Cleethorpes is the end of the line, and the line ends effectively on the seafront. You get off the train, cross the road, and you are at the beach.
For a day out with young children that is hard to beat: no navigation, no bus, no arguments about how much further it is.
Free things to do in Cleethorpes with children
- The beach and promenade — A long stretch of sand facing the Humber estuary, with a paddling pool area and the pier. Free, and the tide goes out a very long way.
- Cleethorpes Country Park — Boating lake, woodland, play areas and a nature reserve, a short walk inland. Free.
- The Discovery Centre — Free visitor centre on the seafront covering the wildlife of the Humber estuary, with family activities in the holidays.
- Cleethorpes Pier and the seafront gardens — Free to walk, and the sunken gardens are a decent picnic spot out of the wind.
- Seal watching at Donna Nook — Further out and seasonal, but the grey seal colony in late autumn is free to visit and genuinely remarkable.
Worth paying for
Not free, but cheap enough to be worth it, and all reachable without a car:
- Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway — A miniature railway running along the seafront. Cheap fares and short journeys, which suits small attention spans.
- Jungle Zoo — A small seafront zoo with meerkats and marmosets. Low admission, and about an hour's worth.
Getting to Cleethorpes by train
Cleethorpes station is on the promenade. The sea is directly in front of you.
Going by train also means nobody has to find a parking space, and children can move about, look out of the window and eat crisps for the whole journey.
Click here to book train tickets to Cleethorpes
Opening hours, admission prices and booking requirements change, and some attractions close on certain days or for refurbishment. Always check the attraction’s own website before you set off. This page was written in August 2026.
Disclosure: the train ticket link on this page is an affiliate link. If you book through it I may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
