieter ends of the day. Check each site's access note — the great houses often have accessible routes to the grounds, while the cliffs and Downs are open, uneven country. And if you'd like to build a trip around a few, open the planner and shape it around how you travel — with your own access needs applied throughout.