This travel guide is full of ideas on how to arrange your holidays in Southend. This amazing city is famous for having the longest pier in the world and seven miles of sandy beaches. Being featured in the Goldfinger James Bond movie from 1964 and becoming home to 3,000 military workers during the Second World War, the place truly is worth paying the visit.
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What to Visit Do in Southend
Southend-on-Sea is the costal town located in the county of Essex in the south-eastern part of England. It’s roughly 64 km away from London and owns the longest pier in the world. Southend-on-Sea is where the River Thames enters the English Channel and the tourist enjoy the cliffs, plus the 11 kilometres of sandy beaches. The city covers around 42 square km and the population of 312,000 people.
Don’t leave Southend-on-Sea without seeing:
- Southend Pier
- Adventure Island
- Southend City Beach
- Three Shells Beach and Lagoon
- Amusement Arcades
- Sea Life Adventure
- Cliff Lift
- The Kursaal
- Prittlewell Priory
- Museum and Planetarium
- Beecroft Art Gallery
- Southchurch Hall
- The Forum
- Westcliff Beach
- Westcliff Gardens
- The Cliffs Pavilion
- The Palace Theatre
- Hadleigh Castle
- Old Leigh Beach
- Shoeburyness East Beach
- Hockley Woods
- Cherry Orchard Way Park
What to See and Do in Southend – Top Tourist Attractions
Hiking in Southend
The best walks you can do in Southend-on-Sea are the one along the sea. Those looking for the hiking trails in the area, should try the Barling Coastal Walk, Shoebury Garrison and Wakering Stairs and the Wakering Stairs Circular.
Beaches in Southend
The sunseeker will be thrilled to visit the sandy beaches in Southend-on-Sea. The best ones include the Southend Beach, Westcliff Beach, Shoebury Common Beach, Chalkwell Beach, Bell Wharf Beach, Jubilee Beach, 3 Shells Beach and Lagoon and the Thorpe Bay beach huts.
Where to Stay in Southend
Within the Southend-on-Sea Borough you’ll find the following areas: Eastwood, Leigh, Prittlewell, West-Cliff-on-Sea, Southchurch, Thorpe Bay, Shoeburyness. If you want to stay within the Southend-on-Sea town, the recommended neighbourhoods are: the Town Centre, Seafront, Clifftown, Milton or Civil Quarter.
For the best holiday experience, it’s best to stay in one of the waterfront accommodations and my recommendations are:
- Roslin Beach Hotel
- The Mornings B&B
- Beaches Guess House
What to Eat in Southend
Being right at the seaside, Southend is famous for having the most delicious fish and chips. Butter cod or halibut with triple cooked fish and mushy peas is the must-try. Other traditional English dishes to try in Southend:
- Scotch Eggs – hard boiled egg wrapped in the sausage meat, coated in breadcrumbs and fried.
- Piccalilli – English version of Indian pickles, salty, sour and spiced.
- Marmite – food spread made from yeast extract.
- Crumpets – English muffin with butter of jam.
- British Scones – dense biscuits served with butter or jam.
- Chip Butty – white bread sandwich with chips and ketchup inside.
- Meat Pies – steak and kidney pie, steak and ale pie, pork pie, chicken and leek pie, served hot or cold.
- Cornish Pastry – meat, veggies (plenty of potatoes) mixed in a gravy sauce, wrapped in the pastry and baked in the oven.
- Full English Breakfast – bacon, sausage, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms, eggs, fried beans, hash browns and toasts.
- Sunday Roast – roasted joint lamb, beef or pork, served with Yorkshire pudding, vegetables and gravy.
- Afternoon Tea – tiny finger triangle sandwiches with no crust, filled with cucumber and cream cheese.
- Bangers and mash – sausage, mash potatoes, gravy and peas.
- Sausage Toad – sausage in Yorkshire butter, served with veggies and gravy.
- Fish and Chips – cod in beer butter, chips and mushy peas.
- Beef Wellington – beef steak coated in mushroom mixture and wrapped in the puff pastry, served with mash potatoes and asparagus.
- Shepperd’s (Cottage) Pie – mash potatoes crust and meat base baked in the oven.
- Chicken Tikka Masala – roasted chunks of chicken cooked in the spiced tomato cream sauce.
- Sticky Toffee Pudding – moist sponge cake made of dates in a toffee sauce, served with vanilla custard or ice cream.
- Victoria Sponge Cake – raspberry and double whipped cream filling.
- Ale – traditional English beer.
How to Get Around Southend
Exploring Southend-on-Sea is best when done on foot. The town is not a big one and you can walk everywhere. If you want to travel to the neighbouring areas, you should rent a scooter or a car. There isn’t much traffic and driving seems rather pleasant.
