There’s a trip to the seaside – all soft sands, ice creams, and buckets and spades. Then there’s a trip to a harbour town, those salty, mast-clanking, ahoy-me-hearty-type places that may still have a nice beach, but definitely do have a different relationship to the sea.
These are towns still ringing with sea shanties, where fish are still landed, where lobster pots aren’t just decorative garden features, and where you can eat crab, dab and prawns plucked fresh from the waves. They’re not always pretty – these are working towns after all – but many are attractive, offering appealing and authentic coastal hangouts. Here are a few favourites:
1. Falmouth, Cornwall
Best for… Maritime spirit
There are cuter Cornish harbours, but for a vibrant fishing town drenched in living maritime heritage, Falmouth is the spot. It has one of the world’s largest deep-water harbours, still busy with boats – including cruises touring past Pendennis Castle or down the Fal – as well as the extensive Cornwall National Maritime Museum (nmmc.co.uk).
A large student population keeps things lively, while the food is excellent. Try the laid-back Beach House (beachhousefalmouth.com), pair fish and beer at Verdant’s Seafood Bar (verdantbrewing.co) or enjoy mollusc-based merriment at October’s oyster festival (falmouthoysterfestival.co.uk).
Where to stay
St Michael’s Resort & Spa (01326 312707; stmichaelsresort.com) has doubles from £172pn B&B.
2. Whitby, North Yorkshire
Best for… Seaside sustainability
Seafaring runs through the veins of this old ship-building port, where a young Captain Cook learned the ropes. Now, it’s a leading light in sustainability. The old fish auction shed has been turned into the Whitby Lobster Hatchery, which replenishes local stocks and offers visitors a chance to learn about native species (marinediscoverywhitby.co.uk).
The harbour is also home to the RNLI Lifeboat Museum, to boats offering fishing and wildlife-spotting trips and to award-winning fish suppers at the Magpie Cafe or Trenchers. Walk up to the ruined abbey for views, then head to Whitby Distillery, which makes a gin using sustainably sourced seaweed.
Where to stay
The harbour-view Haven (01947 60384; thehavenwhitby.co.uk) has doubles from £75pn room-only.
3. Aldeburgh, Suffolk
Best for… Fresh catch
OK, so elegant Aldeburgh doesn’t have a harbour anymore – it silted up in the 17th century. But before that, it was a hotbed of Tudor shipbuilding – Francis Drake’s Golden Hind was reputedly made here. These days, fishermen launch straight off the long, shingly shore and sell their catch directly from the wooden shacks and smokehouses along Crag Path, past the 16th-century Moot Hall (now a museum, aldeburghmuseum.org.uk).
Alternatively, if you don’t want to cook your own supper, superlative fish and chips can be found at the Aldeburgh Fish & Chip Shop and the Golden Galleon.
Where to stay
The beachfront Brudenell (01728 452071; brudenellhotel.co.uk) has doubles from £118pn B&B.
4. Pittenweem, Fife
Best for… Cuteness
With its pastel-painted cottages and boat-bobbed harbour, comely wee Pittenweem looks made for tourists. But actually, those lobster pots stacked along the quay are still very much in use. This is an authentic working fishing village, where seafaring is still central to daily life.
Watch the boats land their catch, and then tuck in mere metres away at the Dory Bistro and Gallery (thedory.co.uk) or the award-winning Chip Ahoy at the Larachmhor Tavern. Then make like a fish yourself with a free dip in Pittenweem’s 130-year-old beach pool, filled twice a day by the tide.
Where to stay
Seaspray (01333 317462; pittenweemproperties.com), a 16th-century harbour-side house sleeping four, costs from £825pw.
5. Brixham, Devon
Best for… Boats
Brixham is one of the UK’s busiest fishing ports. Sweeps of bright-painted houses stack up behind a bustling, active harbour, where a full-size replica of Drake’s Golden Hind (goldenhind.co.uk) lies at anchor alongside more than a hundred working boats.
These land and sell their catch at the quayside fish market – join an early-morning tour for behind-the-scenes insight (therockfish.co.uk/products/fish-market-tour). As you’d expect, the seafood here is super fresh. Sample daily-changing dishes at Rockfish, Med-style seafood at Albero, fish and chips at David’s, and crab sandwiches at the Claws harbour-side kiosk.
