The Georgian-era market town of Holt is a pretty pick on the North Norfolk Coast. Its many antique shops, art galleries, boutiques and bookshops, as well as pubs, cafes and restaurant buildings have a uniform charm, and it’s very pleasant just to stroll amongst them. The little alleyways and winding lanes invite you to explore, and the coast is just a couple of miles north. But Holt also has a hundred acre Country Park, a woodland criss-crossed with trails, picnic spots and playgrounds, so the best places to stay in Holt are an excellent choice for both a family escape, or a more grown up, historic one. In Holt we like a pub-with-rooms and historic Byfords, a hotel in Holt’s oldest building.

Visitors to Holt should look up the Owl Trail, which is a series of plaques marking out the town’s main landmarks. Some of the best of the town’s Georgian architecture is marked with an Owl, as is St. Andrew’s Church, which dates from the 13th century. It is a great way to get your bearings and get a taste for Holt. One of our recommendations for the best places to stay in Holt, Byfords, is also one of the town’s landmarks, and worth poking your head into, even if you don't opt to stay there. You should also look up the North Norfolk Railway Station, where old steam trains still puff.

Holt Country Park’s semi-managed woodland is picturesque, with its oaks, pines, and silver birch trees, but for Norfolk’s natural landscape visit the nearby Broads National Park with its wealth of endemic flora and fauna. Or Blakeney Point on the coast, where seals are known to congregate and some of the UK’s best birdwatching opportunities may crop up for you. Holt is close to the picturesque ruins of Baconsthorpe Castle too, and Letheringsett Watermill, and of course the beautiful North Norfolk coastline. During the summer the town hosts a Summer Festival, and the Holt calendar has a number of interesting events. If you’re planning to visit Holt for one of the events it’s a good idea to book into one of the best places to stay in Holt with plenty of time to spare. It is a proper hideaway, but it’s sometimes a popular one!

The Best Places to Stay in Holt

For Historic Charm

• Byfords is the oldest building in Holt, formerly an ironmongers, and before that a collection of 15th century cottages; it’s now a 16 room hotel. Downstairs, the long, narrow space has stolen flagged floors, exposed brick walls, and original beams on the low ceilings. There’s a charming deli at the front, and a very cheerful all-day cafe with an excellent, and surprisingly expansive menu. Upstairs there are 16 rooms and suites, all different in size and shape, but sharing the same rustic wooden floors and antique furnishings, that make the most of the original features. Family friendly.

Best Pubs with Rooms

• The King's Head is a gorgeous, Georgian era inn, with carefully styled interiors and four elegant guest rooms. It is just 50 metres from the main road, but it’s surrounded by peaceful countryside. The pub itself is traditional and historic, but painted white, so fresh-feeling. The restaurant is known for its local produce — think Cromer crab and Brancaster mussels — and its great selection of ales, and in summer it spills out into a huge beer garden complete with a barbecue and children’s play area. There are just four guest rooms, not large, but simple, stylish and well decorated.

Prefer a Private Apartment or Cottage?

• If you'd prefer the privacy of a self-catering option then browse through the wide variety available online with our partner, Booking.com.

Travel Information

• You can get to Holt from London in around two and a half hours by car, or about four and a half hours by train via Norwich. If you’re thinking of flying in, the closest international airport as the crow flies is Norwich International Airport, which is about half an hour away from Holt by car or taxi, and just a shade more by public transport. London Stansted Airport is about two hours away by car or taxi, or just under four and a half hours by train; London City Airport is about two hours by car or taxi, and five and a half hours by train; and Heathrow, which is on the opposite side of London from Holt, is five and a half hours by train, or two and a half hours by car or taxi.
• If you want to hire a car we recommend you visit our online partner, Rentalcars.
• Norfolk doesn’t have extreme weather, and while it’s undoubtedly lovelier under a sunny sky in July or August, Norfolk can also be charming in the spring and summer, and even on a crisp, clear winter day. Norfolk hosts a number of Christmas fairs in November and December, and that adds to the cheer in the towns and centres. The Norfolk Broads are busiest in the school holidays, especially during the summer, but many people enjoy the added bustle on the water, if not the higher priced boats. Norfolk gets rain throughout the years, and it can be surprising and unpredictable, but generally February is the driest month, and October is the wettest.

Still not sure where to stay?

• Expand your search to include the best places to stay in Norfolk
• Consider the best places to stay in nearby Norwich or King’s Lynn or on the North Norfolk Coast
• You might like to search by the kind of accommodation you’re looking for. For example the best Norfolk beach hotels, the best pubs with rooms in Norfolk, the best hotels for families or the best country house hotels
• Or you could contact one of our friendly Gurus for personalised advice.