England's south coast has plenty of postcard-worthy spots, but Weymouth keeps winning the plaudits. The Times named its wide, cream-sand bay the UK's best beach in 2023, and Tripadvisor has given it a Travellers' Choice Award two years running. Add a working harbour, Georgian seafront and seriously good seafood, and you have one of the strongest weekend propositions in the southwest.
The town sits on the famous Jurassic Coast, wedged between Exeter and Bournemouth — about three hours by direct train from London Waterloo, under two hours' drive from Exeter and just over an hour from Bournemouth. Weymouth has been a holiday spot since the Georgian era, when George III started bathing in the sea here for his health, effectively inventing the resort. That history shows in the pastel townhouses curving around the bay and in the ruins of Sandsfoot Castle, a Henry VIII-era fort on a grassy cliff with views over the water.
The beach itself is the headline act. The sand is fine and powdery, the water stays shallow close to shore — ideal for young swimmers — and there's enough space that you won't feel packed in. In summer a funfair rolls up, complete with Ferris wheel, trampolines and chair-o-planes. It's an easy, family-friendly stretch of coast rather than a wild one.
If the weather turns, the town centre is a maze of narrow lanes lined with honey-coloured stone buildings and independent shops. Bibi's Boutique on St Alban Street covers clothing and accessories, while Razmatazz across the road is a collectibles shop stacked with Funko Pops, Star Wars figures and Harry Potter plushies.
Then there's the food. Rockfish, a short walk from the shops, does prawn tacos and crispy haddock and chips in rustic wood-panelled surroundings. For something more elevated, Catch at the Old Fish Market runs a seafood tasting menu — tuna with wasabi, sea bass with gazpacho, trout pastrami — and has featured in both the Good Food Guide and the Michelin Guide. Places to stay range from the family-run Bay View Hotel on the seafront to Gloucester House, an upscale B&B in a Georgian townhouse with sea-view balconies.
Weymouth also works well as a base. Chesil Beach, the famous 18-mile shingle spit, is 20 minutes by car; Bridport, with its pubs and food scene, is about 40 minutes away. Who is it for? Families wanting a safe, sandy beach with amusements on the doorstep, couples after good seafood and Georgian charm, and Londoners who want the seaside without a flight. It's a proper old-school English resort that has quietly kept its standards up.
