Best places to visit in Suffolk this winter

The crowds have gone, the days have drawn in, the weather’s a little chillier, but there’s still something magical about Suffolk… especially if you’re on the hunt for unique festive gifts with a bit of history thrown in.

Bury St Edmunds

The jewel in Suffolk’s destination crown, Bury St Edmunds is dog-friendly and listed as one of Britain's top 20 foodie hot spots by The Telegraph. This is Suffolk's Foodie Capital. It’s also one of the most dog-friendly towns in the country.

While away a day under the Christmas lights exploring the 200 stores that line picturesque medieval streets and elegant Georgian squares, with lots of independent shops offering unique festive gifts alongside High Street brands.

Discover Christmas shows, award-winning pantomime, the last Regency theatre in the country, meet and greets with Santa, Christmas light trails, and festive markets.

Oh, and if you really to get under the skin of the town, then take a tour with the Bury St Edmunds guides that will take in the Abbey Gardens and St Edmundsbury Cathedral.

Where to stay: The Angel Hotel, Top Deck @ The Cabin

Walberswick and Dunwich

If you’re after ruggedness with a chilling North Sea breeze, this is for you. Park up at Walberswick and take a walk along the sandy beach and then across boardwalks through the marshes to Dunwich.

Once one of the busiest and biggest ports in medieval England, two storms sank the town into the depths of Sole Bay and all that now remains is a single street, ruins of an abbey and shingle beach.

Back in Walberswick watch the families trying to catch crabs at Wally’s Bridge before perusing the shops around the village green. Have a meal or drink at The Anchor.

Where to stay: The Anchor at Walberswick, The Westleton Crown, The Swan Hotel, The Bay Hotel.

Ickworth

Set in more than 1800 acres of parkland and gardens, with an all-weather path to enjoy them from, Ickworth is the place for tranquil strolls and bike rides.

To warm up, head into one of the cafes for a hot chocolate and then into the Rotunda to see Ickworth's array of treasures. Being a National Trust property, the shop will give you lots of Christmas gift inspiration.

And for the festive period, the house and gardens will come alive with trails and shows, and there’ll be themes of travel, traditions and storytelling with colourful wintry scenes from across the Continent.

Where to stay: The Ickworth Hotel, The Angel.

Snape Maltings

There’ll be Christmas festivities aplenty at Snape Maltings where you can indulge in serious retail therapy in a wide range of independent shops including house and garden, homeware, clothing, ceramics, arts and crafts and Suffolk food and drink.

Have snacks or a meal in the restaurants or pub to fortify you before you explore the fabulous nearby natural landscapes, including a circular loop through Snape Warren and a wonderful riverside walk to Iken Church.  For a longer walk, take the Sailors’ Path from Snape to Aldeburgh.

Where to stay: Snape accommodation, The Bell Hotel at Saxmundham, Mollett's Farm.

Wool Towns and Gainsborough’s House

Taking in some of the most beautiful scenery of Suffolk, enjoy a tour that includes Kersey, Long Melford, Clare, Cavendish with its ‘Suffolk Pink’ cottages and the piece de resistance, Lavenham where you can stop for Christmas shopping in exquisite independent shops and maybe pop in for lunch or a cream tea at The Swan.

If you’re on this route, don’t miss Gainsborough’s House in Sudbury, birthplace of the renowned British painter and home for many of his oil paintings, works on paper and artefacts, as well as housing a new exhibition space.

Where to stay: The Mill, The Black Lion, Cavendish Hall, The Swan at Lavenham.

Plan your stay in Suffolk's Wool Towns

Southwold

It may look as if it was set in aspic in 1953, but the picturesque seaside town of Southwold is a vibrant place to spend a day, with fabulous independent shops, cafes and delis on the High Street. While you’re here you can take a tour of Adnams’ Brewery and Distillery, or the iconic Lighthouse, and you must head along the Victorian pier and enjoy the very quirky amusements in the Under The Pier show.

Head down to Blackshore Harbour where you can take a ferry row boat to picturesque Walberswick (there’s also a bridge further downriver), enjoy refreshments in the cafes or pub, and definitely buy some fabulous shellfish or seafood for supper.

Where to stay: The Anchor at Walberswick, The Westleton Crown, The Swan Hotel, The Bay Hotel.

Ipswich

Ipswich will put on its glad rags for the festive season with Christmas lights across the town and Christmas trees on the Waterfront and in the Cornhill.

While in the town look out for the 15th century Ancient House and its decorative pargeting, look out for statues of Cardinal Wolsey and Carl Giles' beloved Grandma, and stretch your legs in Christchurch Park and head into the Tudor mansion to see the biggest collection of Thomas Gainsborough and John Constable paintings outside London.

Depending on tastes, visit the nearby Suffolk Food Hall overlooking the Orwell River and bridge, or go to Jimmy’s Wildlife Park and Farm, which has a superb range of exotic animals, not least a group of polar bears in 14 acres of tundra.

Where to stay: Salthouse Harbour, Freston Tower, Milsoms Kesgrave Hall.

Framlingham

One of the loveliest market towns in Suffolk, Framlingham has a wide range of independent shops focused around the marketplace itself. It’s a great place to mooch around for a while, maybe have refreshments in one of the cafes, restaurants and pubs. Tuesdays and Saturdays are the days to visit for the actual market.

Of course, the highlight here is the imposing English Heritage Framlingham Castle, surrounded by parkland and a picturesque mere. Summon up your courage and take the spectacular wall walk to admire stunning views of the town and countryside before exploring the centuries of history of this superb construction in the interactive exhibition.

Where to stay: Mirror Houses at Pound Farm, Wilderness Reserve, New Inn.

Woodbridge and Sutton Hoo

Woodbridge isn’t just a pretty riverside market town, it also has one of the most vibrant pedestrianised High Streets in the county with lots of interesting stores and independent shops and a number of great cafes and pubs. Make sure you visit the Tide Mill Museum by the River Deben or take a cruise on the river.

Head off to National Trust Sutton Hoo to explore the inspiration for the Netflix film The Dig that starred Carey Mulligan, Ralph Fiennes and Lily James, telling the true story of amateur archaeologist Basil Brown who uncovered the amazing burial ship and treasure of Anglo Saxon King Raedwald.

The treasure is now in London but there’s lots to see here about Anglo Saxon life, scale the observation tower to get views of the whole burial site and walk the parkland to get a sight of the Deben and Woodbridge way below you.

Where to stay: The Crown at Woodbridge, Seckford Hall, Ufford Park, Partridge Lodge.

Aldeburgh and Thorpeness

There’s lots of independent shopping to be done on Aldeburgh High Street but, let’s face it, it’s the fish and chips you’ve come for. Buy them on the main thoroughfare and then take a walk along the picturesque seafront, find a spot to sit and tuck in.

Also alongside the shingle beach, you can discover the Martello Tower from the Napoleonic Wars, the Aldeburgh Museum at the Moot Hall, Benjamin Britten’s Red House, Maggi Hambling’s Scallop installation and peruse the seafood and shellfish that the fishermen have brought in.

You can’t be in this neck of the woods without visiting Thorpeness, the vision of architect, playwright and lawyer Glencairn Stuart Ogilvie who built a fairy tale holiday village of part timber framed mock Tudor and Jacobean houses around a 3-foot deep, 64-acre artificial lake called The Meare.

Where to stay: The White Lion, The Brudenell, Thorpeness Golf Club and Hotel, Five Acre Barn, Martello Tower.

How Peter Pan inspired Suffolk's unique Thorpeness