Blackpool

Britain's classic working-class seaside resort, with Blackpool Tower, the Pleasure Beach and the autumn Illuminations – the entertainment capital of the Lancashire coast.

Blackpool sits on the Irish Sea coast of Lancashire in northwest England. A working-class seaside resort that boomed with the railways in the 19th century, it still draws millions of visitors a year and is known as Britain's "entertainment capital". The main sights stretch north and south along the Promenade: the central stretch centres on Blackpool Tower, completed in 1894, surrounded by the Tower Ballroom, the Comedy Carpet, North Pier and Central Pier, the Winter Gardens, the Grand Theatre, Madame Tussauds and SEA LIFE, with the so-called Golden Mile packed with amusement arcades and snack stalls; to the south are the Pleasure Beach, Sandcastle Waterpark and South Pier; inland, Stanley Park is home to the zoo and the model village. Most iconic of all are the Illuminations, running roughly from September to early January, when 10 km of the Promenade is lit up all night. To the south lies elegant Lytham St Annes, and to the north the fishing port of Fleetwood, with the seafront tram linking the whole coastline. The best times to visit are summer (Jun–Aug, when the beach and Pleasure Beach are fully open) and during the autumn Illuminations; it's windy by the sea, so bring a windproof jacket whatever the season. Getting there: trains from Manchester take about 1 hr 15 min, and from London Euston about 3 hours with a change at Preston, arriving at Blackpool North; Manchester and Liverpool are the nearest airports. Around town, the seafront tram and buses are the main options, and day tickets are good value. Allow 2 days: one for the Tower and seafront, one for the Pleasure Beach, with evenings spent at the Illuminations. Hotel prices rise sharply at weekends and during school holidays, so book ahead.

Top sights

• Blackpool Tower & Ballroom – A 158-metre tower completed in 1894 and modelled on the Eiffel Tower, with a glass observation deck at the top overlooking the coast and a…
• Blackpool Pleasure Beach – A classic British amusement park opened in 1896, home to the 72-metre-tall Big One roller coaster and several century-old wooden roller coa…
• Blackpool Illuminations – A light display about 10 km long along the seafront, with millions of lights, illuminated sculptures and projections, an autumn tradition d…
• North Pier – Blackpool's oldest pier, completed in 1863, with well-preserved Victorian shelters and a theatre, and the top choice for a seaside stroll.
• Central Pier – An entertainment pier known for its big wheel, with rides, arcades and bars; lively and boisterous.
• South Pier – A thrill-ride pier opposite Pleasure Beach, with fast rides and arcades; the shortest of Blackpool's three piers.
• Winter Gardens – A Victorian entertainment complex opened in 1878, with the richly decorated Empress Ballroom, opera house and Spanish Hall, which regularly…
• Sandcastle Waterpark – One of England's largest indoor waterparks, with 18 slides and a tropical pool kept at about 30°C, so it's fun even on rainy days.
• Stanley Park – A city park opened in 1926 with an Italian garden, an Art Deco lakeside café and a boating lake, once named Britain's best park.
• Blackpool Zoo – A zoo of about 13 hectares with over a thousand animals, including gorillas, Asian elephants, giraffes and lions; ideal for a family half-d…
• Madame Tussauds Blackpool – A waxworks on the seafront featuring British celebrities, sports stars and a Coronation Street set, where you can pose up close with the fi…
• SEA LIFE Blackpool – A seafront aquarium with an underwater tunnel where sharks and turtles swim overhead; great for children.
• Comedy Carpet & Promenade – A giant text artwork of about 2,200 m² in front of the Tower, engraved with jokes from over a thousand comedians, running alongside the lon…
• Blackpool Tramway – Opened in 1885 and one of the world's earliest tram lines, running along the seafront from Starr Gate to Fleetwood, with vintage tram sight…
• Grand Theatre – A Victorian theatre designed in 1894 by theatre architect Frank Matcham, with gold-decorated interiors, still staging musicals and comedy t…
• Showtown – A museum of entertainment history opened in 2024, covering circus, magic, dance halls, illuminations and seaside holiday culture.
• Blackpool Model Village & Gardens – A miniature model village beside Stanley Park, with English countryside, castles and farmsteads scattered along the garden paths.
• Grundy Art Gallery – A municipal art gallery opened in 1911, with Victorian and 20th-century British paintings and contemporary art exhibitions; free admission.
• Lytham Windmill & Lytham Green – An elegant seaside town south of Blackpool, where a white windmill stands on a long seaside green, with cafés and boutiques lining the stre…
• Lytham Hall – A Georgian estate designed by John Carr in the mid-18th century; a Grade I listed building surrounded by extensive woodland and gardens.
• St Annes Pier & Beach – A Victorian pier completed in 1885, backed by a wide golden beach and dunes, and quieter than Blackpool.
• Fleetwood – A fishing port town at the northern end of the seafront tram line, with lighthouses designed by Decimus Burton, the renowned Fleetwood Mark…

Where to eat

• Yorkshire Fisheries – Blackpool's oldest fish and chip shop, offering both eat-in and takeaway service, with many awards.
• The Cottage Fish & Chips – A Marton institution open since 1920, once named by Rick Stein as Blackpool's best fish and chips.
• Michael Wan's Mandarin – A long-established Cantonese restaurant opened in 1961, once named among Europe's best Chinese restaurants and loved by…
• Bentley's Fish and Chips – A family-run fish and chip shop on South Shore, repeatedly named Fish and Chip Shop of the Year, and known for its glut…
• Beach House – A seaside bar-restaurant at the foot of Blackpool Tower, with sea views and British classics alongside Mediterranean fl…