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How to get to the Seven Sisters from London

a large body of water

How to get to the Seven Sisters from London

 

‘No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life’ Dr Johnson.

This may be true, London has so much to offer so many people, yet a chance to escape the city is always a good thing. The last 15 months have been hard on many people, lockdowns, no holiday, not getting to see family and sadly many people have had it a lot harder.

A chance to escape the big city and get out into the beautiful English countryside is a great way to escape the stress of the last year. Here at Brighton & Beyond we offer a great day trip to the Seven Sisters and South Downs but there are other ways of getting out of London to the Seven Sisters.

a group of people on a beach near a body of water

 

Where are the Seven Sisters?

The Seven Sisters are situated on the East Sussex coast a few miles to the east of Brighton. The cliffs occur where the chalk hills of the South Downs National Park meet the English Chanel leaving a 6 mile stretch of undulating white cliffs. The Seven Sisters are just half of the chalk cliffs on this stunning piece of coastline with further white cliffs such as Splash Point in Seaford and Beachy Head close to Eastbourne.

map

 

Public Transport to the Seven Sisters

Trains from London

There are two directions you can reach the Seven Sisters, from Brighton or from Eastbourne. Brighton has the most frequent train service, but Eastbourne is closer to the action. Many people find the shorter and more frequent route to Brighton the best way to get there.

To Brighton

There are two lines into Brighton from London, the Southern from Victoria train station of the Thameslink that travels through London stopping at St Pancras, City Thameslink and London Bridge. Both lines to Brighton take about 1 hour but it is a few pounds cheaper to travel from London Bridge on Thameslink. Trains run every 20 mins during the week and every 30 mins at the weekend.

All prices correct 09/06/21.

Return from London Victoria after peak time: £31.00.

Return from London Bridge: £19.70

To Eastbourne

There is only one line into Eastbourne and that goes from London Victoria train station run by Southern, it is a more expensive route and will take about 90 minutes to get to Eastbourne. There are usually 2 trains an hour most days of the week.

Return from London Victoria after peak time: £36.30.

 

Buses to the Seven Sisters

From Brighton

On arrival at Brighton Station, you need to make your way to the front of the station and find Stop D. From Stop D you will want to take the 12X, operated by Brighton and Hove Buses. The 12 X is the fast service to the Seven Sisters, this will still take one hour to your stop. Once on the bus you have two choices. Firstly, you can go to the Seven Sisters Park Centre and take the 45-minute walk to the beach to see the cliffs or carry on to East Dean and take the 30-minute walk to Birling Gap. Both places have great views, and you can see the cliffs from the beach, or you can walk to the cliff tops.

From April until September there is a Sunday service the 13X, this will take you all the way to Birling Gap and takes 80 minutes, this also departs from Stop D.

A return fare on the bus will cost between £6 and £7 depending on where you want to go.

From Eastbourne

From the front of Eastbourne train station, you can take the same Brighton and Hove buses, the 12X and 13X on their return to Brighton, these will take about 25 minutes to get to their destinations along the Seven Sisters.

From Eastbourne you can also take the excellent hop on, hop off buses run by Seven Sisters Bus & Coach. These buses operate from May to October and there are 16 stops throughout Eastbourne and the Seven Sisters, an adult ticket is £10 and lasts 24 hours. Buses can be found outside the train station.

Our Seven Sisters and South Downs Tour

So, by taking a train from London to see the Seven Sisters will take you about 3 hours each way and you only get to visit one place, plus you will be stuck on crowded public transport the whole way.

Or you can book a seat on our tour. Our guide will meet you at London Bridge train station and escort you to Brighton where your air-conditioned minibus will be waiting for you. Following covid guidelines our tours are limited to 10 people, outside of Covid the maximum on a tour is just 15 people.

a van parked on the side of a road

Your friendly local guide will take you on a day of adventures stopping at 7 places, taking in the best views of the South Downs and Seven Sisters with no more than 25 minutes between stops. Your guide will tell you all about the sights we see and some of the stories and legends of this wonderful place. We will also take you off the beaten path and show you some of the best sights that many visitors never get to see.

At the end of the day, we will drop you at the train station so you can return to London, or you might want to spend some time in Brighton before returning later in the evening.