Brighton to Seven Sisters: how to get there by bus and train
There is no station at the cliffs, so the way you leave Brighton decides how easy your day is. Here is what actually works.
Written with Oliver Bennett, Brighton bus tour guide & local sightseeing specialist
Short answer
The simplest way from Brighton to Seven Sisters is the direct Coaster 12 or 12X bus to Exceat, about an hour, for a single of roughly £3 or a day ticket around £6. There is no railway station at the cliffs, so the train means changing to a bus or walking at the far end, which is why most people just take the bus.
Most people overthink this trip before they take it. They picture a car, a coach tour or a complicated rail journey to reach one of the most famous stretches of coast in England, when the real answer is a single bus that runs along the seafront all day. The one thing worth getting right is how you leave Brighton, because there is no station at the cliffs and the options are not equal. Here is each way laid out honestly, with the times, the fares, and the stop you actually want.
How do you get from Brighton to Seven Sisters?
The direct way is the Coaster 12 or 12X bus, which runs from central Brighton along the coast to Exceat, the stop for Seven Sisters Country Park, in about an hour. There is no railway station at the cliffs themselves, so any train route means finishing the journey by bus or on foot. For most visitors the direct bus is cheapest, simplest and needs no planning.
The Seven Sisters are a run of white chalk cliffs above the Cuckmere estuary, sitting between Seaford and Eastbourne on the Sussex coast. The country park that fronts them has a visitor centre at Exceat right on the main road, which is exactly where the bus drops you. Because there is no station and no car park at the cliff edge, the choice really comes down to the direct coastal bus versus a train that hands you off to a bus or a walk anyway. This page is about getting there. For the walk down to the beach, the viewpoints and what the day is like once you arrive, our full Seven Sisters from Brighton guide covers the ground in detail.
Which bus goes from Brighton to Seven Sisters?
The Coaster 12 and 12X, run by Brighton & Hove Buses, run all day from central Brighton through Rottingdean, Newhaven and Seaford to Exceat, then on to Eastbourne. The ride to Exceat takes roughly an hour. It is a regular service bus, so you turn up and pay rather than booking, and the day ticket lets you break the journey along the coast.
This is the route almost everyone uses, and for good reason. Drivers work it all day, so you are never depending on a single timed departure the way you would with a coach tour. You board in the centre of Brighton, run east along the seafront, and step off at a country park an hour later. The 12X is a faster limited-stop version of the same line at busy times. Live times and the full stop list sit on the operator's Coaster 12 service page, worth a glance before you leave because departures shift by season and day of the week.
A real bonus of the bus is the coast it runs along. With a day ticket you can stop at Rottingdean for the windmill, or at Seaford for the headland view, and still reach the cliffs on one flat fare. The country park's own visitor pages map the trails from the Exceat stop.
Can you get from Brighton to Seven Sisters by train?
Not directly. No station sits at the Seven Sisters, so the train only gets you partway. You can take a train east to Seaford, usually changing at Lewes, then either ride the Coaster 12 a few stops to Exceat or walk over Seaford Head for the classic cliff view. Trains to Eastbourne work the same way, with a Coaster bus back to Exceat. Check National Rail for live times, since rail figures shift.
The train is worth considering only in a few cases: if you are already on a rail line, if the buses are disrupted, or if you fancy the higher Seaford Head route to the cliffs. Otherwise it adds a change and a connection for no real saving. From Seaford station the walk over the headland to the Cuckmere and the postcard viewpoint takes a good hour, exposed and hilly, so it suits walkers rather than families with a pushchair. If you would rather not walk it, the same Coaster 12 links Seaford to Exceat, so the train just drops you into the bus route further along. Because rail times and fares change, confirm them on the day rather than trusting a schedule.
Option
Roughly how long
Notes
Coaster 12 / 12X bus (direct)
About an hour to Exceat
Cheapest and simplest; runs all day; often open-top in summer
Train to Seaford, then bus or walk
Longer, with a change
Train usually changes at Lewes; walk over Seaford Head is about an hour, exposed
Train to Eastbourne, then Coaster back
Longer, with a change
Only handy if you are already heading that way by rail
Drive
40 to 55 minutes
Pay-and-display car park at Exceat fills early on sunny weekends
How much does it cost and how long does it take?
By bus, a single fare is around £3 and a day citySAVER is roughly £6 by app or contactless tap and £6.80 in cash, with the ride to Exceat taking about an hour. The day ticket is the sensible buy, because it also covers stops along the coast and your buses back around town. Train fares vary and are usually higher once you add the connecting bus, so check them live.
The bus keeps the sums simple. Tap a card or buy the day ticket in the app, and the daily cap does the rest. A single makes sense only if you are heading straight out and back with no stops, which is rare on a coast this pretty. Train fares vary with the day, the time and the connecting bus, so confirm them on National Rail rather than trusting a guessed figure.
