From building sandcastles to enjoying fish and chips, exploring piers and paddling in the sea – there’s plenty to enjoy at the seaside. And with many Brits and tourists loving a visit to a seaside resort, where are the UK’s must-visit resorts located ahead of the May half term and upcoming summer holidays?
To find out, VSO has analysed and ranked 29 of the UK’s most popular seaside resorts using a variety of metrics including beach review scores, number of restaurants, number of cafes, the number of things to do, Airbnb pricing per week and average summer temperatures.
Swansea home to one of the most popular seaside resorts in the UK
| Rank | Seaside Resort | Avg. temp in summer °C | Beach review score | No. of restaurants | No. of cafes | No. of bars | Avg. cost of an Airbnb | Number of things to do | Seaside resort score |
| 1 | Brighton | 16.2 | 3.8 | 907 | 112 | 53 | £850 | 674 | 8.23 |
| 2 | Swansea | 15.1 | 5.0 | 526 | 59 | 29 | £732 | 328 | 6.46 |
| 3 | Bournemouth | 16.7 | 4.0 | 561 | 67 | 19 | £790 | 331 | 6.17 |
| 4 | Blackpool | 15.3 | 4.0 | 512 | 42 | 35 | £680 | 402 | 6.14 |
| 5 | Hastings | 16.8 | 4.0 | 294 | 33 | 15 | £824 | 189 | 4.89 |
| 6 | Poole | 16.6 | 4.0 | 251 | 47 | 12 | £848 | 211 | 4.80 |
| 7 | Southend-on-Sea | 17.1 | 3.0 | 581 | 41 | 17 | £938 | 262 | 4.71 |
| 8 | Eastbourne | 16.3 | 4.0 | 298 | 46 | 7 | £825 | 183 | 4.66 |
| 9 | Worthing | 16.4 | 4.0 | 299 | 28 | 11 | £823 | 143 | 4.48 |
| 10 | Folkestone | 16.6 | 4.0 | 160 | 29 | 4 | £831 | 204 | 4.31 |
Swansea has been crowned as the second most popular seaside resort in the UK with an average temperature of 15.1 in summer, 526 restaurants, 328 things to do and an average cost of an Airbnb at £732.
Brighton has been crowned the best seaside resort in the UK. It boasts the most restaurants (907), cafes (112), and things to do (674) compared to all seaside resorts analysed.
Data crowns Blackpool as the most affordable seaside resort, with the average cost of an Airbnb for a week at £680. This is followed by Swansea, with an Airbnb costing £732 for one week.
For sunseekers, research reveals Hastings on the southeast coast is the warmest town in the summer months, where you’ll experience an average of 16.8°C.
