Looking for suggestions in Norfolk

Oh, you’ll have a great time! Lovely area.

I’m a big fan of the North Norfolk coast, so you could look at somewhere like Wells-next-the-Sea, or Blakeney or a little inland the very nice and well-heeled town of Holt.

The coast is gorgeous - lovely sandy beaches and great birdwatching and seal life. Also lots of excellent big houses nearby, like Blickling and Holkham Hall.

But I’m sure others will have their favourites in Norfolk. Are you looking for a village or a bigger place? Near the sea? Maybe you want to see the Norfolk Broads, in which case you’ll need to be a bit further south.

The city of Norwich itself is also a good choice - so historic and interesting, and not too big.

Woodbridge is a very nice choice for Suffolk, by the way. Make sure to go to Sutton Hoo!

Lonely Planet's prestigious 'Best in Travel' has East Anglia as a top place to visit for 2025. You will not feel "out of place" in East Anglia. Mildenhall and Lakenheath are still active American Military bases. Woodbridge and Bentwaters closed in the 1990s. While you won't necessarily encounter too many other Americans, older folk will not be surprised to see Americans in town.

Aldeburgh and Southwold are very popular and are quite upscale these days. Lovely shingle beaches, quaint high streets, and great fish and chips. Just know if the sun is out, they get busy fast and parking will be an issue. More inland, Lavenham is a great medieval town to explore but if you are heading more towards Norfolk, this may be a little out of your way. The Norfolk Broads are great and you can always rent a boat or take a cruise starting at Wroxham (Gateway to the Broads). I have not explored Norfolk further, so will let others comment on a good base for accommodation.

Just curious, I assume you are flying into London Heathrow. Do you plan on renting a car at Heathrow or somewhere else? I might suggest you pick up a car a little closer by either taking a train to Ipswich or Woodbridge to start your driving adventure.

Driving on the left is not difficult. You just have to be attentive at all times as roads are busy. Having a car is certainly the best way to see the area.

Thank you both for responding! Golden Girl, we ideally would like to stay at a smallish town and by or close to the sea. We will absolutely go to Sutton Hoo especially since we are fans of Detectorists.

mpaulynsettle, I would never dare driving from London the very first time I will be behind the wheel in UK. We are planning to rent a car at Ipswich as you suggested (I don’t think its possible to rent automatic in Woodbridge itself).

How about Sheringham as a Norfolk base? It looks quite nice, even though seems to get way less American tourists compared to a place like Wells (just going by hotel reviews).

Sheringham is nice. It’s a bit more of a traditional seaside resort than the other places I mentioned, but it has a lot of charm and it’s attractive and well-located too.

Some of the Norfolk seaside resorts - well, Great Yarmouth particularly - have sadly become somewhat rundown (although I’m very fond of it). But Sheringham retains a lot of charm.

Incidentally I always see Norfolk as a holiday cottage kind of place rather than hotels, and have always stayed there that way, so I can’t recommend any particular hotels.

Holt would fit the bill.

The North Norfolk coast is one of my favourite places to visit. We always stay at the Victoria at Holkham, it’s not a full service hotel but has very comfortable accommodations and a lovely restaurant. The accommodation is split between the main building and the Ancient House, dogs are not allowed in the Ancient House but the main building is very dog friendly, including in the restaurant.

We have found the driving to be less stressful than in eg Cornwall and there is an excellent bus service along the coast from Hunstanton to Cromer.

Off the top of my head places we have visited: Sandringham, Binham Abbey, Fellbrigg, Holt to Sheringham steam train, Holkham Hall and park, Walsingham via the miniature train, the walk from Holkham to Wells Next the Sea along the beach is stunning.

You will love East Anglia and it makes a change for someone to be heading there wrather than the ubiquitous Cortswolds! You are spoilt for choice for places to stay - Holt is delightful and unspoilt and makes an excellent base but isn't on the coast. Sherringham is still an old fashioned sea side town and has a lot going for it too. (It is a firm favourite with the family and grandsons). Then there's Wells next the Sea or Cley. These are both popular with bird watchers with their large areas of salt marsh. .