Ticket
Rough price
Best for
Coaster single
Around £3
Straight out and back, no stops
Day citySAVER (app or tap)
Roughly £6
Breaking the coast at Rottingdean or Seaford, plus buses in town
Day citySAVER (cash)
Around £6.80
If you are not using the app or a card
Train and connecting bus
Varies, check live
Only if you are already on a rail line
Where exactly do you get off the bus?
Get off at Exceat, the stop by the Seven Sisters Country Park visitor centre, where the A259 crosses the Cuckmere River, about an hour out of Brighton. It is one stop before Friston Forest, and Seaford is the town just before it. If you reach Eastbourne, you have gone too far and should ride back a few stops.
Exceat, said "ex-eat", catches people out because the name gives nothing away and the cliffs are not visible from the road. You step down beside a café and a cluster of park buildings, not a grand gateway, and the level walk to the beach and the classic view starts from there. Tell the driver you want Seven Sisters or Exceat if you are unsure, and watch for Seaford as your cue that the stop is next. The walk itself, the viewpoints and the beach are all covered in the Seven Sisters from Brighton guide, so this page can stay on the getting-there.
Best route
Coaster 12 / 12X bus, central Brighton to Exceat
Journey time
About an hour direct by bus
Fare
Single around £3; day citySAVER roughly £6 app or tap, £6.80 cash
Get off at
Exceat, by the country park visitor centre
By train
No station at the cliffs; via Seaford or Eastbourne, then bus or walk
Booking
None on the bus; turn up and pay
Which way is best from Brighton?
For almost everyone, the direct Coaster 12 or 12X bus wins on price, simplicity and freedom to stop along the coast. Take the train only if you are already on a rail line, if you want the Seaford Head walk to the cliffs, or if buses are disrupted. Driving is fine midweek but the Exceat car park fills fast on sunny weekends, which the bus sidesteps entirely.
Put plainly, the bus is the default and the others are exceptions. It costs least, runs all day, and drops you at the visitor centre with no parking to worry about. The train earns its place only for the walker who wants the high headland route in, and driving suits midweek. If you are weighing up several Brighton day trips, the day-trips hub sets this one beside the others, including the Breeze bus up to Devil's Dyke.
Plenty of visitors handle the whole thing as two separate days. They check the open-top tour price on Viator for Brighton itself, ride the hop-on hop-off bus around the pier, the Pavilion and the i360 one day, then take the Coaster out to the cliffs the next. The city loop and the coast run are different pleasures, and neither is a substitute for the other.
Viator Badge of Excellence
Best for first-time visitors, families and short stays
City Sightseeing Brighton Hop-On Hop-Off Tour
4.6across 162 Viator reviews, 93% recommend · 4.5 on Tripadvisor (#1 of 32 transport in Brighton)
Open-top double-decker on a 12-stop Red Route, from Palace Pier to Brighton Marina, about a 50-minute full loop
Hop on and off all day; choose a 1-day or 2-day ticket that also covers Brighton & Hove city buses
Recorded commentary in 7 languages with free headphones, plus 30% off SEA LIFE and 15% off the Royal Pavilion
From $20 per adult, shown for your date and currency on Viator
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before. Ratings are the operator's current Viator and Tripadvisor figures; check the listing for today's price.
Common questions about getting from Brighton to Seven Sisters
Is there a direct bus from Brighton to Seven Sisters?
Yes. The Coaster 12 and 12X run directly from central Brighton along the coast to Exceat, the stop for Seven Sisters Country Park, in about an hour. It is a regular service bus that runs all day, so you turn up and pay rather than booking a timed departure.
Can you get to Seven Sisters by train from Brighton?
Not all the way. There is no station at the cliffs, so a train takes you only as far as Seaford or Eastbourne, usually with a change at Lewes, and you finish by bus or on foot. From Seaford you can walk over the headland in about an hour or ride the Coaster a few stops. Check live rail times before relying on it.
How long does it take to get from Brighton to Seven Sisters?
The direct Coaster bus takes roughly an hour to Exceat, a little more in summer traffic. A train route takes longer once you add the change and the connecting bus or walk. Allow a comfortable half-day overall so you have time at the cliffs rather than racing the timetable.
How much is the bus from Brighton to Seven Sisters?
A single is around £3 and a day citySAVER is roughly £6 by app or contactless tap, £6.80 in cash. The day ticket almost always wins, because it lets you break the journey along the coast at Rottingdean or Seaford and covers your buses back around town on one flat fare.
Where do I get off the bus for the Seven Sisters?
Get off at Exceat, by the Seven Sisters Country Park visitor centre, one stop before Friston Forest. Seaford is the town just before it, so use that as your cue. If you reach Eastbourne, you have gone too far and should ride back a few stops.
City loop one day, cliffs the next
Book the open-top hop-on hop-off tour for Brighton itself, then take the Coaster out to the Seven Sisters.
