Erith offers visitors a special connection to the Thames, as well as opportunities for walks, culture and rail travel. The town has a waterfront almost half a mile long and is home to London’s longest public pier. There are also the Riverside Gardens in the town centre, a church with a history of around a thousand years, and cultural offerings from The Exchange. When planning your stay, you could start by considering whether the river, a walking or cycling route, history and creativity, or train connections should shape your visit.

Waterfront, pier and Riverside Gardens

Erith’s Thames waterfront stretches for almost half a mile. The public Erith Pier is London’s longest; visitors can take a walk there and enjoy views of the river. This makes a walk on the pier a specific activity, while the length of the waterfront conveys the scale of Erith’s connection to the river.

The Riverside Gardens offer a different perspective: they are in the town centre and provide a peaceful, green spot with views of the river. If you are deciding between a walk on the pier and a green setting when planning your stay, you can think of the two places as distinct options for spending time outdoors.

Walking and cycling

For walkers, the first section of the LOOP walking trail runs from Erith Riverside to Old Bexley Village. For cyclists, Erith is a destination or a place to pass through: many local and some national cycling routes lead to or pass through Erith. These offer different approaches to planning: a walking stage with two named endpoints, and cycling routes classified as local or national. If you are choosing between the two activities, you can select the type of route that best suits your travel plans.

Church history and creative offerings

St John the Baptist Church has been a place of Christian worship for around a thousand years. The First World War memorial is located at the church and lists the names of 101 people from the parish who died in the war. The church and memorial represent two historical perspectives: a long religious tradition and the remembrance of those who died in the First World War.

The Exchange has its historic home in Erith’s Grade II listed Old Library and offers community maker workshops. Its cultural scope therefore ranges from the historical connections of the church and memorial to creative community activities. If you would like to include a creative theme in your travel plans alongside history, The Exchange offers a different focus.

Getting here and choosing where to stay

Erith railway station has frequent train services to London Bridge, Charing Cross and Cannon Street. This is another consideration when planning your trip: you can decide whether Erith itself will be the main focus or whether train journeys to these London destinations will also be part of your plans. When looking for a hotel in Erith, you can tailor your priorities to your travel plans: should Erith’s waterfront, culture or routes be the main focus of your stay, or will train connections also matter?

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Go to the main travel overview: Bexley.