Here's where Blackpool came in a new Time Out guide to UK's best seaside destinations

Blackpool is rated among the top seaside destinations to visit this year in a new guide.

The resort is in 12th place in the Time Out Top UK Seaside Towns To Visit in 2026, for which the leisure website has assembled its UK travel experts to pick out the country’s most exciting seaside, port, harbour and resort destinations.

The top three in the ratings are Saundersfoot, Pembrokeshire in top spot, followed Hastings and St Leonard’s in East Sussex and South Sea, Hampshire.

Blackpool is the only one in the list from the North West and is rated just behind Brighton, East Sussex in 11th place.

Of Blackpool, Time Out says:

What’s the vibe? Big thrills, big lights, big fun

Why go? There’s no way you can be bored in Britain’s largest seaside resort. In Blackpool Tower alone, visitors can gawp at a circus show, indulge in afternoon tea, head to the very top for panoramic views or go underground to learn about the town’s gruesome histories. Blackpool’s iconic Pleasure Beach turns 130 this year and (on top of its 125 existing rides) is getting a colossal new gyro swing ride, which will be the tallest of its kind in the UK. There will also be a lovely new Alice in Wonderland-themed ice show arriving in the summer. Just beyond the theme park, Showtown (the UK’s first ever circus museum) takes you on an all-singing, all-dancing journey through the history of British seaside entertainment. Next door is Coral Island, a free attraction full of even more amusements. Sure, it sounds like sensory overload, but it’s a whole lot of fun. For fuel, take your pick from the six indie food vendors at Abingdon Street Market in the town centre.

Don’t miss: Blackpool’s brimming calendar of events, from Pride in June to the Illuminations starting in September to the World Fireworks Championships in October.

The full survey is at: www.timeout.com/uk/things-to-do/best-uk-seaside-towns-to-visit-2026