We’ve put together a selection of free places to visit and family days out in Sussex below so you can plan a wonderful holiday without spending a single penny.
There’s no need to spend lots of money to have an amazing break, anyone planning a budget holiday in Sussex will find a wealth of impressive places to visit – including off-the-beaten-path gems that many rarely encounter. Enjoy free days out to popular tourist hot spots and secret, lesser-known places in the picturesque Sussex countryside and along the remarkable coastline.
If you’re ready to begin planning your next getaway, take a look through our holiday cottages in Sussex and get inspired. Read on to discover a fantastic choice of free days out in Sussex. Whether you're travelling as a family, a couple, or with a group of friends, you'll be spoilt for choice in this beautiful county.
Sussex cottages
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Free days out in West Sussex
Southwater Country Park
Enjoy water sports and climbing frames
Breath in fresh country air at this beautiful park in Horsham, perfect for a round of frisbee and a picnic during your West Sussex break. Flat, level, easy-going paths make Southwater Country Park an accessible place to visit, while the Dinosaur Island Play Area is a delight for young families who can scramble up the bubbling volcano. Best of all, you can canoe or kayak on the fantastic lake, while back on dry land you can also rent bikes or try the orienteering course.
Ouse Valley Viaduct
Feel tiny beneath the ten-storey tall viaduct
This iconic local landmark is an Insta-worthy destination and an astonishing piece of history to take in on your rambles through the West Sussex countryside. An elegant, 19th-century railroad bridge that appears to go on forever, the Ouse Valley Viaduct is a remarkable ten storeys tall with 37 arches while the valley beneath was carved by the River Ouse. Take sturdy walking boots as the landscape below can be swampy, but it’s worth it to get close to this impressive manmade structure.
Worthing Pier
Fish for mackerel from one of the South Coasts nicest piers
For a traditional day at the seaside, Worthing Pier is a wonderful, free attraction in Sussex that reaches out to sea from the town’s sand and shingle beach. Enjoy games at Neptune's Entertainment Centre or pop in for tea at the Art Deco Southern Pavilion. You can fish off the pier which has fantastic views of the coastline’s chalk cliffs, hire deck chairs and unwind or simply take a stroll along this free West Sussex attraction.
West Wittering Beach
Relax on the sandy shores of this gorgeous beach
If you’re looking for free family days out in Sussex, nothing beats a trip to the seaside! And we reckon West Wittering Beach is one of the best. Head here for beach huts, sand dunes, a café, and a wind and kitesurfing club. This Sussex beach is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest attracting many waders and wildfowl during the migratory season. For a free day by the coast with family and friends, get to know our favourite seaside spots in our guide to beaches in Sussex.
Bognor Regis Beach
Enjoy a classic day at the seaside
Another coastal gem, this is the place for free kids days out in Sussex as Bognor Regis Beach is full of family-friendly activities including the Bognor Regis Promenade Train and a huge sandpit perfect for youngsters when the tide is in. Pack a picnic or grab a bite to eat at one of the seafront cafes.
Come to West Sussex
From sandy beaches to traditional seaside resorts, Wast Sussex is a great place to holiday with lots of free things to see and do. Take a look through our West Sussex cottages today.
West Sussex cottages
Free days out in East Sussex
Hastings' Shipwreck and Fishermen's Museums
Investigate a dangerous past and find out about the local maritime trade
The Shipwreck Museum is a free museum in Sussex, in the popular coastal town of Hastings, that delves into the stories of shipwrecks from across the centuries, all along the English Channel – from Goodwin Sands in Kent to Pevensey Bay in East Sussex. It’s an accessible, wheelchair-friendly place to visit with multi-sensory exhibits bringing the artefacts to life with sound, touch and smell.
Sitting right beside the Shipwreck Museum you’ll find another Hastings gem: the Fishermen’s Museum. This free museum in Sussex details the lives of local mariners and you can visit the deck of the last Hastings’ sailing lugger Enterprise built in 1912. Photographs, pictures, model boats, interesting objects and an audio-visual tour all bring the local fishing history to life.
Hastings Country Park
Soak up views of the sea and town far below
Hastings is full of fantastic free days out, and the impressive Hastings Country Park is quite possibly the best! For outdoor enthusiasts and adventurers, this park is made up of gill woodland, cliff-top grassland, mixed heather, and lowland meadow alongside sustainably-managed farmland with natural beauty to take in along the walking trails. You could add a ride up on the funicular cliff railway for a small fee, and enjoy a visit backed by magnificent coastal views.
Ashdown Forest
Look out for Winnie-the-Pooh and friends
The Ashdown Forest is known for being the inspiration for Winnie-the-Pooh’s Hundred Acre Wood and a delightful free day out in West Sussex. Besides its storybook heritage, this habitat stretches for 6,500 acres and includes rare heathland to explore, perfect for seeking peace and solitude. Follow walking trails, taking in the idyllic Sussex countryside in this quiet and immense landscape.
Cuckmere Haven
Go fossil hunting
All along the base of the Seven Sisters, a series of magnificent chalk cliffs facing the sea, you can find a variety of ancient fossils including echinoids, sponges, bivalves, and other benthic fauna. Fossil hunting is a great free activity in East Sussex while the impressive surroundings at Cuckmere Haven are reason enough to visit for a coastal walk, just stay clear of the crumbling cliffs as you search.
Pett Level
Spot the ‘sunken forest’
Another natural beauty spot, head out to Pett Level near Hastings and search for remnants of the ancient sunken forest that can be found on the sandy beach. You can spot spongy tree roots and even saplings standing in the sand that are thought to be more than 6,000 years old. Pett Level’s sandy beach is also fantastic for rock pooling – a wonderful free place to visit in Sussex that the whole family will enjoy.
Come to East Sussex
Get to know all about a dangerous maritime past, soak up iconic views of gleaming white chalk cliffs, or discover a ‘sunken forest’ during your escape to East Sussex. Browse through our holiday cottages in East Sussex.
East Sussex cottages
Map
Find all of these great places to visit on our handy map.
Stay at a self-catering holiday cottage in Sussex
Sussex boasts a host of fantastic free activities and days out, great for entertaining the kids, a trip with friends or adventures, just you and your partner. There’s a wide range of thing to do for free in Sussex so take a look through our collection of holiday cottages in Sussex and begin planning your next getaway.
Sussex cottages