Is Beccles nice?

[holidaytime2026]

We’ll be visiting Suffolk next week with two kids aged six and five. What are the best places to visit - is Beccles as nice as Southwold and Aldeburgh, which I’m told are very lovely? Does anyone have any other recommendations in that area? Thanks in advance.

We live in that sort of area. Beccles is very nice but not as nice as Southwold. But worth a visit. You can hire a boat and go on the broads. There’s a nice selection of shops and they also have a Harris and James Gelato cafe / factory which is a good visit - they also have a smaller shop at Southwold, their gelato is amazing.

Other places worth a visit (consider Norfolk as well as all the roads are fairly quiet and it’s easy to travel) - Norwich (shops and castle etc), Framlingham castle, go up the coast to Yarmouth for a complete contrast to Southwold (Yarmouth is arcades, doughnuts, traditional tacky seaside but fun), Winterton for a quiet beach, then you have all the touristy zoo type attractions - Africa Alive, Banham zoo, etc.

I prefer Bungay to beccles, a few nice shops/ cafes and you can hire canoes at Outney meadow which is beautiful. Not quite as nice as Southwold but much much quieter. Okd Hall Farm is a good lunch stop round there with a good cafe and animals to feed.

Beccles might be worth a trip for the lido.

I recommend covehithe beach.

Maybe Snape Maltings?

Its Latitude next weekend which is between Southwold and Beccles so the traffic between all these places is going to be much busier than usual this coming Wednesday/ Thursday/ Friday and on Saturday evening/ Monday in particular. The little roads weren’t built for that many people.

Beccles town centre has gone downhill in recent years, it’s full of charity shops and vape shops and a QD, not really the quaint little market town it used to be. Two Magpies cafe is excellent, as is Twyfords and Harris & James is ok. The lido is brilliant and worth the trip on its own. You can walk into the town centre from the lido although it’s up some very steep steps. The quay is nice for a walk along the river and you can ride the river ferry. I’d pop into town after going to the lido but it’s not enough for a full day on its own, let alone a weeks stay.

Southwold and Aldeburgh have lots of lovely independent shops. Southwold has a fabulous beach, the pier, the lighthouse, the Pit Stop children’s play area and cafe, it’s lovely. Aldeburgh has Thorpeness just down the road with the lovely mere for boating.

Framlingham is nice, the castle is worth a visit. It’s more of an outer wall with a museum and cafe and shop in the middle but you can walk round the top. The town is nice, lots of good cafes. In fact all of those towns have a Two Magpies, not that I’m biased but I do love their coffee.

Do avoid the A12 from Thursday on though, the Latitude traffic will be a nightmare, especially Thursday morning.

I haven't been for years, but I have very fond memories of family holidays to Beccles when I was a child in the late 80s/early 90s

I think we used to stay at a hotel that was right on the river.

Walberswick would be nice for those ages OP. Go crabbing at the river by the beach.
Where in Suffolk are you staying?
Sutton Hoo, near Woodbridge, could be fun, Easton Farm Park might be good too.

With children that age;
Southwold for the old pier and lots of other things
Aldeburgh (park at the social club for free and walk to the sea front and shops via lovely play parks)
Felixstowe for a sandy beach and easy sea swimming
Easton Farm Park
Sutton Hoo
Dunwich for a walk
Walberswick for crabbing and lunch
Woodbridge, lovely small town, big playing fields and nice little shops
Orford - castle, boating, bakery

We visited Beccles a few years ago and we all had a lovely time. Kids particularly loved the room we had in the Swan House - they still talk about it! We hired boats and it was fab.