Rye, a medieval port that lost its sea.

Rye is a medieval town on a Sussex hill that was a port of the Cinque Ports, the league of harbours that defended the coast against France. The sea withdrew and left it stranded above the marshes, three kilometres from the coast, with its wall, its cobbled streets and its almost intact timber-framed houses. It is small, can be covered in a morning and has next door something rare in the south-east of England: a sandy beach with dunes, Camber Sands.

How do you get there from London?

By train, with one change. From London St Pancras, Southeastern's high-speed service reaches Ashford International in about 38 minutes; from there the Marshlink line train leaves and reaches Rye in about 20. In total, a little over an hour if the connection fits. The station is five minutes from the citadel.

By car, about two hours from central London on the M25, M26 and M20 to junction 10, and then across Romney Marsh on the A2070 and A259. There is almost no parking inside the citadel: use the Cattle Market car park, three minutes from the High Street.

What to see

The citadel on foot. Start on Mermaid Street, the most photographed cobbled street, with the Mermaid Inn, rebuilt in 1420 over cellars from 1156 and a haunt of smugglers in the 18th century. Climb up to the church of St Mary, whose clock, from 1561, lets the pendulum hang inside the nave; you can climb its tower and it has the best view of the rooftops. Continue to the Ypres Tower, Rye's castle, a 13th-century tower that was a fortress, a courthouse and a women's prison, and finish on the High Street and the Landgate gate.

The coast. Five kilometres away is Camber Sands, more than three kilometres of sand and the only dune system in East Sussex, with lifeguards from May to September. Between the town and the sea, the Rye Harbour nature reserve has flat paths over shingle and lagoons, five bird hides and a visitor centre with a café, free and always open.

A day or a night?

In a day you see the citadel in the morning and the beach or the reserve in the afternoon. With a night, you sleep at the smugglers' inn or at The George, dine on food from the grill and stroll the empty streets, which is when Rye looks most like itself. With a car, Rye combines well with Bodiam Castle or the cliffs of Dover.

When to go

From April to October, for the beach and the birds of the reserve. In summer Camber is packed at weekends and you need to go early to park. In winter the town has a different calm: the castle opens every day and there are migratory birds on the marshes. In November the Guy Fawkes night is celebrated with big crowds: some venues open only to customers.

How much does it cost?

The citadel, the beach and the reserve are free. Rye Castle costs from £5, and St Mary's tower, a small amount. A meal at one of the two inns, £25 to £50 per person. Sleeping at the Mermaid Inn or The George is expensive at weekends; midweek it comes down.