2 Best Sights in The Southeast, England

The city's most remarkable building is this delightfully over-the-top domed and pinnacled fantasy. Built as a simple seaside villa in the fashionable classical style of 1787 by architect Henry Holland, the Pavilion was rebuilt between 1815 and 1822 by John Nash for the Prince Regent (later George IV). The result was an exotic, foppish Eastern design with opulent Chinese interiors. The two great set pieces are the Music Room, styled in the form of a Chinese pavilion, and the Banqueting Room, with its enormous flying-dragon "gasolier," or gaslight chandelier, a revolutionary invention in the early 19th century. The gardens, too, have been restored to Regency splendor, following John Nash's naturalistic design of 1826. For an elegant time-out, a tearoom serves snacks and light meals.

Down the hill past Church Square, Ypres Tower—pronounced "Wipers" by locals—was originally built as part of the town's fortifications (now all but disappeared) in 1249; it later served as a prison. A row of defensive cannons is fixed to the rampart overlooking the (disappointingly industrial) edge of Rye and several miles of flatland beyond. When they were installed, however, the canons pointed directly out to sea. Inside the tower is the Rye Castle Museum, which has displays on the city's history, from medieval floor tiles to 15th-century suits of armor, as well an interesting exhibition on 1830s life as a female prisoner in the "women's tower."

A second (free to enter) outpost of the RCM on nearby East Street has even more exhibits, including examples of Rye pottery for which the town was famous and a fire engine that was built in 1745 and served the town for 120 years.