The Ultimate Guide to Visiting Arundel, Arundel, England

We spent a weekend here and found the place to be exactly what a short UK escape should be: compact enough to see on foot, with proper local cafés, independent shops and a castle whose gardens make a perfect picnic spot.

In this guide we’ll tell you how to plan a day trip (or a relaxed overnight), where to eat, the best short walks into the South Downs, and a few timings so you don’t waste the afternoon queueing at the castle gates.

Arundel is the perfect day trip from London, however consider staying over a night or two so that you can see more of it and the beautiful countryside around it. We stayed Friday afternoon to Sunday evening, and thought it was the perfect length. If we had an extra day, we would have spent more time in the South Downs, so there’s plenty to see and do.

Arundel is a small town and you’ll probably stay in the centre. There’s a few hotels (think pub hotels, rather than chains) which are quaint and historical. Airbnb is also an option.

The quickest public-transport option from central London is by train. The journey from London Victoria to Arundel station takes around 1 hour and 30 minutes, with regular direct trains available from London Victoria station. Arundel train station is a 10-minute walk into the town. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).