No car? No problem! You can still explore Sussex using public transport. A Sussex day out by train can start with a cathedral, a museum gate or a walk down to the sea. Chichester, Brighton and Bexhill put major attractions within walking distance of their stations, while Amberley offers an unusually short connection between the railway and a day exploring historic transport and industry.
These eight outings cover East Sussex, West Sussex and Brighton & Hove. Each starts at a railway station and can be explored on foot, without booking a taxi or arranging an onward bus. Choose one destination for the day: the suggestions below are separate outings, with time for lunch and stops along the way.
Admission charges exclude rail travel and food. Walking times are approximate, generally based on venue or tourism guidance; allow extra time for crossings, hills and your own pace. The suggested time to spend in each place is our planning recommendation.
Find the places on a map
Use this map to plan your visit. Select a pin for the location and open the map for directions. Check the visitor information in this guide before travelling. Station and attraction pins are orientation points; use the walking-route links below for each outing.
Choose your Sussex day out by train
| Arrival station | First destination | Walk from the station | Admission |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chichester | Cathedral, then The Novium | About 10 minutes to the cathedral | Cathedral donation requested; Novium general entry free |
| Arundel | Town centre and castle | Castle quotes about 10 minutes; allow longer at a relaxed pace | Town stroll free; castle and gardens ticketed |
| Amberley | Amberley Museum | About 200 metres to the ticket office | Paid entry; qualifying rail 2-for-1 offer available |
| Brighton | North Laine and Royal Pavilion | About 15–20 minutes directly to the Pavilion | Street and seafront walk free; palace ticketed |
| Lewes | Castle and town centre | Castle quotes five minutes; allow longer for the climb | Castle adult £12; child aged 5–17 £6.50 |
| Seaford | Beach and promenade | Short town-centre walk; route below | Beach and promenade free; museum extra |
| Bexhill | De La Warr Pavilion | Allow 10–15 minutes | Building and galleries free; some events ticketed |
| Rye | Historic centre and Ypres Tower | Short walk into town, then uphill towards the tower | Town stroll free; tower adult £5, accompanied under-16s free |
Check both the attraction and the return train
Use National Rail to check your outward and return journeys, including engineering work and replacement buses. A station near an attraction does not guarantee step-free travel: check the platforms, lifts and route out of the station as well as access at the venue.
West Sussex: cathedral streets, a castle and a museum beside the railway
Chichester: cathedral and local history
Chichester suits a day built around two nearby attractions, with time to explore the centre between them. From the station, follow Southgate and South Street towards the Market Cross, then turn left into West Street for the cathedral. The cathedral describes the approach as a roughly ten-minute walk without inclines.
Entry is by donation, with £7 per visitor recommended rather than a compulsory admission charge. The South West Door provides a step-free entrance; some parts of the building have additional access arrangements. Services can affect sightseeing, so check the visitor page before setting off.
Continue to The Novium Museum on Tower Street for local history. General admission is free, although special exhibitions and events may cost extra. Its autumn timetable is Tuesday to Friday, 10am–4.30pm, and Saturday, 10am–5pm; it is closed on Sundays and Mondays outside the summer opening period. That makes a Tuesday-to-Saturday trip the better choice for combining both stops.
Allow: four to six hours with lunch. Arrival point: Chichester Cathedral, West Street, PO19 1PX; The Novium, Tower Street, PO19 1QH. Open the station-to-cathedral walking route.
For more stops, see our full Chichester guide, including gardens and a canal walk.
Arundel: castle, gardens and town-centre browsing
Arundel works best when the castle is the main visit, followed by time in the town’s shops and galleries. The station is outside the centre: the castle estimates a ten-minute walk, but leave more time if you are travelling with children or stopping on the way. Head for the visitor entrance on Mill Road, opposite the car park, rather than assuming the postal address identifies the gate.
The castle sells different admission levels, including gardens-only and tickets covering more of the interior. Check what your chosen ticket includes. Gardens open from 10am on visiting days, while the main castle rooms open at noon, so an early arrival is better used outdoors first.