There's one international Southend Airport located about 3,5 km away from the city centre. You can fly with the low cost airline EasyJet to the most of the European destinations. There are two ways of travel between the airport and the town centre. You can take:
- Bus Lines 7, 8, 9 - Arriva Bus (arrivabus.co.uk), service 9 to Southend Travel Centre on Chichester Road, runs every 12 min, duration: 15 - 20 min, cost around £2.50 single.
- Bus X30 - Essex Airlink, tickets: First Group Buses (firstgroup.com/essex), Southend to Stansted Airport via Southend Airport and Chelmsford, runs hourly, duration - 30 min, cost from £16.50 Adult Return.
- Train - Southend airport to Southend Victoria Station (9 min) and then walk or change for the train to Southend Central (24 min), runs every 30 min, tickets: Trainline (thetrainline.com), cost - £3.60.
- Taxi - duration: 6 - 12 min, cost - £15.50
How to get to Southend-on-Sea from London?
By Bus
First take the National Express coach from London Victoria (or Stratford) to London Stansted Airport (55 min, £15), then take the Essex Airlink bus X30 Stansted to Southend via Southend Airport, tickets: First Buses website (1.5 h, £17).
By Train
There are 2 train services going to Southend-on-Sea from London. One is C2C Railways (c2c-online.co.uk) going from London Fenchurch Street (via Stratford) to Southend Central. The C2C runs every 15 min (half and hour on Sundays), the journey takes one hour and cost about £10 return.
The other train service is provided by Greater Anglia (greateranglia.co.uk) and it's going from London Liverpool Street (via Stratford) to Southend Victoria. The Greater Anglia runs every 20 min (half an hour on Sundays), takes one hours and costs £10 return.
The train tickets for the trip between London and Southend-on-Sea can be bought at Trainline website (thetrainline.com).
By Car
If you want to drive from London to Southend-on-Sea, you take either A13, A2 or M25 and then A127 going into the city of Southend. The journey roughly takes 1.5 h.
By Taxi
The mini cab from central London to Southend-on-Sea will cost you around £105. The journey takes about 1.5 h.
The public transport in Southend-on-Sea relies on buses and they are run by: Arriva Bus (arrivabus.co.uk) and First Buses (firstgroup.com/essex). The buses don't run at night. The main bus stop in town is located at the Travel Centre on Chichester Road. That's where the buses stop and you can pop in to get more information, buy tickets, check the timetables.
Additionally, the timetable of the bus routes in Southend is available online at Traveline (traveline.info). If you travel by bus, you can use your contactless or buy the Octopus Ticket (stephensonsofessex.com/octopus) which allows you to travel on both, the Arriva and First Buses services. The daily Octopus Ticket is £4.80 (not valid on X30 and 500-599, 800-899) and you can purchase one from the driver.
There are many cab offices around the Southend-on-Sea. You can book Uber or prepaid taxi service available around the city. The initial charge is £3.80 and the additional £1.36 per km. The local taxi companies in Southend-on-Sea:
- AC Radio Cabs (+44 1702 334 455, acradiocabs.com)
- My Taxe (+44 121 2859 686, mytaxe.uk)
- Cab Call (+44 1702 606 000, cab-call.net)
Southend Travel Guide – Cost and Budget
The backpackers in Southend-on-Sea normally spend around £40 a day. That’s assuming they stay in the hostels, shop for food, walk or bike to see the main attractions around the city.
If you want visit Southend-on-Sea on the mid – range budget, it shouldn’t cost you more than £105 daily. You will be able to stay in one of the waterfront hotels, try the most delicious English cuisine served in local pubs and restaurants, use the public transport and pay for the main tourist attractions.
If you want indulge yourself in luxury in Southend-on-Sea, your budget should be around £240 a day. The cost covers staying in the best hotels in town, fine dining at the top rated restaurants and make the most of what this coastal city has to offer.
| Accommodation | Food | Transport | Attractions | Avg Daily Cost | |
| Backpacker | £15 | £10 | £5 | £10 | £40 |
| Mid-Range | £40 | £40 | £10 | £15 | £105 |
| Luxury | £100 | £100 | £20 | £20 | £240 |
Southend Travel Guide – Best Time to Visit
Best time to go to Southend is summer from June to August. Those months have the sunny weather and should definitely be spent on the beach. If you travel to Southend in summer, you’ll get to experience the temperatures between 19°C to 21°C and the sea temperature from 14°C to 17°C.
TIP: Summer festivals in Southend – the Southend Carnival, Leigh Folk Festival (free), Village Green Music Festival in Chalkwell Park, Southend Fake Festival.
If you want to visit Southend in spring or autumn, the average daily temperatures may range from 10°C to 18°C. In fact, autumn is the rainiest season in a year so October and November are not really recommended for travelling.
