Östra Herrestad is located approximately halfway between Gärsnäs and Hammenhög, about two kilometres in each direction. The village used to belong to Gärsnäs sätesgård/Gärsnäs castle, which is a stone's throw to the north-east.
As in many other church villages, the oldest parts of the church in Östra Herrestad date from the 12th century. The church's west tower was built as late as 1880. When the village was parceled out at the end of the 19th century, a number of gatehouses were built on the plots of the farms that had moved out. The buildings have retained their old-fashioned character with their low houses, often plastered or boarded. On some of them you can see typical carpentry details.
The Tommarp river meanders past near the village. To the north-west of the village is the beautiful Stenhed ship, a supposed solar calendar, which is said to be contemporary with the stones of Ales. The nearest larger town with services such as schools, shops and retirement homes is Gärsnäs. There are bus connections to the west with the Skåne Express, the express bus to Lund, and train services on the Simrishamn-Malmö route.
