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The Ypres Tower, Rye's castleDeFacto · CC BY-SA 4.0

What to do · Rye

Rye Castle (Ypres Tower) and its prison

Museum · 45 min · from £5 · 13th-century tower that was a women's prison

InformationFrom £5 adult
From
£5 adult
Duration
45 min
Season
All year, every day from 10:30 to 15:30
Who it's for
All ages; stairs

The Ypres Tower, a 13th-century stone tower built against French attacks, is the oldest thing in Rye. It was a fortress, a courthouse, a jail and a women's prison; today it is a small museum you climb from the inside, with a medieval herb garden and the Gun Garden terrace looking out over the marshes. It opens every day from 10:30 to 15:30 and costs from £5. The town's other museum, on East Street, is closed until spring 2027.

As a familyWith teenagers

Directions See all of Rye

Opening hours and prices can change: check them before you go.

Round off the plan

Where to eat, where to stay and what else to do

To eat nearby

The dining room of The George Grill© The George in RyeCharcoal grill in the High Street inn

The George Grill

Restaurant · Rye · €€€€

What to order: a chargrilled cut of meat to share, or fish from the coast if there is any.

Mermaid Street, the cobbled street where the inn stands© The Mermaid InnPanelled dining room in the smugglers' inn

Mermaid Inn Restaurant

Restaurant · Rye · €€€€

What to order: the bar menu beside the giant fireplace if you want something simple; the restaurant menu or Sunday lunch for an occasion.

To stay nearby

A Deluxe room at The George in Rye© The George in RyeHotel

The George in Rye

High Street · Designer rooms · Grill and bar

Why we like it: High Street inn with designer rooms, from Cosy to large, a charcoal grill and a bar. Public car park three minutes away.

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The Elizabethan Bed Chamber at the Mermaid Inn© The Mermaid InnHotel

The Mermaid Inn

Inn from 1420 · 31 rooms · Parking for guests · Dogs welcome

Dogs welcome

Why we like it: Inn rebuilt in 1420 over cellars from 1156 on Mermaid Street, with 31 beamed rooms and carved beds, a restaurant and parking for guests.

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Useful services

More to do nearby

Itineraries

Features in these plans

The Mermaid Inn on Mermaid Street, in Rye
Day itinerary Rye: cobbles and dunes Rye · 5 stops
From £5 adult
Where to buy tickets
Book

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