Wisbech sits at the meeting point of Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, and Lincolnshire, which makes it an unusually good base for exploring a wide area. Within an hour's drive you can be on the Norfolk coast, in the heart of the Broads, at Ely Cathedral, or exploring the medieval streets of King's Lynn. These are the best day trips from Wisbech, with approximate travel times from the town centre.
Within 30 Minutes
King's Lynn
A handsome medieval and Georgian port on the Great Ouse, King's Lynn has some of the finest medieval civic buildings in England: the Saturday Market Place, St Margaret's Church, the Guildhall, and the Custom House on the riverfront. The Tuesday Market Place is one of the largest market squares in England. King's Lynn has good independent shops, cafes, and restaurants, and the RSPB's Snettisham reserve is a short drive further north.
March
A compact Fenland market town with a fine parish church (St Wendreda's, notable for its double hammerbeam roof) and a station with rail connections to Peterborough and Ely. Good for a short trip combined with an onward train journey.
Within 45 Minutes
Ely
Ely Cathedral is one of the great buildings of England, rising from the flat Fenland on its "island" hill. The Octavia History, an exhibition dedicated to Octavia Hill (co-founder of the National Trust, born in Wisbech), is in the cathedral precincts. The city itself is compact and pleasant, with good independent shops and a riverside walk along the Great Ouse. Oliver Cromwell's house is in Ely and open to visitors.
Peterborough
Peterborough Cathedral is a Norman building of major importance, with a west facade that is one of the most dramatic in England. The city has the Flag Fen Bronze Age archaeology museum on its eastern edge, and the Queensgate shopping centre for practical needs. Good rail connections back to London (about 50 minutes on the East Midlands mainline).
Within an Hour
Holkham Beach
One of the finest beaches in England: a vast expanse of sand backed by pine woods and the Holkham National Nature Reserve. The beach is three miles long, consistently uncrowded, and has a quality of light and space that is unique to the North Norfolk coast. Holkham Hall, a Palladian mansion with a magnificent state rooms and deer park, is adjacent.
The Norfolk Broads
The Norfolk Broads are a network of navigable lakes, rivers, and marshes covering about 300 square kilometres of east Norfolk. Hiring a day boat from Wroxham or Potter Heigham gives a leisurely way to explore the waterways. The RSPB Strumpshaw Fen reserve is excellent for birdwatching, particularly for marsh harriers and bitterns. Hickling Broad is the largest Broad and a nature reserve of national importance.
Ouse Washes RSPB Reserve
The Ouse Washes, between the Old and New Bedford Rivers near Welney, are one of the most important wetland reserves in England. In winter, huge numbers of Bewick's swans, whooper swans, and wildfowl gather here from Arctic Russia. In summer, wading birds breed on the washland. The RSPB reserve at Welney has hides and a visitor centre.
Sutton Hoo
The National Trust site at Sutton Hoo in Suffolk, where the Anglo-Saxon ship burial was excavated in 1939, has an outstanding visitor centre and museum. The burial mounds are visible, and the exhibition includes the story of the Sutton Hoo discovery and its significance for our understanding of early medieval England. Best for a longer day.
Getting Around
A car gives the most flexibility for day trips from Wisbech. Public transport connections vary: King's Lynn and Peterborough are both well served by bus from Wisbech, and from those cities rail connections extend further. For the Norfolk coast and Broads, a car is effectively essential. The Tourist Information Centre at 2-3 Bridge Street can advise on current bus services and connections.