How to Take a Day Trip from London to Rye

If you’re looking for charming destinations that make for good day trips from London, Rye (located near the sea in East Sussex) is an excellent option.

No, it’s no hidden gem — trust me, Rye has been thoroughly discovered by tourists and you shouldn’t expect to be the only visitor wandering the streets if you choose to go see it.

But Rye is still lovely! With plenty of crooked, half-timbered buildings, a plethora of excellent antique shops, a historic castle, and much more, Rye is a worthy day trip from London.

In this post, learn all about how to take a day trip from London to Rye — how to get to Rye, what to do and where to eat in Rye, and more.

IN THIS POST

How to Travel from London to Rye

The best way to get to Rye from London is the train.

Basic Info

You can journey to Rye from two train stations in London: St. Pancras and Charing Cross.

There are no direct trains from London to Rye; you will need to transfer at Ashford regardless of which station you leave from.

Including the transfer, trains from St. Pancras to Rye take about 1 hour and 10 minutes, which trains from Charing Cross take about 2 hours and 10 minutes. Accordingly, I recommend leaving from St. Pancras if it’s feasible for you.

Buying Train Tickets

The easiest way to buy train tickets to Rye is to arrive at the station in advance of the train you want to take (I recommend arriving 30 minutes early, but that’s more time than you need) and purchasing a ticket on one of the automated ticket machines.

If you have a difficult time navigating these machines, just look for a person-operated sales booth.

If you’d rather buy your tickets in advance, I recommend using the National Rail site. This is also where you can check train times and schedules in advance of your journey. (Be sure to inpute “Rye (Sussex)” as your destination.)

Signage in the train station will tell you which track to use to board your train. If you don’t know what to look for, ask a station attendant.

Arriving in Rye

The Rye train station is a very short walk from the historic heart of town — it’s less than 10 minutes from the station to any of the shops and tourist sights in Rye.

Things to Do During a Day Trip to Rye

Here are my top recommendations for things to do and see during your day trip from London to Rye.

Ypres Tower

Built in the 13th or 14th century, Ypres Tower (also known as Rye Castle) is one of the oldest remaining buildings in Rye.

Over the centuries, the castle has been used for purposes of defense, trade, justice (serving as both a prison and a courthouse), and more. Today, you can visit Ypres Tower for exhibits about the history of Rye and the castle itself.

Be aware that Ypres Tower is quite small, so there’s not a massive amount to see — and, personally, I didn’t think it was wildly interesting, so moderate your expectations. However, given its importance to the history of Rye, I still think Ypres Tower is worth a visit!

A small, historic castle behind a display of weaponry.

St. Mary’s Church

The main church in Rye — St. Mary’s — is also extremely historic, with sections dating back to the 12th century.

St. Mary’s and its surrounding graveyard are certainly worth a visit. But I think the best reason to check out St. Mary’s is to climb its tower.

The tower’s stairs are sort of hilariously narrow and steep, so I wouldn’t recommend the climb if you have problems with mobility or claustrophobia. Also, lord help you if you wind up near the top when the church bell rings out (I fear the volume of the bell, which I was unfortunately standing right next to at 1 1 am, may have permanently damaged my hearing.) But the platform at the top offers the best views of Rye, hands down.

A weathervane on top of the church tower.

Shop for Antiques

Given its tiny size, Rye has a disproportionate collection of fantastic antiques shops — you’ll see them everywhere you go in Rye.

Of the many antique stores I visited in Rye, my favorites included a collection of shops across from the Old Borough Arms guest house, plus a few shops along High Street (which is a good street for other kinds of shopping as well!).

However, you can’t go wrong — just pop in any store that looks interesting!

A space heater for sale at an antique store.

People walk down a street with historic buildings.

Mermaid Street (and Beyond)

While visiting Rye, try to resist any compulsion to fill your entire day with defined activities — the town itself is lovely and worth a casual wander to just appreciate some of the charming views. You’ll find delightful little winding streets lined with homes named things like The House with the Secret Garden and The House with Two Front Doors.

Be on the lookout, in particular, for Mermaid Street, which is generally considered one of the most picturesque spots in Rye. (A casual glance at Google Images results for Rye will show you tons of photos of Mermaid Street!)

People walk on a cobblestone street. Small, old buildings line either side of the street. One building is covered in ivy.

Lamb House

Among Rye’s claims to fame is that the beloved novelist Henry James lived there for nearly 20 years.

Today, you can visit the house where he lived — Lamb House, which E.F. Benson also occupied at one point.

A half-timbered building covered in ivy.

A stone sign in a brick wall indicating that Henry James wrote many of his novels at this location.

Where to Eat in Rye

I enjoyed a casual lunch at Mermaid Street Cafe — if you can, try to sit at the front window and enjoy the view!

I also wish that I had made time to have tea at The Cobbles Tea Room, and thought that Marino’s Fish Bar and The Union Rye both looked like great places to eat.

Day Trip to Rye: Interactive Map

Below is a map with the locations included in this itinerary. To use this map during your own trip to Rye, click the star next to the map’s name (which saves the map to your account). You can then find and use the map from your Google Maps app by going to “Saved,” then “Maps.”