Where to stay
Number Eighty One (0330 113 7005; luxurycoastal.co.uk), a harbour-view apartment sleeping two, costs from £355 for three nights.
6. Fishguard, Pembrokeshire
Best for… A resurging seaside
Fishguard is a town of two halves, and plenty of personality. A few traditional fishing boats still pootle in and out of the picturesque Lower Town harbour, which is lined with colourful cottages and home to the Bay Yacht Club’s lovely seasonal café (fbyc.org.uk).
Goodwick Harbour is more functional, but is home to Sea Trust Wales’ Ocean Lab, the place to learn about Pembrokeshire’s wildlife (seatrust.org.uk). The town is undergoing quite a renaissance, with a flurry of new independent businesses, from galleries to gift shops. For the best fish and chips, head to Hooked at 31 (hookedat31.co.uk).
Where to stay
Manor Town House (01348 873260; manortownhouse.com) has doubles from £165pn B&B.
7. Sandwich, Kent
Best for… History
One of the English Channel’s original medieval Cinque Ports, Sandwich is now two miles from the sea. But that hasn’t stopped this river Stour-side town from being named a Heritage Harbour, a designation that helps safeguard historic quays.
At the moment, the old harbour is plied by leisure cruisers and seal-spotting tour boats (river-runner.co.uk). But, as one of England’s best-preserved medieval towns, it’s a wonderful place to wander into the past. Book a tour with the Sandwich History Society (sandwichhistorysociety.org.uk). Eat at the Toll Bridge, where dishes designed by a Michelin-trained chef are served on the old wharf.
Where to stay
The Tudor-era Bell Hotel (01304 613388; bellhotelsandwich.co.uk) has doubles from £110pn B&B.
8. Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk
Best for… Crabbing
The maritime history of Wells-next-the-Sea dates back to the ninth century, and much of its seafaring heritage remains – from the Old Lifeboat House to various maltings, ropewalks, jetties and slipways.
Now, it’s a happy-go-lucky seaside town, appealing but not overly polished, with access to epic beaches – hut-backed Wells itself, and neighbouring Holkham – and cracking fish and chips (try French’s). For heritage exploring, sail aboard the Lucy Lavers, a restored lifeboat and Dunkirk veteran (rescuewoodenboats.com). For family fun, go crabbing off the quay – kit can be hired. Then head to Wells Crab House to give them a try (wellscrabhouse.co.uk).
Where to stay
The Globe (01328 710206; theglobeatwells.co.uk) has doubles from £120pn B&B.
9. Tobermory, Isle of Mull
Best for… Colour
Harbours don’t come more cheerfully, joyfully colourful than this – no surprise that Tobermory’s paint-box waterfront inspired a hit CBeebies series. But the old Mull port is more than a pretty picture. This is a genuinely active harbour. The Fisherman’s Pier was built in 1814, and fishing boats still land their catch here.
To feast on the spoils, head to Café Fish (thecafefish.com) or the Fisherman’s Pier Seafood van (facebook.com/FishermansPierTobermory). There are plenty of other vessels too, including tour boats offering trips to see minke whales, dolphins, porpoises and puffins.
Where to stay
The Mishnish (01688 302500; themishnish.co.uk), right on the waterfront, has doubles from £170pn B&B.
10. Lyme Regis, Dorset
Best for… Literary links
The curling Cobb at Lyme Regis isn’t just a handsome harbour wall – it’s a literary legend, immortalised in Jane Austen’s Persuasion and John Fowles’s The French Lieutenant’s Woman. It’s also the perfect place to gaze back at Lyme’s elegant seafront and fossil-flecked cliffs.
Imbibe more history – literary, maritime, palaeontological – at the town museum (lymeregismuseum.co.uk) and watch a show at the bathhouse turned theatre (marinetheatre.com). Then eat. Mitch Tonks opened a Rockfish branch here in 2025, serving sustainable seafood with a view. There’s also an in-store digital fishmonger, where you can order the freshest catch for next-day home delivery.
Where to stay
The Alexandra Hotel (01297 442010; hotelalexandra.co.uk) has doubles from £215pn B&B.