Tips

Meeting places in Hastings:-

Chess Board at the eastern end of George Street in Hastings Old Town.

Queens Square, Priory Meadow Shopping Centre, Hastings Town Centre.

Early visits:

Many of our attractions open at 10am in the summer and 11am in winter.  If you arrive in Hastings with time to spare before your first visit, why not start in the Old Town and take a tour of this picturesque area.  Treasure Trail of Hastings Old Town - pick up this leaflet from Hastings Information Centre in advance and use this as a fun way to discover the Old Town.

Picnicking in Hastings:

In summer, there are plenty of places to have a picnic - the beach, Alexandra Park, or take the East Hill Cliff Railway to Hastings Country Park or the West Hill Cliff Railway to the West Hill.

Shopping:

Hastings Town Centre has a number of major retailers including Marks and Spencer, WH Smith, HMV and Boots as well as the main Post Office and all the big banks. Normal opening hours are 9am to 5.30pm.

In Hastings Old Town and St Leonards, independent retailers and art galleries sell all manner of goods from clothing and rock memorabilia to original crafts and antiques. Most of these shops open at 10am and close at 5pm. There is a Post Office based in the small supermarket halfway down George Street in the Old Town and one in London Road, St Leonards. 

In addition to the regular shops, have a look at the freshly landed catch of the day in the fish shops along Rock-a-Nore Road.

Battle, Bexhill and Rye shopping:

Rye and Battle have many independent shops, with antiques and collectables being a speciality of Rye. Battle has a wide variety of shops in its busy High Street and also an auction house. Bexhill too has an auction house, a large selection of high street shops, and also many little independent retailers and charity shops where you might find a trendy bargain.

Regular Farmers' Markets:

Battle: every third Saturday of each month

Bexhill: every fourth Thursday of each month

Brede: every Friday

Hastings: every Thursday in the modern town centre

Rye: every Wednesday on Strand Quay