I used to live there! I was very sad to leave but circumstances dictated. I now live in Evesham in Worcestershire. Lewes was a fantastic place to live. The pubs in particular were excellent. For a really true pub choose the Gardener's Arms in Cliffe High Street. If you want good value food with good real ale , you could do no better than the Brewer's Arms in the main High Street. It has 8 entries in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide which for a town it's size may be a record and they are all justified. If there's anything you need that can't be found in Lewes it has easy access to Brighton by bus or train.

If you can find the right place to stay (which we didn't manage to do), it is a really good idea to stay in Lewes when attending Glyndebourne. The village is charming and has many points of interest. I enjoyed just strolling around the morning before the performance. Near the Castle grounds, I passed by a lawn with a gorgeous herbaceous border where older men were playing a game of boule. There is also a charming pond with a walking path around it. There were many ducks, children, and other locals strolling around. I stopped by the church of St. John's sub Castro, but when two people came out, I hurried away. The vicar later noticed me ambling around and very kindly asked me if I needed help and told me I could walk through the church grave yard where there was a memorial to Russian soldiers. I found that fascinating when I went, but most of all I was impressed by how kind and thoughtful the vicar was. The people in general were very friendly. An older men joked with us when he saw us walk by in black-tie dress, which made me feel like one of the locals. It is a charming place where you can prepare for the opera in peace--again provided that you can find the right place to stay.

Lewes is a fantastic town full of interesting buildings, great history and a strong and vibrant art and craft community. The fact I managed to pick up a guitar for £30 in the Flea Market was an extra bonus. The food at the Pelham Arms at lunch time on Saturday was utterly wonderful, and the beer tasty and well kept. The Con Club was a fantastic location to play and the sound engineer Finn was helpful and accommodating. It's a great place to just have a mooch around wandering down side streets and exploring book shops and antique places too.

Worked in Lewes for about 10 months so familiar with the place, came back with group of friends for the Bonfire Celebrations which was fantastic. Lewes on a normal visit is a charming town with good pubs and food as well as some brilliant walks & sightseeing opportunities. place is bursting with Character and History, can be hilly so will need to be a good on feet. On Bonfire night town is manic as tens of thousands of people flock for the celebrations. it's organised well by the bonfire Societies, stayed in the local YHA which was really good value and clean.

Lovely small town, good shops, cafes, restaurants etc. The castle and museum are well worth a visit. It's a 10-minute walk to Anne of Cleeve's house, again very interesting. Also nice to stroll back through the little park. Brighton is only a few miles away. We ate at 'Famiglia Lazzati' and had delicious pizza and chicken pasta. Tip: leave room for dessert - the homemade butterscotch sauce with ice cream is amazing!

I suggest that any visitor takes time to explore. Many little alleyways and independent interesting stores. Getting around - we walked. We parked at the hotel - and certainly did not want to lose our space! Loved the small coffee shops. Flint Owl Bakery and The Cafe at The Old Needlemakers. We would have loved to spend another couple of nights in Lewes.