TIP: Spring festival – the Southend-on-Sea Film Festival. Autumn festival – the Old Leigh Regatta.
If you want to spend winter in Southend, you’re be exposed to cold temperatures between 5°C and 8°C. Winter months are rainy and windy so not really good to be around.
High Season (Jun – Aug)
- Crowds all over Southend
- Hotels are expensive
- 21°C, Sea 14°C to 17°C
- Summer beach months
Mid (Mar-May, Sep-Nov)
- Less tourist in Southend
- Hotels are cheaper
- Temps 10°C to 18°C
- The wettest in fall
Low Season (Dec – Feb)
- No visitors in Southend
- Hotels are discounted
- Temps from 5°C to 8°C
- Cold and wet winter
Southend Travel Guide – Average Monthly Temperatures
Southend is the hottest in summer from June to August. Those months bring a lot of sunshine and the average temperatures between 19°C and 21°C with July being the hottest. In contrast, Southend is the coldest in winter from December to February. Those months bring the mild temperatures between 5°C and 8°C with January being the coldest.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| High Temp (°C) | 5 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 19 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 8 |
| Low Temp (°C) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 3 |
| Sea Temp (°C) | 8 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 11 |
Southend Travel Guide – Average Monthly Precipitation
Southend is the wettest from October to January during the autumn and winter. In fact, October is the month when it rains the most bringing up to 60 mm and 9 days of shower. In contrast, Southend is the driest from February to September during the spring and summer. The least rain falls in March with roughly 34 mm and 8 days of showers.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| Rainfall (mm) | 42 | 32 | 34 | 38 | 43 | 41 | 39 | 44 | 43 | 60 | 52 | 46 |
| Rainfall (days) | 10 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
Southend Travel Guide – Practical Information
This part of my travel guide is full of tips on what to expect during your travels to Southend. For more information on language and local time, religion, electricity plug, internet, currency, visa, safety and health matters in Southend, just follow my guidance below.
Population and Language – Around 312,000 people live in Southend-on-Sea and the official language is English.
Religion – 55.7% Christian, 31% No Religion, 8.8% Other, 1.9% Muslim, 1.2% Jewish, 0.7% Hindu, 0.5% Buddhist, 0.1% Sikh.
Local Time – There is 1 time zone in Southend-on-Sea, UTC+0 hour.
Electricity – Southend-on-Sea runs on 230V voltage. There is 50Hz and the plug type G (three pin plug). Getting an adapter is recommended.
Internet The internet in Southend-on-Sea is available all over the town. The free Wi-Fi is offered in the hotels, restaurants, pubs and other public places. It’s recommended to buy a cheap sim card (around £0.99) and the mobile internet on arrival. Best prepaid (pay as you go) sim cards in Southend-on-Sea are: EE, Vodafone, Three and O2. The standard monthly tariffs start from £10 a month.
Money and Currency in Southend
In Southend-on-Sea the ATMs are widely available. There are two types of cash machines: free and pay-to-use. The typical charge in Southend-on-Sea is £1.50 to £2 per transaction. Visa, MasterCard and Credit Cards are accepted pretty much everywhere. Having some cash is always advisable.
Currency – The official currency in Southend-on-Sea is Pound Sterling (£) (GBP).
Visa Requirements for Southend
Visa – The UK left the EU on 31st December 2020. EU citizens don’t need a tourist visa to travel to Southend-on-Sea if staying up to 6 months. Irish can travel anytime they wish with no limits to how long they want to stay. Australians, Canadians, New Zealanders and Americans don’t need a visa to Southend-on-Sea if their trips are less than 90 days. Your passport needs to be valid for at least 6 months before your travels.
Safety in Southend
Safety Southend-on-Sea is generally a safe place to travel. The areas to avoid at night are the housing estate in Shoeburyness (especially The Renown) and the parks (the Sweyne Park in Rayleigh in particular). The Lucy Road in Southend-on-Road is where the pubs and night clubs are located.
Emergency Numbers – In Southend-on-Sea an emergency free numbers to dial are 999 or 112. The numbers for the particular emergency services in Southend-on-Sea: Police – 101 (Non Emergency), Fire – 112, Medical Services (Non Emergency) – 111.
Visa Requirements for Southend
Visa – EU citizens don’t need a tourist visa to travel to Southend-on-Sea if staying up to 6 months. Irish can travel anytime they wish with no limits to how long they want to stay. Australians, Canadians, New Zealanders and Americans don’t need a visa to London if their trips are less than 90 days. Your passport needs to be valid for at least 6 months before your travels.
Health and Travel Vaccinations in Southend
Health – Travelling to Southend-on-Sea requires doesn’t require any additional vaccinations. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that everyone is covered for the diphtheria, tetanus, measles, mumps, rubella and polio, hepatitis A, hepatitis B regardless of their destination.