Visiting Southend-on-Sea

Information on visiting Southend-on-Sea, including how to get here, where to park, where to eat, and what to do when you get here. The page has been put together by the sarfend.co.uk team, and we'd welcome your suggestions to help us add to this page.

How to get here:

By Road:
Southend is served by two main 'A' roads, the A127 Southend Arterial, and the A13 London Road. Both of these roads run from East London into the centre of Southend.
Generally, the A127 is regarded as a better road - it's dual-carriageway all of the way, a faster road, and connects well with the A12 (Chelmsford) and A128 (Brentwood). The A127 drops from 70mph to 40mph when you're about three miles away from the town - watch for the active speed camera just after the speed limit drops.
Both the A127 and A13 connect with the M25 motorway.
If you're programming your sat nav for the trip to Southend Seafront, try the postcode SS1 1EE
If you're looking for instructions on how to drive to Southend, try ViaMichelin or GetMeThere.

By Rail:
There are two railway lines running into Southend-on-Sea:

The c2c line from London Fenchurch Street. The journey from London is slightly shorter (and more comfortable) on the c2c service.
On the c2c line, there are two Southend Stations, Southend Central and Southend East. Southend Central puts you out right onto the high street and is closest to most of the action, including the seafront and the shops. Southend East is a couple of miles out of town, more for residential passengers.
One Great Eastern, from London Liverpool Street. This connects to Southend Victoria station, which drops you out at the top end of the High Street, and is a few minutes walk from the High Street.

Timetables and ticket info can be found at TheTrainline

Parking:

Carpark sign There's a fair amount of parking spaces in Southend. Our personal favourite (for location and availability of spaces), is the Warrior Square car park. (Streetmap map). This is pretty central, and with 398 spaces, you can normally park. Our second choice is the Farringdon Multi-Story (550 spaces). Charges for these two council carparks (as of Aug 2006): Range from 1 hour=60p, up to 7 hours=£6. Slightly cheaper, is the Multi-Storey carpark at Victoria Circus Shopping Centre.
Keep an eye out for the electronic carparking signposts, which display available spaces.

There's a useful page on the Southend Council site with a list of local car parks, and a PDF map.

What do in Southend:

There's a fair amount to keep you busy when you visit Southend-on-Sea. Here are a few suggestions:

Pier: At 1.3 miles, this is the world's longest pleasure pier. Southend's pier runs from the foreshore out into the Thames Estuary, and you can walk or catch a train to the pier head for a great view of Southend. More
Adventure Island: Theme park with various rides, right next to the pier. More
Seafront: The Golden Mile runs along the esplanade - you'll find a whole row of amusement arcades (games, slot machines, bingo, etc). You can walk along the seafront for a few miles in either direction. Go to the East for a long walk to Thorpe Bay and Shoeburyness - this is typically the more quiet route. Go West, towards Chalkwell to see the main beach areas - on your way, you'll pass the Westcliff casino, Rossi's ice-creams, some tea shops (great for dunkers) a row of "under the arches" cafes, the Cliffs Pavilion and will eventually get to Chalkwell railway station (c2c line). There's a cycle track along most of the seafront, from Chalkwell to Shoebury.
Kursaal: Along the seafront, heading East from the pier. Here you'll find the bowling alley, and a casino. McDonalds next door. More
Educational: A number of museums, manor houses, the Sealife Centre and a few heritage places. More
Shopping: A busy High Street with the standard big name stores (list). There are two shopping centres, the older Victoria Circus Shopping Centre (only big name there these days is Argos). The other centre, The Royals, is undercover, more modern, closer to the seafront, and has Boots, TK Maxx and Debenhams.
See our Shopping page for a list of what's on the High Street
Entertainment - There's an eight-screen Odeon cinema at the top of the High Street, and two local theatres

More suggestions on our Southend info page

Places to eat:

This section is obviously pretty subjective, and we'd welcome some suggestions from our visitors. Here are a few suggestions:

