Burgh Castle (c) Great Yarmouth Tourist Authority

Greater Yarmouth

Great Yarmouth is the capital of fun with its pleasure beach, amusement arcades and summer shows. If you are looking for the ultimate family holiday, packed full of thrills, spills and lots of fun then you will definitely find it in Great Yarmouth. But the Greater Yarmouth area also has wonderful countryside and wildlife to enjoy and a fascinating history which visitors can discover as they explore the town and surrounding villages.

Summer evening fun on Great Yarmouth seafront (c) Great Yarmouth Tourist Authority / Kerion Tovell

Family fun in Great Yarmouth

Great Yarmouth, and the surrounding area, has a host of family attractions on offer including the Sea Life Centre, Caister Castle Car Collection, greyhound racing at Yarmouth Stadium and Pettitts Animal Adventure Park to name but a few.

Great Yarmouth's golden mile is a paradise for people who enjoy seaside entertainment at its best. Amusement arcades line the promenade and there are rides and attractions for children of all ages along the seafront. You can play crazy golf, ride on the giant snails at Joyland, float away on the Venetian waterways and then head along the seafront to the Pleasure Beach. One of the best fun fairs in the UK, with its variety of family rides and scary rollercoasters the Pleasure Beach is sure to leave you spinning.

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Time and Tide museum in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk (c) Time and Tide Museum

Historic Great Yarmouth

Great Yarmouth has a rich and proud maritime heritage and its prosperous herring fishery made it one of the wealthiest towns in Britain in years gone by. As a result, there are lots of beautiful, ancient buildings to see in the town centre and around the Historic South Quay.

Along the recently restored South Quay visitors can enjoy the riverside walk and tree lined avenue. For a real insight into Great Yarmouth's past there is a great selection of museums and period properties to explore including Time & Tide Museum and the Tolhouse Museum.

The Nelson Museum features displays, paintings and memorabilia relating to the life and times of Horatio Lord Nelson, one of Norfolk's greatest heroes.

There is a choice of heritage walks around Great Yarmouth which take in some of the main historical sites.

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Hemsby Beach (c) Great Yarmouth Tourist Authority / Ian Aitken

Greater Yarmouth beaches

There are over 15 miles of sandy beaches within the Greater Yarmouth area, from Winterton-on-Sea in the north to Hopton-on-Sea in the south. It's all part of a great coastline offering an attractive blend of wide sandy beaches, sand dunes and cliffs.

The length of the sandy beach at Great Yarmouth means that you can always find a secluded spot or join the masses of other holidaymakers at the centre of the holiday action. Much of the beach at Great Yarmouth is patrolled by trained beachguards so you can relax in the knowledge that someone is looking out for you, and there are also beach wheelchairs available from Great Yarmouth TIC, which means that all the family can join in the fun. Hemsby beach is also a popular spot due to its wide sandy beach and dunes, and has plenty of amenities and shops within easy reach.

From Great Yarmouth beach, take a boat trip to Scroby Sands where you can come face to face with the seals who bask on the sand bank.

Berney Arms Drainage Mill (c) Rädar / John Wray -http://www.flickr.com/photos/radar666/

The Greater Yarmouth countryside

There's plenty of opportunities for exploring the countryside around Great Yarmouth. Take the Wherry Line train out to Berney Arms halt station - see the Berney Arms windmill, and enjoy a pint at the pub there, only accessible by foot, train or water. Enjoy a walk back to Yarmouth on the Wherryman's Way alongside Breydon Water, or visit RSPB Berney Marshes and keep your binoculars at hand for lapwings and wintering waders.

Explore the area on boat, on the rivers Bure, Yare and Waveney and the magical waterland of the Norfolk Broads.