You might be interested in the young adult novels by Arthur Ransome, particularly Coot Club, Secret Water, and We Didn't Mean To Go To Sea. They are set in the area, and are very detailed.

We are going to Norwich for a few weeks this May-June and have received some excellent suggestions on the forum for which I’ll include the link. Enjoy the planning.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england/2025-may-june-with-a-norwich-base

we really enjoyed staying up the stairs at the Bucks Arms on the estate of Blickling Hall. Fab breakfast, lovely folk, excellent room, fabulous views.

Blickling Hall is National Trust but you are outside the paid area of the estate. Have a look in Blickling's library.

The Bucks Arms is the local name for the inn, Buckinghamshire Arms. Loved it.

https://www.bucksarms.co.uk/

Thank you for great suggestions everyone! Based on the comments, including regarding the new trains, we are actually now leaning towards making Norwich our base.

Norwich is a good choice. There's lots to do and see in the city itself. There is a town trail to follow and do go and find the cobbled Elm Hill still lined with the original medieval buildings. It is a good base for the surrounding area too. Sandringham where the Royal family spend Christmas isn't far away and makes a good day out. Go for a cruise on the Norfolk Broads. There are several preserved railways to visit too. The North Norfolk Line with its steam trains is a family favourite. There are ruined castles as well as stately homes and lots of small villages to find.

I found Walsingham fascinating. Once Englands main place of pilgrimage, it became something of a backwater after the monasteries were dissolved. The remains of the abbey and its church show just how big it was in its heyday

Now many churches are represented there. I found the Russian Orthodox Church in the waiting room of the old railway station very interesting.

Norwich is a very nice choice. An extremely appealing and historic small city with a good quality of life. The market stalls right in the city centre are fantastic for street food and the like.

Jarrold’s in the city centre is one of the few remaining - and one of the very best - independent family-owned department stores in Britain (oh, I hope it’s still family-owned - I’ll be ever so upset if it’s been bought out.)

If you’re interested in history, C J Sansom’s Tombland is a great historical crime novel set in Norwich.

And for a fun series of cosy crime novels set all over Norfolk, Elly Griffiths’ Ruth Galloway books make perfect East Anglian holiday reading.

In Norwich I liked the Sainsbury Centre, an art museum on the university campus but accessible by bus from the center of town, and the South Asia Collection (downtown). The latter is a combination museum and shop with a lot of appealing decorative arts from India (and probably neighboring countries as well).

Ely and Bury St. Edmunds are among the attractive towns visitable from Norwich. A day trip would be fine for either one. Cambridge is about 90 minutes away by car (that may not take traffic into account) and somewhat faster by train, but it's deserving of more time than a day trip would offer.

As you can tell, a lot of us British contributors are really thrilled that you’ve chosen such a lovely area (and one that isn’t the Cotswolds).

Greatly appreciate all the recs from British (and non-British) contributors! What parts of Norwich would be a good place to stay? I know the very center is an obvious choice but we generally prefer more residential areas.

Golden Girl, during our first trip to England we've been on a bus tour of Cotswolds from Bath and while i agree that the area is quite beautiful, we are more interested in seeing new places now rather than going to where we've been (albeit briefly). And of course Cotswolds is so touristy. The second trip we've stayed in Yorkshire (Harrogate) plus Edinburgh. We intend to visit all the main regions one at a time lol.

What parts of Norwich would be a good place to stay? I know the very center is an obvious choice but we generally prefer more residential areas.

Norwich is a small city with a very pretty centre and lots of little streets where people live. It’s not one of those hollowed-out urban places, so the whole city is residential. I’d be looking to stay in or near the centre myself, but as you’re driving you will need to check if there’s parking as of course it’s a mediaeval city plan!

I worked there a fair bit and always stayed in a very nice Premier Inn in Duke Street near the city centre (a shame my company budget didn’t stretch to a pretty historic hotel) but also a short stroll from a multi-storey car park, which was very handy. I remember it being easily walkable to the city centre but also there were nice streets of restaurants and homes in the other direction too.