The 2026 season ends on Sunday 1 November. The castle normally closes on Mondays, except bank holidays and during August. A winter visit to the town is still possible, but should not be planned around admission to the castle. Pushchairs must be left in the designated buggy park when entering the castle building.
Allow: most of the day for castle, gardens and town. Arrival point: castle visitor entrance, Mill Road, Arundel; the castle’s postal address is BN18 9AB. Open walking directions from Arundel station.
Amberley: a railway arrival and a day of transport history
Amberley Museum has one of the shortest station connections in this guide. The station is beside the museum gate, with around 200 metres to the ticket office. Check that your chosen train actually stops at Amberley; the museum specifically warns that not every service does.
The former quarry site brings together historic buses, a narrow-gauge railway, working crafts and exhibits about communications and industry. Treat it as a substantial outdoor museum: walking between all the exhibits adds up to around a mile, even though the railway station is so close. Most routes have level access, but the museum map identifies steeper sections and steps. Its railway has wheelchair provision; the historic shuttle buses do not.
The advertised main season runs to 1 November 2026, normally Wednesday to Sunday, 10am–4.30pm, plus bank holidays. Check separately for later special events. Paid admission applies, and the museum advertises a rail 2-for-1 offer requiring a valid Days Out Guide voucher and eligible rail tickets for both visitors; exclusions apply.
Allow: four to five hours. Address: Amberley Museum, New Barn Road, Amberley, near Arundel, BN18 9LT. See the museum’s station arrival instructions.
Brighton and Lewes: city streets and a hilltop castle
Brighton: North Laine, the Royal Pavilion and the sea
Leave time between the station and the seafront to explore North Laine’s shops and cafés. The Royal Pavilion is around 15–20 minutes from the station on a direct walk; browsing along the way will make it longer. Continue towards the sea afterwards, rather than trying to fit several paid attractions into the same afternoon.
The Pavilion’s standard annual pass is £21.50 for adults and £13 for children aged 5–18, with a 5% online discount on eligible standard tickets. It also advertises a rail 2-for-1 offer, subject to conditions. Check which option suits your party before paying. The palace’s ground floor is accessible to wheelchair users, but the first floor is reached by stairs only.
For a lower-cost day, keep to the shopping streets and seafront, with food as your main extra expense. Remember that the return to the station is uphill; leave energy and time for it rather than treating the walk back as an afterthought.
Allow: a full day. Arrival point: Royal Pavilion, Brighton, BN1 1FN. Open the direct station-to-Pavilion walking route.
Lewes: castle views and a garden stop
Lewes Castle gives a town-centre day out a clear focal point, with the adjoining archaeology museum adding an indoor stop. Sussex Past quotes five minutes from the station; allow longer for the climb towards the High Street and any pauses en route.
Admission is £12 for adults and £6.50 for children aged 5–17. The keep involves steps and uneven ground, and the museum has stairs without a lift, so this is not a fully step-free outing. The castle’s visitor page sets out the ground-level options.
Afterwards, make time for the town centre and Southover Grange Gardens, on Southover Road near the station. For autumn and early winter, the castle generally opens Tuesday to Sunday, with shorter hours as the season progresses. It closes at 1pm on 5 November; check special travel arrangements before planning a Lewes visit on bonfire night.
Allow: four to six hours. Address: Lewes Castle & Museum, 169 High Street, BN7 1YE. Open walking directions from Lewes station.
East Sussex coast: promenades, galleries and Rye’s old streets
Seaford: a straightforward beach and promenade day
Seaford is a useful choice when the aim is sea air without an admission ticket. From the station, the route via Dane Road and Pelham Road brings you to the seafront. Turn east along the promenade towards the Martello Tower, or keep the outing shorter and stop whenever you have walked far enough for the return.
The shingle beach, beach huts and wide bay give this trip its focus. Walking on the promenade is a different proposition from crossing loose shingle; choose the paved route if uneven footing is a concern. You can explore the town’s cafés and shops before heading back to the station.