Italian: At the top of the High Street, there's Bella Italia (formerly Mamma Amalfi), as well as an Ask and a Pizza Express. Towards the seafront end, just off the High Street there's a rather small, but excellent Italian bar/restaurant, Il Vicolino (Alexandra Road). Down Queens Road (close to WH Smiths), there's also the Il Pescatore.
Indian: Our recommendation is the Gulshan Tandoori, 5 minutes drive from the town centre (266 Sutton Road). Closer to the High Street (off Clifftown Road), there are two Indians next to each other, the traditional Amina, and a South Indian restaurant called Keralam.
Chinese: Joy King, 5 minutes drive from the town centre (128 Hamlet Court Road, Westcliff-On-Sea) - 2 minutes walk from Westcliff station on the c2c line. Also, ten minutes walk East of the Pier, opposite the Sea Life Centre, is the Pearl Dragon.
Fish and Chips: If you're looking for fish and chips with a view of the estuary, head to the seafront, Western Esplanada, and look for Fisherman's Wharf (2 minutes from the pier). Otherwise, there are a number of other smaller eat-in fish and chip shops: Henry Higgins (on the London Road, opposite Sainsburys, 2 minutes from the Odeon). There's also the Seafarer, near HMV. There are also a number of take-aways in the area.
General: For something fairly upmarket in central Southend, try The GlassHouse (on Alexandra Road). You may need to book. For somewhere with atmosphere and a wide menu, there's Frankie and Bennys on Chichester Road (close to Warrior Square car park). There's also a Nandos at the top of the High Street, close to the Odeon. From 11am-9pm, Yates carry a good range of pub food in a nice atmosphere. For a place with a decent view, there's Ocean Beach Cafe/Bar/Bistro on the seafront (5 mins drive east of the Pier), near Liftstan's Way.
Polish: The team recently had a fun night out at the Polanka Polish cafe/bar/restaurant, two minutes walk north of the Kursaal, on Southchurch Avenue.
Coffee shops and cafes: There's a smattering of these throughout the town, mostly on the roads running off the High Street
Fast food: Central Southend has a busy KFC, two McDonalds and a Burger King on the high street. There's another McDonalds on the seafront, next to the Kursaal
Hooters: Cheeky US restaurant chain... coming soon. More
Hamlet Court Road, Westcliff: Thanks to site visitor Jess for the following: "Hamlet Court Road is the restaurant district of Southend, there is a car park close by as well and a wide variety of international restaurants, cafes, pubs and bars. e.g. Greek (the Akropolis, 120 Station Rd, Westcliff), Japanese (Fujiyama, 26 Hamlet Court Rd), Moroccan (Alfa Lay-Lah,157 Hamlet Court Rd), Thai (Thai Nava, 104 Hamlet Court Rd), plus some many Indian restaurants.

Places to drink:

There's a pretty varied range of bars and pubs in the centre of town. Below is a quick summary - bear in mind that the three contributors to this section are in their 30's...

Last Post - On the site of the old Post Office in Clifftown Road, this is a pretty big pub, and it's a fairly standard Wetherspoons - typically a meeting place for folk on their way out for the evening, the place is always full of characters. No music.
The Hogs Head - at the top end of the High Street, close to Pizza Hut and Frankie & Bennys. Pretty mainstream, real ale and satellite TV
O'Neill's - Very close to Southend Central station, and just in front of the college building. Not a bad place, but there's a lack of seating and it's a little smokey.
Yates - Top of the High Street near Bella Italia and the Odeon. Pretty spacious, pub food's OK, and quite pleasant during the day
Varsity Bar - Just off the High Street, close to Nat West, Warrior Square Car Park and Mayhem nightclub. Fairly new, lively, with a young crowd. A popular place in a prime location
Saks - On Clifftown Road, opposite Southend Central station. Music, Football, fairly trendy, with a small basement club
Seymours - Just opposite Mayhem and Varsity. Various themed nights ( Monday: Karaoke, Tuesday: Spanked for Students, Thursday: Comedy. Friday and Saturday are normal club nights). Formerly Chicago Rock.
The Townhouse - Off the high street, opposite HMV. Mainstream and popular
Clarence Yard Bar - Just off the High Street in Clarence Road, laid-back, and dark.
Pipe of Port - Off the High Street in Tylers Avenue. Hidden gem known for its great wine and fab food.
The Shorehouse - About the only kiddie-friendly pub in Southend - Around ten minutes drive east of the pier on the seafront road to Shoebury
Sun Rooms - Loads of character, an alternative quirkly, grunge meeting place, tucked away off Alexandra Road, down from the Inane Cafe
The Inane Cafe - Is it a bar, cafe or club? Small and trendy venue next to Bakers Bar on Alexandra Road.

Clubs:

There's a busy nightlife. The main venues are listed below, but many of the bars listed above also have a club atmosphere in the evenings. Note that the three contributors to this section are in their 30's, and aren't clubbers...

Talk Nightclub - On the way to the seafront, in Lucy Road - probably the most well-known club in South Essex (formerly TOTS). More
Mayhem - New kid on the block, in an excellent central location (just off the High Street, near to Warrior Square Car Park and Southend Central station). More
Storm Nightclub - Catering for the more mature audience, off the High Street, down the street from Starbucks
Bakers Bar - Club and bar on Alexandra Road. Open late, dance music, popular with the locals.

Where to stay

The Westcliff Hotel, with views of the Estuary is five minutes walk from the town. There are a number of bed and breakfasts in the area. In the centre of town, there's a Travelodge near Warrior Square. If you're looking for accommodation in Southend, try Laterooms (for discounted late availability), or search at www.expedia.com.

Other places to visit

Ten minutes drive West of Southend is a little town called Leigh-on-Sea, which has a range of quirkly, non-mainstream shops and cafes - well worth a stroll. For a bit of history, walk down to Old Leigh, the old fishing town.

Anything you'd like to see added? Let us know or ask in our Southend forum