Aldeburgh is an attractive town on the east coast of England, which hosts the Aldeburgh Festival, a major classical music festival, each summer.

Aldeburgh is an ideal base for a short break on the Suffolk coast.

In fine weather a walk up the coast towards Thorpeness on the shingle beach offers great views of the Suffolk marshes with wonderful birdlife, while the town itself has a number of interesting attractions and activities in a lovely setting.

Aldeburgh Festival and Benjamin Britten

Aldeburgh Music offers a year round programme of arts events, with a focus on classical music and dance, the highlight of which is the Aldeburgh Festival. Concerts are held in Aldeburgh itself or at the Snape Maltings Concert Hall, in its fabulous remote setting in the Suffolk countryside at the head of the Alde river, 6 miles inland from Aldeburgh.

British Composer Benjamin Britten is closely associated with Suffolk, and in particular with Aldeburgh. He was among the group that established the Aldeburgh Festival in 1948. He is buried in Aldebugh churchyard with his musical collaborator and partner the singer Peter Pears.

Moot Hall

The Moot Hall is a fine Tudor building of brick, flint and timber, which houses the Aldeburgh Museum. The museum explains the history of Aldeburgh, from its probable Roman beginnings through to its rise to popularity as a seaside resort in the 19th century.

Aldeburgh was a much bigger town in medieval times; much of it has since been lost to the sea due to coast erosion. The position of the Moot Hall is a graphic illustration of this change; when first built in around 1500 it lay in the town centre whereas it is now on the Aldeburgh seafront.

Lifeboat Station

The voluntary RNLI Lifeboat Station on Aldeburgh beach is normally open to visitors from 10am to 4pm. Visit the station website for further details of the courageous work of the lifeboat crews.

Thorpeness

Thorpeness is a curious but appealing holiday village two miles north of Aldeburgh. Thorpeness was built in 1910 by Scottish landowner and playwright G. Stuart Ogilvie as a model holiday village. Pleasure boats may be rented on the artificial lake, Thorpeness Meare, and the “House in the Clouds”, originally a water tower, is now a genuinely habitable home. Many of the tudor style houses in the village are available for rental.

Further information

The Aldeburgh tourist information office on the High Street offers advice on nearby places to visit, accommodation and places to eat.

Suffolk Coast

The Suffolk Coast offers a range of interesting places to visit. Felixtowe in the south is a cheerful traditional seaside resort, Southwold is another elegant seaside resort, complete with its own local beer and a fine pier.

Minsmere RSPB Bird Reserve makes an entertaining day out for the whole family.

Access to Aldeburgh

The town is a favourite with people visiting from London as it is only 2 ½ hours by car from the city. The nearest railway station is at Saxmundham, about eight miles from Southwold. The Travel Line offers practical information on train and bus services to Aldeburgh.