The Martello Tower houses Seaford Museum, a paid optional stop. Its own website currently lists Saturday and Sunday opening, 11am–4pm, and Wednesday afternoons, 2pm–4pm, plus most bank holidays. Check directly if the museum is the main reason for your trip.
Allow: half a day, or longer with the museum and lunch. Arrival point: Seaford seafront; the museum is at Martello Tower, The Esplanade, BN25 1JH. Open walking directions to Seaford beach.
Seaford promenade and the Seven Sisters are different outings
The walk over Seaford Head towards Cuckmere Haven adds climbing, exposed ground and a much longer return. Plan it separately, with suitable footwear, daylight and a route map; Visit Lewes has car-free walking guides. Keep well back from cliff edges. A short trip from the station to the beach should not be mistaken for a complete Seven Sisters hike.
Bexhill: free galleries and a seafront walk
Make the De La Warr Pavilion your first stop, allowing around 10–15 minutes to walk there from Bexhill station. Its position on the seafront makes it easy to combine galleries with a promenade walk, choosing how far to go according to the weather.
General admission to the building and galleries is free, with no booking required, and advertised daytime opening is 10am–5pm, seven days a week. Concerts and some other events have separate tickets. Check the exhibition programme before travelling so you know what will be on display.
The Pavilion has a ramped entrance, a customer lift to all floors and accessible toilets. At the time of checking, staircase refurbishment meant the south staircase was closed, while the north staircase and lift remained available. There is a café for a break, although buying food is optional.
Allow: half a day, or a longer afternoon with lunch and the seafront. Address: De La Warr Pavilion, Marina, Bexhill, TN40 1DP. Open walking directions from Bexhill station.
Rye: historic streets and the Ypres Tower
Rye’s centre is close to the station, but exploring it involves slopes and cobbled streets. Build the day around the High Street, Mermaid Street and the area around St Mary’s Church, leaving time to browse rather than setting a brisk walking schedule. From the church, the Ypres Tower is a short walk away.
The tower, also known as Rye Castle & Prison, charges £5 for adults; accompanied children under 16 enter free. Its rooms and views over the River Rother give the town walk a useful historical stop. Upper levels have steep, narrow stairs, with wheelchair access limited to the ground floor.
From 1 November, published winter hours are 10.30am–3.30pm, with last admission at 3pm; it closes on Christmas Day. The separate East Street Museum has a more limited seasonal timetable, so do not assume both sites will be open on a winter weekday.
Allow: four to six hours. Arrival point: Ypres Tower, Gun Garden, near St Mary’s Church, Rye. Open walking directions from Rye station.
How to plan the rail journey and keep costs down
Compare fares from your own starting station before committing to an attraction ticket. A day-return fare can depend on the route, operator and time of travel, and the cheapest outward departure may not give you the return flexibility you want. Check the ticket’s restrictions as well as the price.
For three to nine adults travelling together, GroupSave can reduce eligible off-peak fares by a third. Participating operators include Southern and Thameslink, but the discount is not available on every journey. The group must stay together, and Railcard discounts cannot be added to GroupSave.
Amberley Museum and the Royal Pavilion advertise rail 2-for-1 admission schemes, but their voucher and booking requirements differ. Read the attraction’s terms before buying tickets rather than assuming any train ticket qualifies. For free-attraction days, Chichester’s Novium, Bexhill’s galleries and Seaford’s promenade provide options where rail travel and food can be the main costs.
If you need step-free travel, check each station through National Rail’s station directory, including any interchange, and confirm lift status before leaving. Passenger Assist can arrange help across a journey involving more than one train company. Venue access information describes the attraction itself, not the whole route from your front door.
Save your return journey and an earlier fallback before setting out, particularly for a winter visit when attractions close sooner. On arrival, check the departure board for changes, then leave enough time to walk back without turning the end of the day into a rush.
Plan the attraction as well as the train
- Royal Pavilion guide for planning the Brighton stop.
- Seven Sisters guide if considering a longer coastal walk, rather than the Seaford promenade.
- Sussex heritage places for more information on houses and castles along the way.
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